II Kings 18 · מלכים ב

Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Ela king of Yisra᾽el, that Ḥizqiyya the son of Aĥaz king of Yehuda began to reign.

Twenty five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty nine years in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name also was Avi, the daughter of Zekharya.

And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did.

He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the ashera, and broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moshe had made: for until that time the children of Yisra᾽el did burn incense to it: and he called it Neĥushtan.

He trusted in the Lord God of Yisra᾽el; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Yehuda, nor among those that were before him.

For he held fast to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moshe.

And the Lord was with him; and he prospered wherever he went out: and he rebelled against the king of Ashshur, and served him not.

He smote the Pelishtim, as far as ῾Azza and its borders, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.

And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Ḥizqiyyahu, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Ela king of Yisra᾽el, that Shalman᾽eser king of Ashshur came up against Shomeron, and besieged it.

And at the end of three years they took it: in the sixth year of Ḥizqiyya, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Yisra᾽el, Shomeron was taken.

And the king of Ashshur did carry away Yisra᾽el to Ashshur, and put them in Ḥalaĥ and in Ḥavor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Maday:

because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moshe the servant of the Lord commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.

Now in the fourteenth year of king Ḥizqiyya did Sanĥeriv king of Ashshur come up against all the fortified cities of Yehuda, and took them.

And Ḥizqiyya king of Yehuda sent to the king of Ashshur to Lakhish, saying, I have offended; withdraw from me: that which thou wilt impose on me I will bear. And the king of Ashshur imposed on Ḥizqiyya king of Yehuda a payment of three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

And Ḥizqiyya gave him all the silver that was in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king’s house.

At that time did Ḥizqiyya cut off the doors of the temple of the Lord, and the pilasters which Ḥizqiyya king of Yehuda had overlaid with gold, and gave them to the king of Ashshur.

And the king of Ashshur sent Tartan and Rav-saris and Ravshaqe from Lakhish to king Ḥizqiyyahu with a great host against Yerushalayim. And they went up and came to Yerushalayim. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the aqueduct of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the washers’ field.

And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Elyaqim the son of Ḥilqiyyahu, who was over the household, and Shevna the scribe, and Yo᾽aĥ the son of Asaf, the recorder.

And Ravshaqe said to them, Speak now to Ḥizqiyyahu, Thus says the great king, the king of Ashshur, What confidence is this in which thou trustest?

Thou sayst, A mere word with the lips will serve as counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?

Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this broken reed, upon Miżrayim, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Par῾o king of Miżrayim to all that trust in him.

But if you say to me, We trust in the Lord our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Ḥizqiyyahu has taken away, and has said to Yehuda and Yerushalayim, You shall worship before this altar in Yerushalayim?

Now therefore, I pray thee, make a wager with my lord the king of Ashshur, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

Why then wilt thou turn away the face of one officer of the least of my master’s servants, and put thy trust in Miżrayim for chariots and for horsemen?

Am I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? It is the Lord who said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

Then said Elyaqim the son of Ḥilqiyyahu, and Shevna, and Yo᾽aĥ, to Ravshaqe, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the tongue of Aram; for we understand it: and talk not with us in the language of Yehuda in the hearing of the people that are on the wall.

But Ravshaqe said to them, Has my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? has he not sent me to the men who sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own urine with you?

Then Ravshaqe stood and cried with a loud voice in the language of Yehuda, and spoke, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Ashshur:

thus says the king, Let not Ḥizqiyyahu deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:

neither let Ḥizqiyyahu make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Ashshur.

Hearken not to Ḥizqiyyahu: for thus says the king of Ashshur, Make an agreement with me and come out to me, and then you may eat every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink every one the waters of his 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 oil olive and of honey, that you may live, and not die; and do not hearken to Ḥizqiyyahu when he entices you, saying, The Lord will deliver us.

Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Ashshur?

Where are the gods of Ḥamat, and of Arpad? where are the gods Sefarvayim, Hena, and ῾Ivva? have they delivered Shomeron out of my hand?

Which of all the gods of the countries, have delivered their country out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Yerushalayim out of my hand?

But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

Then came Elyaqim the son of Ḥilqiyya who was over the household, and Shevna the scribe, and Yo᾽aĥ the son of Asaf the recorder, to Ḥizqiyyahu with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Ravshaqe.