18 And it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.

² He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Abi, daughter of Zechariah.

³ And he did what was right in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done.

⁴ He removed the high places, and broke the columns, and cut down the Asherahs, and broke in pieces the serpent of brass that Moses had made; for to those days the children of Israel burned incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

⁵ He trusted in Jehovah the God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor [among any] that were before him.

⁶ And he clave to Jehovah, and did not turn aside from following him, but kept his commandments, which Jehovah commanded Moses.

⁷ And Jehovah was with him; he prospered whithersoever he went forth. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.

⁸ He smote the Philistines unto Gazah and its borders, from the watchmen's tower to the fortified city.