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2 Kings 18-25
New American Standard Bible

Hezekiah Reigns over Judah

18 Now it came about (A)in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that (B)Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king. 2 He was (C)twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 (D)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father David had done. 4 (E)He removed the high places and smashed the memorial stones to pieces, and cut down the [a]Asherah. He also crushed to pieces (F)the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel had been burning incense to it; and it was called [b]Nehushtan. 5 (G)He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; and (H)after him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who came before him. 6 For he (I)clung to the Lord; he did not desist from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.

Hezekiah Victorious

7 (J)And the Lord was with him; wherever he went he was successful. And (K)he revolted against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 (L)He [c]defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from (M)watchtower to fortified city.

9 Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, (N)Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it. 10 And at the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was (O)the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured. 11 Then the king of Assyria led Israel into exile to Assyria, and put them in (P)Halah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 12 This happened because they (Q)did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but violated His covenant, all that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded; they would neither listen nor do it.

Invasion of Judah

13 (R)Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria marched against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent messengers to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “(S)I have done wrong. [d]Withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will endure.” So the king of Assyria imposed on Hezekiah king of Judah the payment of three hundred [e]talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 (T)Hezekiah then 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 Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the doorposts, which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and he gave it to the king of Assyria.

17 Then the king of Assyria sent (U)Tartan, Rab-saris, and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large army to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the (V)conduit of the upper pool, which is on the road of the [f]fuller’s field. 18 Then they called to the king, and (W)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, (X)Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the secretary, went out to them.

19 And Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria says: “(Y)What is this confidence that you [g]have? 20 You say—but they are only [h]empty words—‘I have a plan and strength for the war.’ Now on whom have you relied, (Z)that you have revolted against me? 21 Now behold, you have [i](AA)relied on the [j]support of this broken reed, on Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his [k]hand and pierce it. That is how Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him. 22 However, if you say to me, ‘We have trusted in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and (AB)whose altars Hezekiah has removed, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’? 23 Now then, [l]come make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 24 How then can you drive back even [m]one [n]official of the least of my master’s servants, and [o]rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25 Have I now come up without [p]the Lord’s approval against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”

26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah, said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, because we [q]understand it; and do not speak with us in [r](AC)Judean [s]so that the people who are on the wall hear you.” 27 But Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words? Has he not also sent me to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

28 Then Rabshakeh stood up and shouted with a loud voice in Judean, [t]saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: ‘(AD)Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to save you from [u]my hand. 30 And do not let Hezekiah lead you to trust in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will certainly save us, and this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: “Make [v]your peace with me and come out to me, and eat, (AE)each one, from his vine and each from his fig tree, and drink, each one, the waters of his own cistern, 32 until I come and take you (AF)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 producing oil, and of honey, so that you will live and not die.” But do not listen to Hezekiah, because he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will save us.” 33 (AG)Has any of the gods of the nations actually saved his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 (AH)Where are the gods of Hamath and (AI)Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and [w](AJ)Ivvah? Have they saved Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands are there who have saved their land from my hand, (AK)that the Lord would save Jerusalem from my hand?’”

36 But the people were silent and did not answer him with even a word, because it was the king’s [x]command: “Do not answer him.” 37 Then (AL)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the secretary, came to Hezekiah (AM)with their clothes torn, and they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.

Isaiah Encourages Hezekiah

19 (AN)Now when King Hezekiah heard the report, he (AO)tore his clothes, (AP)covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the household, with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, (AQ)covered with sackcloth, to (AR)Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says: ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and humiliation; for children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 (AS)Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent (AT)to taunt the living God, and will avenge the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for (AU)the remnant that is [y]left.’” 5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, “This is what you shall say to your master: ‘The Lord says this: “Do not be fearful because of the words that you have heard, with which the (AV)servants of the king of Assyria (AW)have blasphemed Me. 7 Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that (AX)he will hear news and return to his own land. And (AY)I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

Sennacherib Defies God

8 Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against (AZ)Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left (BA)Lachish. 9 When he heard them say about Tirhakah king of [z]Cush, “Behold, he has come out to fight you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “This is what you shall say to Hezekiah king of [aa]Judah: ‘Do not (BB)let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, “(BC)Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 11 Behold, you yourself have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be saved? 12 (BD)Did the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed save them: (BE)Gozan, (BF)Haran, Rezeph, and (BG)the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 (BH)Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer

14 Then (BI)Hezekiah took the [ab]letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and [ac]spread it out before the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, “Lord, God of Israel, [ad](BJ)enthroned above the cherubim, (BK)You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 (BL)Incline Your ear, Lord, and hear; (BM)open Your eyes, Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent (BN)to taunt the living God. 17 It is true, Lord; the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have [ae]hurled their gods into the fire; (BO)for they were not gods, but only the work of human hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. 19 But now, Lord our God, please, save us from his hand, (BP)so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, (BQ)Lord, are God.”

God’s Answer through Isaiah

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, (BR)I have heard you.’ 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken against him:

‘She, (BS)the virgin daughter of Zion, has shown contempt for you and mocked you;
She, the daughter of Jerusalem, (BT)has shaken her head behind you!
22 Whom have you (BU)taunted and (BV)blasphemed?
And against whom have you raised your voice,
And [af]haughtily raised your eyes?
Against the (BW)Holy One of Israel!
23 (BX)Through your messengers you have taunted the Lord,
And you have said, “With my many chariots
I went up to the heights of the mountains,
To the remotest parts of Lebanon;
And I cut down its tall cedars and its choicest junipers.
And I entered its farthest resting place, its (BY)thickest forest.
24 I dug wells and drank foreign waters,
And with the soles of my feet I (BZ)dried up
All the streams of Egypt.”

25 ‘(CA)Have you not heard?
Long ago I did it;
From ancient times I planned it.
(CB)Now I have brought it about,
That you would turn fortified cities into ruined heaps.
26 Therefore their inhabitants were [ag]powerless,
They were shattered and put to shame.
They were (CC)like the vegetation of the field and the green grass,
Like grass on the housetops that is scorched before it has grown.
27 But (CD)I know your sitting down,
Your going out, your coming in,
And your raging against Me.
28 Because of your raging against Me,
And because your complacency has come up to My ears,
I (CE)will put My hook in your nose,
And My bridle in your lips,
And (CF)I will turn you back by the way by which you came.

29 ‘Then this shall be (CG)the sign for you: [ah]you will eat this year what grows of itself, in the second year what grows by itself, and in the third year sow, harvest, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 (CH)The survivors that are left of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem will go a remnant, and survivors (CI)out of Mount Zion. (CJ)The zeal of [ai]the Lord will perform this.

32 ‘Therefore this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: “(CK)He will not come to this city nor shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield nor heap up an assault ramp against it. 33 (CL)By the way that he came, by [aj]the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city,”’ declares the Lord. 34 ‘(CM)For I will protect this city to save it for My own sake, and (CN)for My servant David’s sake.’”

35 (CO)Then it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when the rest got up early in the morning, behold, all of [ak]the 185,000 were [al]dead. 36 So (CP)Sennacherib the king of Assyria departed and [am]returned home, and lived at (CQ)Nineveh. 37 Then it came about, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that [an](CR)Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped to (CS)the land of Ararat. And his son (CT)Esarhaddon became king in his place.

Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery

20 (CU)In those days Hezekiah became [ao]mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘(CV)Set your house in order, for you are going to die and not live.’” 2 Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 “Please, Lord, just (CW)remember (CX)how I have walked before You wholeheartedly and in truth, and have done what is good in Your sight!” And (CY)Hezekiah wept [ap]profusely. 4 And even before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 5 “Return and say to (CZ)Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: “(DA)I have heard your prayer, (DB)I have seen your tears; behold, I am going to heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. 6 And I will add fifteen years to your [aq]life, and I will save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and (DC)I will protect this city for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”’” 7 Then Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.” And they took it and placed it on the inflamed spot, and he recovered.

8 Now Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I will go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” 9 Isaiah said, “(DD)This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will perform the word that He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps or go back ten steps?” 10 So Hezekiah said, “It is easy for the shadow to decline ten steps; no, but have the shadow turn backward ten steps.” 11 Then Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and (DE)He brought the shadow on the [ar]stairway back ten steps by which it had gone down on the [as]stairway of Ahaz.

Hezekiah Shows Babylon His Treasures

12 (DF)At that time [at]Berodach-baladan, a son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, because he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13 And Hezekiah listened to [au]them, and showed them (DG)all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the balsam oil, the [av]scented oil, the house of his armor, and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. 14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.” 15 Isaiah said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah [aw]answered, “They have seen everything that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 ‘Behold, the days are coming when (DH)everything that is in your house, and what your fathers have stored up to this day, will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 18 ‘And some (DI)of your sons who will come from you, whom you will father, will be taken away; and they will become (DJ)officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is (DK)good.” For he [ax]thought, “Is it not good, if there will be peace and [ay]security in my days?”

20 (DL)Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and all his might, and how he (DM)constructed the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 21 (DN)So Hezekiah [az]lay down with his fathers, and his son Manasseh became king in his place.

Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah

21 (DO)Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 (DP)He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (DQ)in accordance with the abominations of the nations whom the Lord [ba]dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3 For (DR)he rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had destroyed; and (DS)he erected altars for Baal and made an [bb]Asherah, just as Ahab king of Israel had done, and he (DT)worshiped all the heavenly [bc]lights and served them. 4 And (DU)he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “(DV)In Jerusalem I will put My name.” 5 He built altars for (DW)all the heavenly [bd]lights in (DX)the two courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6 And (DY)he made his son pass through the fire, (DZ)interpreted signs, practiced divination, and used mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger. 7 Then (EA)he put the carved image of Asherah that he had made in the house of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “(EB)In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever. 8 And I (EC)will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will take care to act in accordance with everything that I have commanded them, and with all the Law that My servant Moses commanded them.” 9 But they did not listen, and Manasseh (ED)encouraged them to do evil, more than the nations whom the Lord eliminated from the presence of the sons of Israel.

The King’s Idolatries Rebuked

10 Now the Lord spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, 11 “(EE)Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations, (EF)having done more evil than all that the Amorites did who were before him, and (EG)has also misled Judah into sin (EH)with his idols, 12 therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am bringing such a disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears about it, (EI)both of his ears will ring. 13 (EJ)I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem clean just as one wipes a bowl, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 And I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and hand them over to their enemies, and they will become as plunder and spoils to all their enemies, 15 because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger since the day their fathers came from Egypt, even to this day.’”

16 (EK)Furthermore, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem [be]from one end to another, besides his sin (EL)into which he misled Judah, in doing evil in the sight of the Lord. 17 (EM)Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did, and his sin which he [bf]committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 18 (EN)And Manasseh [bg]lay down with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his own house, (EO)in the garden of Uzza, and his son Amon became king in his place.

Amon Succeeds Manasseh

19 (EP)Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 20 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (EQ)just as his father Manasseh had done. 21 For he walked [bh]entirely in the way that his father had walked, and served the idols that his father had served, and worshiped them. 22 So (ER)he abandoned the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord. 23 And (ES)the servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his own house. 24 Then (ET)the people of the land [bi]killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place. 25 Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 26 He was buried in his grave (EU)in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah became king in his place.

Josiah Succeeds Amon

22 (EV)Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of (EW)Bozkath. 2 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord and walked [bj]entirely in the way of his father David, and did not (EX)turn aside to the right or to the left.

3 Now (EY)in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam the scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying, 4 “(EZ)Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, and have him [bk]count all the money brought into the house of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. 5 (FA)And have them hand it over to the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and have them give it to the workmen who are in the house of the Lord to repair the [bl]damage to the house: 6 to the carpenters, the builders, the masons, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the house. 7 However, (FB)no accounting shall be made with them for the money handed over to them, because they deal honestly.”

The Lost Book

8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “(FC)I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it. 9 Then Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have handed it over to the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe informed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.

11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, (FD)he tore his clothes. 12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, (FE)Ahikam the son of Shaphan, [bm](FF)Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for (FG)the wrath of the Lord that burns against us is great, because our fathers did not listen to the words of this book, to act in accordance with everything that is written regarding us.”

Huldah Predicts

14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of [bn](FH)Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (and she lived in Jerusalem in the (FI)Second Quarter); and they spoke to her. 15 Then she said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 16 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to (FJ)bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. 17 (FK)Since they have abandoned Me and have burned incense to other gods so that they may provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.’” 18 But to (FL)the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, this is what you shall say to him: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Regarding the words which you have heard, 19 (FM)since your heart was tender and (FN)you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become (FO)an object of horror and a (FP)curse, and you have (FQ)torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have indeed heard you,’ declares the Lord.” 20 Therefore, behold, I am going to gather you to your fathers, and (FR)you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not look at all the devastation that I am going to bring on this place.’” So they brought back word to the king.

Josiah’s Covenant

23 (FS)Then the king sent messengers, and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 And the king went up to the house of the Lord and every man of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, the prophets, and all the people, from the small to the great; and (FT)he read in their [bo]presence all the words of the Book of the Covenant (FU)which was found in the house of the Lord. 3 And (FV)the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, (FW)to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments, His provisions, and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people [bp]entered into the covenant.

Reforms under Josiah

4 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, (FX)the priests of the second order, and the [bq]doorkeepers (FY)to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the utensils that had been made for Baal, for [br]Asherah, and for all the heavenly [bs]lights; and (FZ)he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 Then he did away with the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the surrounding area of Jerusalem, as well as those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the remaining (GA)heavenly [bt]lights. 6 He also brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord outside Jerusalem to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and (GB)ground it to dust, and (GC)threw its dust on the graves of the [bu]common people. 7 And he tore down the cubicles of the (GD)male cult prostitutes which were in the house of the Lord, where (GE)the women were weaving [bv]hangings for the Asherah. 8 Then he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from (GF)Geba to Beersheba; and he tore down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one’s left at the city gate. 9 Nevertheless (GG)the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 (GH)He also defiled [bw]Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, (GI)so that no one would make his son or his daughter pass through the fire for (GJ)Molech. 11 And he did away with the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the (GK)sun, at the entrance of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the official, which was at the [bx]covered courtyard; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 The king also tore down (GL)the altars that were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and (GM)the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the house of the Lord; and he [by]smashed them there and (GN)threw their dust into the brook Kidron. 13 And the king defiled the high places that were opposite Jerusalem, which were on the right of (GO)the mount of destruction which Solomon the king of Israel had built for (GP)Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for (GQ)Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the sons of Ammon. 14 (GR)He also smashed to pieces the memorial stones and cut down the [bz]Asherim, and (GS)filled their places with human bones.

15 Furthermore, (GT)the altar that was at Bethel and the (GU)high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who misled Israel into sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he tore down. Then he (GV)burned the high place, ground the remains to dust, and burned the Asherah. 16 Now when Josiah turned, he saw the graves that were there on the mountain, and he sent men and took the bones from the graves, and burned them on the altar and defiled it (GW)in accordance with the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, the one who proclaimed these things. 17 Then he said, “What is this gravestone there that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “(GX)It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.” 18 And he said, “Leave him alone; no one is to disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed (GY)with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. 19 Then Josiah also removed all the houses of the high places which were (GZ)in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had constructed, [ca]provoking the Lord to anger; and he did to them [cb]just as he had done in Bethel. 20 And (HA)he slaughtered all the priests of the high places who were there on the altars, and burned human bones on them; then he returned to Jerusalem.

Passover Reinstituted

21 Then the king commanded all the people, saying, “(HB)Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God (HC)as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 (HD)Truly such a Passover had not been celebrated since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.

24 Moreover, Josiah removed (HE)the mediums, the spiritists, the [cc](HF)household idols, (HG)the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, (HH)so that he might [cd]fulfill the words of the Law which were written (HI)in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. 25 Before him there was no king (HJ)like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart, all his soul, and all his might, in conformity to all the Law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.

26 Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned against Judah, (HK)because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. 27 And the Lord said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, (HL)just as I have removed Israel. And (HM)I will reject this city which I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the [ce]temple of which I said, ‘My name shall be there!’”

Jehoahaz Succeeds Josiah

28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29 (HN)In his days (HO)Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria at the river Euphrates. And King Josiah went to meet him, and when Pharaoh Neco saw him he killed him at (HP)Megiddo. 30 (HQ)His servants carried [cf]his body in a chariot from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. (HR)Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

31 (HS)Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was (HT)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (HU)in accordance with all that his forefathers had done. 33 And (HV)Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him at (HW)Riblah in the land of (HX)Hamath, so that he would not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a fine of [cg]a hundred talents of silver and [ch]a talent of gold.

Jehoiakim Made King by Pharaoh

34 Then Pharaoh Neco made (HY)Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of his father Josiah, and he (HZ)changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz and [ci](IA)brought him to Egypt, and he died there. 35 So Jehoiakim (IB)gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh, but he assessed the land in order to give the money at the [cj]command of Pharaoh. He collected the silver and gold from the people of the land, each according to his assessment, to give to Pharaoh Neco.

36 (IC)Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (ID)in accordance with all that his forefathers had done.

Babylon Controls Jehoiakim

24 (IE)In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and revolted against him. 2 And the Lord sent against him (IF)bands of Chaldeans, (IG)bands of Arameans, (IH)bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, (II)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He had spoken through His servants the prophets. 3 (IJ)It indeed came upon Judah at the [ck]command of the Lord, to remove them from His sight (IK)due to the sins of Manasseh, in accordance with everything that he had done, 4 and (IL)also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the Lord was unwilling to forgive. 5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Jehoiachin Reigns

6 So (IM)Jehoiakim [cl]lay down with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place. 7 Now (IN)the king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, (IO)because the king of Babylon had taken everything that belonged to the king of Egypt from (IP)the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

8 (IQ)Jehoiachin was (IR)eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (IS)in accordance with all that his father had done.

Deportation to Babylon

10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it. 12 Then (IT)Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials. And (IU)the king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign. 13 (IV)He also brought out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house, and he (IW)smashed all the articles of gold (IX)that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, just as the Lord had said. 14 Then (IY)he led into exile all the people of Jerusalem and all the commanders and all the valiant warriors, (IZ)ten thousand exiles, and (JA)all the craftsmen and the smiths. None were left (JB)except the poorest people of the land.

15 So (JC)he led Jehoiachin into exile to Babylon; also the king’s mother, the king’s wives, and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 And all the valiant men, (JD)seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, a thousand, all strong and fit for war, these too the king of Babylon brought into exile to Babylon.

Zedekiah Made King

17 (JE)Then the king of Babylon made [cm]his uncle Mattaniah king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18 (JF)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was (JG)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (JH)in accordance with everything that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For it was (JI)due to the anger of the Lord that this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He cast them out of His presence. And (JJ)Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem

25 (JK)Now in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, (JL)Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and (JM)built a siege wall all around [cn]it. 2 So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month (JN)the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4 (JO)Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls that were beside (JP)the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And [co]they went by way of the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 6 Then (JQ)they captured the king and (JR)brought him up to the king of Babylon at (JS)Riblah, and he [cp]passed sentence on him. 7 And (JT)they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then (JU)put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles, and brought him to Babylon.

Jerusalem Burned and Plundered

8 (JV)Now on the seventh day of the (JW)fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And (JX)he burned the house of the Lord, (JY)the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire. 10 So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the bodyguards (JZ)tore down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguards, led into exile (KA)the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the [cq]people. 12 But the captain of the bodyguards left some of (KB)the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.

13 (KC)Now the Chaldeans smashed to pieces the bronze pillars which were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and (KD)the bronze [cr]Sea which were in the house of the Lord, and carried the [cs]bronze to Babylon. 14 (KE)And they took away the pots, the shovels, the [ct]shears, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils [cu]which were used in temple service. 15 The captain of the bodyguards also took away the firepans and the basins, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 16 The two pillars, the one Sea, and the stands which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—[cv](KF)the bronze of all these articles was too heavy to weigh. 17 (KG)The height of the one pillar was [cw]eighteen cubits, and a bronze capital was on it; the height of the capital was [cx]three cubits, with latticework and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, same features with latticework.

18 Then the captain of the bodyguards took (KH)Seraiah the chief priest and (KI)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [cy]doorkeepers. 19 And from the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and (KJ)five [cz]of the king’s advisers who were found in the city; and the [da]scribe of the captain of the army who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at (KK)Riblah. 21 Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. (KL)So Judah went into exile from its land.

Gedaliah Made Governor

22 Now as for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed (KM)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan over them. 23 (KN)When all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at (KO)Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 24 And Gedaliah swore to them and their men and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans; live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you.”

25 (KP)But it happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal [db]family, came [dc]with ten men and struck Gedaliah down so that he died along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 (KQ)Then all the people, from the small to the great, and the captains of the forces set out and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

27 (KR)Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of (KS)the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, [dd](KT)released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison; 28 and he (KU)spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So [de]Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and [df](KV)had his meals in [dg]the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life; 30 and as his (KW)allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 18:4 I.e., a wooden symbol of a female deity
  2. 2 Kings 18:4 I.e., a bronze sculpture
  3. 2 Kings 18:8 Lit struck
  4. 2 Kings 18:14 Lit Turn back
  5. 2 Kings 18:14 A talent was about 75 lb. or 34 kg
  6. 2 Kings 18:17 I.e., launderer’s
  7. 2 Kings 18:19 Lit trust
  8. 2 Kings 18:20 Lit a word of lips
  9. 2 Kings 18:21 Lit relied for yourself
  10. 2 Kings 18:21 Or staff
  11. 2 Kings 18:21 Lit palm
  12. 2 Kings 18:23 Lit please exchange pledges
  13. 2 Kings 18:24 Lit the face of one
  14. 2 Kings 18:24 Or governor
  15. 2 Kings 18:24 Lit rely for yourself
  16. 2 Kings 18:25 Lit the Lord
  17. 2 Kings 18:26 Lit hear
  18. 2 Kings 18:26 I.e., Hebrew
  19. 2 Kings 18:26 Lit in the ears of...wall
  20. 2 Kings 18:28 Lit and spoke, saying,
  21. 2 Kings 18:29 MT his
  22. 2 Kings 18:31 Lit with me a blessing
  23. 2 Kings 18:34 In 2 Kin 17:24, Avva
  24. 2 Kings 18:36 Lit command, saying
  25. 2 Kings 19:4 Lit found
  26. 2 Kings 19:9 Or Ethiopia
  27. 2 Kings 19:10 Lit Judah, saying,
  28. 2 Kings 19:14 Lit letters...read them
  29. 2 Kings 19:14 Lit Hezekiah spread
  30. 2 Kings 19:15 Lit sitting
  31. 2 Kings 19:18 Lit given
  32. 2 Kings 19:22 Lit on high
  33. 2 Kings 19:26 Lit short of hand
  34. 2 Kings 19:29 Lit to eat
  35. 2 Kings 19:31 Some ancient mss the Lord of armies
  36. 2 Kings 19:33 Lit it
  37. 2 Kings 19:35 Lit them
  38. 2 Kings 19:35 Lit dead bodies
  39. 2 Kings 19:36 Lit went and returned
  40. 2 Kings 19:37 Some ancient mss his sons Adrammelech
  41. 2 Kings 20:1 Lit sick to death
  42. 2 Kings 20:3 Lit great weeping
  43. 2 Kings 20:6 Lit days
  44. 2 Kings 20:11 Lit steps
  45. 2 Kings 20:11 Lit steps
  46. 2 Kings 20:12 Some mss and ancient versions Merodach-baladan; cf. Is 39:1
  47. 2 Kings 20:13 I.e., messengers
  48. 2 Kings 20:13 Lit good
  49. 2 Kings 20:15 Lit said
  50. 2 Kings 20:19 Lit said
  51. 2 Kings 20:19 Lit trustworthiness
  52. 2 Kings 20:21 I.e., died
  53. 2 Kings 21:2 Or drove out
  54. 2 Kings 21:3 I.e., a wooden symbol of a female deity
  55. 2 Kings 21:3 Lit host
  56. 2 Kings 21:5 Lit host
  57. 2 Kings 21:16 Lit mouth to mouth
  58. 2 Kings 21:17 Lit sinned
  59. 2 Kings 21:18 I.e., died
  60. 2 Kings 21:21 Lit in all the way that
  61. 2 Kings 21:24 Lit struck
  62. 2 Kings 22:2 Lit in all the way that
  63. 2 Kings 22:4 Or total
  64. 2 Kings 22:5 Lit breach
  65. 2 Kings 22:12 In 2 Chr 34:20, Abdon, son of Micah
  66. 2 Kings 22:14 In 2 Chr 34:22, Tokhath, son of Hasrah
  67. 2 Kings 23:2 Lit ears
  68. 2 Kings 23:3 Lit took a stand in
  69. 2 Kings 23:4 Lit keepers of the threshold
  70. 2 Kings 23:4 I.e., a wooden symbol of a female deity, and so throughout the ch
  71. 2 Kings 23:4 Lit host
  72. 2 Kings 23:5 Lit host
  73. 2 Kings 23:6 Lit sons of the people
  74. 2 Kings 23:7 Or dresses
  75. 2 Kings 23:10 I.e., place of burning
  76. 2 Kings 23:11 Meaning of the Heb uncertain
  77. 2 Kings 23:12 Or ran from there
  78. 2 Kings 23:14 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
  79. 2 Kings 23:19 As in ancient versions; MT provoking; and he
  80. 2 Kings 23:19 Lit according to all the acts
  81. 2 Kings 23:24 Heb teraphim
  82. 2 Kings 23:24 Or perform
  83. 2 Kings 23:27 Lit house
  84. 2 Kings 23:30 Lit him, dead
  85. 2 Kings 23:33 About 3.75 tons or 3.4 metric tons
  86. 2 Kings 23:33 About 75 lb. or 34 kg
  87. 2 Kings 23:34 As in LXX; MT he came
  88. 2 Kings 23:35 Lit mouth
  89. 2 Kings 24:3 Lit mouth
  90. 2 Kings 24:6 I.e., died
  91. 2 Kings 24:17 I.e., Jehoiachin’s uncle
  92. 2 Kings 25:1 Lit against it
  93. 2 Kings 25:4 As in some mss and ancient versions; MT he
  94. 2 Kings 25:6 Lit spoke judgment with him
  95. 2 Kings 25:11 Lit multitude
  96. 2 Kings 25:13 I.e., a very large basin
  97. 2 Kings 25:13 Lit bronze of them
  98. 2 Kings 25:14 I.e., wick trimmers
  99. 2 Kings 25:14 Lit with which they served
  100. 2 Kings 25:16 Lit there was no weight for the bronze of
  101. 2 Kings 25:17 About 27 ft. or 8 m
  102. 2 Kings 25:17 About 4.5 ft. or 1.3 m
  103. 2 Kings 25:18 Lit keepers of the threshold
  104. 2 Kings 25:19 Lit men of those seeing the king’s face
  105. 2 Kings 25:19 Or scribe, a captain
  106. 2 Kings 25:25 Lit seed
  107. 2 Kings 25:25 Lit and ten men with him
  108. 2 Kings 25:27 Lit raised the head of
  109. 2 Kings 25:29 Lit he
  110. 2 Kings 25:29 Lit ate bread
  111. 2 Kings 25:29 Lit his presence
Listen to 2 Kings 18-25
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2 Kings 18-25
New International Version

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. 3 He did what was right(F) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David(G) had done. 4 He removed(H) the high places,(I) smashed the sacred stones(J) and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake(K) Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.[b])

5 Hezekiah trusted(L) in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6 He held fast(M) to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; he was successful(N) in whatever he undertook. He rebelled(O) against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 From watchtower to fortified city,(P) he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.

9 In King Hezekiah’s fourth year,(Q) which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. 10 At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah’s sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. 11 The king(R) of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes.(S) 12 This happened because they had not obeyed the Lord their God, but had violated his covenant(T)—all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.(U) They neither listened to the commands(V) nor carried them out.

13 In the fourteenth year(W) of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah(X) and captured them. 14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish:(Y) “I have done wrong.(Z) Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.” The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents[c] of silver and thirty talents[d] of gold. 15 So Hezekiah gave(AA) him all the silver that was found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace.

16 At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors(AB) and doorposts of the temple of the Lord, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem(AC)(AD)

17 The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander,(AE) his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool,(AF) on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 18 They called for the king; and Eliakim(AG) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna(AH) the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.

19 The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:

“‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence(AI) of yours? 20 You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 21 Look, I know you are depending on Egypt,(AJ) that splintered reed of a staff,(AK) which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 22 But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?

23 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 24 How can you repulse one officer(AL) of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen[e]? 25 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord?(AM) The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’”

26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(AN) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

27 But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?”

28 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive(AO) you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’

31 “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree(AP) and drink water from your own cistern,(AQ) 32 until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life(AR) and not death!

“Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ 33 Has the god(AS) of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath(AT) and Arpad?(AU) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 35 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”(AV)

36 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

37 Then Eliakim(AW) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,(AX) and told him what the field commander had said.

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold(AY)

19 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore(AZ) his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakim(BA) the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests,(BB) all wearing sackcloth,(BC) to the prophet Isaiah(BD) son of Amoz. 3 They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment(BE) of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule(BF) the living God, and that he will rebuke(BG) him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant(BH) that still survives.”

5 When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid(BI) of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed(BJ) me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report,(BK) I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.(BL)’”

8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,(BM) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.(BN)

9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,[f] was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend(BO) on deceive(BP) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver(BQ) them—the gods of Gozan,(BR) Harran,(BS) Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?”(BT)

Hezekiah’s Prayer(BU)

14 Hezekiah received the letter(BV) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,(BW) you alone(BX) are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear,(BY) Lord, and hear;(BZ) open your eyes,(CA) Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods(CB) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.(CC) 19 Now, Lord our God, deliver(CD) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms(CE) of the earth may know(CF) that you alone, Lord, are God.”

Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall(CG)(CH)

20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard(CI) your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken against(CJ) him:

“‘Virgin Daughter(CK) Zion
    despises(CL) you and mocks(CM) you.
Daughter Jerusalem
    tosses her head(CN) as you flee.
22 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?(CO)
    Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes in pride?
    Against the Holy One(CP) of Israel!
23 By your messengers
    you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said,(CQ)
    “With my many chariots(CR)
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
    the utmost heights of Lebanon.
I have cut down(CS) its tallest cedars,
    the choicest of its junipers.
I have reached its remotest parts,
    the finest of its forests.
24 I have dug wells in foreign lands
    and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
    I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”

25 “‘Have you not heard?(CT)
    Long ago I ordained it.
In days of old I planned(CU) it;
    now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
    into piles of stone.(CV)
26 Their people, drained of power,(CW)
    are dismayed(CX) and put to shame.
They are like plants in the field,
    like tender green shoots,(CY)
like grass sprouting on the roof,
    scorched(CZ) before it grows up.

27 “‘But I know(DA) where you are
    and when you come and go
    and how you rage against me.
28 Because you rage against me
    and because your insolence has reached my ears,
I will put my hook(DB) in your nose
    and my bit(DC) in your mouth,
and I will make you return(DD)
    by the way you came.’

29 “This will be the sign(DE) for you, Hezekiah:

“This year you will eat what grows by itself,(DF)
    and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year sow and reap,
    plant vineyards(DG) and eat their fruit.
30 Once more a remnant(DH) of the kingdom of Judah
    will take root(DI) below and bear fruit above.
31 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,(DJ)
    and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.(DK)

“The zeal(DL) of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

32 “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:

“‘He will not enter this city
    or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
    or build a siege ramp against it.
33 By the way that he came he will return;(DM)
    he will not enter this city,
declares the Lord.
34 I will defend(DN) this city and save it,
    for my sake and for the sake of David(DO) my servant.’”

35 That night the angel of the Lord(DP) went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!(DQ) 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew.(DR) He returned to Nineveh(DS) and stayed there.

37 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek(DT) and Sharezer killed him with the sword,(DU) and they escaped to the land of Ararat.(DV) And Esarhaddon(DW) his son succeeded him as king.

Hezekiah’s Illness(DX)

20 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember,(DY) Lord, how I have walked(DZ) before you faithfully(EA) and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard(EB) your prayer and seen your tears;(EC) I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend(ED) this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”

7 Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil,(EE) and he recovered.

8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day from now?”

9 Isaiah answered, “This is the Lord’s sign(EF) to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?”

10 “It is a simple(EG) matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.”

11 Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back(EH) the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

Envoys From Babylon(EI)(EJ)

12 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah’s illness. 13 Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine olive oil—his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

14 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

“From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came from Babylon.”

15 The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”

“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon.(EK) Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 18 And some of your descendants,(EL) your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”(EM)

19 “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”

20 As for the other events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool(EN) and the tunnel(EO) by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 21 Hezekiah rested with his ancestors. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.

Manasseh King of Judah(EP)(EQ)

21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.(ER) 2 He did evil(ES) in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices(ET) of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places(EU) his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal(EV) and made an Asherah pole,(EW) as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts(EX) and worshiped them. 4 He built altars(EY) in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.”(EZ) 5 In the two courts(FA) of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his own son(FB) in the fire, practiced divination,(FC) sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists.(FD) He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing(FE) his anger.

7 He took the carved Asherah pole(FF) he had made and put it in the temple,(FG) of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name(FH) forever. 8 I will not again(FI) make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses(FJ) gave them.” 9 But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil(FK) than the nations(FL) the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.

10 The Lord said through his servants the prophets: 11 “Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil(FM) than the Amorites(FN) who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols.(FO) 12 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster(FP) on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.(FQ) 13 I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line(FR) used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe(FS) out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 I will forsake(FT) the remnant(FU) of my inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their enemies; 15 they have done evil(FV) in my eyes and have aroused(FW) my anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this day.”

16 Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood(FX) that he filled Jerusalem from end to end—besides the sin that he had caused Judah(FY) to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

17 As for the other events of Manasseh’s reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 18 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace garden,(FZ) the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.

Amon King of Judah(GA)

19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. 20 He did evil(GB) in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. 21 He followed completely the ways of his father, worshiping the idols his father had worshiped, and bowing down to them. 22 He forsook(GC) the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk(GD) in obedience to him.

23 Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated(GE) the king in his palace. 24 Then the people of the land killed(GF) all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah(GG) his son king in his place.

25 As for the other events of Amon’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 26 He was buried in his tomb in the garden(GH) of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king.

The Book of the Law Found(GI)

22 Josiah(GJ) was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.(GK) 2 He did what was right(GL) in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right(GM) or to the left.

3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan(GN) son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: 4 “Go up to Hilkiah(GO) the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected(GP) from the people. 5 Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair(GQ) the temple of the Lord— 6 the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple.(GR) 7 But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.”(GS)

8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law(GT) in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 9 Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” 10 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.(GU)

11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law,(GV) he tore his robes. 12 He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam(GW) son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant:(GX) 13 “Go and inquire(GY) of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger(GZ) that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”

14 Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophet(HA) Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.

15 She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster(HB) on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book(HC) the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken(HD) me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made,[g] my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ 18 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire(HE) of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 19 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled(HF) yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse[h](HG) and be laid waste(HH)—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 20 Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace.(HI) Your eyes(HJ) will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”

So they took her answer back to the king.

Josiah Renews the Covenant(HK)(HL)(HM)(HN)

23 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read(HO) in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant,(HP) which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 3 The king stood by the pillar(HQ) and renewed the covenant(HR) in the presence of the Lord—to follow(HS) the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.

4 The king ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in rank and the doorkeepers(HT) to remove(HU) from the temple of the Lord all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel. 5 He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense(HV) to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts.(HW) 6 He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the Lord to the Kidron Valley(HX) outside Jerusalem and burned it there. He ground it to powder(HY) and scattered the dust over the graves(HZ) of the common people.(IA) 7 He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes(IB) that were in the temple of the Lord, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah.

8 Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba(IC) to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the gateway at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua, the city governor, which was on the left of the city gate. 9 Although the priests of the high places did not serve(ID) at the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.

10 He desecrated Topheth,(IE) which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom,(IF) so no one could use it to sacrifice their son(IG) or daughter in the fire to Molek. 11 He removed from the entrance to the temple of the Lord the horses that the kings of Judah(IH) had dedicated to the sun. They were in the court[i] near the room of an official named Nathan-Melek. Josiah then burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.(II)

12 He pulled down(IJ) the altars the kings of Judah had erected on the roof(IK) near the upper room of Ahaz, and the altars Manasseh had built in the two courts(IL) of the temple of the Lord. He removed them from there, smashed them to pieces and threw the rubble into the Kidron Valley.(IM) 13 The king also desecrated the high places that were east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption—the ones Solomon(IN) king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable(IO) god of the people of Ammon.(IP) 14 Josiah smashed(IQ) the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones.(IR)

15 Even the altar(IS) at Bethel, the high place made by Jeroboam(IT) son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin—even that altar and high place he demolished. He burned the high place and ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole also. 16 Then Josiah(IU) looked around, and when he saw the tombs that were there on the hillside, he had the bones removed from them and burned on the altar to defile it, in accordance(IV) with the word of the Lord proclaimed by the man of God who foretold these things.

17 The king asked, “What is that tombstone I see?”

The people of the city said, “It marks the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced against the altar of Bethel the very things you have done to it.”

18 “Leave it alone,” he said. “Don’t let anyone disturb his bones(IW).” So they spared his bones and those of the prophet(IX) who had come from Samaria.

19 Just as he had done at Bethel, Josiah removed all the shrines at the high places that the kings of Israel had built in the towns of Samaria and that had aroused the Lord’s anger. 20 Josiah slaughtered(IY) all the priests of those high places on the altars and burned human bones(IZ) on them. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

21 The king gave this order to all the people: “Celebrate the Passover(JA) to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.”(JB) 22 Neither in the days of the judges who led Israel nor in the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah had any such Passover been observed. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.(JC)

24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists,(JD) the household gods,(JE) the idols and all the other detestable(JF) things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the Lord. 25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned(JG) to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.(JH)

26 Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger,(JI) which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh(JJ) had done to arouse his anger. 27 So the Lord said, “I will remove(JK) Judah also from my presence(JL) as I removed Israel, and I will reject(JM) Jerusalem, the city I chose, and this temple, about which I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’[j]”

28 As for the other events of Josiah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?

29 While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Necho(JN) king of Egypt went up to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah marched out to meet him in battle, but Necho faced him and killed him at Megiddo.(JO) 30 Josiah’s servants brought his body in a chariot(JP) from Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.

Jehoahaz King of Judah(JQ)

31 Jehoahaz(JR) was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Hamutal(JS) daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 32 He did evil(JT) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his predecessors had done. 33 Pharaoh Necho put him in chains at Riblah(JU) in the land of Hamath(JV) so that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and he imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents[k] of silver and a talent[l] of gold. 34 Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim(JW) son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, and there he died.(JX) 35 Jehoiakim paid Pharaoh Necho the silver and gold he demanded. In order to do so, he taxed the land and exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land according to their assessments.(JY)

Jehoiakim King of Judah(JZ)

36 Jehoiakim(KA) was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah; she was from Rumah. 37 And he did evil(KB) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his predecessors had done.

24 During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar(KC) king of Babylon invaded(KD) the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled.(KE) 2 The Lord sent Babylonian,[m](KF) Aramean,(KG) Moabite and Ammonite raiders(KH) against him to destroy(KI) Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets.(KJ) 3 Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command,(KK) in order to remove them from his presence(KL) because of the sins of Manasseh(KM) and all he had done, 4 including the shedding of innocent blood.(KN) For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.(KO)

5 As for the other events of Jehoiakim’s reign,(KP) and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 6 Jehoiakim rested(KQ) with his ancestors. And Jehoiachin(KR) his son succeeded him as king.

7 The king of Egypt(KS) did not march out from his own country again, because the king of Babylon(KT) had taken all his territory, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.

Jehoiachin King of Judah(KU)

8 Jehoiachin(KV) was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta(KW) daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem. 9 He did evil(KX) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father had done.

10 At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar(KY) king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, 11 and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it. 12 Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered(KZ) to him.

In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. 13 As the Lord had declared,(LA) Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures(LB) from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles(LC) that Solomon(LD) king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. 14 He carried all Jerusalem into exile:(LE) all the officers and fighting men,(LF) and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest(LG) people of the land were left.

15 Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin(LH) captive to Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem to Babylon the king’s mother,(LI) his wives, his officials and the prominent people(LJ) of the land. 16 The king of Babylon also deported to Babylon the entire force of seven thousand fighting men, strong and fit for war, and a thousand skilled workers and artisans.(LK) 17 He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.(LL)

Zedekiah King of Judah(LM)

18 Zedekiah(LN) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal(LO) daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 19 He did evil(LP) in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust(LQ) them from his presence.(LR)

The Fall of Jerusalem(LS)(LT)(LU)

Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

25 So in the ninth(LV) year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar(LW) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works(LX) all around it. 2 The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

3 By the ninth day of the fourth[n] month the famine(LY) in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. 4 Then the city wall was broken through,(LZ) and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians[o] were surrounding(MA) the city. They fled toward the Arabah,[p] 5 but the Babylonian[q] army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,(MB) 6 and he was captured.(MC)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,(MD) where sentence was pronounced on him. 7 They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.(ME)

8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He set fire(MF) to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down.(MG) 10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls(MH) around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile(MI) the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.(MJ) 12 But the commander left behind some of the poorest people(MK) of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

13 The Babylonians broke(ML) up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes(MM) and all the bronze articles(MN) used in the temple service. 15 The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—all that were made of pure gold or silver.(MO)

16 The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the movable stands, which Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed. 17 Each pillar(MP) was eighteen cubits[r] high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was three cubits[s] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar.

18 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah(MQ) the chief priest, Zephaniah(MR) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.(MS) 19 Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of the conscripts who were found in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 There at Riblah,(MT) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.(MU)

So Judah went into captivity,(MV) away from her land.(MW)

22 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah(MX) son of Ahikam,(MY) the son of Shaphan, to be over the people he had left behind in Judah. 23 When all the army officers and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah the son of the Maakathite, and their men. 24 Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.”

25 In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinated(MZ) Gedaliah and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.(NA) 26 At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt(NB) for fear of the Babylonians.

Jehoiachin Released(NC)

27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin(ND) king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. 28 He spoke kindly(NE) to him and gave him a seat of honor(NF) higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table.(NG) 30 Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived.(NH)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 18:2 Hebrew Abi, a variant of Abijah
  2. 2 Kings 18:4 Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for both bronze and snake.
  3. 2 Kings 18:14 That is, about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons
  4. 2 Kings 18:14 That is, about 1 ton or about 1 metric ton
  5. 2 Kings 18:24 Or charioteers
  6. 2 Kings 19:9 That is, the upper Nile region
  7. 2 Kings 22:17 Or by everything they have done
  8. 2 Kings 22:19 That is, their names would be used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, others would see that they are cursed.
  9. 2 Kings 23:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  10. 2 Kings 23:27 1 Kings 8:29
  11. 2 Kings 23:33 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
  12. 2 Kings 23:33 That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms
  13. 2 Kings 24:2 Or Chaldean
  14. 2 Kings 25:3 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Jer. 52:6); Masoretic Text does not have fourth.
  15. 2 Kings 25:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 13, 25 and 26
  16. 2 Kings 25:4 Or the Jordan Valley
  17. 2 Kings 25:5 Or Chaldean; also in verses 10 and 24
  18. 2 Kings 25:17 That is, about 27 feet or about 8.1 meters
  19. 2 Kings 25:17 That is, about 4 1/2 feet or about 1.4 meters
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