2 Reis 18

I Elas Søns, Kong Hosea af Israels, tredje Regeringsår blev Ezekias, Akaz's Søn, Konge over Juda.

Han var fem og tyve År gammel, da han blev Konge, og han herskede ni og tyve År i Jerusalem. Hans Moder hed Abi og var en Datter af Zekarja.

Han gjorde, hvad der var ret i HERRENs Øjne, ganske som hans Fader David.

Han skaffede Offerhøjene bort, sønderbrød Stenstøtterne, omhuggede Asjerastøtten og knuste Kobberslangen, som Moses havde lavet; thi indtil den Tid havde Israeliterne tændt Offerild for den, og man kaldte den Nehusjtan.

Til HERREN, Israels Gud, satte han sin Lid, og hverken før eller siden fandtes hans Lige blandt alle Judas Konger.

Han holdt fast ved HERREN og veg ikke fra ham, og han overholdt de Bud, HERREN havde givet Moses.

Og HERREN var med ham; i alt, hvad han tog sig for, havde han Lykken med sig. Han gjorde Oprør mod Assyrerkongen og vilde ikke stå under ham.

Han slog Filisterne lige til Gaza og dets Omegn, både Vagttårnene og de befæstede Byer.

I Kong Ezekias's fjerde, Elas Søns, Kong Hosea af Israels, syvende Regeringsår, drog Assyrer kongen Salmanassar op mod Sa maria, belejrede

og indtog det. Efter tre Års Forløb, i Ezekias's sjette, Kong Hosea af Israels niende Regeringsår, blev Samaria indtaget.

Og Assyrerkongen førte Israel i Landflygtighed til Assyrien og lod dem bosætte sig i Hala, ved Habor, Gozans Flod, og i Mediens Byer,

til Straf for at de ikke havde adlydt HERREN deres Guds Røst, men overtrådt hans Pagt, alt hvad HERRENs Tjener Moses havde påbudt; de hørte ikke derpå og gjorde ikke derefter.

I Kong Ezekias's fjortende Regeringsår drog Assyrerkongen Sankerib op mod alle Judas befæstede Byer og indtog dem.

og Ezekias udleverede alt det Sølv, der var i HERRENs Hus og i Skatkamrene i Kongens Palads.

Ved den Lejlighed plyndrede Ezekias Dørene i HERRENs Helligdom og Pillerne for det Guld, han selv havde overtrukket dem med, og udleverede det til Assyrerkongen.

Assyrerkongen sendte så Tartan, Rabsaris og Rabsjake med en anselig Styrke fra Lakisj til Kong Ezekias i Jerusalem, og de drog op og kom til Jerusalem og gjorde Holdt ved Øvredammens Vandledning, ved Vejen til Blegepladsen.

Da de krævede at få Kongen i Tale, gik Paladsøversten Eljakim, Hilkijas Søn, Statsskriveren Sjebna og Kansleren Joa, Asafs Søn, ud til dem.

Du mener vel, at et blot og bart Ord er det samme som Plan og Styrke i Krig? Og til hvem sætter du egentlig din Lid, siden du gør Oprør imod mig?

Se nu, du sætter din Lid til Ægypten, denne brudte Rørkæp, som river Sår i Hånden på den, der støtter sig til den! Thi således går det alle dem, der sætter deres Lid til Farao, Ægyptens Konge.

Men vil I sige til mig: Det er HERREN vor Gud, vi sætter vor Lid til! er det så ikke ham, hvis Offerhøje og Altre Ezekias skaffede bort, da han sagde til Juda og Jerusalem: Foran dette Alter, i Jerusalem skal I tilbede!

Og nu, indgå et Væddemål med min Herre, Assyrerkongen: Jeg giver dig to Gange tusind Heste, hvis du kan stille Ryttere til dem!

Hvorledes vil du afslå et Angreb af en eneste Statholder, en af min Herres ringeste Tjenere? Og du sætter din Lid til Ægypten, til Vogne og Heste?

Således siger Kongen: Lad ikke Ezekias vildlede eder, thi han er ikke i Stand til at frelse eder af min Hånd!

Og lad ikke Ezekias forlede eder til at sætte eders Lid til HERREN, når han siger: HERREN skal sikkert frelse os, og denne By skal ikke overgives i Assyrerkongens Hånd!

Hør ikke på Ezekias; thi således - siger Assyrerkongen: Vil I slutte Fred med mig og overgive eder til mig, så skal enhver af eder spise af sin Vinstok og sit Figentræ og drikke af sin Brønd,

indtil jeg kommer og tager eder med til et Land, der ligner eders, et Land med Korn og Most, et Land med Brød og Vingårde, et Land med Oliventræer og Honning; så skal I leve og ikke dø. Hør derfor ikke på Ezekias, når han vil forføre eder og siger: HERREN vil frelse os!

Mon nogen af Folkeslagenes Guder har kunnet frelse sit Land af Assyrerkongens Hånd?

Hvor er Hamats og Arpads Guder, hvor er Sefarvajims, Henas og Ivvas Guder? Hvor er Landet Samarias Guder? Mon de frelste Samaria af min Hånd?

Men de tav og svarede ham ikke et Ord, thi Kongens Bud lød på, at de ikke måtte svare ham.

Derpå gik Paladsøversten Eljakim, Hilkijas Søn, Statsskriveren Sjebna og Kansleren Joa, Asafs Søn, med sønderrevne Klæder til Ezekias og meddelte ham, hvad Rabsjake havde sagt.

Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, {that} Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. {Hezekiah: he is called Ezekias}

Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also {was} Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. {Abi: also called, Abijah}

And he did {that which was} right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.

He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. {images: Heb. statues} {Nehushtan: that is, A piece of brass}

He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor {any} that were before him.

For he clave to the LORD, {and} departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. {from...: Heb. from after him}

And the LORD was with him; {and} he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.

He smote the Philistines, {even} unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. {Gaza: Heb. Azzah}

And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which {was} the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, {that} Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

And at the end of three years they took it: {even} in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that {is} the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor {by} the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:

Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, {and} all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear {them}, nor do {them}.

Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. {Sennacherib: Heb. Sanherib}

And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

And Hezekiah gave {him} all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house.

At that time did Hezekiah cut off {the gold from} the doors of the temple of the LORD, and {from} the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. {it: Heb. them}

And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which {is} in the highway of the fuller's field. {great: Heb. heavy}

And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which {was} over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder. {scribe: or, secretary}

And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence {is} this wherein thou trustest?

Thou sayest, (but {they are but} vain words,) {I have} counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? {sayest: or, talkest} {vain...: Heb. word of the lips} {I have...: or, but counsel and strength are for the war}

Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, {even} upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so {is} Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. {trustest: Heb. trustest thee}

But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: {is} not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?

Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. {pledges: or, hostages}

How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand {it}: and talk not with us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people that {are} on the wall.

But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? {hath he} not {sent me} to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you? {their own piss: Heb. the water of their feet}

Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria:

Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:

Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make {an agreement} with me by a present, and come out to me, and {then} eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern: {Make...: or, Seek my favour: Heb. Make with me a blessing} {cistern: or, pit}

Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. {persuadeth: or, deceiveth}

Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

Where {are} the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where {are} the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?

Who {are} they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?

But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which {was} over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with {their} clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.