2 Kings 18

DOUAI-RHEIMS	NEW JERUSALEM
1 In the third year of Osee the son of Ela king of Israel, reigned m Ezechias the son of Achaz king of Juda.	1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah.
2 He was five and twenty years old 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.	2 He was twenty-five years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned for twenty-nine years inJerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.
3 And he did that which was good before the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.	3 He did what Yahweh regards as right, just as his ancestor David had done.
4 He destroyed the n high places, and broke the statues in pieces, and cut down the groves, and broke the brazen serpent, which Moses had made: for till that time the children of Israel burnt incense to it: and he called its name Nohestan.	4 He abolished the high places, broke the pil ars, cut down the sacred poles and smashed the bronzeserpent which Moses had made; for up to that time the Israelites had offered sacrifices to it; it was cal edNehushtan.
5 He trusted in the Lord the God of Israel: so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Juda, nor any of them that were before him:	5 He put his trust in Yahweh, God of Israel. No king of Judah after him could be compared with him -- norany of those before him.
6 And he stuck to the Lord, and departed not from his steps, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses.	6 He was devoted to Yahweh, never turning from him, but keeping the commandments which Yahwehhad laid down for Moses.
7 Wherefore the Lord also was with him, and in all things, to which he went forth, he behaved himself wisely. And he rebelled against the king of the Assyrians, and served him not.	7 And so Yahweh was with him, and he was successful in al that he undertook. He rebelled against theking of Assyria and refused to serve him.
8 He smote the Philistines as far as Gaza, and all their borders, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.	8 He beat the Philistines back to Gaza, laying their territory waste from watchtower to fortified town.
9 In the fourth year of king Ezechias, which was the seventh year of Osee the son of Ela king of Israel, Salmanasar king of the Assyrians came up to Samaria, and besieged it,	9 In the fourth year of Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel,Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched on Samaria and laid siege to it.
10 And took it. For after three years, in the sixth year of Ezechias, that is, in the ninth year of Osee king of Israel, Samaria was taken:	10 He captured it after three years. Samaria fel in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year ofHoshea king of Israel.
11 And the king of the Assyrians carried away Israel into Assyria, and placed them in Hale, and in Habor by the rivers of Gozan in the cities of the Medes:	11 The king of Assyria deported the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah on the Habor, a riverof Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
12 Because they hearkened not to the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed his covenant: all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, they would not hear nor do.	12 This happened because they had not obeyed the voice of Yahweh their God and had broken hiscovenant, everything that Moses servant of Yahweh had laid down. They neither listened to it nor put it intopractice.
13 In the fourteenth year of king Ezechias, Sennacherib king of the Assyrians came up against the fenced cities of Juda: and took them.	13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria advanced on al the fortifiedtowns of Judah and captured them.
14 Then Ezechias king of Juda sent messengers to the king of the Assyrians to Lachis, saying: I have offended, depart from me: and all that thou shalt put upon me, I will bear. And the king of the Assyrians put a tax upon Ezechias king of Juda, of three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold.	14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish, 'I have been atfault. Cal off the attack, and I wil submit to whatever you impose on me.' The king of Assyria exacted threehundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold from Hezekiah king of Judah,
15 And Ezechias gave all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the king's treasures.	15 and Hezekiah gave him al the silver in the Temple of Yahweh and in the palace treasury.
16 At that time Ezechias broke the doors of the temple of the Lord, and the plates of gold which he had fastened on them, and gave them to the king of the Assyrians.	16 At which time, Hezekiah stripped the facing from the leaves and jambs of the doors of the Temple ofYahweh, which an earlier king of Judah had put on, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
17 And the king of the Assyrians sent Tharthan and Rabsaris, and Rabsaces from Lachis to king Ezechias with a strong army to Jerusalem: and they went up and came to Jerusalem, and they stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the way of the fuller's field.	17 From Lachish the king of Assyria sent the cupbearer-in-chief with a large force to King Hezekiah inJerusalem. He marched on Jerusalem and, on his arrival, took up position near the conduit of the upper poolwhich is on the road to the Ful er's Field.
18 And they called for the king: and there went out to them Eliacim the son of Helcias who was over the house, and Sobna the scribe, and Joahe the son of Asaph the recorder.	18 He summoned the king. The master of the palace, Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebnah the secretary andthe herald Joah son of Asaph went out to him.
19 And Rabsaces said to them: Speak to Ezechias: Thus saith the great king, the king of the Assyrians: What is this confidence, wherein thou trustest?	19 The cupbearer-in-chief said to them, 'Say to Hezekiah, "The great king, the king of Assyria, says this:What makes you so confident?
20 Perhaps thou hast taken counsel, to prepare thyself for battle. On whom dost thou trust, that thou darest to rebel?	20 Do you think empty words are as good as strategy and military strength? Who are you relying on, todare to rebel against me?
21 Dost thou trust in Egypt a staff of a broken reed, upon which if a man lean, it will break and go into his hand, and pierce it? so is Pharao king of Egypt, to all that trust in him.	21 There you are, relying on that broken reed Egypt, which pricks and pierces the hand of whoever leanson it. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is like to al who rely on him.
22 But if you say to me: We trust in the Lord our God: is it not he, whose high places and altars Ezechias hath taken away: and hath commanded Juda and Jerusalem: You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?	22 You may say to me: We rely on Yahweh our God. But have his high places and altars not beensuppressed by Hezekiah who told Judah and Jerusalem: Here, in Jerusalem, is the altar before which you mustworship?
23 Now therefore come over to my master the king of the Assyrians, and I will give you two thousand horses, and see whether you be able to have riders for them.	23 Very well, then, make a wager with my lord the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses ifyou can find horsemen to ride them.
24 And how can you stand against one lord of the least of my master's servants? Dost thou trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?	24 How could you repel a single one of the least of my master's soldiers? And yet you have relied onEgypt for chariots and horsemen.
25 Is it without the will of the Lord that I am come up to this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me: Go up to this land and destroy it.	25 And lastly, have I marched on this place to lay it waste without warrant from Yahweh? Yahwehhimself said to me: March on this country and lay it waste." '
26 Then Eliacim the son of Helcias, and Sobna, and Joahe said to Rabsaces: We pray thee speak to us thy servants in Syriac: for we understand that tongue: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the hearing of the people that are upon the wall.	26 Eliakim, Shebnah and Joah said to the cupbearer-in-chief, 'Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,for we understand it; do not speak to us in the Judaean language within earshot of the people on the ramparts.'
27 And Rabsaces answered them, saying: Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee, to speak these words, and not rather to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their urine with you?	27 But the cupbearer-in-chief said, 'Do you think my lord sent me here to say these things to your masteror to you? On the contrary, it was to the people sitting on the ramparts who, like you, are doomed to eat theirown dung and drink their own urine.'
28 Then Rabsaces stood, and cried out with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said: Hear the words of the great king, the king of the Assyrians.	28 The cupbearer-in-chief then drew himself up and shouted loudly in the Judaean language, 'Listen tothe word of the great king, the king of Assyria.
29 Thus saith the king: Let not Ezechias deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of my hand.	29 The king says this, "Do not let Hezekiah delude you. He wil be powerless to save you from myclutches.
30 Neither let him make you trust in the Lord, saying: The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of the Assyrians.	30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to rely on Yahweh by saying: Yahweh is sure to save us; this citywil not fal into the king of Assyria's clutches.
31 Do not hearken to Ezechias. For thus saith the king of the Assyrians: Do with me that which is for your advantage, and come out to me: and every man of you shall eat of his own vineyard, and of his own fig tree: and you shall drink water of your own cisterns,	31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for the king of Assyria says this: Make peace with me, surrender to me, andevery one of you wil be free to eat the fruit of his own vine and of his own fig tree and to drink the water of hisown storage-wel
32 Till I come, and take you away to a land, like to your own land, a fruitful land, and plentiful in wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olives, and oil and honey, and you shall live, and not die. Hearken not to Ezechias, who deceiveth you, saying: The Lord will deliver us.	32 until I come and take you away to a country like your own, a land of corn and good wine, a land ofbread and vineyards, a land of oil and honey: and so you wil survive and not die. Do not listen to Hezekiah; he isdeluding you when he says: Yahweh wil save us.
33 Have any of the gods of the nations delivered their land from the hand of the king of Assyria?	33 Has any god of any nation been able to save his country from the king of Assyria's clutches?
34 Where is the god of Emath, end of Arphad? where is the god of Sepharvaim, of Ana, and of Ava? have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?	34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and Ivvah?Where are the local gods of Samaria? Did they save Samaria from my clutches?
35 Who are they among all the gods of the nations, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the Lord may deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?	35 Of al the local gods, which ones have saved their countries from my clutches, for Yahweh to be ableto save Jerusalem from my clutches?" '
36 But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for they had received commandment from the king that they should not answer him.	36 The people, however, kept quiet and said nothing in reply, since the king had given the order, 'Youare not to answer him.'
37 And Eliacim the son of Helcias, who was over the house, and Sobna the scribe, and Joahe the son of Asaph the recorder, came to Ezechias, with their garments rent, and told him the words of Rabsaces.	37 The master of the palace, Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebnah the secretary and the herald Joah son ofAsaph, with their clothes torn, went to Hezekiah and reported what the cupbearer-in-chief had said.