2 Chronicles 32:1-19 - Sennacherib's Invasion Of Judah

¹ After these things done in faithfulness, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, came and entered into Judah, and camped against the fortified cities, and commanded to break them open to himself. ² And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that he had set his face to fight against Jerusalem, ³ he took counsel with his rulers and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains outside the city. And they helped him. ⁴ And there were gathered many people, who stopped all the fountains, and the torrent which ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the king of Assyria come and find much water? ⁵ And he made himself strong and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall outside, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance.

⁶ And he set commanders of war over the people and gathered them to himself in the street of the gate of the city. And he spoke to their heart, saying, ⁷ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of the king of Assyria, or for all the multitude with him. For there are more with us than with him. ⁸ With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is Jehovah our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

⁹ After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem; and he was against Lachish, and all his forces with him against Hezekiah king of Judah, and against all Judah in Jerusalem, saying, ¹⁰ Sennacherib king of Assyria says this, On what do you trust that you sit under siege in Jerusalem? ¹¹ Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, Jehovah our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹² Has not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, You shall worship before one altar and burn incense on it?

¹³ Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the people of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hands? ¹⁴ Who among all the gods of those nations that my fathers completely destroyed is able to deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of my hand? ¹⁵ And now do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you in this way, nor yet believe him. For no god of any nation was able to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of my fathers. How much less shall your God deliver you out of my hand?

¹⁶ And his servants spoke still more against Jehovah God, and against His servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ He also wrote letters to revile Jehovah, the God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver His people out of my hand.

¹⁸ And they cried out with a loud voice in Jewish to the people of Jerusalem on the wall, in order to frighten them and to trouble them, so that they might take the city. ¹⁹ And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of the hands of man.