2 Chronicles 32:9–24

Sennacherib Reproaches Yahweh

⁹After this ^aSennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was ¹besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying,

¹⁰“Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting that you are remaining in Jerusalem under siege?

¹¹‘Is not Hezekiah inciting you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, “Yahweh our God will deliver us from the ¹hand of the king of Assyria”?

¹²‘^aHas not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and ¹Jerusalem, “You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall offer offerings up in smoke”?

¹³‘Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? ^aWere the gods of the nations of the lands able at all to deliver their land from my hand?

¹⁴‘^aWho was there among all the gods of these nations which my fathers devoted to destruction, who could deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand?

¹⁵‘So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or incite you like this, and do not believe him, for ^ano god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’”

¹⁶His servants spoke further against Yahweh God and against His servant Hezekiah.

¹⁷He also wrote letters to ¹reproach Yahweh, the God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “^aAs the gods of the nations of the lands ²have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.”

^18aAnd they called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to instill fear and terrify them, so that they might capture the city.

¹⁹And they spoke ¹of the God of Jerusalem as of ^athe gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of men’s hands.

Yahweh Wipes Out the Men of Assyria

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

²¹And Yahweh sent an angel who wiped out every mighty man of valor, ruler, and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned ¹in shame to his own land. And he entered the house of his god, and some of ²his own children caused him to fall there by the sword.

²²So Yahweh ^asaved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and He ¹guided them on every side.

²³And ^amany were bringing presents to Yahweh at Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that ^bhe was lifted up in the sight of all nations thereafter.

^24aIn those days Hezekiah became sick to the point of death; and he prayed to Yahweh, and ¹Yahweh spoke to him and gave him a miraculous sign.