וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח חִזְקִיָּ֣ה מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֣ה אֶל־מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר֩ ׀ לָכִ֨ישָׁה ׀ לֵאמֹ֤ר ׀ חָטָ֙אתִי֙ שׁ֣וּב מֵֽעָלַ֔י אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־תִּתֵּ֥ן עָלַ֖י אֶשָּׂ֑א וַיָּ֨שֶׂם מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֜וּר עַל־חִזְקִיָּ֣ה מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֗ה שְׁלֹ֤שׁ מֵאוֹת֙ כִּכַּר־כֶּ֔סֶף וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים כִּכַּ֥ר זָהָֽב׃
Lalu Hizkia, raja Yehuda, mengirim pesan kepada raja Asyur di Lakhis: “Aku telah bersalah. Mundurlah dari padaku. Apa pun yang kautanggungkan kepadaku akan kutanggung.” Maka raja Asyur menetapkan bagi Hizkia, raja Yehuda, tiga ratus talenta perak dan tiga puluh talenta emas.
From David to Destruction
The Assyrians were extremely competent and extremely cruel warriors. Their terrifying cruelty is displayed on the Lachish reliefs, which depict the Assyrian conquest of the Judean city of Lachish (Melachim II 18:14). The reliefs pictured below are currently on display at the British Museum. They depict the Assyrians flaying the leaders of Lachish. The ferocity of the Assyrians is also evident from the utter decimation of the palace in Lachish, of which nothing but its simple base remains.
Rashi
and he fled to Lachish a fortified city against which Sennacherib waged war. He fled to Lachish, where he remained fifteen years until they followed him to Lachish and assassinated him there. And during those fifteen years that he was in Lachish, Jecoliah, Uzziah’s mother, reigned in his stead. This is how it appears to me. In the commentary of Rabbi Joseph (Kara), I saw that during those fifteen years that he was in Lachish, Uzziah his son reigned in his stead, but it is incorrect to interpret it in this manner, for it is written immediately following (26:1): “who was sixteen years old.” We find that when his father fled, he was only one year old. Moreover, if this is the case, it should say, “took Uzziah and made him king instead of his father during his lifetime.” Rather, Scripture intimated that he did not reign during his father’s lifetime.