Invasion of Sennacherib
1After Hezekiah had faithfully done all this, Sennacherib king of Assyria invaded Judah. He pitched camp before the fortified towns and gave orders for his army to break their way through the walls. 2Hezekiah realized that Sennacherib intended to attack Jerusalem also, 3so he summoned his officers and champions and they decided to cut off the water supply from the springs situated outside the city. 4So a large number of people banded together to block all the springs and cut off the watercourse flowing through the fields. They said, “Why should the king of Assyria find plenty of water when he arrives?” 5Hezekiah strengthened his defenses: he had the broken parts of the wall repaired, built towers on it, constructed a second wall on the outer side, strengthened the Millo of the City of David and made quantities of spears and shields. 6He then appointed generals to command the people, had them assemble in the square by the city gate and spoke as follows to encourage them, 7“Be strong and stand firm; be fearless, be confident when you face the king of Assyria and the whole army he brings with him, since he that is with us is stronger than he that is with him. 8He has only an arm of flesh, but we have Yahweh our God to help us and fight our battles.” The people were encouraged by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
9Next, Sennacherib king of Assyria, who was then outside Lachish with all his army, sent his servants to Jerusalem, to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all the Judaeans who were in Jerusalem. They said, 10“Hear the message from Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘What gives you the confidence to stay in Jerusalem under siege? 11Is not Hezekiah deceiving you? Is he not condemning you to die of hunger and thirst when he says: Yahweh our God will save us from the king of Assyria? 12Is not Hezekiah the very man who has destroyed the High places and the altars of Yahweh, and given the order to Judah and to Jerusalem: Before one altar only are you to worship, and on that alone offer incense? 13Do you not know what I have done, I and my ancestors, to all the peoples of other countries? Have the gods of any nation in those countries ever been able to save them from me? 14Who among all the gods of those nations was able to save his people from me? 15Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. Do not let him mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to save his people from me or from my ancestors. No more will your god be able to save you from me.”
16His officials were still speaking against Yahweh God, and his servant Hezekiah, 17when Sennacherib wrote a letter insulting Yahweh the God of Israel. This is what he said about him, “Just as the gods of the nations in other countries have failed to save their peoples from me, so will the god of Hezekiah fail to save his people.” 18They shouted this out in the language of Judah, to the people of Jerusalem who were on the city wall, to confuse and frighten them, and so that they might capture the city: 19they spoke of the God of Jerusalem in the same way they talked of the gods of the peoples of the world, the work of human hands.
20Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed and cried out to heaven. 21And Yahweh sent an angel who made all the mighty warriors, commanders and officers die in the camp of the king of Assyria. So the emperor went back to Assyria very ashamed. And as he came into the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him with their swords. 22So Yahweh saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the power of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from everyone else, and he gave them peace on every side. 23Many people brought grain offerings to Yahweh in Jerusalem and gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah; since then all the nations held Hezekiah in honor.
24In those days, Hezekiah fell ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to Yahweh, who heard him and granted him a sign. 25But Hezekiah did not show gratitude for what Yahweh had done for him; his heart grew proud and Judah and Jerusalem suffered for it. 26Finally, however, Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem humbled themselves, and so Yahweh did not punish the people until after Hezekiah’s death. 27Hezekiah enjoyed immense riches and honor. He built himself storerooms for gold, silver, precious stones, spices, gems and every sort of valuable. 28He had storehouses for his returns of corn, wine and oil, buildings for his different sorts of cattle, and sheep runs for his sheep, 29and, further, acquired donkeys and enormous herds and flocks. God had indeed given him very great riches.
30It was Hezekiah who stopped the upper outlet of Gihon Spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah succeeded in all he undertook. 31However, when the authorities in Babylon sent to him to inquire about the extraordinary thing that had taken place in the country, God abandoned him only to test him, and to discover the secrets of his heart.
32The rest of the history of Hezekiah, and his deed of piety, are recorded in the Vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz and in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33Then Hezekiah rested with his fathers and they buried him on the slope going up to the tombs of the sons of David. At his death, all of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor. His son Manasseh succeeded him.
