4 Kings 18

¹In the third year of Osee the son of Ela king of Israel, reigned Ezechias the son of Achaz king of Juda.

²Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign: and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Abi the daughter of Zacharias.

³And he did that which was good before our Lord, according to all things which David his father had done.

⁴He destroyed the excelses, and brake the statues in pieces, and cut down the groves, and brake the brazen serpent, which Moyses had made: for until that time the children of Israel burnt incense to it: and he called the name thereof Nohestan.

⁵He trusted in our Lord the God of Israel: Therefore after him there was not the like to him in all the kings of Juda, yea neither among them that were before him:

⁶and he cleaved to our Lord, and departed not from his steps, and he did his commandments, which our Lord commanded Moyses.

⁷Wherefore our Lord also was with him, and in all things, to the which he proceeded, he behaved himself wisely. He rebelled also against the king of the Assyrians, and served him not.

⁸He struck the Philisthians as far as Gaza, and all the borders, from the Tower of watchmen unto the fenced city.

⁹In the fourth year of king Ezechias, which was the seventh year of Osee the son of Ela the king of Israel, came up Salmanasar the king of the Assyrians into Samaria, and assaulted it,

¹⁰and took it. For after three years, in the sixth year of Ezechias, that is, the ninth year of Osee the king of Israel, Samaria was taken:

¹¹and the king of the Assyrians transported Israel unto the Assyrians, and placed them in Hala, and in Habor, rivers of Gozan in the cities of the Medes:

¹²because they heard not the voice of our Lord their God, but transgressed his covenant: all things, that Moyses the servant of our Lord commanded, they heard not, neither did they it.

¹³In the fourteenth year of king Ezechias, came up Sennacherib the king of Assyrians to all the fenced cities of Juda: and took them.

¹⁴Then sent Ezechias the king of Juda messengers to the king of the Assyrians into Lachis, saying: I have sinned, retire from me: and all that thou shalt put upon me, I will bear. Therefore the king of the Assyrians put a tax upon Ezechias the king of Juda, three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold.

¹⁵And Ezechias gave all the silver that was found in the house of our Lord, and in the king's treasures.

¹⁶At that time Ezechias brake the doors of the temple of our Lord, and the plates of gold, which he had fastened on them, and gave them to the king of the Assyrians.

¹⁷But the king of the Assyrians sent Tharthan, and Rabsaris, and Rabsaces from Lachis to king Ezechias, with a strong power to Jerusalem: who when they were come up they came to Jerusalem, and stood beside the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the way of the fuller's field.

¹⁸And they called the king: and there went out to them Eliacim the son of Helcias governor of the house and Sobna the Scribe and Joahe the son of Asaph, the register.

¹⁹And Rabsaces said to them: Speak to Ezechias: Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyrians: What is this confidence, that thou doest stay upon?

²⁰Perhaps thou hast taken counsel to prepare thyself to battle. Wherein hast thou confidence, that thou darest to rebel?

²¹Dost thou hope in Ægypt, a staff of reed & broken, upon which if a man lean, broken into splinters it will enter into his hand, & pierce it? So is Pharao the king of Ægypt, to all that have confidence in him.

²²But if you will say to me: We have confidence in our Lord God: is not this he, whose excelses and altars Ezechias hath taken away: & he commanded Juda and Jerusalem: Before this altar shall you adore in Jerusalem?

²³Now therefore pass to my lord the king of the Assyrians, & I will give you two thousand horses, and see whether you be able to have riders for them.

²⁴And how can you resist before one prince of the least servants of my lord? Hast thou confidence in Ægypt for the chariots and horsemen?

²⁵Why am I come up without the will of the Lord to destroy it? The Lord said to me: Go up to this land, and destroy it.

²⁶And Eliacim the son of Helcias, and Sobna, and Joahe said to Rabsaces: We pray thee that thou speak to us thy servants in Syriac: for we understand this tongue: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, the people hearing it, which is upon the wall.

²⁷And Rabsaces answered them, saying: What did my lord send me to thee, that I should speak these words, & not rather to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their urine with you?

²⁸Rabsaces therefore stood, and cried out with a loud voice in the Jews' language, & said: Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of the Assyrians.

²⁹Thus saith the king: Let not Ezechias seduce you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out my hand.

³⁰Neither let him give you confidence upon the Lord, saying: Our Lord delivering will deliver us, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of the Assyrians.

³¹Do not hear Ezechias. For thus saith the king of the Assyrians: Do with me that which is profitable for you, and come forth to me: & every man shall eat of his vineyard, & of his fig tree: and you shall drink waters of your own cisterns,

³²till I come, & transport you into a land, that is like to your land, into a fruitful land, and plentiful of wine, a land of bread and of vineyards, a land of olivets & of oil and honey, and you shall live, and shall not die. Hear not Ezechias, who deceiveth you, saying: Our Lord will deliver us.

³³Did the gods of Nations deliver their land from the hand of the king of Assyrians?

³⁴Where is the god of Emath & Arphad? Where is the god of Sepharvaim, of Ana, and Ava? Did they deliver Samaria out of my hand?

³⁵What are they among all the gods of nations, which have delivered their country out of my hand, that the Lord can deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

³⁶The people therefore held their peace, and did not answer him any thing: for they had received the king's commandment that they should not answer him.

³⁷And Eliacim the son of Helcias, governor of the house, and Sobna the scribe, and Joahe the son of Asaph register came to Ezechias, their garments rent, and told him the words of Rabsaces.