1Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign in the third year of Hoshea, king of Israel and son of Elah. 2Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign in Judah; and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Abi, daughter of Zechariah. 3And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David, his father, did. 4He removed the high places, broke the images, cut down the idols, and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; because the Israelites had been burning incense to that bronze serpent; and called it Nehushtan. 5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD God of Israel; there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah; 6He remained faithful to the LORD, and did not waver from following Him, keeping His commandments, which the LORD had given Moses. 7And the LORD was with him; and he prospered in whatever he did. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria, refusing to serve him. 8He conquered the Philistines, as far as Gaza, and its surroundings, from the watchtowers to the walled cities.

9And in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, the seventh year of Hoshea, king of Israel, Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, marched against Samaria, and besieged it. 10And at the end of three years - the sixth year of Hezekiah, and ninth year of Hoshea, of Israel - Assyria captured Samaria. 11And the king of Assyria exiled the Israelites from Samaria to Assyria, to Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and the cities of the Medes. 12This was because Israel disobeyed the LORD their God, and violated His covenant - all that Moses, the servant of the LORD, had commanded, and would not honor, nor abide by it (His covenant).

13Then, in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah. 14And Hezekiah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: “I have done wrong. I will pay whatever you demand if you withdraw from me.” And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah three hundred talents (almost 20,000 pounds) of silver and thirty talents (almost 2,000 pounds) of gold. 15And Hezekiah gave him all the silver he could find in the Temple of the LORD, and in the treasuries of his palace. 16At that time Hezekiah cut the gold from the doors of the Temple of the LORD, and the gold that had overlaid the pillars, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

17And the king of Assyria sent Tartan, his supreme commander, the Rabsaris (chief officer), and Rabshakeh, field commander, with a huge army from Lachish against King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And they stood by the conduit of the upper pool, on the road to the fuller's field. 18And when they had called to the king, Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, who was the palace administrator, Shebna, the scribe, and Joah, son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them. 19And the Rabshakeh (field commander) said to the three, “Tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “What is it that you trust in? 20You say, (but they are vain words,) ‘I have counsel and strength for the war.’ Now on whom do you rely, that you rebel against me? 21You trust upon the staff of that splintered reed, Egypt, which, if a man leans on it, will pierce his hand. That is Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to anyone who relies upon him. 22But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He, Whose high places and altars Hezekiah has torn down, and has told Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before the altar in Jerusalem?’”’ 23Come, now, and strike a bargain with my lord, the king of Assyria, and I will deliver two thousand horses to you, if you have riders for them. 24How then can you hope to repulse even one captain of the least of my master's servants, if you trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25Do you think I have invaded your land without the direction of the LORD to march against and destroy it? The LORD, Himself, told me, ‘Attack and destroy this land.’”

26Then said Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah, said to Rabshakeh, “Speak to us in the Syrian language; we understand it. But do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the Jews who are on the wall.” 27But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your king? Has he not also sent me to these men who sit on the wall, that they, like you, will have to eat their own dung, and drink their own urine?” 28Then the Rabshakeh stood and shouted in the Jews' language, “Hear the word of the great king of Assyria: 29Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you; for he shall not be able to save you from Sennacherib; 30Nor let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD, by saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us, and our city shall not be surrendered to the king of Assyria.” 31Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria, “Make peace with me by a present, and come out to me, and then let every man eat from his own vine, and from his own fig tree, and drink the waters of his own well, 32Until I come and take you away to a land much like your own land, a land of grain and wine, of bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil and of honey, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah, when he misleads you, by saying, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ 33Have any of the gods of these nations saved any of their land from the king of Assyria? 34Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they saved Samaria from me? Among all the gods of the countries, 35Which ones have saved their country from me, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?”’” 36But the people held their peace, and answered not a word; for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

37Then Eliakim, the palace administrator, and Shebna, the scribe, and Joah, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and reported what the Rabshakeh had said.