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Saturday, August 2nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

2 Chronicles 32:17

Sennacherib continued to send letters insulting the God of Israel: "The gods of the nations were powerless to help their people; the god of Hezekiah is no better, probably worse."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Infidelity;   Self-Exaltation;   Sennacherib;   Siege;   Thompson Chain Reference - Hezekiah;   Impiety;   Letters;   Righteousness-Unrighteousness;  

Dictionaries:

- Easton Bible Dictionary - Sennacherib;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Rail;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Chronicles, I;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Sennacherib ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Hezekiah;   Jerusalem;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Epistle;   Rail;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hezekiah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He also wrote letters to mock the Lord, the God of Israel, saying against him:
Hebrew Names Version
He wrote also letters, to rail on the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall the God of Hizkiyahu not deliver his people out of my hand.
King James Version
He wrote also letters to rail on the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand.
English Standard Version
And he wrote letters to cast contempt on the Lord , the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, "Like the gods of the nations of the lands who have not delivered their people from my hands, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people from my hand."
New Century Version
King Sennacherib also wrote letters insulting the Lord , the God of Israel. They spoke against him, saying, "The gods of the other nations could not save their people from me. In the same way Hezekiah's god won't be able to save his people from me."
New English Translation
He wrote letters mocking the Lord God of Israel and insulting him with these words: "The gods of the surrounding nations could not rescue their people from my power. Neither can Hezekiah's god rescue his people from my power."
Amplified Bible
The Assyrian king also wrote letters insulting and taunting the LORD God of Israel, and speaking against Him, saying, "As the gods of the nations of other lands have not rescued their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not rescue His people from my hand."
New American Standard Bible
He also wrote letters to insult the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, "As the gods of the nations of the lands have not saved their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not save His people from my hand."
World English Bible
He wrote also letters, to rail on Yahweh, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall the God of Hezekiah not deliver his people out of my hand.
Geneva Bible (1587)
He wrote also letters, blaspheming the Lorde 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.
Legacy Standard Bible
He also wrote letters to reproach Yahweh, the God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, "As the gods of the nations of the lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand."
Berean Standard Bible
He also wrote letters mocking the LORD, the God of Israel, and saying against Him: "Just as the gods of the nations did not deliver their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand."
Contemporary English Version
Sennacherib's letter even made fun of the Lord . It said, "The gods of other nations could not save their people from Assyria's army, and neither will the God that Hezekiah worships."
Complete Jewish Bible
He also wrote a letter insulting Adonai the God of Isra'el and speaking against him; it said, "Just as the gods of the nations of the other countries could not rescue their people from me, likewise Hizkiyahu's God will not rescue his people from me."
Darby Translation
And 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.
Easy-to-Read Version
The king of Assyria also wrote letters that insulted the Lord , the God of Israel. This is what the king of Assyria said in those letters: "The gods of the other nations could not stop me from destroying their people. In the same way Hezekiah's god will not be able to stop me from destroying his people."
George Lamsa Translation
And he wrote letters to revile the LORD God of Israel, and to speak to the people of Israel, saying, As the gods of the nations of these lands were unable to deliver their cities out of my hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah be able to deliver his city out of my hand.
Good News Translation
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."
Lexham English Bible
And he wrote letters to treat Yahweh the God of Israel with contempt and spoke against him, saying, "As the gods of the nations of the earth who did not save their people from my hand, so likewise the God of Hezekiah will not save his people from my hand."
Literal Translation
And he had written letters to blaspheme Jehovah, the God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah shall not deliver His peoplefrom my hand.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he wrote a letter to blaspheme the LORDE God of Israel, and spake of him, and sayde: Like as the goddes of the Heythen in their londes haue not bene able to delyuer their people from my hande, euen so shal not the God of Ezechias delyuer his people fro my hande.
American Standard Version
He wrote also letters, to rail on Jehovah, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of my hand.
Bible in Basic English
And he sent letters, in addition, to put shame on the Lord, the God of Israel, and to say evil against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not been able to keep their people safe from my hands, no more will the God of Hezekiah keep his people safe from my hands.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Sennacherib also wrote a letter to rayle on the Lord God of Israel, and spake against him, saying: As the gods of the nations of [other] landes haue not ben able to deliuer their people out of my hande: euen so shal not the God of Hezekia deliuer his people out of my hande.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
He wrote also a letter, to taunt the LORD, the God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying: 'As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver His people out of my hand.'
King James Version (1611)
Hee wrote also letters to raile on the Lord God of Israel, & to speake against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands haue not deliuered their people out of mine hand: so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliuer his people out of mine hand.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he wrote a letter to reproach the Lord God of Israel, and spoke concerning him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the earth have not delivered their people out of my hand, so the God of Ezekias shall by no means deliver his people out of my hand.
English Revised Version
He wrote also letters, to rail on the LORD, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands which have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Also he wroot epistlis ful of blasfemye ayens the Lord God of Israel, and he spak ayens God, As the goddis of othere folkis myyten not delyuere her puple fro myn hond, so and the God of Ezechie may not delyuere his puple fro myn hond.
Update Bible Version
He also wrote letters, to rail on Yahweh, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall the God of Hezekiah not deliver his people out of my hand.
Webster's Bible Translation
He wrote also letters to rail at the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of [other] lands have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of my hand.
New King James Version
He also wrote letters to revile the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, "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 hand."
New Living Translation
The king also sent letters scorning the Lord , the God of Israel. He wrote, "Just as the gods of all the other nations failed to rescue their people from my power, so the God of Hezekiah will also fail."
New Life Bible
The Assyrian king also wrote letters to say things against the Lord God of Israel, saying, "As the gods of the other nations of the lands have not saved their people from me, so the God of Hezekiah will not save His people from me."
New Revised Standard
He also wrote letters to throw contempt on the Lord the God of Israel and to speak against him, saying, "Just as the gods of the nations in other lands did not rescue their people from my hands, so the God of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Letters, also wrote he, to scoff at Yahweh God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, Like the gods of the nations of the countries, who delivered not their people out of my hand, so, shall the god of Hezekiah not deliver his people out of my hand.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He wrote also letters to rail on the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Ezechias deliver his people out of mine hand.
Revised Standard Version
And he wrote letters to cast contempt on the LORD the God of Israel and to speak against him, saying, "Like the gods of the nations of the lands who have not delivered their people from my hands, so the God of Hezeki'ah will not deliver his people from my hand."
Young's Literal Translation
and letters he hath written to give reproach to Jehovah, God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, `As the gods of the nations of the lands that have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah doth not deliver His people from my hand.'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He also wrote letters to insult the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, "As the gods of the nations of the lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand."

Contextual Overview

9Later on, Sennacherib, who had set up camp a few miles away at Lachish, sent messengers to Jerusalem, addressing Judah through Hezekiah: "A proclamation of Sennacherib king of Assyria: You poor people—do you think you're safe in that so-called fortress of Jerusalem? You're sitting ducks. Do you think Hezekiah will save you? Don't be stupid—Hezekiah has fed you a pack of lies. When he says, ‘ God will save us from the power of the king of Assyria,' he's lying—you're all going to end up dead. Wasn't it Hezekiah who cleared out all the neighborhood worship shrines and told you, ‘There is only one legitimate place to worship'? Do you have any idea what I and my ancestors have done to all the countries around here? Has there been a single god anywhere strong enough to stand up against me? Can you name one god among all the nations that either I or my ancestors have ravaged that so much as lifted a finger against me? So what makes you think you'll make out any better with your god? Don't let Hezekiah fool you; don't let him get by with his barefaced lies; don't trust him. No god of any country or kingdom ever has been one bit of help against me or my ancestors—what kind of odds does that give your god?" 16 The messengers felt free to throw in their personal comments, putting down both God and God's servant Hezekiah. 17 Sennacherib continued to send letters insulting the God of Israel: "The gods of the nations were powerless to help their people; the god of Hezekiah is no better, probably worse." 18The messengers would come up to the wall of Jerusalem and shout up to the people standing on the wall, shouting their propaganda in Hebrew, trying to scare them into demoralized submission. They contemptuously lumped the God of Jerusalem in with the handmade gods of other peoples. 20King Hezekiah, joined by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, responded by praying, calling up to heaven. God answered by sending an angel who wiped out everyone in the Assyrian camp, both warriors and officers. Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace, tail between his legs. When he went into the temple of his god, his own sons killed him. 22 God saved Hezekiah and the citizens of Jerusalem from Sennacherib king of Assyria and everyone else. And he continued to take good care of them. People streamed into Jerusalem bringing offerings for the worship of God and expensive presents to Hezekiah king of Judah. All the surrounding nations were impressed—Hezekiah's stock soared.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

He wrote: 2 Kings 19:9, 2 Kings 19:14, Nehemiah 6:5, Isaiah 37:14

to rail: 2 Kings 19:22, 2 Kings 19:28, Isaiah 10:15, Isaiah 37:23, Isaiah 37:24, Isaiah 37:28, Isaiah 37:29, Revelation 13:6

As the gods: 2 Kings 19:12

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 21:8 - she wrote 2 Kings 19:23 - messengers Jeremiah 29:25 - Because

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He wrote also letters to rail on the Lord God of Israel,.... See 2 Kings 19:9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The author of Chronicles compresses into 13 verses the history which occupies in Kings a chapter and a half (2 Kings 18:17-19; where see the notes).

2 Chronicles 32:10

In the siege - Perhaps “in straitness” (compare Jeremiah 19:9). Jerusalem is thought by some to have been not so much besieged at this time, as distressed and straitened for supplies, because the Assyrians were masters of the open country.

2 Chronicles 32:13

fathers - i. e. “predecessors.” Sennacherib really belonged to a dynasty that had only furnished one king before himself.

2 Chronicles 32:22

Guided them ... - A slight alteration of the existing text gives the sense - “gave them rest round about;” a common expression in Chronicles 2 Chronicles 15:15; 2 Chronicles 20:30.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 32:17. Wrote also letters — See 2 Kings 19:9; 2 Kings 19:14.


 
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