At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. (2 Kings 18:16)
Only a short time before, Ahaz had robbed the Temple of its treasures when he purchased the protection of Tiglath-pileser (ch. 16:8). Hezekiah was therefore compelled to resort to extreme measures in order to make up the sum demanded by Sennacherib.