The rebellion involved several small states: Sidon and Ashkelon (which were taken by force) and Byblos, Ashdod, Ammon, Moab, and Edom who then submitted to the payment of tribute to Assyria.

Most notably, Hezekiah of Judah, encouraged by Egypt, joined the rebellion and was subsequently invaded by the Assyrians who captured most of the cities and towns in the region.

The events of the campaign in Judah are famously related in the Bible (2 Kgs 18–19; Isa 36–37; and 2 Chr 32) which culminate in an “angel of the Lord” striking down 185,000 Assyrians outside the gates of Jerusalem prompting Sennacherib’s return to Nineveh.

Sidon and Ashkelon were taken by force, after which Byblos, Ashdod, Ammon, Moab, and Edom resubmitted to Assyrian rule without a fight.

The timeline of the campaign is somewhat unclear but it is thought that one of the first major engagements between Judah and Assyria was the Siege of Azekah, a walled settlement on a 372 meter high hill roughly 45 kilometers west of Jerusalem.

The tablet seems to imply that the defenders of Azekah were routed by the Assyrian cavalry but the inscription is not complete and only the beginning of this section has survived.

The hill on which Lachish is located is steeper on the northern side so it is thought that the Assyrians likely attacked the city from the southern slope.

The Lachish reliefs depict the city's defenders shooting arrows and throwing stones down onto the Assyrian army who are shown responding with projectiles of their own.

- 2 Chronicles 32:9-12 This message from Sennacherib makes reference to an earlier tribute paid by Hezekiah in hopes of placating the Assyrians which was gathered from the temples of Jerusalem.

This interpretation has been used to support the argument that Sennacherib’s goal was not to completely conquer Judah but simply to reduce its independence and reinstate it as a vassal kingdom, thus reestablishing the status-quo during the reign of his father, Sargon II.

Furthermore, both the Biblical and Assyrian accounts make mention of an earlier tribute paid to Sennacherib by Hezekiah, opening the possibility that negotiations between the two sides may have been underway for some time before the conclusion of the conflict and the culmination of events at Jerusalem.

Furthermore, archaeological evidence suggests that Jerusalem was well fortified and defended,[4] a fact which could have dissuaded the Assyrian army from engaging in a direct assault of the city.

With the bulk of Judah's territory under his control or that of his vassals there may have been little reason to actively attack Jerusalem rather than starve the city into submission.

Sennacherib’s threat sent from Lachish does not seem to threaten direct violence but rather says that the citizens of Jerusalem will die of hunger and thirst if they remain in the city and loyal to Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 32:9-12).

Following the above quote, the royal inscription moves on to the end of the conflict: “As for him, Hezekiah, fear of my lordly brilliance overwhelmed him and, after my (departure), he had the auxiliary forces (and) his elite troops whom he had brought inside to strengthen the city Jerusalem, his royal city, thereby gaining reinforcements, (along with) 30 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver, choice antimony, large blocks of ..., ivory beds, armchairs of ivory, elephant hide(s), elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, garments with multi-colored trim, linen garments, blue-purple wool, red-purple wool, utensils of bronze, iron, copper, tin, (and) iron, chariots, shields, lances, armor, iron belt-daggers, bows and uṣṣu-arrows, equipment, (and) implements of war, (all of) which were without number, together with his daughters, his palace women, male singers, (and) female singers brought into Nineveh, my capital city, and he sent a mounted messenger of his to me to deliver (this) payment and to do obeisance.”[2] It is at this point that the Assyrian source begins to conflict with the version of events laid out in the Bible.

Here Sennacherib tells us that the war ended when Hezekiah was overwhelmed by fear of his “Lordly brilliance” and submitted to paying a large tribute of soldiers, hostages, gold and silver, weapons, and other valuables to be delivered to Nineveh.

Upon hearing the message sent by Sennacherib from Lachish, we are told that Hezekiah tore his clothes, donned sackcloth, and commanded his palace administrator and leading priests to do the same before sending them to consult the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah then told them: “Tell your master, `This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard--those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.Listen!

One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat.

(2 Kings 19:35-37) In this account, Sennacherib's decision not to directly attack or enter the city is explained by the eradication of his army by an angel, causing him to quickly flee to Nineveh.

[7] This account, and that of Sennacherib’s sudden departure in the royal inscriptions, have prompted some scholars to believe that some sort of calamity did befall the Assyrian army at Jerusalem.

[7] Still others speculate that either an unsuccessful siege of the city, or the exhaustion of his army following their previous battles prompted Sennacherib’s retreat and his leniency towards Hezekiah.