1 After these things faithfully described, Saneherib King of Asshur came and entred into Iudah, and besieged the strong cities, and thought to winne them for him selfe. 2 When Hezekiah sawe that Saneherib was come, and that his purpose was to fight against Ierusalem, 3 Then he tooke counsell with his princes and his nobles, to stoppe the water of the fountaines without the citie: and they did helpe him. 4 So many of the people assembled themselues, and stopt all the fountaines, and the riuer that ranne through the middes of the countrey, saying, Why should the Kings of Asshur come, and finde much water? 5 And he tooke courage, and built all the broken wall, and made vp the towers, and another wall without, and repayred Millo in the citie of Dauid, and made many dartes and shields. 6 And he set captaines of warre ouer the people, and assembled them to him in the broade place of the gate of the citie, and spake comfortably vnto them, saying, 7 Be strong and couragious: feare not, neither be afraide for the King of Asshur, neither for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with vs, then is with him. 8 With him is an arme of flesh, but with vs is the Lord our God for to helpe vs, and to fight our battels. Then the people were confirmed by the wordes of Hezekiah King of Iudah. 9 After this, did Saneherib King of Asshur send his seruants to Ierusalem (while he was against Lachish, and all his dominion with him) vnto Hezekiah King of Iudah and vnto all Iudah that were at Ierusalem, saying, 10 Thus saith Saneherib the King of Asshur, Wherein doe ye trust, that ye will remaine in Ierusalem, during the siege? 11 Doeth not Hezekiah entice you to giue ouer your selues vnto death by famine and by thirst, saying, The Lord our God shall deliuer vs out of the hande of the King of Asshur? 12 Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his hie places and his altars, and commanded Iudah and Ierusalem, saying, Ye shall worshippe before one altar, and burne incense vpon it? 13 Knowe ye not what I and my fathers haue done vnto all the people of other countreyes? were the gods of the nations of other landes able to deliuer their land out of mine hande? 14 Who is he of al the gods of those natios (that my fathers haue destroied) that could deliuer his people out of mine hande? that your God should be able to deliuer you out of mine hand? 15 Nowe therefore let not Hezekiah deceiue you, nor seduce you after this sort, neither beleeue ye him: for none of all the gods of any nation or kingdome was able to deliuer his people out of mine hande and out of the hande of my fathers: howe much lesse shall your gods deliuer you out of mine hande? 16 And his seruants spake yet more against the Lord God, and against his seruant Hezekiah. 17 He wrote also letters, blaspheming the Lord God of Israel and speaking against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other countreies could not deliuer their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliuer his people out of mine hande. 18 Then they cryed with a loude voyce in the Iewes speach vnto the people of Ierusalem that were on the wall, to feare them and to astonish them, that they might take the citie. 19 Thus they spake against the God of Ierusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, euen the workes of mans hands, 20 But Hezekiah the King, and the Prophet Isaiah the sonne of Amoz prayed against this and cryed to heauen. 21 And the Lord sent an Angel which destroyed all the valiant men, and the princes and captaines of the hoste of the King of Asshur: so he returned with shame to his owne lande. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came foorth of his owne bowels, slewe him there with the sworde. 22 So the Lord saued Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Ierusalem from the hande of Saneherib King of Asshur, and from the hande of all other, and maintained them on euery side. 23 And many brought offrings vnto the Lord to Ierusalem, and presents to Hezekiah King of Iudah, so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thencefoorth. 24 In those dayes Hezekiah was sicke vnto the death, and prayed vnto the Lord, who spake vnto him, and gaue him a signe. 25 But Hezekiah did not render according to the rewarde bestowed vpon him: for his heart was lift vp, and wrath came vpon him, and vpon Iudah and Ierusalem. 26 Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled him selfe (after that his heart was lifted vp) he and the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and the wrath of the Lord came not vpon them in the dayes of Hezekiah. 27 Hezekiah also had exceeding much riches and honour, and he gate him treasures of siluer, and of golde, and of precious stones, and of sweete odours, and of shieldes, and of all pleasant vessels: 28 And of store houses for the increase of wheat and wine and oyle, and stalles for all beasts, and rowes for the stables. 29 And he made him cities, and had possession of sheepe and oxen in abundance: for God had giuen him substance exceeding much. 30 This same Hezekiah also stopped the vpper water springs of Gihon, and led them streight vnderneath towarde the citie of Dauid Westwarde. so Hezekiah prospered in all his workes. 31 But because of the ambassadours of the princes of Babel, which sent vnto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the lande, God left him to trie him, and to knowe all that was in his heart. 32 Concerning the rest of the actes of Hezekiah, and his goodnesse, beholde, they are written in the vision of Ishiah the Prophet, the sonne of Amoz, in the booke of the Kings of Iudah and Israel. 33 So Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buryed him in the highest sepulchre of the sonnes of Dauid: and all Iudah and the inhabitants of Ierusalem did him honour at his death: and Manasseh his sonne reigned in his stead.
The Assyrians Threaten Jerusalem
(2 Kings 18.13-372 19.14-192 35-37Isaiah 36.1-22Isaiah 37.8-38)1 After these events, in which King Hezekiah served the Lord faithfully, Sennacherib, the emperor of Assyria, invaded Judah. He besieged the fortified cities and gave orders for his army to break their way through the walls. 2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib intended to attack Jerusalem also, 3-4 he and his officials decided to cut off the supply of water outside the city in order to keep the Assyrians from having any water when they got near Jerusalem. The officials led a large number of people out and stopped up all the springs, so that no more water flowed out of them. 5 The king strengthened the city's defenses by repairing the wall, building towers on it, and building an outer wall. In addition, he repaired the defenses built on the land that was filled in on the east side of the old part of Jerusalem. He also had a large number of spears and shields made. 6 He placed all the men in the city under the command of army officers and had them assemble in the open square at the city gate. He said to them, 7 “Be determined and confident, and don't be afraid of the Assyrian emperor or of the army he is leading. We have more power on our side than he has on his. 8 He has human power, but we have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” The people were encouraged by these words of their king.
9 Some time later, while Sennacherib and his army were still at Lachish, he sent the following message to Hezekiah and the people of Judah who were with him in Jerusalem: 10 “I, Sennacherib, Emperor of Assyria, ask what gives you people the confidence to remain in Jerusalem under siege. 11 Hezekiah tells you that the Lord your God will save you from our power, but Hezekiah is deceiving you and will let you die of hunger and thirst. 12 He is the one who destroyed the Lord's shrines and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem to worship and burn incense at one altar only. 13 Don't you know what my ancestors and I have done to the people of other nations? Did the gods of any other nation save their people from the emperor of Assyria? 14 When did any of the gods of all those countries ever save their country from us? Then what makes you think that your god can save you? 15 Now don't let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like that. Don't believe him! No god of any nation has ever been able to save his people from any Assyrian emperor. So certainly this god of yours can't save you!”
16 The Assyrian officials said even worse things about the Lord God and Hezekiah, the Lord's servant. 17 The letter that the emperor wrote defied the Lord, the God of Israel. It said, “The gods of the nations have not saved their people from my power, and neither will Hezekiah's god save his people from me.” 18 The officials shouted this in Hebrew in order to frighten and discourage the people of Jerusalem who were on the city wall, so that it would be easier to capture the city. 19 They talked about the God of Jerusalem in the same way that they talked about the gods of the other peoples, idols made by human hands.
20 Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed to God and cried out to him for help. 21 The Lord sent an angel that killed the soldiers and officers of the Assyrian army. So the emperor went back to Assyria disgraced. One day when he was in the temple of his god, some of his sons killed him with their swords.
22 In this way the Lord rescued King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the power of Sennacherib, the emperor of Assyria, and also from their other enemies. He let the people live in peace with all the neighboring countries. 23 Many people came to Jerusalem, bringing offerings to the Lord and gifts to Hezekiah, so that from then on all the nations held Hezekiah in honor.
Hezekiah's Illness and Pride
(2 Kings 20.1-32 12-19Isaiah 38.1-3Isaiah 39.1-8)24 About this time King Hezekiah became sick and almost died. He prayed, and the Lord gave him a sign that he would recover. 25 But Hezekiah was too proud to show gratitude for what the Lord had done for him, and Judah and Jerusalem suffered for it. 26 Finally, however, Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem humbled themselves, and so the Lord did not punish the people until after Hezekiah's death.
Hezekiah's Wealth and Splendor
27 King Hezekiah became very wealthy, and everyone held him in honor. He had storerooms built for his gold, silver, precious stones, spices, shields, and other valuable objects. 28 In addition, he had storehouses built for his grain, wine, and olive oil; barns for his cattle; and pens for his sheep. 29 Besides all this, God gave him sheep and cattle and so much other wealth that he built many cities. 30 It was King Hezekiah who blocked the outlet for Gihon Spring and channeled the water to flow through a tunnel to a point inside the walls of Jerusalem. Hezekiah succeeded in everything he did, 31 and even when the Babylonian ambassadors came to inquire about the unusual event that had happened in the land, God let Hezekiah go his own way only in order to test his character.
The End of Hezekiah's Reign
(2 Kings 20.202 21)32 Everything else that King Hezekiah did and his devotion to the Lord are recorded in The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah Son of Amoz and in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 Hezekiah died and was buried in the upper section of the royal tombs. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem paid him great honor at his death. His son Manasseh succeeded him as king.