2Kings:18

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* And it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah , king of Israel , that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz , king of Judah , began to reign . * He 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 , daughter of Zechariah . * And he did what was right in the sight of Jehovah , according to all that David his father had done . * He removed the high places , and broke the columns , and cut down the Asherahs , and broke in pieces the serpent of brass that Moses had made ; for to those days the children of Israel burned incense to it : and he called it Nehushtan . * He trusted in Jehovah the God of Israel ; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah , nor [among any ] that were before him . * And he clave to Jehovah , and did not turn aside from following him , but kept his commandments , which Jehovah commanded Moses . * And Jehovah was with him ; he prospered whithersoever he went forth . And he rebelled against the king of Assyria , and served him not . * He smote the Philistines unto Gazah and its borders , from the watchmen 's tower to the fortified city . * And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah , which was the seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah , king of Israel , [that ] Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it . * And at the end of three years they took it ; in the sixth year of Hezekiah , that is , the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel , Samaria was taken . * And the king of Assyria carried away Israel to Assyria , and settled them in Halah and by the Habor , the river of Gozan , and in the cities of the Medes ; * because they hearkened not to the voice of Jehovah their God , but transgressed his covenant , all that Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded ; and they would not hear nor do it . * And in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah , Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah , and took them . * And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish , saying , I have sinned ; retire from me : I will bear what thou layest upon me . And the king of Assyria laid upon Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold . * And Hezekiah gave all the silver that was found in the house of Jehovah , and in the treasures of the king 's house . * At that time Hezekiah stripped the doors of the temple of Jehovah , and the posts that Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid , and gave them to the king of Assyria . * And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rab-shakeh from Lachish , with a strong force , against king Hezekiah , to Jerusalem . And they went up and came to Jerusalem . And when they were come up , they came and stood by the aqueduct of the upper pool , which is on the highway of the fuller 's field . * And they called to the king . Then came forth to them Eliakim the son of Hilkijah , who was over the household , and Shebnah the scribe , and Joah the son of Asaph , the chronicler . * And Rab-shakeh said to them , Say now to Hezekiah , Thus says the great king , the king of Assyria : What confidence is this wherein thou trustest ? * Thou sayest -- but it is a word of the lips -- There is counsel and strength for war . Now on whom dost thou rely , that thou hast revolted against me ? * Now behold , thou reliest upon the staff of that broken reed , upon Egypt , on which if a man lean , it goes into his hand and pierces it : so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that rely upon him . * And if ye say to me , We rely upon Jehovah our God : is it not he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has removed , saying to Judah and Jerusalem , Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem ? * And now , engage , I pray thee , with my master the king of Assyria , and I will give thee two thousand horses , if thou canst set the riders upon them . * How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master 's servants ? And thou reliest upon Egypt for chariots and for horsemen ! * Am I now come up without Jehovah against this place to destroy it ? Jehovah said to me , Go up against this land and destroy it . * And Eliakim the son of Hilkijah , and Shebnah and Joah said to Rab-shakeh , Speak , we pray thee , to thy servants in Syriac , for we understand it , and talk not with us in the Jewish [language ] in the ears of the people that are on the wall . * And Rab-shakeh said to them , Is it to thy master and to thee that my master sent me to speak these words ? Is it not to the men that sit on the wall , that they may eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you ? * And Rab-shakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jewish [language ], and spoke and said , Hear the word of the great king , the king of Assyria ! * Thus says the king : Let not Hezekiah deceive you ; for he will not be able to deliver you out of the [king 's ] hand . * Neither let Hezekiah make you rely upon Jehovah , saying , Jehovah will certainly deliver us , and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria . * Hearken not to Hezekiah ; for thus says the king of Assyria : Make peace with me , and come out to me ; and eat every one of his vine and every one of his fig-tree , and drink every one the waters of his own cistern ; * until I come and take you away to a land like your own land , a land of corn and 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 to Hezekiah , when he persuades you , saying , Jehovah will deliver us . * Have any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria ? * Where are the gods of Hamath and of Arpad ? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim , Hena , and Ivvah ? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand ? * Which are they among all the gods of the countries , who have delivered their country out of my hand , that Jehovah should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand ? * But the people were silent and answered him not a word ; for the king 's command was , saying , Answer him not . * And Eliakim the son of Hilkijah , who was over the household , and Shebna the scribe , and Joah the son of Asaph , the chronicler , came to Hezekiah with their garments rent , and told him the words of Rab-shakeh .

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