34 To this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel; 35 With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: 36 But the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye sacrifice. 37 And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods. 38 And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods. 39 But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. 40 Yet they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner. 41 So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they to this day.
CHAP. 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. [1]
2 Twenty 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. [2]
3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.
4 He removed the high places, and broke the images, and cut down the groves, and broke in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for till those days the children of Israel burnt incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. [3] [4]
5 He 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.
6 For he clung to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. [5]
7 And the LORD was with him; and he prospered wherever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.
8 He smote the Philistines, even to Gaza, and its borders, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city. [6]
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.
10 And 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.
11 And the king of Assyria carried away Israel to Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:
12 Because 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 .
13 Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them. [7]
14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; withdraw from me: that which thou puttest on me I will bear. And the king of Assyria appointed to Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king’s house.
16 At 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. [8]
17 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they had come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field. [9]
18 And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder. [10]
19 And Rabshakeh said to them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this in which thou trustest?
20 Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now in whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? [11] [12] [13]
21 Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man leaneth, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust on him. [14]
22 But if ye say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose
- ↑ Hezekiah: he is called Ezekias
- ↑ Abi: also called, Abijah
- ↑ images: Heb. statues
- ↑ Nehushtan: that is, A piece of brass
- ↑ from...: Heb. from after him
- ↑ Gaza: Heb. Azzah
- ↑ Sennacherib: Heb. Sanherib
- ↑ it: Heb. them
- ↑ great: Heb. heavy
- ↑ scribe: or, secretary
- ↑ sayest: or, talkest
- ↑ vain...: Heb. word of the lips
- ↑ I have...: or, but counsel and strength are for the war
- ↑ trustest: Heb. trustest thee
