2 Kings 18

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah.	1 In the third year of Hoshea, son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.
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.	2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi, daughter of Zechariah.
3 He did what Yahweh regards as right, just as his ancestor David had done.	3 He pleased the LORD, just as his forefather David had done.
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.	4 It was he who removed the high places, shattered the pillars, and cut down the sacred poles. He smashed the bronze serpent called Nehushtan which Moses had made, because up to that time the Israelites were burning incense to it.
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.	5 He put his trust in the LORD, the God of Israel; and neither before him nor after him was there anyone like him among all the kings of Judah.
6 He was devoted to Yahweh, never turning from him, but keeping the commandments which Yahwehhad laid down for Moses.	6 Loyal to the LORD, Hezekiah never turned away from him, but observed the commandments which the LORD had given Moses.
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.	7 The LORD was with him, and he prospered in all that he set out to do. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.
8 He beat the Philistines back to Gaza, laying their territory waste from watchtower to fortified town.	8 He also subjugated the watchtowers and walled cities of the Philistines, all the way to Gaza and its territory.
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.	9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea, son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, attacked Samaria, laid siege to it,
10 He captured it after three years. Samaria fel in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year ofHoshea king of Israel.	10 and after three years captured it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, the ninth year of Hoshea, king of Israel, Samaria was taken.
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.	11 The king of Assyria then deported the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, at the Habor, a river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
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.	12 This came about because they had not heeded the warning of the LORD, their God, but violated his covenant, not heeding and not fulfilling the commandments of Moses, the servant of the LORD.
13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria advanced on al the fortifiedtowns of Judah and captured them.	13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, went on an expedition against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.
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,	14 Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: "I have done wrong. Leave me, and I will pay whatever tribute you impose on me." The king of Assyria exacted three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold from Hezekiah, king of Judah.
15 and Hezekiah gave him al the silver in the Temple of Yahweh and in the palace treasury.	15 Hezekiah paid him all the funds there were in the temple of the LORD and in the palace treasuries.
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.	16 He broke up the door panels and the uprights of the temple of the LORD which he himself had ordered to be overlaid with gold, and gave the gold to the king of Assyria.
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.	17 The king of Assyria sent the general, the lord chamberlain, and the commander from Lachish with a great army to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They went up, and on their arrival in Jerusalem, stopped at the conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the fuller's field.
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.	18 They called for the king, who sent out to them Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, the master of the palace; Shebnah the scribe; and the herald Joah, son of Asaph.
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?	19 The commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you base this confidence of yours?
20 Do you think empty words are as good as strategy and military strength? Who are you relying on, todare to rebel against me?	20 Do you think mere words substitute for strategy and might in war? On whom, then, do you rely, that you rebel against me?
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.	21 This Egypt, the staff on which you rely, is in fact a broken reed which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it. That is what Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is to all who rely on him.
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?	22 But if you say to me, We rely on the LORD, our God, is not he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, commanding Judah and Jerusalem to worship before this altar in Jerusalem?'
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.	23 "Now, make a wager with my lord, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses if you can put riders on them.
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.	24 How then can you repulse even one of the least servants of my lord, relying as you do on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
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." '	25 Was it without the LORD'S will that I have come up to destroy this place? The LORD said to me, 'Go up and destroy that land!'"
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.'	26 Then Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah and Joah said to the commander: "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic; we understand it. Do not speak to us in Judean within earshot of the people who are on the wall."
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.'	27 But the commander replied: "Was it to your master and to you that my lord sent me to speak these words? Was it not rather to the men sitting on the wall, who, with you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their urine?"
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.	28 Then the commander stepped forward and cried out in a loud voice in Judean, "Listen to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.
29 The king says this, "Do not let Hezekiah delude you. He wil be powerless to save you from myclutches.	29 Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, since he cannot deliver you out of my hand.
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.	30 Let not Hezekiah induce you to rely on the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely save us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.
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	31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and surrender! Then each of you will eat of his own vine and of his own fig-tree, and drink the water of his own cistern,
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.	32 until I come to take you to a land like your own, a land of grain and wine, of bread and orchards, of olives, oil and fruit syrup. Choose life, not death. Do not listen to Hezekiah when he would seduce you by saying, The LORD will rescue us.
33 Has any god of any nation been able to save his country from the king of Assyria's clutches?	33 Has any of the gods of the nations ever rescued his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
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?	34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Avva? Where are the gods of the land of Samaria?
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?" '	35 Which of the gods for all these lands ever rescued his land from my hand? Will the LORD then rescue Jerusalem from my hand?'"
36 The people, however, kept quiet and said nothing in reply, since the king had given the order, 'Youare not to answer him.'	36 But the people remained silent and did not answer him one word, for the king had ordered them not to answer him.
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.	37 Then the master of the palace, Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, Shebnah the scribe, and the herald Joah, son of Asaph, came to Hezekiah with their garments torn, and reported to him what the commander had