2Ki 18-20 | 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

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? 21 Now behold, you have ^{▼▼Lit relied for yourself
,} ^ajrelied on the ^{▼▼Or staff}support of this broken reed, on Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his ^{▼▼Lit palm}hand and pierce it. That is how Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him. 22 However, if you say to me, ‘We have trusted in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and ^amwhose altars Hezekiah has removed, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’? 23 Now then, ^{▼▼Lit please exchange pledges}come make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 24 How then can you drive back even ^{▼▼Lit the face of one}one ^{▼▼Or governor}official of the least of my master’s servants, and ^{▼▼Lit rely for yourself}rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25 Have I now come up without ^{▼▼Lit the Lord}the Lord’s approval against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”

26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah, said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, because we ^{▼▼Lit hear}understand it; and do not speak with us in ^{▼▼I.e., Hebrew
,} ^auJudean ^{▼▼Lit in the ears of...wall}so that the people who are on the wall hear you.” 27 But Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words? Has he not also sent me to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

28 Then Rabshakeh stood up and shouted with a loud voice in Judean, ^{▼▼Lit and spoke, saying,}saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: ‘ ^axDo not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to save you from ^{▼▼MT his}my hand. 30 And do not let Hezekiah lead you to trust in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will certainly save us, and this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: “Make ^{▼▼Lit with me a blessing}your peace with me and come out to me, and eat, ^baeach one, from his vine and each from his fig tree, and drink, each one, the waters of his own cistern, 32 until I come and take you ^bbto a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees producing oil, and of honey, so that you will live and not die.” But do not listen to Hezekiah, because he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will save us.” 33 ^bcHas any of the gods of the nations actually saved his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 ^bdWhere are the gods of Hamath and ^beArpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and ^{▼▼In 2 Kin 17:24, Avva
,} ^bgIvvah? Have they saved Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands are there who have saved their land from my hand, ^bhthat the Lord would save Jerusalem from my hand?’”

36 But the people were silent and did not answer him with even a word, because it was the king’s ^{▼▼Lit command, saying}command: “Do not answer him.” 37 Then ^bjEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the secretary, came to Hezekiah ^bkwith their clothes torn, and they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.

2 Kings 19

Isaiah Encourages Hezekiah

1 ^blNow when King Hezekiah heard the report, he ^bmtore his clothes, ^bncovered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the household, with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, ^bocovered with sackcloth, to ^bpIsaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says: ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and humiliation; for children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 ^bqPerhaps the Lord your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent ^brto taunt the living God, and will avenge the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for ^bsthe remnant that is ^{▼▼Lit found}left.’” 5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, “This is what you shall say to your master: ‘The Lord says this: “Do not be fearful because of the words that you have heard, with which the ^buservants of the king of Assyria ^bvhave blasphemed Me. 7 Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that ^bwhe will hear news and return to his own land. And ^bxI will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

Sennacherib Defies God

8 Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against ^byLibnah, for he had heard that the king had left ^bzLachish. 9 When he heard them say about Tirhakah king of ^{▼▼Or Ethiopia}Cush, “Behold, he has come out to fight you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “This is what you shall say to Hezekiah king of ^{▼▼Lit Judah, saying,}Judah: ‘Do not ^cclet your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, “ ^cdJerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 11 Behold, you yourself have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be saved? 12 ^ceDid the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed save them: ^cfGozan, ^cgHaran, Rezeph, and ^chthe sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 ^ciWhere is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer

14 Then ^cjHezekiah took the ^{▼▼Lit letters...read them}letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and ^{▼▼Lit Hezekiah spread}spread it out before the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, “Lord, God of Israel, ^{▼▼Lit sitting
,} ^cnenthroned above the cherubim, ^coYou are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 ^cpIncline Your ear, Lord, and hear; ^cqopen Your eyes, Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent ^crto taunt the living God. 17 It is true, Lord; the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have ^{▼▼Lit given}hurled their gods into the fire; ^ctfor they were not gods, but only the work of human hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. 19 But now, Lord our God, please, save us from his hand, ^cuso that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, ^cvLord, are God.”

God’s Answer through Isaiah

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, ^cwI have heard you.’ 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken against him:

‘She, ^cxthe virgin daughter of Zion, has shown contempt for you and mocked you;
She, the daughter of Jerusalem, ^cyhas shaken her head behind you!
22 ‘Whom have you ^cztaunted and ^dablasphemed?
And against whom have you raised your voice,
And ^{▼▼Lit on high}haughtily raised your eyes?
Against the ^dcHoly One of Israel!
23 ‘ ^ddThrough your messengers you have taunted the Lord,
And you have said, “With my many chariots
I went up to the heights of the mountains,
To the remotest parts of Lebanon;
And I cut down its tall cedars and its choicest junipers.
And I entered its farthest resting place, its ^dethickest forest.
24 “I dug wells and drank foreign waters,
And with the soles of my feet I ^dfdried up
All the streams of Egypt.”

25 ‘ ^dgHave you not heard?
Long ago I did it;
From ancient times I planned it.
^dhNow I have brought it about,
That you would turn fortified cities into ruined heaps.
26 ‘Therefore their inhabitants were ^{▼▼Lit short of hand}powerless,
They were shattered and put to shame.
They were ^djlike the vegetation of the field and the green grass,
Like grass on the housetops that is scorched before it has grown.
27 ‘But ^dkI know your sitting down,
Your going out, your coming in,
And your raging against Me.
28 ‘Because of your raging against Me,
And because your complacency has come up to My ears,
I ^dlwill put My hook in your nose,
And My bridle in your lips,
And ^dmI will turn you back by the way by which you came.
29 ‘Then this shall be ^dnthe sign for you: ^{▼▼Lit to eat}you will eat this year what grows of itself, in the second year what grows by itself, and in the third year sow, harvest, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 ^dpThe survivors that are left of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem will go a remnant, and survivors ^dqout of Mount Zion. ^drThe zeal of ^{▼▼Some ancient mss the Lord of armies}the Lord will perform this.

32 ‘Therefore this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: “ ^dtHe will not come to this city nor shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield nor heap up an assault ramp against it. 33 ^duBy the way that he came, by ^{▼▼Lit it}the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city,”’ declares the Lord. 34 ‘ ^dwFor I will protect this city to save it for My own sake, and ^dxfor My servant David’s sake.’”

35 ^dyThen it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when the rest got up early in the morning, behold, all of ^{▼▼Lit them}the 185,000 were ^{▼▼Lit dead bodies}dead. 36 So ^ebSennacherib the king of Assyria departed and ^{▼▼Lit went and returned}returned home, and lived at ^edNineveh. 37 Then it came about, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that ^{▼▼Some ancient mss his sons Adrammelech
,} ^efAdrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped to ^egthe land of Ararat. And his son ^ehEsarhaddon became king in his place.

2 Kings 20

Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery

1 ^eiIn those days Hezekiah became ^{▼▼Lit sick to death}mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘ ^ekSet your house in order, for you are going to die and not live.’” 2 Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 “Please, Lord, just ^elremember ^emhow I have walked before You wholeheartedly and in truth, and have done what is good in Your sight!” And ^enHezekiah wept ^{▼▼Lit great weeping}profusely. 4 And even before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 5 “Return and say to ^epHezekiah the leader of My people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: “ ^eqI have heard your prayer, ^erI have seen your tears; behold, I am going to heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. 6 And I will add fifteen years to your ^{▼▼Lit days}life, and I will save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and ^etI will protect this city for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”’” 7 Then Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.” And they took it and placed it on the inflamed spot, and he recovered.

8 Now Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I will go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” 9 Isaiah said, “ ^euThis shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will perform the word that He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps or go back ten steps?” 10 So Hezekiah said, “It is easy for the shadow to decline ten steps; no, but have the shadow turn backward ten steps.” 11 Then Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and ^evHe brought the shadow on the ^{▼▼Lit steps}stairway back ten steps by which it had gone down on the ^{▼▼Lit steps}stairway of Ahaz.

Hezekiah Shows Babylon His Treasures

12 ^eyAt that time ^{▼▼Some mss and ancient versions Merodach-baladan; cf. Is 39:1}Berodach-baladan, a son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, because he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13 And Hezekiah listened to ^{▼▼I.e., messengers}them, and showed them ^fball his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the balsam oil, the ^{▼▼Lit good}scented oil, the house of his armor, and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. 14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.” 15 Isaiah said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah ^{▼▼Lit said}answered, “They have seen everything that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 ‘Behold, the days are coming when ^feeverything that is in your house, and what your fathers have stored up to this day, will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 18 ‘And some ^ffof your sons who will come from you, whom you will father, will be taken away; and they will become ^fgofficials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is ^fhgood.” For he ^{▼▼Lit said}thought, “Is it not good, if there will be peace and ^{▼▼Lit trustworthiness}security in my days?”

20 ^fkNow the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and all his might, and how he ^flconstructed the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 21 ^fmSo Hezekiah ^{▼▼I.e., died}lay down with his fathers, and his son Manasseh became king in his place.