2 Chronicles 32

1After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He camped against the fortified cities, intending to break through and take them for himself.

2When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem,

3he consulted with his officials and his warriors about stopping the water of the springs outside the city, and they helped him.

4A large number of people gathered, and they stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said.

5Hezekiah took courage and rebuilt all the wall that was broken down, raised towers on it, and built another wall outside it. He strengthened the Millo in the city of David and made weapons and shields in great numbers.

6He appointed military commanders over the people and gathered them to him in the square at the city gate, and he encouraged them with these words:

7“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there is more with us than with him.

8With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is Yahweh our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

9After this, while Sennacherib king of Assyria was at Lachish with all his forces, he sent his servants to Jerusalem, to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying,

10“This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege?

11Is not Hezekiah misleading you, to hand you over to die by hunger and thirst, when he says, ‘Yahweh our God will rescue us from the hand of the king of Assyria’?

12Did not this same Hezekiah remove his high places and his altars and tell Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar, and on it you must burn incense’?

13Do you not know what I and my ancestors have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands ever able to rescue their land from my hand?

14Who among all the gods of these nations that my ancestors devoted to destruction was able to rescue his people from my hand, that your God should be able to rescue you from my hand?

15Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people from my hand or from the hand of my ancestors. How much less will your God rescue you from my hand!”

16His servants said still more against Yahweh God and against his servant Hezekiah.

17He also wrote letters to insult Yahweh, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, “Just as the gods of the nations of the lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.”

18They called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they could capture the city.

19They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they spoke about the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of human hands.

20Because of this, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed and cried out to heaven.

21And Yahweh sent an angel, who wiped out every mighty warrior, leader, and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So the king went back to his own land in disgrace. When he went into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword.

22So Yahweh saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and he took care of them on every side.

23Many brought offerings to Yahweh in Jerusalem and valuable gifts to Hezekiah king of Judah, and from then on he was exalted in the eyes of all the nations.

24In those days Hezekiah became sick to the point of death. He prayed to Yahweh, who answered him and gave him a sign.

25But Hezekiah did not respond in keeping with the kindness shown him, for his heart became proud. So wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.

26Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the people of Jerusalem, so the wrath of Yahweh did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah.

27Hezekiah had very great wealth and honor. He made treasuries for himself for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable articles,

28storehouses for the harvest of grain, new wine, and olive oil, stalls for all kinds of livestock, and pens for the flocks.

29He also built cities for himself and acquired flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very great possessions.

30This same Hezekiah blocked the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and channeled them down to the west side of the city of David. Hezekiah prospered in everything he did.

31But in the matter of the envoys of the officials of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had happened in the land, God left him to himself to test him, to know everything that was in his heart.

32The rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of faithfulness are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

33Hezekiah rested with his ancestors, and they buried him on the ascent to the tombs of the sons of David. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh became king in his place.