Hezekiah

thumb|Hezekiah Hezekiah (born 741 BC, sole ruler 716/15–687/86), was the son of Ahaz and the thirteenth king of Judah according to the Hebrew Bible. He is described as "the best-attested figure in biblical history," due to the extensive documentation of his reign in biblical texts and external sources (notably Assyrian inscriptions). His reign was marked by his significant religious reforms and his revolt against the Assyrian Empire. He witnessed the destruction of the northern Kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians under Sargon II in 722 BC and later faced the ssyrian siege of Jerusalem by King Sennacherib in 701 BC. Quotes And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.” 2 Kings 19,14-19 NKJV. ndeed it was for my own peace / That I had great bitterness; / But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, / For You have cast all my sins behind Your back. / For Sheol cannot thank You, / Death cannot praise You; / Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth. / The living, the living man, he shall praise You, / As I do this day; / The father shall make known Your truth to the children. Isaiah 38,17-19 NKJV. Quotes about Hezekiah fortified his city / and brought water into it; / with iron tools he cut through the rock / and built cisterns to hold the water. / During his reign Sennacherib invaded the country / and sent Rabshakeh, his commander. / He shook his fist against Zion, / and in his arrogance he boasted loudly. / As a result, the people’s hearts were unnerved and their hands trembled; / they were in anguish, like that of women in labor. / But they called upon the merciful Lord, / stretching out their hands toward him. / In heaven the Holy One swiftly heard their cries, / and he delivered them through Isaiah. / God struck the camp of the Assyrians, / and his angel annihilated them. / For Hezekiah did what was pleasing to the Lord / and held firmly steadfast to the ways of David, his ancestors / as was commanded by the prophet Isaiah, / whose visions were true and trustworthy. Book of Sirach 48,17-22 NCB. This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed their course down to the west side of the City of David. In every respect he prospered in all his works, although when envoys were sent by the king of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign[a] that had occurred in the land, God left him to himself in order to test him and to discover what was in his heart. 2 Chronicles 32,30-31 NCB. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. He subdued the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city. 2 Kings 18,3-8 NKJV. See also Ahaz (father) Manasseh of Judah (son) Shebna (royal steward) Eliakim, son of Hilkiah (royal steward) External links Category:Kings of Judah