1 Ezekiáh King of Iudáh putteth downe the braſen ſerpent, & deſtroyeth the idoles. 7 And proſpereth 11 Iſ-raél is caryed away captiue 30 The blaſphemie of Sa-neherib.

1.NOw in ^* the third yere of Hoſhéa, ſonne of Eláh King of Iſraél, He-zekiáh the ſonne of Aház King of Iudáh began to reigne.

2.He was fiue and twentie yere olde when he began to reigne, and reigned nine and twẽtie yere in Ieruſalém. His mothers na-me alſo was Abí y^e daughter of Zachariáh,

3.And he did ^a vprightly in the ſight of the Lord, according to all that Dauid his fa-ther had done.

4.He toke away the hie places, and brake the images, and cut downe the groues, & brake in pieces the ^* braſen ſerpent that Moſés had made: for vnto thoſe dayes the children of Iſraél did burne incenſe to it, and he called it ^b Nehuſhtán.

5.He truſted in the Lord God of Iſraél: ſo that after him was none like him among all the Kings of Iudáh, nether were there anie ſuche before him.

6.For he claue to the Lord & departed not from him, but kept his commandements, which the Lord had commanded Moſés.

7.So the Lord was with him, and he proſ-pered in all things, which he toke in hand: alſo he rebelled againſt the King of Aſ-ſhúr, and ſerued him not.

8.He ſmote the Philiſtims vnto Azzáh, & the coaſtes thereof, ^c from the watche towre vnto the defenſed citie.

9.¶ ^* And in the fourte yere of King He-zekiáh, (which was the ſeuẽth yere of Ho-ſhéa ſonne of Eláh King of Iſraél) Shal-manéſer King of Aſſhur came vp againſt Samaria, and beſieged it.

10.And after thre yeres they toke it, euen in the ſixt yere of Hezekiáh: that is, ^* y^e ninth yere of Hoſhéa King of Iſraél was Sa-maria taken.

11.Thẽ the King of Aſſhur did cary away Iſraél vnto Aſſhur, and put them in Ha-láh and in Habór, by the riuer of Gozán, and in the cities of the Medes,

12.Becauſe they wolde not obey the voyce of the Lord their God, but tranſgreſſed his couenant: that is, all that Moſés the ſer-uant of the Lord had commanded, and wolde nether obey nor do them.

13.¶ ^* Moreouer, in the fourtenth yere of King Hezekiáh Saneheríb King of Aſſhur came vp againſt all the ſtrõg cities of Iu-dáh, and toke them.

14.Then Hezekiáh King of Iudáh ſent vnto the King of Aſſhur to Lachíſh, ſay-ing, ^d I haue offended: departe from me, & what thou layeſt vpon me, I wil beare it. And the King of Aſſhur appointed vn-to Hezekiáh King of Iudáh thre hun-dreth talents of ſiluer, and thirty talents of golde.

15.Therefore Hezekiáh gaue all the ſiluer that was founde in the houſe of the Lord, and in the treaſures of the Kings houſe.

16.At the ſame ſeaſon did Hezekiáh pul of the plates of the dores of the Temple of the Lord, and the pillers (which the ſaid Hezekiáh King of Iudáh had couered o-uer) and gaue them to the King of Aſ-ſhúr.

17.¶ And the King of Aſſhur ſent ^e Tar-tán, and Rab-ſaris, and Rabſhakéh from Lachíſh to King Hezekiáh with a great hoſte againſt Ieruſalém. And they went vp, and came to Ieruſalém, and when they were come vp, they ſtode by the condite of the vpper poole, which is by the path of the fullers field,

18.And called to the King. Then came out

19.And Rabſhakeh ſaid vnto them, Tel ye Hezekiáh, I pray you, Thus ſayth the great King, euẽ the great King of Aſſhúr, What cõfidẽce is this wherein ỹ truſteſt?

20.Thou thinkeſt, Surely I haue ^" eloquence, ^f but counſel and ſtrength are for the warre. On whome then doeſt thou truſt, that thou rebelleſt againſt me?

21.Lo, thou truſteſt now in this broken ſtaffe of rede, to wit, on ^g Egypt, on which if a man leane, it wil go into his hãd, & pearce it: ſo is Pharaóh King of Egypt vnto all that truſt on him.

22.But if ye ſay vnto me, We truſt in ỹ Lord our God, is not that he whoſe hie places, and whoſe altars Hezekiáh hathe ^h taken away, and hathe ſaid to Iudáh and Ieruſalém, Ye ſhal worſhip before this altar in Ieruſalém?

23.Now therefore giue ⁱ hoſtages to my lord the King of Aſſhúr, and I wil giue thee two thouſand horſes, if thou be able to ſet riders vpon them.

24.For how canſt thou deſpiſe anie captaine of the leaſt of my maſters ſeruãts, & put thy truſt on Egypt for charets and horſemen?

25.Am I now come vp without the ^k Lord to this place, to deſtroye it? the lord ſaid to me, Go vp againſt this lãd, & deſtroy it.

26.Then Eliakím the ſonne of Hilkiáh and Shebnáh, and Ioáh ſaid vnto Rabſhakéh, Speake, I pray thee, to thy ſeruants in the ^" Aramites language, for we vnderſtand it, and talke not with vs in the Iewes tongue, in the audience of the people that are on the wall.

27.But Rabſhakéh ſaid vnto thẽ, Hathe my maſter ſent me to thy maſter and to thee to ſpeake theſe wordes, and not to the men which ſit on the wall, that they may eat their owne doung, & drinke ^" their owne piſſe with you?

28.So Rabſhakéh ſtode and cryed with a loude voyce in the Iewes language, & ſpake, ſaying, Heare the wordes of the great King, of the King of Aſſhúr.

29.Thus ſayth the King, Let not Hezekiáh diſceiue you: for he ſhal not be able to deliuer you ^" out of mine hand.

30.Nether let Hezekiáh make you to truſt in the Lord, ſaying, The Lord wil ſurely deliuer vs, and this citie ſhal not be giuen ouer into the hand of the King of Aſſhúr.

31.Hearken not vnto Hezekiáh: for thus ſaith the King of Aſſhúr, Make ^" appointément with me, and come out to me, that euerie man may eat of his owne vine, and euerie man of his owne figtre, and drinke euerie man of the water of his owne well,

32.Til ^l I come, and bring you to a land like your owne land, euen a land of wheat and wine, a land of bread and vineyardes, a land of oliues oyle, & hony that ye may liue and not dye: and obey not Hezekiáh, for he diſceiueth you, ſaying, The Lord wil deliuer vs.

33.Hathe anie of the gods of the naciõs deliuered his land out of the hand of the King of Aſſhur?

34.Where is the god of Hamáh, and of Arpád? where is the god of Sepharuaim, Hena and Iuáh? how haue they deliuered Samaria out of mine hand?

35.Who are they among all the gods of the naciõs, that haue deliuered their land out of mine hand, that the ^m Lord ſhulde deliuer Ieruſalém out of mine hand?

36.But the people held their peace, and anſwered not him a worde: for the Kings commandement was, ſaying, Anſwer ye him not.

37.Then Eliakím, the ſonne of Hilkiáh w̃ was ſtewarde of the houſe & Shebnáh the chãceller, and Ioáh the ſonne of Aſáph the recorder came to Hezekiáh with their clothes rent, and tolde him the wordes of Rabſhakéh.

2 Kings 18

Notes