they hearkened not to the voice of the Lord, their God,
but transgressed his covenant: all that Moses, the servant of the Lord,
commanded, they would not hear, nor do.

18:13. In the fourteenth year of king Ezechias, Sennacherib, king of the
Assyrians, came up against the fenced cities of Juda, and took them.

18:14. Then Ezechias, king of Juda, sent messengers to the king of the
Assyrians, to Lachis, saying: I have offended, depart from me: and all
that thou shalt put upon me, I will bear. And the king of the Assyrians
put a tax upon Ezechias, king of Juda, of three hundred talents of
silver, and thirty talents of gold.

18:15. And Ezechias gave all the silver that was found in the house of
the Lord, and in the king's treasures.

18:16. At that time Ezechias broke the doors of the temple of the Lord,
and the plates of gold which he had fastened on them, and gave them to
the king of the Assyrians.

18:17. And the king of the Assyrians sent Tharthan, and Rabsaris, and
Rabsaces, from Lachis, to king Ezechias, with a strong army, to
Jerusalem: and they went up and came to Jerusalem, and they stood by the
conduit of the upper pool, which is in the way of the fuller's field.

18:18. And they called for the king: and there went out to them Eliacim,
the son of Helcias, who was over the house, and Sobna, the scribe, and
Joahe, the son of Asaph, the recorder.

18:19. And Rabsaces said to them: Speak to Ezechias: Thus saith the
great king, the king of the Assyrians: What is this confidence, wherein
thou trustest?

18:20. Perhaps thou hast taken counsel, to prepare thyself for battle.
On whom dost thou trust, that thou darest to rebel?

18:21. Dost thou trust in Egypt a staff of a broken reed, upon which if
a man lean, it will break and go into his hand, and pierce it? so is
Pharao, king of Egypt, to all that trust in him.

18:22. But if you say to me: We trust in the Lord, our God: is it not
he, whose high places and altars Ezechias hath taken away: and hath
commanded Juda and Jerusalem: You shall worship before this altar in
Jerusalem?

18:23. Now therefore come over to my master, the king of the Assyrians,
and I will give you two thousand horses, and see whether you be able to
have riders for them.

18:24. And how can you stand against one lord of the least of my
master's servants? Dost thou trust in Egypt for chariots and for
horsemen?

18:25. Is it without the will of the Lord that I am come up to this
place