WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:00.030 --> 00:00:03.140 Ethan: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience. 00:00:03.257 --> 00:00:04.737 Day 200 and 37 00:00:05.124 --> 00:00:09.864 Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to rule over Judah in the third year 00:00:09.864 --> 00:00:11.754 of King Hashi's reign in Israel. 00:00:12.204 --> 00:00:17.634 He was 25 years old when he became King, and he reigned in Jerusalem 29 years. 00:00:18.144 --> 00:00:21.144 His mother was ab Baja, the daughter of Zechariah. 00:00:21.924 --> 00:00:26.484 He did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight just as his ancestor David had done. 00:00:27.069 --> 00:00:31.089 He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, 00:00:31.329 --> 00:00:33.099 and cut down the ashera poles. 00:00:33.519 --> 00:00:38.439 He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made because the people of Israel 00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:40.299 had been offering sacrifices to it. 00:00:40.869 --> 00:00:42.819 The bronze serpent was called Nahin. 00:00:44.239 --> 00:00:47.079 Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. 00:00:47.739 --> 00:00:51.579 There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either 00:00:51.579 --> 00:00:53.349 before or after his time. 00:00:53.769 --> 00:00:58.839 He remained faithful to the Lord in everything and he carefully obeyed all 00:00:58.839 --> 00:01:04.449 the commands The Lord had given Moses, so the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah 00:01:04.449 --> 00:01:06.519 was successful in everything he did. 00:01:07.269 --> 00:01:11.409 He revolted against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute. 00:01:12.129 --> 00:01:16.299 He also conquered the Philistines as far distant as Gaza and its 00:01:16.299 --> 00:01:20.619 territory from their smallest outpost to their largest walled city. 00:01:22.419 --> 00:01:26.739 During the fourth year of Hezekiah's Reign, which was the seventh year of 00:01:26.744 --> 00:01:31.989 King Hashi's reign in Israel, king Chal Menzer of Assyria attacked the city of 00:01:31.994 --> 00:01:34.389 Samaria and began a siege against it. 00:01:35.289 --> 00:01:39.909 Three years later, during the sixth year of King Hezekiah's reign and 00:01:39.909 --> 00:01:43.869 the ninth year of King Hashi's reign in Israel, Samaria fell. 00:01:44.769 --> 00:01:50.649 At that time, the King of Assyria exiled the Israelites to Assyria and placed them 00:01:50.649 --> 00:01:55.899 in colonies in Halo, along the banks of the HaBO River in Goza and in the cities 00:01:55.899 --> 00:02:00.429 of the Meads, for they refused to listen to the Lord their God and obey him. 00:02:01.029 --> 00:02:03.489 Instead, they violated his covenant. 00:02:04.209 --> 00:02:08.469 All the laws that Moses, the Lord's servant had commanded them to obey. 00:02:09.399 --> 00:02:14.349 In the 14th year of King Hezekiah's reign, Kings Sinna of Assyria 00:02:14.709 --> 00:02:18.549 came to attack the fortified towns of Judah and conquered them. 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:23.019 King Hezekiah sent this message to the King of Assyria at 00:02:23.019 --> 00:02:25.479 Lake ish, I have done wrong. 00:02:25.869 --> 00:02:28.629 I will pay whatever tribute money you demand. 00:02:28.749 --> 00:02:30.339 If you will only withdraw. 00:02:31.629 --> 00:02:35.829 The King of Assyria then demanded a settlement of more than 11 tons 00:02:35.829 --> 00:02:38.109 of silver and one ton of gold. 00:02:39.114 --> 00:02:43.734 To gather this amount, king Hezekiah used all the silver stored in the temple 00:02:43.734 --> 00:02:49.074 of the Lord and in the Palace Treasury, Hezekiah even stripped the gold from 00:02:49.074 --> 00:02:53.784 the doors of the Lord's temple and from the doorposts he had overlaid with gold 00:02:54.114 --> 00:02:56.394 and he gave it all to the Assyrian King. 00:02:58.104 --> 00:03:01.764 Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent his commander in chief. 00:03:02.109 --> 00:03:06.939 His field commander and his chief of staff from Lake ish with a huge army 00:03:06.939 --> 00:03:09.339 to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. 00:03:10.059 --> 00:03:14.439 The Assyrians took up a position beside the aqueduct that feeds water into 00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:18.669 the upper pool near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:24.339 They summoned King Hezekiah, but the king sent these officials to meet with them. 00:03:25.449 --> 00:03:28.869 Aya Kim, son of Al Kaya, the Palace administrator. 00:03:29.499 --> 00:03:35.049 Shena, the court secretary and Joah son of Asaf, the royal historian. 00:03:36.129 --> 00:03:39.459 Then the Assyrian King's chief of staff told them to give 00:03:39.459 --> 00:03:40.989 this message to Hezekiah. 00:03:41.919 --> 00:03:44.259 This is what the great King of Assyria says. 00:03:45.099 --> 00:03:47.769 What are you trusting in that makes you so confident? 00:03:48.459 --> 00:03:51.039 Do you think that mere words can substitute for 00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:52.719 military skill and strength? 00:03:53.169 --> 00:03:57.429 Who are you counting on that you have rebelled against me on Egypt? 00:03:58.134 --> 00:04:02.034 If you lean on Egypt, it will be like a reed that splinters beneath 00:04:02.034 --> 00:04:04.044 your weight and pierces your hand. 00:04:04.584 --> 00:04:09.324 Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is completely unreliable, but perhaps 00:04:09.324 --> 00:04:13.764 you will say to me, we are trusting in the Lord our God, but isn't he 00:04:13.764 --> 00:04:16.104 the one who was insulted by Hezekiah? 00:04:16.854 --> 00:04:21.054 Didn't Hezekiah tear down his shrines and altars and make everyone in 00:04:21.054 --> 00:04:25.194 Judah and Jerusalem worship only at the altar here in Jerusalem? 00:04:26.259 --> 00:04:30.729 I'll tell you what, strike a bargain with my master, the King of Assyria. 00:04:31.539 --> 00:04:33.489 I will give you 2000 horses. 00:04:33.729 --> 00:04:38.019 If you can find that many men to ride on them with your tiny army. 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:41.469 How can you think of challenging even the weakest contingent of my 00:04:41.469 --> 00:04:45.969 master's troops, even with the help of Egypt's chariots and chariot tears? 00:04:46.779 --> 00:04:51.459 What's more, do you think we have invaded your land without the Lord's direction? 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:55.749 The Lord himself told us, attack this land and destroy it. 00:04:56.679 --> 00:05:02.829 Then Eliakim son of Kyah, Shena and Joah said to the Assyrian chief 00:05:02.834 --> 00:05:08.169 of Staff, please speak to us in Aramaic for we understand it well. 00:05:08.859 --> 00:05:14.249 Don't speak in Hebrew for the people on the wall will hear, but Sinna 00:05:14.254 --> 00:05:18.159 Kreb's, chief of staff replied, do you think my master sent this 00:05:18.159 --> 00:05:20.379 message only to you and your master? 00:05:21.159 --> 00:05:23.019 He wants all the people to hear it. 00:05:23.619 --> 00:05:27.849 For when we put this city under siege, they will suffer along with you. 00:05:28.509 --> 00:05:31.899 They will be so hungry and thirsty that they will eat their own 00:05:31.904 --> 00:05:33.849 dung and drink their own urine. 00:05:35.109 --> 00:05:39.369 Then the chief of staff stood and shouted in Hebrew to the people on the wall. 00:05:40.239 --> 00:05:43.059 Listen to this message from the great King of Assyria. 00:05:43.719 --> 00:05:45.159 This is what the king says. 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:47.649 Don't let Hezekiah deceive you. 00:05:48.174 --> 00:05:50.724 He will never be able to rescue you from my power. 00:05:51.294 --> 00:05:54.894 Don't let him fool you into trusting in the Lord by saying 00:05:55.104 --> 00:05:57.084 The Lord will surely rescue us. 00:05:57.414 --> 00:06:00.594 This city will never fall into the hands of the Assyrian King. 00:06:01.194 --> 00:06:02.754 Don't listen to Hezekiah. 00:06:03.474 --> 00:06:05.964 These are the terms the King of Assyria is offering. 00:06:06.444 --> 00:06:07.524 Make peace with me. 00:06:07.944 --> 00:06:09.414 Open the gates and come out. 00:06:09.894 --> 00:06:13.974 Then each of you can continue eating from your own grapevine and fig tree, 00:06:14.214 --> 00:06:15.864 and drinking from your own well. 00:06:16.479 --> 00:06:20.469 Then I will arrange to take you to another land like this one, a land 00:06:20.474 --> 00:06:24.819 of grain and new wine, bread, and vineyards, olive groves and honey. 00:06:25.449 --> 00:06:27.129 Choose life instead of death. 00:06:27.969 --> 00:06:31.479 Don't listen to Hezekiah when he tries to mislead you by 00:06:31.479 --> 00:06:33.459 saying The Lord will rescue us. 00:06:34.119 --> 00:06:37.449 Have the gods of any other nations ever saved their people 00:06:37.449 --> 00:06:38.619 from the king of Assyria. 00:06:39.309 --> 00:06:41.859 What happened to the gods of Hamoth and Arpa? 00:06:42.519 --> 00:06:46.359 And what about the gods of Sveum, henna and Eva? 00:06:46.899 --> 00:06:51.729 Did any God rescue Samaria from my power, what God of any nation 00:06:51.789 --> 00:06:53.109 has ever been able to save? 00:06:53.114 --> 00:06:54.549 Its people from my power. 00:06:55.239 --> 00:07:00.279 So what makes you think that the Lord can rescue Jerusalem from me, but the 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:05.589 people were silent and did not utter a word because Hezekiah had commanded them. 00:07:05.889 --> 00:07:06.879 Do not answer him. 00:07:08.544 --> 00:07:11.394 This concludes today's Immer Reading experience. 00:07:11.544 --> 00:07:12.744 Thank you for joining us.