Twenty and fiveyears old was he when he began to reign; and he reignedtwenty and nineyears in Jerusalem. His mother’snamealso was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.
He removed the highplaces, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasenserpentthatMoses had made: for untothosedays the children of Israel did burnincense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
And it came to pass in the fourthyear of kingHezekiah, which was the seventhyear of Hoshea son of Elahking of Israel, thatShalmaneserking of Assyriacame up againstSamaria, and besieged it.
Becausetheyobeyed not the voice of the LORDtheir God, but transgressed his covenant, and all thatMoses the servant of the LORDcommanded, and would not hearthem, nor do them.
And Hezekiahking of Judahsent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I haveoffended; returnfrom me: thatwhichthouputtest on me will I bear. And the king of AssyriaappointeduntoHezekiahking of Judahthreehundredtalents of silver and thirtytalents of gold.
At thattime did Hezekiah cut off the goldfrom the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillarswhichHezekiahking of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
And the king of AssyriasentTartan and Rabsaris and RabshakehfromLachish to kingHezekiahwith a greathostagainstJerusalem. And theywent up and came to Jerusalem. And whentheywerecome up, theycame and stood by the conduit of the upperpool, which is in the highway of the fuller’sfield.
And whenthey had called to the king, therecame out to themEliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.
Now, behold, thoutrustestupon the staff of thisbruisedreed, evenuponEgypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaohking of Egyptunto all thattrust on him.
But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whosehighplaces and whosealtarsHezekiahhathtakenaway, and hathsaid to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shallworshipbeforethisaltar in Jerusalem?
Now therefore, I praythee, givepledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I willdeliverthee two thousandhorses, if thou be able on thy part to set ridersuponthem.
ThensaidEliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, untoRabshakeh, Speak, I praythee, to thy servants in the Syrianlanguage; for we understand it: and talk not with us in the Jews’language in the ears of the peoplethat are on the wall.
But Rabshakehsaiduntothem, Hath my mastersent me to thy master, and to thee, to speakthesewords? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, thatthey may eat their own dung, and drinktheir own pisswith you?
Neither let Hezekiahmake you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORDwillsurelydeliver us, and thiscityshall not be deliveredinto the hand of the king of Assyria.
Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thussaith the king of Assyria, Make an agreementwith me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:
Until I come and take you away to a landlikeyour own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not untoHezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORDwilldeliver us.
ThencameEliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiahwiththeirclothesrent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.