1
Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah became king during the third year Hoshea son of Elah was king of Israel.
2
Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.
3
Hezekiah did what the Lord said was right, just as his ancestor David had done.
4
He removed the places where gods were worshiped. He smashed the stone pillars and cut down the Asherah idols. Also the Israelites had been burning incense to Nehushtan, the bronze snake Moses had made. But Hezekiah broke it into pieces.
5
Hezekiah trusted 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
Hezekiah was loyal to the Lord and did not stop following him; he obeyed the commands the Lord had given Moses.
7
And the Lord was with Hezekiah, so he had success in everything he did. He turned against the king of Assyria and stopped serving him.
8
Hezekiah defeated the Philistines all the way to Gaza and its borders, including the watchtowers and the strong, walled cities.