2 Chronicles 32

Assyria Invades & God’s Epic Save

1 After all these faithful things and righteous acts, Sennacherib king of Assyria rolled up and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking he could snatch them for himself.

2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and was determined to fight against Jerusalem,

3 He and his officials and his mighty warriors made a plan to block up the water springs outside the city, and they helped him.

4 A large crowd gathered, and they blocked up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find a ton of water?”

5 Hezekiah got busy, rebuilding all the broken parts of the wall and raising it up to the towers, and building another outer wall. He fortified the Millo in the City of David and made a ton of weapons and shields.

6 He appointed military commanders over the people and gathered them to him in the plaza at the city gate. He spoke to their hearts, saying,

7 “Be strong and courageous! Do not be scared or freaked out because of the king of Assyria or all the crowd with him, because there is more with us than with him!”

8 “With him is just an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles!” And the people leaned on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Sennacherib’s Trash Talk

9 After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (while he and his whole army were at Lachish) to King Hezekiah and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying,

10 “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: ‘Who are you trusting in that you chilling in Jerusalem under siege?’”

11 “’Is not Hezekiah tricking you to hand you over to death by famine and thirst, by saying, “The Lord our God will snatch us from the hand of the king of Assyria”,’”

12 “’is not this the same Hezekiah who got rid of His high places and His altars, and told Judah and Jerusalem, “You only is going to bow down before one altar and burn incense on it”,’”

13 “’Do you not all know what me and my pops did to all the peoples of the lands, Were the gods of those nations able to snatch their land from my hand,’”

14 “’Who among all the gods of those nations whom my pops totally destroyed was able to snatch his people from my hand, that your God would snatch you from my hand,’”

15 “’So now, do not let Hezekiah trick you, and do not let him talk you into anything like that, because no god of any nation or kingdom was able to snatch his people from my hand or from the hand of my pops! How much less will your God snatch you from my hand!’”

16 His servants kept talking even more trash against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah.

17 He also wrote letters to disrespect the Lord, the God of Israel, and to talk trash against Him, saying against Him, “Just like the gods of the nations of the lands who did not snatch their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah is not going to snatch His people from my hand!”

18 And they yelled this out with a loud voice in Judean to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to scare them and freak them out, so they could take the city.

19 They talked about the God of Jerusalem just like they talked about the gods of the peoples of the earth, which were just human-made.

Hezekiah & Isaiah Pray

20 King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven.

21 And the Lord sent an angel, who wiped out every mighty warrior, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib went back to his own land with shame on his face. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword there.

22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and gave them rest all around.

23 Many brought gifts to the Lord in Jerusalem and valuable stuff to King Hezekiah of Judah. So he was honored in the sight of all nations from then on.

Hezekiah’s Pride & Repentance

24 In those days, Hezekiah got sick and was on his deathbed. He prayed to the Lord, and He spoke to him and gave him a sign.

25 But Hezekiah did not respond according to the blessing given to him, because his heart got proud. So wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.

26 Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. So the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.

27 Hezekiah had massive riches and honor, and he built himself treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable items.

28 He built storage cities for the produce of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and stalls for all kinds of livestock, and sheepfolds for flocks.

29 He also built cities for himself and acquired a ton of flocks and herds, because God gave him massive wealth.

30 This same Hezekiah blocked up the upper outlet of the Gihon Spring and directed the water downward to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah was successful in everything he did.

31 However, regarding the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire about the sign that happened in the land, God left him alone to test him, to know everything that was in his heart.

32 As for the rest of Hezekiah’s story, and his righteous acts, look, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, son of Amoz, and in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

33 Hezekiah passed away and they buried him in the upper part of the tombs of the sons of David. And all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh took over as king.