וַיְהִי בִּשְׁנַת שָׁלֹשׁ לְהוֹשֵׁעַ בֶּן־אֵלָה מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל מָלַךְ חִזְקִיָּה בֶן־אָחָז מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה׃   18:1

2Kin. 18:1   And it was in the year three for Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz, king of Judah, became king.

בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה הָיָה בְמָלְכוֹ וְעֶשְׂרִים וָתֵשַׁע שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ אֲבִי בַּת־זְכַרְיָה׃   18:2

2Kin. 18:2   He was twenty-five years of age at the start of his reign, and he was king in Jerusalem twenty-nine years.  And the name of his mother was Abi daughter of Zechariah.

וַיַּעַשׂ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה דָּוִד אָבִיו׃   18:3

2Kin. 18:3   And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord like all that David, his ancestor, had done.                                                                                                                           [Return to 2Chr. 29:1]

הוּא הֵסִיר אֶת־הַבָּמוֹת וְשִׁבַּר אֶת־הַמַּצֵּבֹת וְכָרַת אֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרָה וְכִתַּת נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה   18:4 מֹשֶׁה כִּי עַד־הַיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה הָיוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַטְּרִים לוֹ וַיִּקְרָא־לוֹ נְחֻשְׁתָּן׃

2Kin. 18:4   He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah, and he broke down the serpent of brass that Moses had made, because up until those days the children of Israel had been offering to it, and the name of Nehushtan had been given to it.

The name Nehushtan means a thing of brass.

בַּיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּטָח וְאַחֲרָיו לֹא־הָיָה כָמֹהוּ בְּכֹל מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה וַאֲשֶׁר הָיוּ לְפָנָיו׃   18:5

2Kin. 18:5   In the Lord, God of Israel, he trusted, that after him there was not one like he was among all the kings of Judah, or who were before him.

וַיִּדְבַּק בַּיהוָה לֹא־סָר מֵאַחֲרָיו וַיִּשְׁמֹר מִצְוֺתָיו אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה׃   18:6

2Kin. 18:6   And he was joined with the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, and he kept His commandments that the Lord had commanded Moses.

וְהָיָה יְהוָה עִמּוֹ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יֵצֵא יַשְׂכִּיל וַיִּמְרֹד בְּמֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר וְלֹא עֲבָדוֹ׃   18:7

2Kin. 18:7   And the Lord was with him.  In every place to which he went forth he would be successful, and he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

הוּא־הִכָּה אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּים עַד־עַזָּה וְאֶת־גְּבוּלֶיהָ מִמִּגְדַּל נוֹצְרִים עַד־עִיר מִבְצָר׃   18:8

2Kin. 18:8   He smote the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territories, from the towers of the watchmen to the fortified city.

וַיְהִי בַּשָּׁנָה הָרְבִיעִית לַמֶּלֶךְ חִזְקִיָּהוּ הִיא הַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִית לְהוֹשֵׁעַ בֶּן־אֵלָה מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל עָלָה   18:9 שַׁלְמַנְאֶסֶר מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר עַל־שֹׁמְרוֹן וַיָּצַר עָלֶיהָ׃

2Kin. 18:9   And it was in the fourth year for king Hezekiah (it was the seventh year for Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel) Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, went up against Samaria and lay siege against it.

וַיִּלְכְּדֻהָ מִקְצֵה שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים בִּשְׁנַת־שֵׁשׁ לְחִזְקִיָּה הִיא שְׁנַת־תֵּשַׁע לְהוֹשֵׁעַ מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל נִלְכְּדָה   18:10 שֹׁמְרוֹן׃

2Kin. 18:10   And he took it at the end of three years.  In the year of six for Hezekiah (it was the year of nine for Hoshea, king of Israel) Samaria was taken.

וַיֶּגֶל מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל אַשּׁוּרָה וַיַּנְחֵם בַּחְלַח וּבְחָבוֹר נְהַר גּוֹזָן וְעָרֵי מָדָי׃   18:11

2Kin. 18:11   And the king of Assyria carried Israel away to Assyria and put them in Halah and in Habor at the river of Gozan, and the cities of the Medes,

עַל אֲשֶׁר לֹא־שָׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וַיַּעַבְרוּ אֶת־בְּרִיתוֹ אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד יְהוָה   18:12 וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ וְלֹא עָשׂוּ׃

2Kin. 18:12   for the reason that they did not listen to the voice of the Lord, their God, and transgressed His covenant, all that Moses, servant of the Lord, had commanded, but they did not listen and they did not do.

Verses 18:9 to this one are a reprise of the events of the fall of Israel recorded in Chapter 17.

וּבְאַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לַמֶּלֶךְ חִזְקִיָּה עָלָה סַנְחֵרִיב מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר עַל כָּל־עָרֵי יְהוּדָה הַבְּצֻרוֹת   18:13 וַיִּתְפְּשֵׂם׃

2Kin. 18:13   And in the fourteenth year for King Hezekiah Sennacherab, king of Assyria, came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.                         [Return to v. 18:27]

וַיִּשְׁלַח חִזְקִיָּה מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה אֶל־מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר לָכִישָׁה לֵאמֹר חָטָאתִי שׁוּב מֵעָלַי אֵת אֲשֶׁר־תִּתֵּן עָלַי   18:14 אֶשָּׂא וַיָּשֶׂם מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר עַל־חִזְקִיָּה מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת כִּכַּר־כֶּסֶף וּשְׁלֹשִׁים כִּכַּר זָהָב׃

2Kin. 18:14   And Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish saying, “I have lost.  Withdraw from me.  Whatever you put on me I will obtain.”  And the king of Assyria placed on Hezekiah, king of Judah, three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

וַיִּתֵּן חִזְקִיָּה אֶת־כָּל־הַכֶּסֶף הַנִּמְצָא בֵית־יְהוָה וּבְאֹצְרוֹת בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ׃   18:15

2Kin. 18:15   So Hezekiah gave all the silver to be found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the house of the king.

בָּעֵת הַהִיא קִצַּץ חִזְקִיָּה אֶת־דַּלְתוֹת הֵיכַל יְהוָה וְאֶת־הָאֹמְנוֹת אֲשֶׁר צִפָּה חִזְקִיָּה מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה   18:16 וַיִּתְּנֵם לְמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר׃

2Kin. 18:16   At that time Hezekiah cut off the doors of the Temple of the Lord and the columns that Hezekiah, king of Judah, had overlaid and gave them to the king of Assyria.

וַיִּשְׁלַח מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר אֶת־תַּרְתָּן וְאֶת־רַב־סָרִיס וְאֶת־רַב־שָׁקֵה מִן־לָכִישׁ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ חִזְקִיָּהוּ בְּחֵיל   18:17 כָּבֵד יְרוּשָׁלִָם וַיַּעֲלוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיַּעֲלוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיַּעַמְדוּ בִּתְעָלַת הַבְּרֵכָה הָעֶלְיוֹנָה אֲשֶׁר בִּמְסִלַּת שְׂדֵה כוֹבֵס׃

2Kin. 18:17   And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rab-shakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army to Jerusalem.  And they went up and came to Jerusalem.  When they had gone up, then they came and stood near the conduit of the upper pool which is on the causeway of the ground of washing.

וַיִּקְרְאוּ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֵּצֵא אֲלֵהֶם אֶלְיָקִים בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּהוּ אֲשֶׁר עַל־הַבָּיִת וְשֶׁבְנָה הַסֹּפֵר וְיוֹאָח בֶּן־אָסָף   18:18 הַמַּזְכִּיר׃

2Kin. 18:18   And they called to the king, and Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, came out to them, and Shebna, the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder.

                                                                            [Return to Isai. 36:3]             ]Return to 2Chr. 32:9]

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם רַב־שָׁקֵה אִמְרוּ־נָא אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ כֹּה־אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגָּדוֹל מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר מָה הַבִּטָּחוֹן   18:19 הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר בָּטָחְתָּ׃

2Kin. 18:19   And Rab-shakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah:  ‘Thus has said the great king, the king of Assyria:  ‘What is this confidence that you trust?’

אָמַרְתָּ אַךְ־דְּבַר־שְׂפָתַיִם עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה לַמִּלְחָמָה עַתָּה עַל־מִי בָטַחְתָּ כִּי מָרַדְתָּ בִּי׃   18:20

2Kin. 18:20   ‘Do you say a mere word of the lips is counsel and strength for a war?  Now on whom do you trust that you rebel against me?’

עַתָּה הִנֵּה בָטַחְתָּ לְּךָ עַל־מִשְׁעֶנֶת הַקָּנֶה הָרָצוּץ הַזֶּה עַל־מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר יִסָּמֵךְ אִישׁ עָלָיו וּבָא בְכַפּוֹ   18:21 וּנְקָבָהּ כֵּן פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם לְכָל־הַבֹּטְחִים עָלָיו׃

2Kin. 18:21   ‘Now behold, you put hope for yourself upon the shaft of this bruised reed, on Egypt, that will a man lean on it, then it will go into his hand and pierce it.  Such is Pharoah, king of Egypt, to all who are putting trust on him.’

וְכִי־תֹאמְרוּן אֵלַי אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ בָּטָחְנוּ הֲלוֹא־הוּא אֲשֶׁר הֵסִיר חִזְקִיָּהוּ אֶת־בָּמֹתָיו   18:22 וְאֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָיו וַיֹּאמֶר לִיהוּדָה וְלִירוּשָׁלִַם לִפְנֵי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ הַזֶּה תִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם׃

2Kin. 18:22  “So when you say to me, ‘To the Lord, our God, we give our trust,’ is it not He of Whom Hezekiah has taken away His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘Before this altar you shall worship in Jerusalem?’”

וְעַתָּה הִתְעָרֶב נָא אֶת־אֲדֹנִי אֶת־מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר וְאֶתְּנָה לְךָ אַלְפַּיִם סוּסִים אִם־תּוּכַל לָתֶת לְךָ רֹכְבִים   18:23 עֲלֵיהֶם׃

2Kin. 18:23   “So now, I pray you, take my lord, king of Assyria, as security, and I would give two thousand horses to you if you were able to place riders on them for yourselves.”

וְאֵיךְ תָּשִׁיב אֵת פְּנֵי פַחַת אַחַד עַבְדֵי אֲדֹנִי הַקְּטַנִּים וַתִּבְטַח לְךָ עַל־מִצְרַיִם לְרֶכֶב וּלְפָרָשִׁים׃   18:24

2Kin. 18:24   “So how can you turn away the face of one deputy of the least servants of my lord and put trust for yourself on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?”

עַתָּה הֲמִבַּלְעֲדֵי יְהוָה עָלִיתִי עַל־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה לְהַשְׁחִתוֹ יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי עֲלֵה עַל־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת   18:25 וְהַשְׁחִיתָהּ׃

2Kin. 18:25   “Now have I come up against this place to destroy it without the Lord?  The Lord has said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”

וַיֹּאמֶר אֶלְיָקִים בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּהוּ וְשֶׁבְנָה וְיוֹאָח אֶל־רַב־שָׁקֵה דַּבֶּר־נָא אֶל־עֲבָדֶיךָ אֲרָמִית כִּי שֹׁמְעִים   18:26 אֲנָחְנוּ וְאַל־תְּדַבֵּר עִמָּנוּ יְהוּדִית בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם אֲשֶׁר עַל־הַחֹמָה׃

2Kin. 18:26   Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, said, with Shebna and Joah, to Rab-shakeh, “I pray you, speak Aramaic to your servants, for we are understanding, and do not speak Judean with us within hearing of the people who are on the wall.”

Judean is presumed to have been Hebrew.  Thus we may assume that Aramaic was not the spoken language in Judah (or had been in Israel) at that time.  It must have been some time later when Aramaic became the spoken language of most Jews, perhaps during the first exile that was soon to come.       [Return to Isai. 36:11]

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם רַב־שָׁקֵה הַעַל אֲדֹנֶיךָ וְאֵלֶיךָ שְׁלָחַנִי אֲדֹנִי לְדַבֵּר אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה הֲלֹא   18:27 עַל־הָאֲנָשִׁים הַיֹּשְׁבִים עַל־הַחֹמָה לֶאֱכֹל אֶת אֶת־(חַרְאֵיהֶם) [צֹואָתָם] וְלִשְׁתֹּות אֶת־(שֵׁינֵיהֶם) [מֵימֵי] [רַגְלֵיהֶם] עִמָּכֶם׃

2Kin. 18:27   But Rab-shakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to your master and you to speak these words, and not to the men who are sitting on the wall eating their own excrement and drinking their own urine with you?”

Apparently starvation was rampant in the city.  We have not been told of any siege, so the lot of Jerusalem’s inhabitants must have been dire because of the many losses in the rest of the country (v. 18:13).

There are also two apparent errors in this verse.  In the first set of parentheses the word there is possibly in error, although it is considered to be slang for excrement.  Its more proper replacement is in the first set of brackets.  The word in the second set of parentheses is not really an error as far as I can tell.  It is a properly accepted word for urine.  The correction (in the second and third sets of brackets may be more polite.  The two words translate as water of the legs.                                                                                      [Return to Isai. 36:12]

וַיַּעֲמֹד רַב־שָׁקֵה וַיִּקְרָא בְקוֹל־גָּדוֹל יְהוּדִית וַיְדַבֵּר וַיֹּאמֶר שִׁמְעוּ דְּבַר־הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגָּדוֹל מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר׃   18:28

2Kin. 18:28   Then Rab-shakeh stood and called with a loud voice in Judean and spoke and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.”

כֹּה אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ אַל־יַשִּׁיא לָכֶם חִזְקִיָּהוּ כִּי־לֹא יוּכַל לְהַצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיָּדוֹ׃   18:29

2Kin. 18:29   “Thus has said the king:  ‘Let Hezekiah not deceive you,’ for he will not be able to save you from his hand.”

וְאַל־יַבְטַח אֶתְכֶם חִזְקִיָּהוּ אֶל־יְהוָה לֵאמֹר הַצֵּל יַצִּילֵנוּ יְהוָה וְלֹא תִנָּתֵן אֶת־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת בְּיַד   18:30

מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר׃

2Kin. 18:30   “And do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord saying, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’”

אַל־תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ כִּי כֹה אָמַר מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר עֲשׂוּ־אִתִּי בְרָכָה וּצְאוּ אֵלַי וְאִכְלוּ אִישׁ־גַּפְנוֹ  18:31 וְאִישׁ תְּאֵנָתוֹ וּשְׁתוּ אִישׁ מֵי־בוֹרוֹ׃

2Kin. 18:31   “Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus has said the king of Assyria:  ‘Grant me a blessing and come out to me, and each of you eat of his vine and each of his fig tree and each drink from his cistern,

עַד־בֹּאִי וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם אֶל־אֶרֶץ כְּאַרְצְכֶם אֶרֶץ דָּגָן וְתִירוֹשׁ אֶרֶץ לֶחֶם וּכְרָמִים אֶרֶץ זֵית יִצְהָרְ   18:32 וּדְבַשׁ וִחְיוּ וְלֹא תָמֻתוּ וְאַל־תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ כִּי־יַסִּית אֶתְכֶם לֵאמֹר יְהוָה יַצִּילֵנוּ׃

2Kin. 18:32   until my arrival when I will take you to a land like your land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of the oil of the olive and of honey, and you will live and not die.’  So do not listen to Hezekiah when he would entice you saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us.’”

הַהַצֵּל הִצִּילוּ אֱלֹהֵי הַגּוֹיִם אִישׁ אֶת־אַרְצוֹ מִיַּד מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר׃ְ   18:33

2Kin. 18:33   “Have the gods of the nations ever rescued any of them his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?”

אַיֵּה אֱלֹהֵי חֲמָת וְאַרְפָּד אַיֵּה אֱלֹהֵי סְפַרְוַיִם הֵנַע וְעִוָּה כִּי־הִצִּילוּ אֶת־שֹׁמְרוֹן מִיָּדִי׃ְ   18:34

2Kin. 18:34   “Where were the gods of Hamath and of Arpad?  Where were the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah that they rescued Samaria from my hand?”

מִי בְּכָל־אֱלֹהֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת אֲשֶׁר־הִצִּילוּ אֶת־אַרְצָם מִיָּדִי כִּי־יַצִּיל יְהוָה אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם מִיָּדִי׃ְ   18:35

2Kin. 18:35   “Who among all the gods of the countries was it that rescued their lands from my hand, that the Lord should rescue Jerusalem from my hand?”

וְהֶחֱרִישׁוּ הָעָם וְלֹא־עָנוּ אֹתֹו דָּבָר כִּי־מִצְוַת הַמֶּלֶךְ הִיא לֵאמֹר לֹא תַעֲנֻהוּ׃   18:36

2Kin. 18:36   But the people were silent and did not answer him a word, for it was the command of the king, saying, “Do not answer him.”

וַיָּבֹא אֶלְיָקִים בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּה אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַבַּיִת וְשֶׁבְנָא הַסֹּפֵר וְיוֹאָח בֶּן־אָסָף הַמַּזְכִּיר אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוְּ   18:37

  קְרוּעֵי בְגָדִים וַיַּגִּדוּ לוֹ דִּבְרֵי רַב־שָׁקֵה׃

2Kin. 18:37   Then came Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, with Shebna, the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah, rent of clothes, and related the words of Rab-shakeh to him.

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