Chapter 32

¹ And after these things and this ¹faithful dealing, came Sennacherim king of the Assyrians, and he came to Juda, and encamped against the fortified cities, and ²intended to take them for himself.

² And Ezekias saw that Sennacherim was come, and that his face was set to fight against Jerusalem. ³ And he took counsel with his elders and his mighty men to stop the wells of water which were without the city: and they helped him. ⁴ And he collected many people, and stopped the wells of water, and the river that ³flowed through

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the city, saying, Lest the king of Assyria come, and find much water, and strengthen himself.

⁵ And Ezekias strengthened himself, and built all the wall that had been pulled down, and the towers, and another wall in front without, and fortified the strong place of the city of David, and prepared arms in abundance. ⁶ And he appointed captains of war over the people, and they were gathered to meet him to the open place of the gate of the valley, and he ⁴encouraged them, saying, ⁷ Be strong and courageous, and fear not, neither be dismayed before the King of Assyria, and before all the nation that is with him: for there are more with us than with him. ⁸ With him are arms of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to save us, and to fight our battle. And the people were encouraged at the words of Ezekias king of Juda.

⁹ And afterward Sennacherim king of the Assyrians sent his servants to Jerusalem; and he went himself against Lachis, and all his army with him, and sent to Ezekias king of Juda, and to all Juda that was in Jerusalem, saying, ¹⁰ Thus says Sennacherim king of the Assyrians, On what do ye trust, that ye will remain in the siege in Jerusalem? ¹¹ Does not Ezekias deceive you, to deliver you to death and famine and thirst, saying, The Lord our God will deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹² Is not this Ezekias who has taken down his altars and his high places and has spoken to Juda and the dwellers in Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before this altar and burn incense upon it? ¹³ Know ye not what I and my fathers have done to all the nations of the countries? Could the gods of the nations of all the earth at all rescue their people out of my hand? ¹⁴ Who is there among all the gods of those nations whom my fathers utterly destroyed, worthy of trust? Could they deliver their people out of my hand, that your God should deliver you out of my hand? ¹⁵ Now then, let not Ezekias deceive you, and let him not make you thus confident, and believe him not: for no god of any kingdom or nation is at all able to deliver his people out of my hand, or the hand of my fathers: therefore your God shall not deliver you out of my hand. ¹⁶ And his servants continued to speak against the Lord God, and against his servant Ezekias.

¹⁷ And he wrote a ⁵letter to reproach the Lord God of Israel, and spoke concerning him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the earth have not delivered their people out of my hand, so the God of Ezekias shall by no means deliver his people out of my hand. ¹⁸ And he cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language to the people of Jerusalem on the wall, calling them to assist them, and pull down the walls, that they might take the city. ¹⁹ And he spoke against the God of Jerusalem, even as against the gods of the nations of the earth, the works of the hands of men.

²⁰ And king Ezekias and Esaias the prophet the son of Amos prayed concerning these

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things, and they cried to heaven. ²¹ And the Lord sent an angel, and he destroyed every mighty man and warrior, and leader and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria: and he returned with shame of face to his own land and came into the house of his god: and some of them that came out of his bowels slew him with the sword. ²² So the Lord delivered Ezekias and the dwellers in Jerusalem out of the hand of Sennacherim King of Assyria, and out of the hand of all his enemies, and gave them rest round about. ²³ And many brought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Ezekias king of Juda; and he was exalted in the eyes of all the nations after these things.

²⁴ In those days Ezekias was sick even to death, and prayed to the Lord: and he hearkened to him, and gave him a sign. ²⁵ But Ezekias did not recompense the Lord according to the ⁶return which he made him, but his heart was lifted up: and wrath came upon him, and upon Juda and Jerusalem. ²⁶ And Ezekias ⁷humbled himself after the exaltation of his heart, he and the dwellers in Jerusalem; and the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Ezekias. ²⁷ And Ezekias had wealth and very great glory: and he made for himself treasuries of gold, and silver, and precious ⁸stones, also for spices, and stores for arms, and for precious vessels; ²⁸ and cities for the produce of corn, and wine, and oil; and ⁹stalls and mangers for every kind of cattle, and folds for flocks; ²⁹ and cities which he built for himself, and store of sheep and oxen in abundance, for the Lord gave him a very great store.

³⁰ The same Ezekias stopped up the course of the water of Gion above, and brought the water down straight south of the city of David. And Ezekias prospered in all his works. ³¹ Notwithstanding, in regard to the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who were sent to him to enquire of him concerning the prodigy which came upon the land, the Lord left him, to try him, to know what was in his heart.

³² And the rest of the acts of Ezekias, and his ¹⁰kindness, behold, they are written in the prophecy of Esaias the son of Amos the prophet, and in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel. ³³ And Ezekias slept with his fathers, and they buried him in a high place among the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Juda and the dwellers in Jerusalem gave him glory and honour at his death. And Manasses his son reigned in his stead.