The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Chronicles 32
1 After these things and this faithfulness,
Sennacherib king of Assyria came, entered
into Judah, encamped against the fortified
cities, and intended to win them for himself.
2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib
had come, and that he was planning to
fight against Jerusalem,
3 he took counsel with his princes and
his mighty men to stop the waters of the
springs which were outside of the city, and
they helped him.
4 Then many people gathered together
and they stopped all the springs and the
brook that flowed through the middle of
the land, saying, “Why should the kings of
Assyria come, and find abundant water?”
5 He took courage, built up all the wall
that was broken down, and raised it up
to the towers, with the other wall outside,
and strengthened Millo in David’s city, and
made weapons and shields in abundance.
6 He set captains of war over the people,
gathered them together to him in the wide place at the gate of the city, and spoke
encouragingly to them, saying,
7 “Be strong and courageous. Don’t be
afraid or dismayed because of the king of
Assyria, nor for all the multitude who is
with him; for there is a greater one with us
than with him.
8 Anarm offlesh is with him, but Yahweh
our God is with us to help us and to fight
our battles.” The people rested themselves
on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
9 After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria
sent his servants to Jerusalem, (now he
was attacking Lachish, and all his forces
were with him), to Hezekiah king of Judah,
and to all Judah who were at Jerusalem,
saying,
10 Sennacherib king of Assyria says, “In
whom do you trust, that you remain under
siege in Jerusalem?
11 Doesn’t Hezekiah persuade you to give
you over to die by famine and by thirst,
saying, ‘Yahweh our God will deliver us out
of the hand of the king of Assyria’?
12 Hasn’t the same Hezekiah taken away
his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You
shall worship before one altar, and you
shall burn incense on it’?
13 Don’t you know what I and my fathers
have done to all the peoples of the lands?
Were the gods of the nations of those lands
in any way able to deliver their land out of
my hand?
14 Who was there among all the gods
of those nations which my fathers utterly
destroyed that could deliver his people out
of my hand, that your God should be able
to deliver you out of my hand?
15 Now therefore don’t let Hezekiah deceive you nor persuade you in this way.
Don’t believe him, for no god of any nation
or kingdom was able to deliver his people
out of my hand, and out of the hand of
my fathers. How much less will your God
deliver you out of my hand?”
16 His servants spoke yet more against
Yahweh God and against his servant
Hezekiah.
17 He also wrote letters insulting Yahweh, the God of Israel, and speaking
against him, saying, “As the gods of the
nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall
the God of Hezekiah not deliver his people
out of my hand.”
18 They called out with a loud voice in the
Jews’ language to the people of Jerusalem
who were onthe wall,to frightenthemand
to trouble them, that they might take the
city.
19 They spoke of the God of Jerusalem
as of the gods of the peoples of the earth,
which are the work of men’s hands.
20 Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the
prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because
of this, and cried to heaven.
21 Yahweh sent an angel, who cut off all
the mighty men of valor, the leaders, and
captains in the camp of the king of Assyria.
So he returned with shame of face to his
own land. When he had come into the
house of his god, those who came out of
his own body† killed him there with the
sword.
22 Thus Yahweh saved Hezekiah and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of
Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from
the hand of all others, and guided them on
every side.
23 Many brought gifts to Yahweh
to Jerusalem, and precious things to
Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was
exalted in the sight of all nations from then
on.
24 Inthose days Hezekiah was terminally
ill, and he prayed to Yahweh; and he spoke
to him, and gave him a sign.
25 But Hezekiah didn’t reciprocate appropriate to the benefit done for him, because his
heart was lifted up. Therefore there was wrath on him, Judah, and Jerusalem.
26 However, Hezekiah humbled himself
for the pride of his heart, both he and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that Yahweh’s
wrath didn’t come on them in the days of
Hezekiah.
27 Hezekiah had exceedingly great riches
and honor. He provided himself with treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious
stones, for spices, for shields, and for all
kinds of valuable vessels;
28 also storehouses for the increase of
grain, new wine, and oil; and stalls for all
kinds of animals, and flocks in folds.
29 Moreover he provided for himself
cities, and possessions of flocks and herds
in abundance; for God had given him
abundant possessions.
30 This same Hezekiah also stopped the
upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and
brought them straight down on the west
side of David’s city. Hezekiah prospered in
all his works.
31 However, concerning the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent
to him to inquire of the wonder that was
done in the land, God left him to test him,
that he might know all that was in his
heart.
32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah
and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the
son of Amoz, in the book of the kings of
Judah and Israel.
33 Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and
they buried him in the ascent to the tombs
of the sons of David. All Judah and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at
his death. Manasseh his son reigned in his
place.