2 Kings 18

1Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

1In the third year that Hoshea son of Elah was king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became the king of Judah.

2Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.

2He was twenty-five years old when he began to rule, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah.

3And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done.

3He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just like his ancestor David had done.

4He removed the high places, and brake the pillars, and cut down the Asherah: and he brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan.

4He removed the local shrines, smashed the sacred stone pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses had made, because until that time the Israelites were burning incense to it; it was called Nehushtan.

5He trusted in Jehovah, the God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among them that were before him.

5Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after him.

6For he clave to Jehovah; he departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which Jehovah commanded Moses.

6He stayed faithful to the LORD and never stopped following him; he kept the commands that the LORD had given to Moses.

7And Jehovah was with him; whithersoever he went forth he prospered: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.

7The LORD was with him, and he was successful in everything he did. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to serve him.

8He smote the Philistines unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.

8He defeated the Philistines all the way to Gaza and its surrounding territory, from the smallest lookout tower to the largest fortified city.

9And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

9During the fourth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, which was the seventh year of King Hoshea of Israel, King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked Samaria and surrounded it with his army.

10And at the end of three years they took it: in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

10After three years, the Assyrians captured it. In Hezekiah's sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea’s reign in Israel, Samaria was taken.

11And the king of Assyria carried Israel away unto Assyria, and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,

11The king of Assyria forced the Israelites into exile in Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor River in Gozan, and in the towns of the Medes.

12because they obeyed not the voice of Jehovah their God, but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded, and would not hear it, nor do it.

12This happened because they did not obey the LORD their God. They broke his covenant and ignored everything that Moses, the servant of the LORD, had commanded. They would not listen or put it into practice.

13Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them.

13In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.

14And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

14So King Hezekiah of Judah sent a message to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, 'I have done wrong. Please leave me alone, and I will pay whatever amount you demand.' The king of Assyria ordered Hezekiah to pay eleven tons of silver and one ton of gold.

15And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king’s house.

15Hezekiah gave him all the silver found in the LORD’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace.

16At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of Jehovah, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

16At that time, Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the LORD’s temple and from the doorposts he had covered with gold, and he gave it to the king of Assyria.

17And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army unto Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field.

17Then the king of Assyria sent his commander-in-chief, his high official, and his field commander with a huge army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They went up to Jerusalem and stopped near the channel of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Laundryman’s Field.

18And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.

18They called for the king, and three officials went out to meet them: Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator; Shebna, the court secretary; and Joah son of Asaph, the royal historian.

19And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?

19The Assyrian field commander said to them, 'Tell Hezekiah that this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours?

20Thou sayest (but they are but vain words), There is counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me?

20You say you have a strategy and military strength, but these are just empty words. Who are you trusting that makes you dare to rebel against me?

21Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.

21Look, you are depending on Egypt, that cracked reed of a staff. If a man leans on it, it will pierce his hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is like that to everyone who trusts in him.

22But if ye say unto me, We trust in Jehovah our God; is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

22And if you tell me, "We are trusting in the LORD our God," isn't he the one whose local shrines and altars Hezekiah removed? Didn't Hezekiah tell Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship only at this altar in Jerusalem"?

23Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

23So now, make a deal with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses if you can even find enough riders to sit on them!

24How then canst thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

24How could you even defeat one of my master’s least important officers? And yet you trust in Egypt to give you chariots and horsemen!

25Am I now come up without Jehovah against this place to destroy it? Jehovah said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

25Furthermore, do you think I have come to attack and destroy this place without the LORD's help? The LORD himself told me, "Go up against this land and destroy it."'

26Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not with us in the Jews’ language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

26Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the field commander, 'Please speak to us in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew within earshot of the people on the city wall.'

27But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit on the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink their own water with you?

27But the commander replied, 'Do you think my master sent me to say these things only to your master and to you? No, he sent me to the men sitting on the wall, who, along with you, will soon have to eat their own waste and drink their own urine!'

28Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and spake, saying, Hear ye the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.

28Then the commander stood and shouted in Hebrew, 'Listen to the message from the great king, the king of Assyria!

29Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you; for he will not be able to deliver you out of his hand:

29This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot rescue you from my power.

30neither let Hezekiah make you trust in Jehovah, saying, Jehovah will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.

30Don't let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD by saying, "The LORD will surely rescue us; this city will never be handed over to the king of Assyria."

31Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;

31Do not listen to Hezekiah! This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out! Then each of you can eat from your own grapevine and fig tree, and drink water from your own well,

32until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive-trees and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, Jehovah will deliver us.

32until I come and take you away to a land just like your own. It is a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life and not death! Do not listen to Hezekiah when he tries to mislead you by saying, "The LORD will rescue us."

33Hath any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

33Have the gods of any other nations ever rescued their lands from the king of Assyria?

34Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah? have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

34Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did they rescue Samaria from my power?

35Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that Jehovah should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

35Which of all the gods of these nations has ever rescued their land from me? Why then should the LORD rescue Jerusalem from my power?'

36But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

36But the people remained silent and did not say a word, because the king had commanded them, 'Do not answer him.'

37Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

37Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the historian went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief and reported what the Assyrian field commander had said.