II Kings 18

vayehi bishnat shalosh lehoshea ben-elah melekh yisra'el malakh khizqiyyah ven-akhaz melekh yehudah

In the third year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, Hezekiah son of King Ahaz of Judah became king.

ben-esrim vekhamesh shanah hayah vemolkho ve'esrim vatesha shanah malakh birushalai͏m veshem immo avi bat-zekharyah

He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years; his mother’s name was Abi daughter of Zechariah.

vayya'as hayyashar be'ene Adonai kekhol asher-asah david aviv

He did what was pleasing to GOD, just as his forefather David had done.

hu hesir et-habbamot veshibbar et-hammatsevot vekharat et-ha'asherah vekhittat nekhash hannekhoshet asher-asah mosheh ki ad-hayyamim hahemmah hayu vene-yisra'el meqatterim lo vayyiqra-lo nekhushtan

He abolished the shrines and smashed the pillars and cut down the sacred post. He also broke into pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until that time the Israelites had been offering sacrifices to it; it was called Nehushtan.

ba-Adonai elohe-yisra'el batakh ve'akharayw lo-hayah khamohu bekhol malkhe yehudah va'asher hayu lefanayw

He trusted only in the ETERNAL the God of Israel; there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those before him.

vayyidbaq ba-Adonai lo-sar me'akharayw vayyishmor mitsvotayw asher-tsivvah Adonai et-mosheh

He clung to GOD; he did not hesitate to be directed, but kept the commandments that GOD had given to Moses.

vehayah Adonai immo bekhol asher-yetse yaskil vayyimrod bemelekh-ashur velo avado

And GOD was always with him; he was successful wherever he turned. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him.

hu-hikkah et-pelishtim ad-azzah ve'et-gevuleha mimmigdal notserim ad-ir mivtsar

He overran Philistia as far as Gaza and its border areas, from watchtower to fortified town.

vayehi bashanah harevi'it lammelekh khizqiyyahu hi hashanah hashevi'it lehoshea ben-elah melekh yisra'el alah shalmaneser melekh-ashur al-shomeron vayyatsar aleha

In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it,

vayyilkeduha miqtseh shalosh shanim bishnat-shesh lekhizqiyyah hi shenat-tesha lehoshea melekh yisra'el nilkedah shomeron

and he captured it at the end of three years. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of King Hoshea of Israel, Samaria was captured;

vayyegel melekh-ashur et-yisra'el ashurah vayyankhem bakhlakh uvekhavor nehar gozan ve'are maday

and the king of Assyria deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor [and] the River Gozan, and in the towns of Media.

al asher lo-shame'u beqol Adonai elohehem vayya'avru et-berito et kol-asher tsivvah mosheh eved Adonai velo shame'u velo asu

[This happened] because they did not obey the ETERNAL their God; they transgressed God’s covenant—all that Moses the servant of GOD had commanded. They did not obey and they did not fulfill it.

uve'arba esreh shanah lammelekh khizqiyyah alah sankheriv melekh-ashur al kol-are yehudah habbetsurot vayyitpesem

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched against all the fortified towns of Judah and seized them.

vayyishlakh khizqiyyah melekh-yehudah el-melekh-ashur lakhishah lemor khatati shuv me'alay et asher-titten alay essa vayyasem melekh-ashur al-khizqiyyah melekh-yehudah shelosh me'ot kikkar-kesef usheloshim kikkar zahav

King Hezekiah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: “I have done wrong; withdraw from me; and I shall bear whatever you impose on me.” So the king of Assyria imposed upon King Hezekiah of Judah a payment of three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

vayyitten khizqiyyah et-kol-hakkesef hannimtsa vet-Adonai uve'otserot bet hammelekh

Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was on hand in the House of GOD and in the treasuries of the palace.

ba'et hahi qitsats khizqiyyah et-daltot hekhal Adonai ve'et-ha'omenot asher tsippah khizqiyyah melekh yehudah vayyittenem lemelekh ashur

At that time Hezekiah cut down the doors and the doorposts of the Temple of GOD, which King Hezekiah had overlaid [with gold], and gave them to the king of Assyria.

vayyishlakh melekh-ashur et-tartan ve'et-rav-saris ve'et-ravshaqeh min-lakhish el-hammelekh khizqiyyahu bekhel kaved yerushalai͏m vayya'alu vayyavo'u yerushalai͏m vayya'alu vayyavo'u vayya'amdu bitalat habberekhah ha'elyonah asher bimsillat sedeh khoves

But the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh from Lachish with a large force to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. They marched up to Jerusalem; and when they arrived, they took up a position near the conduit of the Upper Pool, by the road of the Fuller’s Field.

vayyiqre'u el-hammelekh vayyetse alehem elyaqim ben-khilqiyyahu asher al-habbayit veshevnah hassofer veyo'akh ben-asaf hammazkir

They summoned the king; and Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.

vayyomer alehem ravshaqeh imru-na el-khizqiyyahu koh-amar hammelekh haggadol melekh ashur mah habbittakhon hazzeh asher batakheta

The Rabshakeh said to them, “You tell Hezekiah: Thus said the Great King, the King of Assyria: What makes you so confident?

amarta akh-devar-sefatayim etsah ugevurah lammilkhamah attah al-mi vatakhta ki maradta bi

You must think that mere talk is counsel and valor for war! Look, on whom are you relying, that you have rebelled against me?

attah hinneh vatakhta lekha al-mishenet haqqaneh haratsuts hazzeh al-mitsrayim asher yissamekh ish alayw uva vekhappo uneqavah ken paroh melekh-mitsrayim lekhol-habbotekhim alayw

You rely, of all things, on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which enters and punctures the palm of anyone who leans on it! That’s what Pharaoh king of Egypt is like to all who rely on him.

vekhi-tomerun elay el-Adonai elohenu batakhenu halo-hu asher hesir khizqiyyahu et-bamotayw ve'et-mizbekhotayw vayyomer lihudah velirushalai͏m lifne hammizbeakh hazzeh tishtakhavu birushalai͏m

And if you tell me that you are relying on the ETERNAL your God: is this not the very one whose shrines and altars Hezekiah did away with, telling Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship only at this altar in Jerusalem’?

ve'attah hitarev na et-adoni et-melekh ashur ve'ettenah lekha alpayim susim im-tukhal latet lekha rokhevim alehem

Come now, make this wager with my master, the king of Assyria: I’ll give you two thousand horses if you can produce riders to mount them.

ve'ekh tashiv et pene fakhat akhad avde adoni haqqetannim vattivtakh lekha al-mitsrayim lerekhev ulefarashim

So how could you refuse anything even to the deputy of one of my master’s lesser servants, relying on Egypt for chariots and riders?

attah hamibbalade Adonai aliti al-hammaqom hazzeh lehashkhito Adonai amar elay aleh al-ha'arets hazzot vehashkhitah

And do you think I have marched against this land to destroy it without GOD ? It was GOD who told me: Go up against that land and destroy it.”

vayyomer elyaqim ben-khilqiyyahu veshevnah veyo'akh el-ravshaqeh dabber-na el-avadekha aramit ki shome'im anakhenu ve'al-tedabber immanu yehudit be'ozne ha'am asher al-hakhomah

Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah replied to the Rabshakeh, “Please, speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; do not speak to us in Judean in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

vayyomer alehem ravshaqeh ha'al adonekha ve'elekha shelakhani adoni ledabber et-haddevarim ha'elleh halo al-ha'anashim hayyoshevim al-hakhomah le'ekhol et-[tso'atam] (khryhm) velishtot et-[meme raglehem] (shnyhm) immakhem

But the Rabshakeh answered them, “Was it to your master and to you that my master sent me to speak those words? It was precisely to the men who are sitting on the wall—who will have to eat their dung and drink their urine with you.”

vayya'amod ravshaqeh vayyiqra veqol-gadol yehudit vayedabber vayyomer shimu devar-hammelekh haggadol melekh ashur

And the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in Judean: “Hear the words of the Great King, the King of Assyria.

koh amar hammelekh al-yashi lakhem khizqiyyahu ki-lo yukhal lehatsil etkhem miyyado

Thus said the king: Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from my hands.

ve'al-yavtakh etkhem khizqiyyahu el-Adonai lemor hatsel yatsilenu Adonai velo tinnaten et-ha'ir hazzot beyad melekh ashur

Don’t let Hezekiah make you rely on GOD, saying: GOD will surely save us: this city will not fall into the hands of the king of Assyria.

al-tishme'u el-khizqiyyahu ki khoh amar melekh ashur asu-itti verakhah utse'u elay ve'ikhlu ish-gafno ve'ish te'enato ushetu ish me-voro

Don’t listen to Hezekiah. For thus said the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me, so that you may all eat from your vines and your fig trees and drink water from your cisterns,

ad-bo'i velaqakhti etkhem el-erets ke'artsekhem erets dagan vetirosh erets lekhem ukheramim erets zet yitshar udevash vikhyu velo tamutu ve'al-tishme'u el-khizqiyyahu ki-yassit etkhem lemor Adonai yatsilenu

until I come and take you away to a land like your own, a land of grain [fields] and vineyards, of bread and wine, of olive oil and honey, so that you may live and not die. Don’t listen to Hezekiah, who misleads you by saying, ‘GOD will save us.’

hahatsel hitsilu elohe haggoyim ish et-artso miyyad melekh ashur

Did any of the gods of other nations save their land from the king of Assyria?

ayyeh elohe khamat ve'arpad ayyeh elohe sefarvayim hena ve'ivvah ki-hitsilu et-shomeron miyyadi

Where were the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where were the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? [And] did they save Samaria from me?

mi bekhol-elohe ha'aratsot asher-hitsilu et-artsam miyyadi ki-yatsil Adonai et-yerushalai͏m miyyadi

Which among all the gods of [those] countries saved their countries from me, that GOD should save Jerusalem from me?”

vehekherishu ha'am velo-anu oto davar ki-mitsvat hammelekh hi lemor lo ta'anuhu

But the people were silent and did not say a word in reply; for the king’s order was: “Do not answer him.”

vayyavo elyaqim ben-khilqiyyah asher-al-habbayit veshevna hassofer veyo'akh ben-asaf hammazkir el-khizqiyyahu qeru'e vegadim vayyaggidu lo divre ravshaqeh

And so Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and they reported to him what the Rabshakeh had said.