Rabshakeh said to them, "Say now to HEZEKIAH, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, "What confidence is this in which you trust?

39. They went to the entrance of Gedor, even to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.

40. They found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceful; for those who lived there before were descended from Ham.

41. These written by name came in the days of HEZEKIAH king of Judah, and struck their tents. The Meunim who were found there, and they destroyed them utterly to this day, and lived in their place; because there was pasture there for their flocks.

42. Some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to Mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.

43. They struck the remnant of the Amalekites who escaped, and have lived there to this day.

1. After these things and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, entered into Judah, and encamped against the fortified cities, and intended to win them for himself.

2. When HEZEKIAH saw that Sennacherib had come, and that he was planning to fight against Jerusalem,

3. he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the springs which were outside of the city, and they helped him.

4. So, many people gathered together and they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the middle of the land, saying, "Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find abundant water?"

5. He took courage, built up all the wall that was broken down, and raised it up to the towers, with the other wall outside, and strengthened Millo in David's city, and made weapons and shields in abundance.

6. He set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the wide place at the gate of the city, and spoke encouragingly to them, saying,

7. "Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid or dismayed because of the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude who is with him; for there is a greater one with us than with him.

8. An arm of flesh is with him, but the LORD our God is with us to help us and to fight our battles." The people rested themselves on the words of HEZEKIAH king of Judah.

9. After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem, (now he was before Lachish, and all his power with him), to HEZEKIAH king of Judah, and to all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying,

10. Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, "In whom do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem?

11. Doesn't HEZEKIAH persuade you, to give you over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, 'The LORD our God will deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?'

12. Hasn't the same HEZEKIAH taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, 'You shall worship before one altar, and you shall burn incense on it?'

13. Don't you know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands in any way able to deliver their land out of my hand?

14. Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of my hand?

15. Now therefore don't let HEZEKIAH deceive you, nor persuade you in this way. Don't believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand?"

16. His servants spoke yet more against the LORD God, and against his servant HEZEKIAH.

17. He also wrote letters insulting The LORD, the God of Israel, and speaking 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."

18. They called out with a loud voice in the Jews' language to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city.

19. They spoke of the God of Jerusalem as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men's hands.

20. HEZEKIAH the king and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, prayed because of this, and cried to heaven.

21. The LORD sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. When he had come into the house of his god, those who came out of his own bowels killed him there with the sword.

22. Thus the LORD saved HEZEKIAH and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.

23. Many brought gifts to the LORD to Jerusalem, and precious things to HEZEKIAH king of Judah; so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from then on.

24. In those days HEZEKIAH was terminally ill, and he prayed to The LORD; and he spoke to him, and gave him a sign.

25. But HEZEKIAH didn't reciprocate appropriate to the benefit done for him, because his heart was lifted up. Therefore there was wrath on him, and on Judah and Jerusalem.

26. Notwithstanding HEZEKIAH humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that The LORD's wrath didn't come on them in the days of HEZEKIAH.

27. HEZEKIAH had exceedingly much riches and honor. He provided himself with treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of valuable vessels;

28. also storehouses for the increase of grain, new wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of animals, and flocks in folds.

29. Moreover he provided for himself cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him abundant posessions.

30. This same HEZEKIAH also stopped the upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and brought them straight down on the west side of David's city. HEZEKIAH prospered in all his works.

31. However concerning the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

32. Now the rest of the acts of HEZEKIAH, and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

33. HEZEKIAH slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the ascent of the tombs of the sons of David. All Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

1. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem.

2. Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

3. The king of Egypt removed him from office at Jerusalem, and fined the land one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

4. The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

5. Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in the LORD his God's sight.

6. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon.

7. Nebuchadnezzar also carried some of the vessels of The LORD's house to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.

8. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah; and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

9. Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in The LORD's sight.

10. At the return of the year, king Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable vessels of The LORD's house, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

11. Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

12. He did that which was evil in the LORD his God's sight. He didn't humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from The LORD's mouth.

13. He also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God; but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning to The LORD, the God of Israel.

14. Moreover all the chiefs of the priests, and the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted The LORD's house which he had made holy in Jerusalem.

15. The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place;

16. but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until The LORD's wrath arose against his people, until there was no remedy.

17. Therefore he brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or gray-headed. He gave them all into his hand.

18. All the vessels of God's house, great and small, and the treasures of The LORD's house, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon.

19. They burned God's house, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all of its valuable vessels.

20. He carried those who had escaped from the sword away to Babylon, and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia,

21. to fulfill The LORD's word by Jeremiah's mouth, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. As long as it lay desolate, it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

22. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that The LORD's word by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

23. "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.'"