2 Kings 18 - Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Judah’s King Hezekiah

18 In the third year of Israel’s King Hoshea^(A) son of Elah, Hezekiah^(B) son of Ahaz became king of Judah. ²He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi^[a] daughter of Zechariah. ³He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestor David had done.^(C) ⁴He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.^(D) He broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses made,^(E) for until then the Israelites were burning incense to it. It was called Nehushtan.^[b]

⁵Hezekiah relied on the Lord God of Israel;^(F) not one of the kings of Judah was like him, either before him or after him.^(G) ⁶He remained faithful to the Lord^(H) and did not turn from following him but kept the commands the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁷The Lord was with him, and wherever he went he prospered.^(I) He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.^(J) ⁸He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its borders,^(K) from watchtower^(L) to fortified city.

Review of Israel’s Fall

⁹In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Assyria’s King Shalmaneser marched against Samaria and besieged it.^(M) ¹⁰The Assyrians captured it at the end of three years. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Israel’s King Hoshea, Samaria was captured. ¹¹The king of Assyria deported the Israelites to Assyria and put them in Halah, along the Habor (Gozan’s river), and in the cities of the Medes,^(N) ¹²because they did not listen to the Lord their God but violated his covenant—all he had commanded Moses the servant of the Lord. They did not listen, and they did not obey.^(O)

Sennacherib’s Invasion

¹³In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Assyria’s King Sennacherib attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.^(P) ¹⁴So King Hezekiah of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish:^(Q) “I have done wrong;^(R) withdraw from me. Whatever you demand from me, I will pay.” The king of Assyria demanded eleven tons^[c] of silver and one ton^[d] of gold from King Hezekiah of Judah. ¹⁵So Hezekiah gave him all the silver found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace.

¹⁶At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the Lord’s sanctuary and from the doorposts he had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria.^(S)

¹⁷Then the king of Assyria sent the field marshal,^(T) the chief of staff, and his royal spokesman, along with a massive army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.^(U) They advanced and came to Jerusalem, and^[e] they took their position by the aqueduct of the upper pool, by the road to the Launderer’s Field.^(V) ¹⁸They called for the king, but Eliakim^(W) son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebnah^(X) the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian, came out to them.^(Y)

The Royal Spokesman’s Speech

¹⁹Then^(Z) the royal spokesman said to them, “Tell Hezekiah this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: ‘What are you relying on?^[f]^(AA) ²⁰You think mere words are strategy and strength for war. Who are you now relying on so that you have rebelled against me?^(AB) ²¹Now look, you are relying on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff^(AC) that will pierce the hand of anyone who grabs it and leans on it.^(AD) This is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him. ²²Suppose you say to me, “We rely on the Lord our God.” Isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed,^(AE) saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem”?’

²³“So now, make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria. I’ll give you two thousand horses if you’re able to supply riders for them! ²⁴How then can you drive back a single officer^(AF) among the least of my master’s servants? How can you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? ²⁵Now, have I attacked this place to destroy it without the Lord’s approval?^(AG) The Lord said to me, ‘Attack this land and destroy it.’”

²⁶Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah said to the royal spokesman, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,^(AH) since we understand it. Don’t speak with us in Hebrew^[g] within earshot of the people on the wall.”

²⁷But the royal spokesman said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to your master and to you? Hasn’t he also sent me to the men who sit on the wall, destined with you to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?” ^(AI)

²⁸The royal spokesman stood and called out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. ²⁹This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah deceive^(AJ) you; he can’t rescue you from my power.^(AK) ³⁰Don’t let Hezekiah persuade you to rely on the Lord by saying, “Certainly the Lord will rescue us! This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.”’^(AL)

³¹“Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: ‘Make peace^[h] with me and surrender to me. Then each of you may eat from his own vine and his own fig tree,^(AM) and each may drink water from his own cistern ³²until I come and take you away to a land like your own land—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey^(AN)—so that you may live^(AO) and not die. But don’t listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying, “The Lord will rescue us.” ³³Has any of the gods of the nations ever rescued^(AP) his land from the power of the king of Assyria? ³⁴Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?^[i] Have they rescued Samaria from my power?^(AQ) ³⁵Who among all the gods of the lands has rescued his land from my power? So will the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” ^(AR)

³⁶But the people kept silent; they did not answer him at all, for the king’s command was, “Don’t answer him.” ³⁷Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the court historian,^(AS) came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn^(AT) and reported to him the words of the royal spokesman.

Footnotes

18:2 = Abijah in 2Ch 29:1
18:4 = A Bronze Thing
18:14 Lit 300 talents
18:14 Lit 30 talents
18:17 LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads and came and
18:19 Lit ‘What is this trust which you trust
18:26 Lit Judahite, also in v. 28
18:31 Lit a blessing
18:34 Some LXX mss, Old Lat read Sepharvaim? Where are the gods of the land of Samaria?

Cross references

2 Kings 18 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

18 And it cometh to pass, in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, reigned hath Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah; 2 a son of twenty and five years was he in his reigning, and twenty and nine years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Abi daughter of Zecharia...
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2 Kings 18 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

18 In the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah, king of Israel, reigned Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, king of Judah. (In the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah, the king of Israel, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, the king of Judah, began to reign.) 2 He was of five and twenty years, when he began to reign, ...
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2 Kings 18 - World English Bible (WEB)

18 Now in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did that which was r...
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2 Kings 18 - The Voice (VOICE)

In the New Testament, tension remains between the former “Northern Kingdom” and “Southern Kingdom,” although the names have changed. The Judeans in the south argue that only they maintain God’s law, and that the Samaritans in the north are no longer God’s people. Of course, the Samaritans believe th...
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2 Kings 18 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Righteous King Hezekiah18 Now it was in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel that Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was 25 years old when he became king and he reigned for 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was...
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2 Kings 18 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Hezekiah’s Reign over Judah18 In the third year of Hoshe′a son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezeki′ah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechari′a...
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2 Kings 18 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

2 Kings 18 - New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

Hezekiah’s Reign over Judah18 In the third year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, Hezekiah son of King Ahaz of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what ...
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2 Kings 18 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition (NRSVACE)

Hezekiah’s Reign over Judah18 In the third year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, Hezekiah son of King Ahaz of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did w...
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2 Kings 18 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Hezekiah’s Reign over Judah18 In the third year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, Hezekiah son of King Ahaz of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did w...
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2 Kings 18 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Hezekiah’s Reign over Judah18 In the third year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, Hezekiah son of King Ahaz of Judah began to reign.(A)2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi daughter of Zechariah.(B)3 He did wha...
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2 Kings 18 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Hezekiah Rules in Judah18 Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to rule over Judah in the third year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah,[a] the daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was pleasi...
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2 Kings 18 - New Life Version (NLV)

Hezekiah Rules Judah18 In the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to rule. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king. And he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 Hez...
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2 Kings 18 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Hezekiah Reigns in Judah(A)18 Now it came to pass in the third year of (B)Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that (C)Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was...
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2 Kings 18 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Hezekiah king of Judah18 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 became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah[a] daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did...
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2 Kings 18 - New International Version (NIV)

Hezekiah King of Judah(A)(B)(C)18 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah(D) son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years.(E) His mother’s name was Abijah[a] daughter of Zechariah....
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2 Kings 18 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Hezekiah King of Judah18 Hezekiah began to rule as king over Judah. It was in the third year that Hoshea was king of Israel. He was the son of Elah. Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz. 2 Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother’s name was Abijah. She w...
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2 Kings 18 - New English Translation (NET)

Hezekiah Becomes King of Judah18 In the third year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Ahaz’s son Hezekiah became king over Judah. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother[a] was Abi,[b] the daughter of Zechariah....
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