Azariah King of Judah

15:1–7pp—2Ch 26:3–4,21–23

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariaha s son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was rightt in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. 4 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

5 The Lord afflictedu the king with leprosyb until the day he died, and he lived in a separate house.c v Jothamw the king’s son had charge of the palacex and governed the people of the land.

6 As for the other events of Azariah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 7 Azariah restedy with his ancestors and was buried near them in the City of David. And Jothamz his son succeeded him as king.

Zechariah King of Israel

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned six months. 9 He did evila in the eyes of the Lord, as his predecessors had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He attacked him in front of the people,d assassinatedb him and succeeded him as king. 11 The other events of Zechariah’s reign are written in the book of the annalsc of the kings of Israel. 12 So the word of the Lord spoken to Jehu was fulfilled:d “Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”e

Shallum King of Israel

13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned in Samariae one month. 14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzahf up to Samaria. He attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, assassinatedg him and succeeded him as king.

15 The other events of Shallum’s reign, and the conspiracy he led, are written in the book of the annalsh of the kings of Israel.

16 At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsahi and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to openj their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.

Menahem King of Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years. 18 He did evilk in the eyes of the Lord. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

19 Then Pulf l king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talentsg of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. 20 Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekelsh of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrewm and stayed in the land no longer.

21 As for the other events of Menahem’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? 22 Menahem rested with his ancestors. And Pekahiah his son succeeded him as king.

Pekahiah King of Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. 24 Pekahiah did eviln in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. 25 One of his chief officers, Pekaho son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinatedp Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

26 The other events of Pekahiah’s reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

Pekah King of Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahq son of Remaliahr became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. 28 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

29 In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pilesers king of Assyria came and took Ijon,t Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali,u and deportedv the people to Assyria. 30 Then Hosheaw son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinatedx him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

31 As for the other events of Pekah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annalsy of the kings of Israel?

Jotham King of Judah

15:33–38pp—2Ch 27:1–4,7–9

32 In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jothamz son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 34 He did what was righta in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done. 35 The high places,b however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gatec of the temple of the Lord.

36 As for the other events of Jotham’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 37 (In those days the Lord began to send Rezind king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.) 38 Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David, the city of his father. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.

Ahaz King of Judah

16:1–20pp—2Ch 28:1–27

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaze son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was rightf in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He followed the ways of the kings of Israelg and even sacrificed his sonh in the fire, engaging in the detestablei practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incensej at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.k

5 Then Rezinl king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. 6 At that time, Rezinm king of Aram recovered Elathn for Aram by driving out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.

7 Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pilesero king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and savep me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” 8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a giftq to the king of Assyria. 9 The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascusr and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kirs and put Rezin to death.

10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriaht the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. 11 So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. 12 When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offeringsa u on it. 13 He offered up his burnt offeringv and grain offering,w poured out his drink offering,x and splashed the blood of his fellowship offeringsy against the altar. 14 As for the bronze altarz that stood before the Lord, he brought it from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the temple of the Lord—and put it on the north side of the new altar.

15 King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: “On the large new altar, offer the morninga burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Splash against this altar the blood of all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance.”b 16 And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.

17 King Ahaz cut off the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base.c 18 He took away the Sabbath canopyb that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the Lord, in deference to the king of Assyria.d

19 As for the other events of the reign of Ahaz, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 20 Ahaz restede with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.

Hoshea Last King of Israel

17:3–7pp—2Ki 18:9–12

17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hosheaf son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 He did evilg in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

3 Shalmaneserh king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute.i 4 But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to Soa king of Egypt,j and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison.k 5 The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siegel to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyriam captured Samarian and deportedo the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozanp on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.

Israel Exiled Because of Sin

7 All this took place because the Israelites had sinnedq against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egyptr from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods 8 and followed the practices of the nationss the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. 9 The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified cityt they built themselves high places in all their towns. 10 They set up sacred stonesu and Asherah polesv on every high hill and under every spreading tree.w 11 At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger. 12 They worshiped idols,x though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.”b 13 The Lord warnedy Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers:z “Turn from your evil ways.a Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.”b

14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-neckedc as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenantd he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idolse and themselves became worthless.f They imitated the nationsg around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”

16 They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves,h and an Asherahi pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts,j and they worshiped Baal.k 17 They sacrificedl their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omensm and soldn themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence.o Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19 and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced.p 20 Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers,q until he thrust them from his presence.r

21 When he tores Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king.t Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin.u 22 The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them 23 until the Lord removed them from his presence,v as he had warnedw through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homelandx into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.

Samaria Resettled

24 The king of Assyriay brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaimz and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lionsa among them and they killed some of the people. 26 It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”

27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord.

29 Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several townsb where they settled, and set them up in the shrinesc the people of Samaria had made at the high places.d 30 The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammeleke and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim.f 32 They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sortsg of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. 33 They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.

34 To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.h 35 When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worshipi any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.j 36 But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm,k is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. 37 You must always be carefull to keep the decreesm and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forgetn the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. 39 Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

40 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. 41 Even while these people were worshiping the Lord,o they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.

Hezekiah King of Judah

18:2–4pp—2Ch 29:1–2; 31:1
18:5–7pp—2Ch 31:20–21
18:9–12pp—2Ki 17:3–7

18 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiahp son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years.q His mother’s name was Abijaha daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was rightr in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Davids had done. 4 He removedt the high places,u smashed the sacred stonesv and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snakew Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.b)

5 Hezekiah trustedx in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6 He held fasty to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. 7 And the Lord was with him; he was successfulz in whatever he undertook. He rebelleda against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 From watchtower to fortified city,b he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.

9 In King Hezekiah’s fourth year,c which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. 10 At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah’s sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. 11 The kingd of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes.e 12 This happened because they had not obeyed the Lord their God, but had violated his covenantf—all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.g They neither listened to the commandsh nor carried them out.

13 In the fourteenth yeari of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judahj and captured them. 14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish:k “I have done wrong.l Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me.” The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talentsc of silver and thirty talentsd of gold. 15 So Hezekiah gavem him all the silver that was found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace.

16 At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doorsn and doorposts of the temple of the Lord, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

18:13, 17–37pp—Isa 36:1–22
18:17–35pp—2Ch 32:9–19

17 The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander,o his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool,p on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 18 They called for the king; and Eliakimq son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebnar the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.

19 The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:

“ ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidences of yours? 20 You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 21 Look, I know you are depending on Egypt,t that splintered reed of a staff,u which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 22 But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?

23 “ ‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 24 How can you repulse one officerv of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemene? 25 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord?w The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’ ”

26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,x since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

27 But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?”

28 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceivey you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’

31 “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig treez and drink water from your own cistern,a 32 until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose lifeb and not death!

“Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ 33 Has the godc of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamathd and Arpad?e Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 35 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”f

36 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”

37 Then Eliakimg son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,h and told him what the field commander had said.

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold

19:1–13pp—Isa 37:1–13

19 When King Hezekiah heard this, he torei his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakimj the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests,k all wearing sackcloth,l to the prophet Isaiahm son of Amoz. 3 They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the momentn of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridiculeo the living God, and that he will rebukep him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnantq that still survives.”

5 When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraidr of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemeds me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report,t I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.u’ ”

8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,v he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.w

9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,a was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you dependx on deceivey you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliverz them—the gods of Gozan,a Harran,b Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?”c

Hezekiah’s Prayer

19:14–19pp—Isa 37:14–20

14 Hezekiah received the letterd from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,e you alonef are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear,g Lord, and hear;h open your eyes,i Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not godsj but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.k 19 Now, Lord our God, deliverl us from his hand, so that all the kingdomsm of the earth may known that you alone, Lord, are God.”

Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall

19:20–37pp—Isa 37:21–38
19:35–37pp—2Ch 32:20–21

20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heardo your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken againstp him:

“ ‘Virgin Daughterq Zion

despisesr you and mockss you.

Daughter Jerusalem

tosses her headt as you flee.

22 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?u

Against whom have you raised your voice

and lifted your eyes in pride?

Against the Holy Onev of Israel!

23 By your messengers

you have ridiculed the Lord.

And you have said,w

“With my many chariotsx

I have ascended the heights of the mountains,

the utmost heights of Lebanon.

I have cut downy its tallest cedars,

the choicest of its junipers.

I have reached its remotest parts,

the finest of its forests.

24 I have dug wells in foreign lands

and drunk the water there.

With the soles of my feet

I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”

25 “ ‘Have you not heard?z

Long ago I ordained it.

In days of old I planneda it;

now I have brought it to pass,

that you have turned fortified cities

into piles of stone.b

26 Their people, drained of power,c

are dismayedd and put to shame.

They are like plants in the field,

like tender green shoots,e

like grass sprouting on the roof,

scorchedf before it grows up.

27 “ ‘But I knowg where you are

and when you come and go

and how you rage against me.

28 Because you rage against me

and because your insolence has reached my ears,

I will put my hookh in your nose

and my biti in your mouth,

and I will make you returnj

by the way you came.’

29 “This will be the signk for you, Hezekiah:

“This year you will eat what grows by itself,l

and the second year what springs from that.

But in the third year sow and reap,

plant vineyardsm and eat their fruit.

30 Once more a remnantn of the kingdom of Judah

will take rooto below and bear fruit above.

31 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,p

and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.q

“The zealr of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

32 “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:

“ ‘He will not enter this city

or shoot an arrow here.

He will not come before it with shield

or build a siege ramp against it.

33 By the way that he came he will return;s

he will not enter this city,

declares the Lord.

34 I will defendt this city and save it,

for my sake and for the sake of Davidu my servant.’ ”

35 That night the angel of the Lordv went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!w 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew.x He returned to Ninevehy and stayed there.

37 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelekz and Sharezer killed him with the sword,a and they escaped to the land of Ararat.b And Esarhaddonc his son succeeded him as king.