2 Kings 18:1-20
Read 2 Kings 18 in full →Hezekiah Reigns over Judah
18Now it happened ain the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that bHezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king. 2He was atwenty-five years old when he became king; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah. 3aAnd he did what was right in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that David his father had done. 4aHe took away the high places and shattered the sacred pillars and cut down the 1Asherah. And he broke in pieces bthe bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel were burning incense to it; and it was called 2Nehushtan. 5aHe trusted in Yahweh, the God of Israel; bso that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. 6So he aclung to Yahweh; he did not turn away from following Him, but kept His commandments, which Yahweh had commanded Moses.
Hezekiah Prospers
7aAnd Yahweh was with him; wherever he went he prospered. And bhe rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8aHe struck the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from bwatchtower to fortified city.
9Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, aShalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. 10And at the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was athe ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured. 11Then the king of Assyria took Israel away into exile to Assyria, and put them in aHalah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12because they adid not listen to the voice of Yahweh their God, but trespassed against His covenant, even all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded; they would neither listen nor do it.
Sennacherib Comes Up Against Judah
13aNow in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 14Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “aI have done wrong. Turn away from me; whatever penalty you give to me I will bear.” So the king of Assyria set a penalty on Hezekiah king of Judah 1three hundred talents of silver and 2thirty talents of gold. 15aThus Hezekiah gave him all the silver which was found in the house of Yahweh and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of Yahweh and from the doorposts, which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
17Then the king of Assyria sent aTartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a heavy military force to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the bconduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway of the 1fuller’s field. 18Then they called to the king, and aEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and bShebnah the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them.