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. 2He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3And he did that which was right in the eyes of LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 4He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah, and he broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made. For to those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it, and he called it Nehushtan. 5He trusted in LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor [among those] who were before him. 6For he clung to LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept his commandments, which LORD commanded Moses. 7And LORD was with him. Wherever he went forth he prospered. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and did not serve him. 8He smote the Philistines to Gaza and the borders of it, from the tower of the watchmen to the 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. 10And at the end of three years they took it. Samaria was taken in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. 11And the king of Assyria carried Israel away to Assyria, and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12because they did not obey the voice of LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of LORD commanded, and would not hear it, nor do it. 13Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them. 14And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended. Return from me. That which thou put on me I will bear. And the king of Assyria appointed to Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of 15And Hezekiah gave [him] all the silver that was found in the house of LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house. 16At that time Hezekiah cut off [the gold from] the doors of the temple of LORD, and [from] the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and 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 to Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they came up, they came and stood by the conduit of the 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. 19And Rabshakeh said to them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this in which thou trust? 20Thou say (but they are but vain words), [There is] counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom do thou trust that thou have rebelled against me? 21Now, behold, thou trust upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man leans it will go into his hand, and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust on him. 22But if ye say to me, We trust in LORD our God, is that not he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before 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. 24How then can 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? 25Have I now come up without LORD against this place to destroy it? LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. 26Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, said to Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language, for we understand it. And do not speak with us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people 27But Rabshakeh said to them, Has my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? [Has he] not [sent me] to the men who sit on the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink their own urine with you? 28Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spoke, saying, Hear ye the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. 29Thus says the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of his hand. 30Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in LORD, saying, LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 31Do not hearken to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria, Make your peace with me, and come out to me. And eat ye every man of his vine, and every man of his fig tree, and drink ye every man the waters of his own cistern, 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 do not hearken to Hezekiah when he per 33Have any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of 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? 35Who are they among all the gods of the countries that have delivered their country out of my hand, that LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? 36But the people were silent, and did not answer him a word, for the king's commandment was, saying, Do not answer him. 37Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.