Afterthesethings, and the establishmentthereof, Sennacheribking of Assyriacame, and enteredintoJudah, and encampedagainst the fencedcities, and thought to win them for himself.
So there was gatheredmuchpeopletogether, who stopped all the fountains, and the brookthat ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyriacome, and findmuchwater?
Also he strengthenedhimself, and built up all the wallthat was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and anotherwallwithout, and repairedMillo in the city of David, and madedarts and shields in abundance.
And he set captains of war over the people, and gatheredthemtogether to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spakecomfortably to them, saying,
Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitudethat is with him: for there be morewith us thanwith him:
With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the peoplerestedthemselvesupon the words of Hezekiahking of Judah.
Afterthis did Sennacheribking of Assyriasend his servants to Jerusalem, (but he himselflaidsiegeagainstLachish, and all his powerwith him,) untoHezekiahking of Judah, and unto all Judahthatwere at Jerusalem, saying,
Doth not Hezekiahpersuade you to giveoveryourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The LORD our God shalldeliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
Hath not the sameHezekiahtakenaway his highplaces and his altars, and commandedJudah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shallworshipbefore one altar, and burnincenseupon it?
Know ye not what I and my fathershavedoneunto all the people of otherlands? were the gods of the nations of thoselands any waysable to delivertheirlands out of minehand?
Who was thereamong all the gods of thosenationsthat my fathersutterlydestroyed, thatcoulddeliver his people out of minehand, thatyour God should be able to deliver you out of minehand?
Now therefore let not Hezekiahdeceive you, nor persuade you on thismanner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of minehand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how muchlessshallyour God deliver you out of minehand?
He wrotealsoletters to rail on the LORD God of Israel, and to speakagainst him, saying, As the gods of the nations of otherlandshave not deliveredtheirpeople out of minehand, so shall not the God of Hezekiahdeliver his people out of minehand.
Thentheycriedwith a loudvoice in the Jews’speechunto the people of Jerusalemthatwere on the wall, to affrightthem, and to troublethem; thattheymighttake the city.
And the LORDsent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returnedwithshame of face to his own land. And when he was comeinto the house of his god, theythatcameforth of his own bowelsslew him therewith the sword.
Thus the LORDsavedHezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalemfrom the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guidedthem on everyside.
And manybroughtgiftsunto the LORD to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiahking of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nationsfromthenceforth.
But Hezekiahrendered not againaccording to the benefitdoneunto him; for his heart was lifted up: thereforethere was wrathupon him, and uponJudah and Jerusalem.
NotwithstandingHezekiahhumbledhimself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORDcame not uponthem in the days of Hezekiah.
And Hezekiah had exceedingmuchriches and honour: and he madehimselftreasuries for silver, and for gold, and for preciousstones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasantjewels;
ThissameHezekiahalsostopped the upperwatercourse of Gihon, and brought it straightdown to the westside of the city of David. And Hezekiahprospered in all his works.
Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sentunto him to enquire of the wonderthat was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he mightknow all that was in his heart.
Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
And Hezekiahsleptwith his fathers, and theyburied him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.