2Ki 18:1-20 | NASB2020 | STEP | Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea , the son of Elah king of Israel , that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king .

2 Kings 18:1-20

Hezekiah Reigns over Judah

1 Now it came about ^ain the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that ^bHezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king. 2 He was ^ctwenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 ^dHe did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father David had done. 4 ^eHe removed the high places and smashed the memorial stones to pieces, and cut down the ^{▼▼I.e., a wooden symbol of a female deity}Asherah. He also crushed to pieces ^gthe bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel had been burning incense to it; and it was called ^{▼▼I.e., a bronze sculpture}Nehushtan. 5 ⁱHe trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; and ^jafter him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who came before him. 6 For he ^kclung to the Lord; he did not desist from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.

Hezekiah Victorious

7 ^lAnd the Lord was with him; wherever he went he was successful. And ^mhe revolted against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 ⁿHe ^{▼▼Lit struck}defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from ^pwatchtower to fortified city.

9 Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, ^qShalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it. 10 And at the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was ^rthe ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured. 11 Then the king of Assyria led Israel into exile to Assyria, and put them in ^sHalah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 12 This happened because they ^tdid not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but violated His covenant, all that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded; they would neither listen nor do it.

Invasion of Judah

13 ^uNow in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria marched against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent messengers to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “ ^vI have done wrong. ^{▼▼Lit Turn back}Withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will endure.” So the king of Assyria imposed on Hezekiah king of Judah the payment of three hundred ^{▼▼A talent was about 75 lb. or 34 kg}talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 ^yHezekiah then gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16 At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the doorposts, which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and he gave it to the king of Assyria.

17 Then the king of Assyria sent ^zTartan, Rab-saris, and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large army to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the ^aaconduit of the upper pool, which is on the road of the ^{▼▼I.e., launderer’s}fuller’s field. 18 Then they called to the king, and ^acEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, ^adShebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the secretary, went out to them.

19 And Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria says: “ ^aeWhat is this confidence that you ^{▼▼Lit trust}have? 20 You say--but they are only ^{▼▼Lit a word of lips}empty words -‘I have a plan and strength for the war.’ Now on whom have you relied, ^ahthat you have revolted against me?