2 Chronicles 32:1–33:25

Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord

32 After athese deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself. 2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that his purpose was to make war against Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his leaders and 1commanders to stop the water from the springs which were outside the city; and they helped him. 4 Thus many people gathered together who stopped all the bsprings and the brook that ran through the land, saying, “Why should the 2kings of Assyria come and find much water?” 5 And che strengthened himself, dbuilt up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to the towers, and built another wall outside; also he repaired 3the eMillo in the City of David, and made 4weapons and shields in abundance. 6 Then he set military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the open square of the city gate, and fgave them encouragement, saying, 7 g“Be strong and courageous; hdo not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for ithere are more with us than with him. 8 With him is an jarm of flesh; but kwith us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

9 lAfter this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (but he and all the forces with him laid siege against Lachish), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10 m“Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: ‘In what do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem? 11 Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, n“The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? 12 oHas 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 pit”? 13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? qWere the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hand? 14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my rhand? 15 Now therefore, sdo not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you like this, and do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’ ”

16 Furthermore, his servants spoke against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah.

17 He also wrote letters to revile the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, t“As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my uhand.” 18 vThen they called out with a loud voice in 5Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them, that they might take the city. 19 And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth—wthe work of men’s hands.

Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death

20 xNow because of this King Hezekiah and ythe prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven. 21 zThen the Lord sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned ashamefaced to his own land. And when he had gone into the temple of his god, some of his own offspring struck him down with the sword there.

22 Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and 6guided them on every side. 23 And many brought gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem, and bpresents 7to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was cexalted in the sight of all nations thereafter.

Hezekiah Humbles Himself

24 dIn those days Hezekiah was sick and near death, and he prayed to the Lord; and He spoke to him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah edid not repay according to the favor shown him, for fhis heart was lifted up; gtherefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem. 26 hThen Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them iin the days of Hezekiah.

Hezekiah’s Wealth and Honor

27 Hezekiah had very great riches and honor. And he made himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of desirable items; 28 storehouses for the harvest of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of livestock, and 8folds for flocks. 29 Moreover he provided cities for himself, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for jGod had given him very much property. 30 kThis same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of Upper Gihon, and 9brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah lprospered in all his works.

31 However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they msent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to ntest him, that He might know all that was in his heart.

Death of Hezekiah

32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, indeed they are written in othe vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the pbook of the kings of Judah and Israel. 33 qSo Hezekiah 1rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem rhonored him at his death. Then Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

Manasseh Reigns in Judah

33 Manasseh awas twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the babominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the 1high places which Hezekiah his father had cbroken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and dmade wooden images; and he worshiped eall 2the host of heaven and served them. 4 He also built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, f“In Jerusalem shall My name be forever.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven gin the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6 hAlso he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced isoothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and jconsulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. 7 kHe even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the 3house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, l“In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; 8 mand I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers—only if they are careful to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.” 9 So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.

Manasseh Restored After Repentance

10 And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not 4listen. 11 nTherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with 5hooks, obound him with 6bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. 12 Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and phumbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 and prayed to Him; and He qreceived his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh rknew that the Lord was God.

14 After this he built a wall outside the City of David on the west side of sGihon, in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate; and it tenclosed Ophel, and he raised it to a very great height. Then he put military captains in all the fortified cities of Judah. 15 He took away uthe foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem; and he cast them out of the city. 16 He also repaired the altar of the Lord, sacrificed peace offerings and vthank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. 17 wNevertheless the people still sacrificed on the 7high places, but only to the Lord their God.

Death of Manasseh

18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of xthe seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, indeed they are written in the 8book of the kings of Israel. 19 Also his prayer and how God received his entreaty, and all his sin and trespass, and the sites where he built 9high places and set up wooden images and carved images, before he was humbled, indeed they are written among the sayings of 1Hozai. 20 ySo Manasseh rested with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. Then his son Amon reigned in his place.

Amon’s Reign and Death

21 zAmon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. 22 But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done; for Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and served them. 23 And he did not humble himself before the Lord, aas his father Manasseh had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.

24 bThen his servants conspired against him, and ckilled him in his own house. 25 But the people of the land executed all those who had conspired against King Amon. Then the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.