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¹ In the thirde yere of Hosea sonne of Ela king of Israel, it came to passe that Hezekia ye sonne of Ahaz king of Iuda did raigne.² Twentie and fyue yeres olde was he when he began to raigne, and raigned twentie and nine yeres in Hierusalem: His mothers name also was Abi, ye daughter of Zacharia.³ And he dyd that whiche is right in the sight of the Lord, according to al as did Dauid his father.⁴ He put away the high places, & brake the images, and cut downe the groues, and all to brake the brasen serpent that Moyses had made: For vnto those dayes the children of Israel dyd burne sacrifice to it: and he called it Nehustan.⁵ He trusted in the Lorde God of Israel, so that after him was none lyke him among all the kinges of Iuda, neither were there any such before him.⁶ For he claue to the Lorde, and departed not from him: but kept his commaundementes, which the Lorde commaunded Moyses.⁷ And the Lorde was with him, so that he prospered in all thinges whiche he toke in hande: And he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and serued him not.⁸ He smote the Philistines euen vnto Azza & the coastes therof, both castels where they kept watches, and strong cities.

⁹ And in the fourth yere of king Hezekia, (whiche was the seuenth yere of Hosea sonne of Ela king of Israel) it fortuned that Salmanazar king of Assyria came vp against Samaria, and besieged it.¹⁰ And after three yeres they toke it: euen in the sixth yere of Hezekia (that is to say the nynth yere of Hosea king of Israel) Samaria was wonne.¹¹ And the king of Assyria dyd cary away Israel vnto Assyria, & put them in Halah and in Habor by the riuer of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:¹² Because they woulde not hearken vnto the voyce of the Lord their God, but transgressed his appoyntment, and all that Moyses the seruaunt of the Lorde commaunded: and would neither heare them, nor do them.¹³ Therfore in the fourteenth yere of king Hezekia, did Semacherib king of Assyria come vp against all the strong cities of Iuda, and toke them.¹⁴ And Hezekia king of Iuda sent to the king of Assyria to Lachis, saying: I haue offended: depart from me, and all that thou puttest on me, that will I beare. And the king of Assyria appoynted vnto Hezekia king of Iuda three hundred talentes of siluer, and thirtie talentes of golde.¹⁵ And Hezekia gaue him all the siluer that was founde in the house of the Lorde, & in the treasures of the kinges house¹⁶ At the same season dyd Hezekia rent of the doores of the temple of the Lorde and the pillers (whiche the sayde Hezekia king of Iuda had couered ouer) and gaue them to the king of Assyria.

¹⁷ And the king of Assyria sent Tharthan, and Rabsaris, & Rabsakeh from Lachis, to king Hezekia with a great hoast against Hierusalem: And they went vp, and came to Hierusalem, and gat them vp and stoode by the conduite of the vpper poole, whiche is in the way of the fullers fielde.¹⁸ And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the sonne of Elkia, which was stewarde of the houshold, and Sobna the scribe, and Ioah the sonne of Asaph, the recorder.¹⁹ And Rabsakeh sayd vnto them: Tell ye Hezekia I pray you, thus sayth the great king, euen the king of Assyria: what confidence is this that thou hast?²⁰ Thou thinkest surely I haue eloquece, but counsell and strength are for the warre: On whom then doest thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?²¹ Doest thou trust to the staffe of this broken reede Egypt, on which if a man leane, it will go into his hande, & pearse it: Euen so is Pharao king of Egypt vnto all that trust on hym.²² If ye say vnto me, we trust in the Lorde our God: Is not that he whose hygh places and whose aulters Hezekia hath put downe? and hath sayd to Iuda and Hierusalem, ye shall worship before this aulter here in Hierusalem.²³ Nowe therfore I pray thee geue hostages to my lorde the king of Assyria, and I will deliuer thee two thousande horses, if thou be able to set ryders vpon them:²⁴ Why thinkest thou scorne at the presence of one of the least Dukes of my maisters seruauntes, and trustest to Egypt for charets and horsmen?²⁵ Moreouer, am I come nowe without the bidding of the Lorde to this place, to destroy it? The Lord said to me: Go vp to this lande, and destroy it.²⁶ And Eliakim the sonne of Helkia, and Sobna, & Ioah, sayde vnto Rabsakeh: Speake I pray thee to thy seruauntes in the Syrians language (for we vnderstande it) and talke not with vs in the Iewes tongue in the eares of this people that are on the wall.²⁷ And Rabsakeh sayde vnto them: Hath my maister sent me to thy maister and thee, to speake these wordes? Hath he not sent me because of the men which sit on the wall, that they may eate their owne dongue, & drinke their owne pisse with you?²⁸ And so Rabsakeh stoode, & cryed with a lowde voyce in the Iewes language, and spake, saying: Heare the wordes of the great king, euen of the king of Assyria.²⁹ Thus sayth the king: Let not Hezekia beguile you, for he shal not be able to deliuer you out of myne hande:³⁰ Neither let Hezekia make you to trust in the Lorde, saying, The Lorde shall surely deliuer vs, & this citie shall not be geuen ouer into the hande of the king of Assyria.³¹ Hearken not vnto Hezekia: For thus sayth the king of Assyria, Deale kindely with me, and come out to me, and then eate euery man of his owne vine, and of his owne figge tree, and drincke euery man of the water of his owne well,³² Till I come, and set you to as good a lande as yours is, a lande of corne and wine, a lande of bread and vineyardes, a lande of oyle, of olyue trees, and of hony, that ye may liue, and not dye: And hearken not vnto Hezekia, for he beguileth you, saying: The Lorde shall deliuer vs.³³ Hath euery one of the gods of the nations deliuered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?³⁴ Where is the god of Hamath, & of Arphad? and where is the god of Sepharuaim, Hena, and Iua? Dyd they deliuer Samaria out of myne hande?³⁵ And what god is among al the gods of the nations, that hath deliuered his land out of myne hande? Shall the Lorde deliuer Hierusalem out of myne hande?³⁶ But the people held their peace, and aunswered not him a word: for the king had commaunded, saying: Aunswere hym not.³⁷ Then Eliakim the sonne of Helkia, which was the steward of the houshold, and Sobna the scribe, & Ioah the sonne of Asaph the recorder, came to Hezekia with their clothes rent, and tolde him the wordes of Rabsakeh.