Study Desk

After these ^(F1)acts of faithfulness ^(C1)Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities, and ^(F2)intended to break into them for himself.

Now when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that ^(F1)he intended to wage war against Jerusalem,

he decided with his officers and his warriors to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were outside the city, and they helped him.

So many people assembled ^(C1)and stopped up all the springs and ^(C2)the stream which flowed ^(F1)through the region, saying, "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?"

And he resolutely set to work and ^(C1)rebuilt all of the wall that had been broken down and ^(F1)erected towers on it, and built ^(C2)another outside wall and strengthened the ^(F2)(C3)Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in great numbers.

He appointed military officers over the people and gathered them to him in the public square at the city gate, and ^(C1)spoke ^(F1)encouragingly to them, saying,

"^(C1)Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; ^(C2)for the One with us is greater than the one with him.

"With him is only ^(C1)an arm of flesh, but ^(C2)with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

After this ^(C1)Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was ^(F1)besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying,

"This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: 'On what are you trusting that you are staying in Jerusalem under siege?

'Is Hezekiah not misleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, "The LORD our God will save us from the ^(F1)hand of the king of Assyria"?

'^(C1)Is it not the same Hezekiah who removed His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and ^(F1)Jerusalem, "You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall ^(F2)burn incense"?

'Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? ^(C1)Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to save their land from my hand?

'^(C1)Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could save his people from my hand, that your God would be able to save you from my hand?

'Now then, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for ^(C1)no god of any nation or kingdom was able to save his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God save you from my hand?'"

His servants spoke further against the LORD God and against His servant Hezekiah.

He also wrote letters to insult the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, "^(C1)As the gods of the nations of the lands ^(F1)have not saved their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not save His people from my hand."

^(C1)They called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city.

They spoke ^(F1)of the God of Jerusalem as they did against ^(C1)the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of human hands.

But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and called out to heaven for help.

And the LORD sent an angel who destroyed every warrior, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned ^(F1)in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with the sword.