2 Kings 18:1-21 ▼

1 Now it happened that during the third year of the reign of Elah's son Hoshea, king of Israel, that Ahaz' son Hezekiah became king.

2 He was 25 years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother was Zechariah's daughter Abi.

3 He did what the LORD considered to be right, according to everything that his ancestor David had done.

4 He removed the high places, demolished the sacred pillars, and tore down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had crafted, because the Israelis had been burning incense to it right up until that time. Hezekiah called it a piece of brass.

5 He trusted the LORD God of Israel, and after him there were none like him among all the kings of Judah,

6 because he depended on the LORD, not abandoning pursuit of him, and keeping the LORD's commands that he had commanded Moses.

7 So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah prospered wherever he went, even when he rebelled against the king of Assyria, refusing to serve him.

8 He attacked the Philistines, invading Gaza and its borders from watchtower to fortified garrison.

9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah's reign (that is, during the seventh year of Elah's son Hoshea's reign as king of Israel), King Shalmaneser from Assyria invaded Samaria and besieged it.

10 Three years later, they captured Samaria during the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign, which was the ninth year of Hoshea's reign as king of Israel.

11 After this, the king of Assyria carried Israel off into exile in Assyria, settling them in Halah, on the Habor River in Gozan, and in cities controlled by the Medes,

12 because they would not obey the voice of the LORD their God. Instead, they transgressed his covenant, including everything that Moses, the servant of the LORD, had commanded, by neither listening nor putting what he had commanded into practice.

13 During the fourteenth year of the reign of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria approached all of the walled cities of Judah and seized them.

14 So Hezekiah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: |I have offended you. Withdraw from me, and I'll accept whatever tribute you impose.| So the king of Assyria required Hezekiah to pay him 300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold.

15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver that could be removed from the LORD's Temple and from the treasuries in the king's palace.

16 At that time, Hezekiah removed the doors to the LORD's Temple and the doorposts that he had overlaid with gold, and gave the gold to the king of Assyria.

17 Sometime later, the king of Assyria sent Tartan, Rab-saris, and Rab-shakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, accompanied with a large army.

18 When they called for the king, Hilkiah's son Eliakim, who managed the household, Shebnah the scribe, and Asaph's son Joah the recorder went out to them.

19 Rab-shakeh told them, |Tell Hezekiah right now, 'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria says: '|Why are you so confident?

20 You're saying—but they're only empty words—'I have enough advice and resources to conduct warfare!' '|Now who are you relying on, that you have rebelled against me?

21 Look, you're trusting on Egypt to lean on like a staff, but it's a crushed reed, and if you lean on it, it will collapse and pierce your hand. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is just like that to everyone who relies on him!