---
title: "2 Kings 18 – Catholic Bible (CPDV) & Latin Vulgate · Bless"
url: https://blessbible.app/bible/2-kings/18/
description: "The reign of Ezechias: he abolisheth idolatry and prospereth. Sennacherib… 2 Kings 18 in the Catholic Public Domain Version, with the Latin Vulgate."
---

# 2 Kings 18

2 Kings 18 is chapter 18 of 25 in the Second Book of Kings. Here are all 37 verses in the Catholic Public Domain Version, with the Latin of the Clementine Vulgate beside them.

> The reign of Ezechias: he abolisheth idolatry and prospereth. Sennacherib cometh up against him: Rabsaces soliciteth the people to revolt; and blasphemeth the Lord.
>
> — Bp. Richard Challoner, chapter summary

## 2 Kings 18 (Catholic Public Domain Version)

1. In the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah, the king of Israel: Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, reigned as king of Judah.
2. He was twenty-five years old when he had begun to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah.
3. And he did what was good before the Lord, in accord with all that his father David had done.
4. He destroyed the high places, and he crushed the statues, and he cut down the sacred groves. And he broke apart the bronze serpent, which Moses had made. For even until that time, the sons of Israel were burning incense to it. And he called its name Nehushtan.
5. He hoped in the Lord, the God of Israel. And after him, there was no one similar to him, among all the kings of Judah, nor even among any of those who were before him.
6. And he clung to the Lord, and he did not withdraw from his footsteps, and he carried out his commandments, which the Lord had instructed to Moses.
7. Therefore, the Lord was also with him. And he conducted himself wisely in all the things to which he went forth. Also, he rebelled against the king of the Assyrians, and he did not serve him.
8. He struck the Philistines as far as Gaza, and in all their borders, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city.
9. In the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea, the son of Elah, the king of Israel: Shalmaneser, the king of the Assyrians, ascended to Samaria, and he fought against it,
10. and he seized it. For after three years, in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is, in the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Israel, Samaria was captured.
11. And the king of the Assyrians took away Israel into Assyria. And he located them in Halah and in Habor, at the rivers of Gozan, in the cities of the Medes.
12. For they did not listen to the voice of the Lord, their God. Instead, they transgressed his covenant. All that Moses, the servant of the Lord, had instructed, they would neither hear, nor do.
13. In the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, Sennacherib, the king of the Assyrians, went up to all the fortified cities of Judah, and he captured them.
14. Then Hezekiah, the king of Judah, sent messengers to the king of the Assyrians at Lachish, saying: “I have offended. Withdraw from me, and all that you will impose upon me, I will bear.” And so the king of the Assyrians levied a tax upon Hezekiah, the king of Judah, of three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15. And Hezekiah gave all the silver that had been found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king.
16. At that time, Hezekiah broke apart the doors of the temple of the Lord, with the plates of gold which he had affixed to them. And he gave these to the king of the Assyrians.
17. Then the king of the Assyrians sent Tartan, and Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh, from Lachish, to king Hezekiah, with a powerful hand, to Jerusalem. And when they had ascended, they arrived in Jerusalem, and they stood beside the aqueduct of the upper pool, which is along the way of the fuller’s field.
18. And they called for the king. But there went out to them Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, the first ruler of the house, and Shebnah, the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the keeper of records.
19. And Rabshakeh said to them: “Speak to Hezekiah: Thus says the great king, the king of the Assyrians: What is this faith, in which you strive?
20. Perhaps, you have taken counsel, so that you would prepare yourself for battle. In whom do you trust, so that you would dare to rebel?
21. Do you hope in Egypt, that staff of a broken reed, which, if a man would lean upon it, breaking, it would pierce his hand? Such is Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to all who would trust in him.
22. But if you say to me: ‘We have faith in the Lord, our God.’ Is it not he, whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away? And did he not instruct Judah and Jerusalem: ‘You shall adore before this altar in Jerusalem?’
23. Now therefore, cross over to my lord, the king of the Assyrians, and I will give to you two thousand horses, and we will see if you even have enough riders for them.
24. So how can you resist one prince from the least of my lord’s servants? Do you have faith in Egypt because of the chariots and horsemen?
25. Is it not by the will of the Lord that I have chosen to ascend to this place, so that I may destroy it? The Lord said to me: ‘Ascend to this land, and destroy it.’”
26. Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, said to Rabshakeh: “We beseech you, that you may speak to us, your servants, in Syriac. For we understand that language to some extent. And do not speak to us in the Jews’ language, in the hearing of the people, who are upon the wall.”
27. And Rabshakeh responded to them, saying: “Has my lord sent me to your lord and to you, so that I may speak these words, and not instead to the men who are sitting upon the wall, so that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own urine with you?”
28. And so, Rabshakeh stood up, and he exclaimed in a great voice, in the Jews’ language, and he said: “Listen to the words of the great king, the king of the Assyrians.
29. Thus says the king: Let not Hezekiah lead you astray. For he will not be able to rescue you from my hand.
30. And do not let him give you faith in the Lord, saying: ‘The Lord will rescue and free us, and this city will not be delivered into the hand of the king of the Assyrians.’
31. Do not choose to listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of the Assyrians: Do with me what is for your own good, and come out to me. And each one of you will eat from his own vine, and from his own fig tree. And you shall drink water from your own wells,
32. until I arrive and transfer you into a land, similar to your own land, a fruitful and fertile land of wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olives and oil and honey. And you will live, and not die. Do not choose to listen to Hezekiah, who deceives you, saying: ‘The Lord will free us.’
33. Have any of the gods of the nations freed their land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
34. Where is the god of Hamath, and of Arpad? Where is the god of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and of Avva? Have they freed Samaria from my hand?
35. Which ones among all the gods of the lands have rescued their region from my hand, so that the Lord would be able to rescue Jerusalem from my hand?”
36. But the people were silent, and they did not respond at all to him. For indeed, they had received an instruction from the king that they should not respond to him.
37. And Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, the first ruler of the house, and Shebnah, the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the keeper of records, went to Hezekiah with their garments torn. And they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.

## 2 Kings 18 in Latin (Clementine Vulgate, 1592)

1. Anno tertio Osee filii Ela regis Israël, regnavit Ezechias filius Achaz regis Juda.
2. Viginti quinque annorum erat cum regnare cœpisset, et viginti novem annis regnavit in Jerusalem: nomen matris ejus Abi filia Zachariæ.
3. Fecitque quod erat bonum coram Domino, juxta omnia quæ fecerat David pater ejus.
4. Ipse dissipavit excelsa, et contrivit statuas, et succidit lucos, confregitque serpentem æneum quem fecerat Moyses: siquidem usque ad illud tempus filii Israël adolebant ei incensum: vocavitque nomen ejus Nohestan.
5. In Domino Deo Israël speravit: itaque post eum non fuit similis ei de cunctis regibus Juda, sed neque in his qui ante eum fuerunt:
6. et adhæsit Domino, et non recessit a vestigiis ejus, fecitque mandata ejus, quæ præceperat Dominus Moysi.
7. Unde et erat Dominus cum eo, et in cunctis ad quæ procedebat, sapienter se agebat. Rebellavit quoque contra regem Assyriorum, et non servivit ei.
8. Ipse percussit Philisthæos usque ad Gazam, et omnes terminos eorum, a turre custodum usque ad civitatem munitam.
9. Anno quarto regis Ezechiæ, qui erat annus septimus Osee filii Ela regis Israël, ascendit Salmanasar rex Assyriorum in Samariam, et oppugnavit eam,
10. et cepit. Nam post annos tres, anno sexto Ezechiæ, id est nono anno Osee regis Israël, capta est Samaria:
11. et transtulit rex Assyriorum Israël in Assyrios, collocavitque eos in Hala et in Habor fluviis Gozan in civitatibus Medorum:
12. quia non audierunt vocem Domini Dei sui, sed prætergressi sunt pactum ejus: omnia quæ præceperat Moyses servus Domini non audierunt, neque fecerunt.
13. Anno quartodecimo regis Ezechiæ, ascendit Sennacherib rex Assyriorum ad universas civitates Juda munitas, et cepit eas.
14. Tunc misit Ezechias rex Juda nuntios ad regem Assyriorum in Lachis, dicens: Peccavi: recede a me, et omne quod imposueris mihi, feram. Indixit itaque rex Assyriorum Ezechiæ regi Judæ trecenta talenta argenti, et triginta talenta auri.
15. Deditque Ezechias omne argentum quod repertum fuerat in domo Domini et in thesauris regis.
16. In tempore illo confregit Ezechias valvas templi Domini, et laminas auri quas ipse affixerat, et dedit eas regi Assyriorum.
17. Misit autem rex Assyriorum Tharthan, et Rabsaris, et Rabsacen de Lachis ad regem Ezechiam cum manu valida Jerusalem: qui cum ascendissent, venerunt Jerusalem, et steterunt juxta aquæductum piscinæ superioris, quæ est in via Agrifullonis.
18. Vocaveruntque regem: egressus est autem ad eos Eliacim filius Helciæ præpositus domus, et Sobna scriba, et Joahe filius Asaph a commentariis.
19. Dixitque ad eos Rabsaces: Loquimini Ezechiæ: Hæc dicit rex magnus, rex Assyriorum: Quæ est ista fiducia, qua niteris?
20. forsitan inisti consilium, ut præpares te ad prælium. In quo confidis, ut audeas rebellare?
21. an speras in baculo arundineo atque confracto Ægypto, super quem, si incubuerit homo, comminutus ingredietur manum ejus, et perforabit eam? sic est Pharao rex Ægypti omnibus qui confidunt in se.
22. Quod si dixeritis mihi: In Domino Deo nostro habemus fiduciam: nonne iste est, cujus abstulit Ezechias excelsa et altaria, et præcepit Judæ et Jerusalem: Ante altare hoc adorabitis in Jerusalem?
23. Nunc igitur transite ad dominum meum regem Assyriorum, et dabo vobis duo millia equorum, et videte an habere valeatis ascensores eorum.
24. Et quomodo potestis resistere ante unum satrapam de servis domini mei minimis? an fiduciam habes in Ægypto propter currus et equites?
25. Numquid sine Domini voluntate ascendi ad locum istum, ut demolirer eum? Dominus dixit mihi: Ascende ad terram hanc, et demolire eam.
26. Dixerunt autem Eliacim filius Helciæ, et Sobna, et Joahe Rabsaci: Precamur ut loquaris nobis servis tuis syriace: siquidem intelligimus hanc linguam: et non loquaris nobis judaice, audiente populo qui est super murum.
27. Responditque eis Rabsaces, dicens: Numquid ad dominum tuum, et ad te misit me dominus meus, ut loquerer sermones hos, et non potius ad viros qui sedent super murum, ut comedant stercora sua, et bibant urinam suam vobiscum?
28. Stetit itaque Rabsaces, et exclamavit voce magna judaice, et ait: Audite verba regis magni, regis Assyriorum.
29. Hæc dicit rex: Non vos seducat Ezechias: non enim poterit eruere vos de manu mea:
30. neque fiduciam vobis tribuat super Dominum, dicens: Eruens liberabit nos Dominus, et non tradetur civitas hæc in manu regis Assyriorum.
31. Nolite audire Ezechiam. Hæc enim dicit rex Assyriorum: Facite mecum quod vobis est utile, et egredimini ad me: et comedet unusquisque de vinea sua, et de ficu sua: et bibetis aquas de cisternis vestris,
32. donec veniam, et transferam vos in terram quæ similis est terræ vestræ, in terram fructiferam, et fertilem vini, terram panis et vinearum, terram olivarum et olei ac mellis: et vivetis, et non moriemini. Nolite audire Ezechiam, qui vos decipit, dicens: Dominus liberabit nos.
33. Numquid liberaverunt dii gentium terram suam de manu regis Assyriorum?
34. ubi est deus Emath, et Arphad? ubi est deus Sepharvaim, Ana, et Ava? numquid liberaverunt Samariam de manu mea?
35. Quinam illi sunt in universis diis terrarum, qui eruerunt regionem suam de manu mea, ut possit eruere Dominus Jerusalem de manu mea?
36. Tacuit itaque populus, et non respondit ei quidquam: siquidem præceptum regis acceperant ut non responderent ei.
37. Venitque Eliacim filius Helciæ, præpositus domus, et Sobna scriba, et Joahe filius Asaph a commentariis ad Ezechiam scissis vestibus, et nuntiaverunt ei verba Rabsacis.

## Bishop Challoner's notes

Bp. Richard Challoner, notes on the Douay-Rheims (1750); they comment on its older wording.
- Verse 4: That is, their brass; or a little brass. So he called it in contempt, because they had made an idol of it.

Source: Catholic Public Domain Version (Ronald L. Conte Jr., 2009), public domain; Latin: Clementine Vulgate (1592).