2 Chronicles 32:1–20

¹After these things and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fortified cities, and thought to break into them. ²And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was minded to fight against Jerusalem, ³he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the fountains of waters that were outside the city; and they helped him. ⁴And there was gathered together much people, and they stopped all the fountains, and the torrent that flows through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water? ⁵And he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken down, and raised it up to the towers, and built another wall outside, and fortified the Millo of the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance. ⁶And he set captains of war over the people, and assembled them to him on the open place at the gate of the city, and spoke consolingly to them saying, ⁷Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him: ⁸with him is an arm of flesh, but with us is Jehovah our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people depended upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

⁹After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (but he himself was before Lachish, and all his power with him), unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying, ¹⁰Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: On what do ye rely that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem? ¹¹Does not Hezekiah persuade you, to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, Jehovah our God will deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹²Has not the same Hezekiah removed his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it? ¹³Do ye not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the countries? Were the gods of the nations of the countries in any wise able to deliver their country out of my hand? ¹⁴Who is there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers have utterly destroyed, that was able to deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of my hand? ¹⁵And now, let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you in this manner, neither yet believe him; for no †god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hand, nor out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of my hand? ¹⁶And his servants spoke yet more against Jehovah, the true God, and against his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷And he wrote a letter to rail at Jehovah the God of Israel, and to speak against him saying, As the gods of the nations of the countries have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of my hand. ¹⁸And they cried with a loud voice in the Jewish language to the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to frighten them and to trouble them; that they might take the city. ¹⁹And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of man’s hand. ²⁰And because of this, king Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz prayed and cried to heaven.