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ULT 2KI Chapter 18

18 And it happened in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, the king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, the king of Judah, became king. 2 He was a son of 25 years when he became king, and he was king 29 years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was upright in the eyes of Yahweh, like all that David his father did. 4 He himself removed the high places, and he shattered the pillars, and he cut down the Asherah pole. And he crushed the serpent of bronze that Moses had made, because until those days the sons of Israel were offering incense to it (and he called it “Nehushtan”). 5 In Yahweh the God of Israel he trusted, and after him none was like him among all the kings of Judah, nor those who were before him. 6 And he clung to Yahweh—he did not turn away from after him, and he kept his commandments, which Yahweh commanded Moses. 7 And Yahweh was with him. In every place that he went out, he succeeded. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and he did not serve him. 8 He himself struck the Philistines as far as Gaza and its borders, from a tower of watchmen up to a fortified city.

9 And it happened in the fourth year of King Hezekiah—it was the seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah, the king of Israel—Shalmaneser the king of Assyria went up against Samaria, and he laid siege against it. 10 And they captured it, at the end of three years. In the sixth year of Hezekiah—it was the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Israel—Samaria was captured. 11 And the king of Assyria exiled Israel to Assyria. And he led them to Halah and to Habor the river of Gozan and cities of the Medes, 12 because they did not listen to the voice of Yahweh their God, but they transgressed his covenant—all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded—and they did not take care, and they did not do.

13 And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib the king of Assyria went up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and he captured them. 14 And Hezekiah the king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria, to Lachish, saying, “I have sinned. Return from against me. Whatever you give to me, I will lift.” And the king of Assyria put on Hezekiah the king of Judah 300 rounds of silver and 30 rounds of gold. 15 And Hezekiah gave all the silver that was found in the house of Yahweh and in the treasuries of the house of the king. 16 At that time, Hezekiah cut off the doors of the temple of Yahweh and the columns that Hezekiah the king of Judah overlaid, and he gave them to the king of Assyria. 17 And the king of Assyria sent the general and the chief eunuch and the chief commander from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a heavy army to Jerusalem. And they went up, and they came to Jerusalem. And they went up, and they came, and they stood by the conduit of the upper pool that was on the highway of the Field of the Fuller. 18 And they called out to the king, and Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, went out to them.

19 Then the chief commander said to them, “Now, say to Hezekiah ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “What is this trust which you trust? 20 You say only a word of lips, counsel and might for war. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 21 Now look—you trust for yourself in the staff of this bruised reed, in Egypt, which a man leans on it, and it goes into his palm, and it pierces it. Thus is Pharaoh the king of Egypt to all the people who trust in him. 22 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in Yahweh our God,’ is it not he whom Hezekiah has removed his high places and his altars, and he said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘To the face of this altar you must prostrate yourself in Jerusalem?’ ” 23 And now, wager, please, with my lord, with the king of Assyria. And I will give to you 2, 000 horses, if you are able to give for yourself riders on them. 24 And how will you drive back the face of the captain of one of the servants of my lord, the least one? But you trust for yourself in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen! 25 Now, have I come up against this place to destroy it without Yahweh? Yahweh said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’ ”

26 And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah and Shebnah and Joah said to the chief commander, “Please, speak Aramaic to your servants, for we are hearing. But do not speak Judean with us in the ears of the people who are on the wall.” 27 But the chief commander said to them, “To your master and to you has my lord sent me to speak these words? Is it not for the men who are sitting on the wall to eat their dung and to drink their urine with you?” 28 And the chief commander stood, and he called out in a loud voice in Judean. And he spoke, and he said, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. 29 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he is not able to rescue you from his hand. 30 And do not let Hezekiah make you trust in Yahweh, saying, “Yahweh will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ’ 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make a blessing with me, and come out to me, and eat, each man, of his vine and, each man, of his fig tree, and drink, each man, of the waters of his well, 32 until I come. And I will take you to a land like your land—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive tree of oil and honey. And live, and do not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying, “Yahweh will deliver us.” 33 Did the gods of the nations actually rescue, each one his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Indeed, did they rescue Samaria from my hand? 35 Who is among all the gods of the lands that has rescued their land from my hand that Yahweh will rescue Jerusalem from my hand?’ ”

36 But the people remained silent, and they did not answer him a word, for it was a commandment of the king, saying, “You will not answer him.” 37 And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe and Joah,the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah, torn of clothing. And they reported to him the words of the chief commander.

◄ 2KI 18 ► ║ ©

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