2 Kings - Chapters 18-19

The Amazing Bible. Book Club

King Hezekiah did right in the eyes of the Lord, just as King David had done. He tore down the high places, the sacred stones and Asherah poles which were for other gods, he followed the word of the Lord, and he stopped his allegiance to Assyria. Assyria had demolished the ten northern tribes of Israel and exported all the Jews to other lands and brought people from other nations to inhabit Samaria and Israel. Sennacherib is now king of Assyria, and he attacked all of Judah's fortified cities, and now Jerusalem is next. King Hezekiah sent word that he had done wrong, and asked to be left alone for a price, which was 300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold. Hezekiah took all that was from the temple and the palace, he even stripped the gold from the temple doors and posts in an attempt to appease, but it was not enough. Assyria came. Round one he sent three messengers and an army, who told them to surrender because even their king and their god could not defend them, but the Lord fought for them. Hezekiah went before the Lord and inquired of Isaiah the prophet, who told them not to be afraid. That group of Assyrians left, and then a second group came. This time, the king of Assyria sent a letter, and King Hezekiah laid it down before the Lord in the temple. The word of the Lord came to the king through Isaiah, and said to not be afraid. Since they had defied the name of the Lord Almighty, 19:34 says, "I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant." That night an angel of the Lord came and killed 185,000 men from the Assyrian camp, and the next morning they broke camp and headed home to Nineveh. One day, while the king was worshipping his god in his temple, two of his sons came and killed him, and his other son succeeded him as king.