Melachim II Perek 18

Chizkiyah, son of Achaz, at age twenty five, reigned over Yehudah, in Yerushalayim for 29 years.

Chizkiyah was righteous. He rid Yehudah of idol worship, private altars and destroyed the copper snake from the time of Moshe, as people were worshiping it. (The copper snake was created by Moshe to heal Yisrael from snakebites that they received in the desert.)

Chizkiyah did not serve Sancheriv, king of Ashur, and did go to war against the Plishtim.

The Navi recaps: the ten tribes of Yisrael were exiled for not following the word of Hashem.

In the fourteenth year of the rule of Chizkiyah, Sancheriv captured many cities of Yehudah.

Chizkiyah gave the remaining money from the Beis Hamikdash to Sancheriv so that he would stop attacking Yehudah. Chizkiyah even stripped the gold off the doors in the Beis Hamikdash to send to Sancheriv.

Ravshakei, one of Sancheriv’s generals, spoke disparagingly to the delegation that Chizkiyah had sent to greet him, and he threatened to destroy Yehuda. The delegation pleaded with Ravshakei to speak in Aramaic, so as not to frighten the residents of Yerushalayim.

Ravshakei screamed in Hebrew, for all to hear, how the king of Ashur would wreak havoc in Yerushalayim and treat the people with cruelty. The delegiation reported Ravshakei’s message to Chizkiyah, who tore his clothing upon hearing it.