Assyria

Rav-Shakeh addressed them: "Tell Hizkiyahu: 'Here is what the great king, the king of Ashur, says: "What makes you so confident?

All right, then, make a wager with my lord the king of Ashur: I will give you two thousand horses if you can find enough riders for them.

Then Rav-Shakeh stood up and, speaking loudly in Hebrew, said: "Hear what the great king, the king of Ashur, says!

And don't let Hizkiyahu make you trust in ADONAI by saying, "ADONAI will surely save us; this city will not be given over to the king of Ashur."

Don't listen to Hizkiyahu.' For this is what the king of Ashur says: 'Make peace with me, surrender to me. Then every one of you can eat from his vine and fig tree and drink the water in his own cistern;

Has any god of any nation ever saved his land from the power of the king of Ashur?

Maybe ADONAI your God will hear all the words of Rav-Shakeh, whom his master the king of Ashur has sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke the message which ADONAI your God has heard. So pray for the remnant that is left."

he said to them, "Tell your master that this is what ADONAI says: 'Don't be afraid of the words you heard the servants of the king of Ashur use to insult me.

Rav-Shakeh returned and, having heard that the king of Ashur had left Lakhish, found him making war with Livnah.

"This is what you are to say to Hizkiyahu king of Y'hudah: 'Don't let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, "Yerushalayim will not be handed over to the power of the king of Ashur."

You have heard what the kings of Ashur have done to all lands - they have completely destroyed them. So how will you be delivered?

It is true, ADONAI, that the kings of Ashur have laid waste the nations and their lands

Then Yesha'yahu the son of Amotz sent this message to Hizkiyahu: "ADONAI the God of Isra'el says: 'You prayed to me against Sancheriv king of Ashur, and I have heard you.'

"Therefore this is what ADONAI says concerning the king of Ashur: 'He will not come to this city or even shoot an arrow there; he will not confront it with a shield or erect earthworks against it.

So Sancheriv king of Ashur left, went and returned to live in Ninveh.

I will add fifteen years to your life. Also I will rescue you and this city from the power of the king of Ashur; I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.'"

During his time Pharaoh N'khoh king of Egypt went up toward the Euphrates River to attack the king of Ashur. King Yoshiyahu went out to oppose him; but at Megiddo, Pharaoh spotted Yoshiyahu and killed him.

and his son Be'erah. Tilgat-Piln'eser king of Ashur carried him away captive; he was leader of the Re'uveni.

So the God of Isra'el stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Ashur and the spirit of Tilgat-Piln'eser king of Ashur; and he carried them away as captives - the Re'uveni, the Gadi and the half-tribe of M'nasheh - and brought them to Halach, Havor, Hara and to the Gozan River, where they are to this day.

It was at that time that King Achaz sent to the kings of Ashur to help him.

Tilgat-Piln'eser king of Ashur attacked and besieged Achaz instead of strengthening him -

even though Achaz had stripped the house of ADONAI and the palaces of the king and princes and had given the plunder to the king of Ashur, it didn't help him at all.

So runners went with the letters from the king and his officers throughout all Isra'el and Y'hudah. They conveyed the king's order: "People of Isra'el! Turn back to ADONAI, the God of Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov! Then he will return to those of you who remain, who escaped capture by the kings of Ashur.

After these events and this faithfulness of [Hizkiyahu's], Sancheriv king of Ashur came, invaded Y'hudah and besieged the fortified cities, thinking that he would break in [and capture] them.

a large crowd was gathered to block all the springs and the stream flowing through the countryside. They reasoned, "Why should the kings of Ashur come and find an ample supply of water?"