2 Kings 18

King James Version

Full text for 2 Kings Chapter 18

1¶ Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, [that] Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

2Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also [was] Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

3And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.

4He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

5He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor [any] that were before him.

6For he clave to the LORD, [and] departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.

7And the LORD was with him; [and] he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.

8He smote the Philistines, [even] unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

9¶ And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which [was] the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, [that] Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

10And at the end of three years they took it: [even] in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that [is] the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

11And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:

12Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, [and] all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear [them], nor do [them].

13Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.

14And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

15And Hezekiah gave [him] all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house.

16At that time did Hezekiah cut off [the gold from] the doors of the temple of the LORD, and [from] the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

17¶ And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which [is] in the highway of the fuller's field.

18And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which [was] over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.

19And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence [is] this wherein thou trustest?

20Thou sayest, (but [they are but] vain words,) [I have] counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?

21Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, [even] upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so [is] Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.

22But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: [is] not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

23Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

24How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

25Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

26Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand [it]: and talk not with us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people that [are] on the wall.

27But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? [hath he] not [sent me] to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?

28Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria:

29Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:

30Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

31Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make [an agreement] with me by a present, and come out to me, and [then] eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:

32Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us.

33Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

34Where [are] the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where [are] the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?

35Who [are] they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?

36But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

37Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which [was] over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with [their] clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

King Hezekiah of Judah began his righteous reign, undertaking significant religious reforms by destroying idols and high places, including the brazen serpent. Meanwhile, the northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria due to their disobedience to the LORD. Later, Sennacherib king of Assyria invaded Judah, taking many cities, and despite Hezekiah paying tribute, Assyria sent Rabshakeh to Jerusalem to demand surrender, mocking Judah's trust in God and Egypt.

Medium Summary

Hezekiah began his reign in Judah, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD, like his ancestor David. He initiated extensive religious reforms, removing high places, breaking images, cutting down groves, and destroying the brazen serpent, which had become an object of worship. Hezekiah's trust in the LORD led to his prosperity and his rebellion against Assyria, alongside victories over the Philistines. During his early reign, Shalmaneser king of Assyria besieged and captured Samaria, carrying Israel into exile because they had not obeyed the LORD their God. In Hezekiah's fourteenth year, Sennacherib king of Assyria invaded Judah, conquering many fortified cities. Hezekiah initially paid a heavy tribute of silver and gold, even stripping the temple, to appease Sennacherib. However, Sennacherib still sent a great army with his officials, including Rabshakeh, to Jerusalem. Rabshakeh publicly challenged Hezekiah, questioning his confidence in Egypt and the LORD, even suggesting the LORD had sent Assyria to destroy Jerusalem. He urged the people to surrender for a better life in exile, but Hezekiah's officials instructed the people to remain silent and reported Rabshakeh's words to the king.

Long Summary

The chapter begins by detailing the righteous reign of King Hezekiah of Judah, who commenced his rule in the third year of Hoshea king of Israel, reigning for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. Hezekiah is highly commended for doing what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. His early actions included significant religious reforms: he removed the high places, broke the images, cut down the groves, and notably, broke into pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made, which the children of Israel had been burning incense to, renaming it Nehushtan. The text emphasizes Hezekiah's profound trust in the LORD God of Israel, stating that none among the kings of Judah before or after him were his equal in this regard, as he clave to the LORD and kept His commandments. Consequently, the LORD was with him, granting him prosperity, enabling him to rebel against the king of Assyria, and to smite the Philistines. Concurrently, in Hezekiah's fourth year, Shalmaneser king of Assyria besieged Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, capturing it after three years in Hezekiah's sixth year. The king of Assyria then carried Israel away into exile to Halah, Habor, and the cities of the Medes, explicitly stating this was because they had not obeyed the voice of the LORD their God but had transgressed His covenant. Later, in Hezekiah's fourteenth year, Sennacherib king of Assyria launched a major invasion against Judah, capturing all its fortified cities. In an attempt to avert further destruction, Hezekiah sent a message to Sennacherib at Lachish, admitting fault and offering to bear any imposed tribute. Sennacherib demanded a substantial payment of three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold, which Hezekiah paid by emptying the house of the LORD and the king's treasury, even cutting off the gold from the temple doors and pillars. Despite receiving the tribute, Sennacherib dispatched a great army from Lachish to Jerusalem, led by his high officials, including Rabshakeh. Upon their arrival, Rabshakeh publicly challenged Hezekiah and the people, questioning their confidence in Egypt and their trust in the LORD, even blasphemously suggesting that the LORD Himself had commanded Assyria to destroy Jerusalem. He offered terms of surrender, promising a fertile land for exile, and urged the people not to be deceived by Hezekiah's assurances of divine deliverance, citing the failure of other nations' gods to deliver their lands from Assyrian conquest. Hezekiah's officials, Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah, requested Rabshakeh speak in the Syrian language to avoid alarming the people on the wall, but Rabshakeh deliberately cried out in the Jews' language to incite fear and rebellion. The people, however, remained silent as commanded by King Hezekiah, and the officials returned to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, reporting Rabshakeh's words.

Core Concepts

  • Hezekiah's Righteous ReignHezekiah is depicted as a king who did what was right in the sight of the LORD, demonstrating exceptional trust in God and adhering to His commandments, leading to prosperity.
  • Religious ReformHezekiah undertook a thorough purge of idolatry, removing high places, breaking images, cutting down groves, and notably destroying the brazen serpent, which had become an object of worship, renaming it 'Nehushtan'.
  • Fall of SamariaThe northern kingdom of Israel, represented by its capital Samaria, fell to Assyria and its people were carried into exile, explicitly stated as a consequence of their disobedience to the LORD's covenant.
  • Assyrian Invasion of JudahSennacherib king of Assyria launched a major invasion against Judah, capturing many fortified cities and demanding a heavy tribute from King Hezekiah, showcasing Assyria's military dominance.
  • Rabshakeh's TauntThe Assyrian official Rabshakeh delivered a public, defiant, and blasphemous speech to the people of Jerusalem, attempting to demoralize them by questioning their trust in Egypt and the LORD, and asserting Assyria's invincibility.
  • Trust in the LORDA central theme is Hezekiah's unwavering trust in the LORD, contrasted with Rabshakeh's attempts to undermine this faith by mocking the efficacy of divine deliverance and promoting reliance on Assyrian power.