Hezekiah Reigns in Judah

18 (A)In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, (B)Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was (C)twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was (D)Abi the daughter of Zechariah. (E)And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. (F)He removed the high places and broke the (G)pillars and cut down (H)the Asherah. And he broke in pieces (I)the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).[a] (J)He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, (K)so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. (L)For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. (M)And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, (N)he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. (O)He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, (P)from watchtower to fortified city.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 18:4 Nehushtan sounds like the Hebrew for both bronze and serpent

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. 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. (D)He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that his father David had done. (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. (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. 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

(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. (L)He [c]defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from (M)watchtower to fortified city.

Read full chapter

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