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.