Hezekiah's Defense Against Sennacherib and Divine Deliverance
2 Chronicles 32:1-23
1After these words and this truth, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah. He camped against the fortified cities and said to break them open before him.2When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that his face was for battle against Jerusalem,3he consulted with his officials and his mighty men about stopping the water of the springs that were outside the city, and they helped him.4A great many people gathered, and they stopped all the springs and the torrent that overflowed in the midst of the land, saying, "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?"5He strengthened himself and rebuilt all the broken section of the wall, and raised towers upon it, and built another wall outside, and strengthened the Millo in the city of David, and made missiles in abundance and shields.6He appointed battle commanders over the people, and gathered them to him at the street of the city gate, and spoke to their heart, saying,7Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be dismayed before the king of Assyria or before all the multitude that is with him, for more are with us than with him.8With him is an arm of flesh, but 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.9After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem, while he himself was at Lachish and all his dominion was with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all Judah that was in Jerusalem, saying,10Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: On what are you trusting and dwelling in siege in Jerusalem?11Is it not Hezekiah who incites you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst when he says, The LORD our God will rescue us from the hand of the king of Assyria?12Is it not he, Hezekiah, who removed his high places and his altars and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, saying, Before one altar you shall bow down and upon it you shall burn offerings?13Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands able to rescue their land from my hand?14Who among all the gods of these nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to rescue his people from my hand, that your God should be able to rescue you from my hand?15Now therefore do not let Hezekiah deceive you or incite you like this, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God rescue you from my hand.16Moreover his servants spoke against the LORD God and against Hezekiah his servant.17He also wrote documents to taunt the LORD God of Israel and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands have not rescued their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.18They cried out with a loud voice in Judahite to the people of Jerusalem who were upon the wall, to frighten them and to dismay them, so that they might capture the city.19They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as about the gods of the peoples of the land, the work of the hands of man.20Then King Hezekiah and Isaiah the son of Amoz the prophet prayed about this and cried out to heaven.21The LORD sent an angel who destroyed every mighty man of valor and leader and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land, and he entered the house of his god, and there some of his own offspring fell by the sword.22Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.23And many brought an offering to the LORD to Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was lifted up in the eyes of all the nations from that time onward.