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2 Chronicles 32
New English Translation

Sennacherib Invades Judah

32 After these faithful deeds were accomplished, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah. He besieged the fortified cities, intending to seize them.[a] 2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had invaded and intended to attack Jerusalem,[b] 3 he consulted with his advisers and military officers about stopping up the springs[c] outside the city, and they supported him. 4 A large number of people gathered together and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the district.[d] They reasoned,[e] “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” 5 Hezekiah[f] energetically rebuilt[g] every broken wall. He erected towers and an outer wall[h] and fortified the terrace of the City of David.[i] He made many weapons and shields.

6 He appointed military officers over the army[j] and assembled them in the square at the city gate. He encouraged them,[k] saying, 7 “Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic[l] because of the king of Assyria and this huge army that is with him. We have with us one who is stronger than those who are with him.[m] 8 He has with him mere human strength,[n] but the Lord our God is with us to help us and fight our battles!” The army[o] was encouraged by the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.

9 Afterward King Sennacherib of Assyria, while attacking Lachish with all his military might, sent his messengers[p] to Jerusalem. The message was for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of[q] Judah who were in Jerusalem. It read: 10 “This is what King Sennacherib of Assyria says: ‘Why are you so confident that you remain in Jerusalem while it is under siege?[r] 11 Hezekiah says, “The Lord our God will rescue us from the power[s] of the king of Assyria.” But he is misleading you, and you will die of hunger and thirst![t] 12 Hezekiah is the one who eliminated[u] the Lord’s[v] high places and altars and then told Judah and Jerusalem, “At one altar you must worship and offer sacrifices.” 13 Are you not aware of what I and my predecessors[w] have done to all the nations of the surrounding lands? Have the gods of the surrounding lands actually been able to rescue their lands from my power?[x] 14 Who among all the gods of these nations whom my predecessors annihilated was able to rescue his people from my power, that your God would be able to rescue you from my power?[y] 15 Now don’t let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this. Don’t believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people from my power or the power of my predecessors. So how[z] can your gods rescue[aa] you from my power?’”

16 Sennacherib’s[ab] servants further insulted[ac] the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah. 17 He wrote letters mocking the Lord God of Israel and insulting him with these words:[ad] “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.”[ae] 18 They called out loudly in the Judahite dialect to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, trying to scare and terrify them so they could seize the city. 19 They talked about the God of Jerusalem as if he were one of the man-made gods of the nations of the earth.

20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heaven. 21 The Lord sent a messenger[af] and he wiped out all the soldiers, princes, and officers in the army of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib[ag] returned home humiliated.[ah] When he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons[ai] struck him down with the sword. 22 The Lord delivered Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem from the power of King Sennacherib of Assyria and from all the other nations.[aj] He made them secure on every side.[ak] 23 Many were bringing presents[al] to the Lord in Jerusalem and precious gifts to King Hezekiah of Judah. From that time on he was respected by[am] all the nations.

Hezekiah’s Shortcomings and Accomplishments

24 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness.[an] He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a sign confirming that he would be healed.[ao] 25 But Hezekiah was ungrateful; he had a proud attitude, provoking God to be angry at him, as well as Judah and Jerusalem.[ap] 26 But then Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem humbled themselves and abandoned their pride, and the Lord was not angry with them for the rest of Hezekiah’s reign.[aq]

27 Hezekiah was very wealthy and greatly respected. He made storehouses for his silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all his other valuable possessions. 28 He made storerooms for the harvest of grain, wine, and olive oil, and stalls for all his various kinds of livestock and his flocks.[ar] 29 He built royal cities[as] and owned a large number of sheep and cattle, for God gave him a huge amount of possessions.

30 Hezekiah dammed up the source of the waters of the Upper Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the City of David.[at] Hezekiah succeeded in all that he did. 31 So when the envoys arrived from the Babylonian officials to visit him and inquire about the sign that occurred in the land,[au] God left him alone to test him, in order to know his true motives.[av]

32 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign, including his faithful deeds, are recorded in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, included in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.[aw] 33 Hezekiah passed away[ax] and was buried on the ascent of the tombs of the descendants of David. All the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem buried him with great honor.[ay] His son Manasseh replaced him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 32:1 tn Heb “and he said to break into them for himself.”
  2. 2 Chronicles 32:2 tn Heb “and his face was for war against Jerusalem.”
  3. 2 Chronicles 32:3 tn Heb “the waters of the springs.”
  4. 2 Chronicles 32:4 tn Heb “and they closed up all the springs and the stream that flows in the midst of the land.” Here אָרֶץ (ʾarets, “land”) does not refer to the entire land, but to a smaller region like a district.
  5. 2 Chronicles 32:4 tn Heb “land, saying.”
  6. 2 Chronicles 32:5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hezekiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  7. 2 Chronicles 32:5 tn Heb “strengthened himself and built.”
  8. 2 Chronicles 32:5 tn Heb “and outside the wall another one.”
  9. 2 Chronicles 32:5 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  10. 2 Chronicles 32:6 tn Heb “and he placed officers of war over the people.”
  11. 2 Chronicles 32:6 tn Heb “he spoke to their heart[s].”
  12. 2 Chronicles 32:7 tn Or perhaps, “and don’t be discouraged.”
  13. 2 Chronicles 32:7 tn Heb “for with us [is] a greater [one] than with him.”
  14. 2 Chronicles 32:8 tn Heb “With him is an arm of flesh.”
  15. 2 Chronicles 32:8 tn Or “people.”
  16. 2 Chronicles 32:9 tn Heb “servants.”
  17. 2 Chronicles 32:9 tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” here by metonymy for the people of Judah.
  18. 2 Chronicles 32:10 tn Heb “On what are you trusting that [you] are living during the siege in Jerusalem.”
  19. 2 Chronicles 32:11 tn Heb “hand.”
  20. 2 Chronicles 32:11 tn Heb “Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to die by hunger and thirst, saying, ‘The Lord our God will rescue us from the hand of the king of Assyria’?’
  21. 2 Chronicles 32:12 tn Heb “Did not he, Hezekiah, eliminate…?” This rhetorical question presupposes a positive reply (“yes, he did”) and so has been translated here as a positive statement.
  22. 2 Chronicles 32:12 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  23. 2 Chronicles 32:13 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 14, 15), but in this context the term does not necessarily refer to Sennacherib’s ancestors, but to his predecessors on the Assyrian throne.
  24. 2 Chronicles 32:13 tn Heb “hand.”
  25. 2 Chronicles 32:14 tn Heb “hand.”
  26. 2 Chronicles 32:15 tn Heb “how much less.”
  27. 2 Chronicles 32:15 tn The verb is plural, suggesting that the preceding אֱלֹהֵיכֶם (ʾelohekhem) be translated “your gods,” rather than “your God.”
  28. 2 Chronicles 32:16 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Sennacherib) has been specified in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  29. 2 Chronicles 32:16 tn Heb “spoke against.”
  30. 2 Chronicles 32:17 tn Heb “and speaking against him, saying.”
  31. 2 Chronicles 32:17 tn Heb “Like the gods of the nations of the lands who did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.”
  32. 2 Chronicles 32:21 tn Or “an angel.”
  33. 2 Chronicles 32:21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sennacherib) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  34. 2 Chronicles 32:21 tn Heb “and he returned with shame of face to his land.”
  35. 2 Chronicles 32:21 tn Heb “and some from those who went out from him, from his inward parts.”
  36. 2 Chronicles 32:22 tn Heb “and from the hand of all.”
  37. 2 Chronicles 32:22 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and he led him from all around.” However, the present translation prefers the Septuagint and Vulgate reading, which suggests an original text of וַיָּנַח לָהֶם מִסָּבִיב (vayyanakh lahem missaviv, “and he gave rest to them from all around”). See 2 Chr 15:15 and 20:30.
  38. 2 Chronicles 32:23 tn Or perhaps, “offerings.”
  39. 2 Chronicles 32:23 tn Heb “lifted up in the eyes of.”
  40. 2 Chronicles 32:24 tn Heb “was sick to the point of dying.”
  41. 2 Chronicles 32:24 tn Heb “and he spoke to him and a sign he gave to him.”
  42. 2 Chronicles 32:25 tn Heb “but not according to the benefit [given] to him did Hezekiah repay, for his heart was high, and there was anger against him and against Judah and Jerusalem.”
  43. 2 Chronicles 32:26 tn Heb “and Hezekiah humbled himself in the height of his heart, he and the residents of Jerusalem, and the anger of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.”
  44. 2 Chronicles 32:28 tn Heb “and stalls for all beasts and beasts, and flocks for the stalls.” The repetition of בְּהֵמָה (behemah, “beast”) here indicates various kinds of livestock.
  45. 2 Chronicles 32:29 tn Heb “and cities he made for himself.”
  46. 2 Chronicles 32:30 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  47. 2 Chronicles 32:31 tn Heb “and when the envoys of the officials of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire concerning the sign which was in the land, [arrived].”
  48. 2 Chronicles 32:31 tn Heb “to know all [that was] in his heart.”
  49. 2 Chronicles 32:32 tn Heb “and the rest of the deeds of Hezekiah and his faithful acts, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet upon the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel.”
  50. 2 Chronicles 32:33 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
  51. 2 Chronicles 32:33 tn Heb “and honor they did to him in his death, all Judah and the residents of Jerusalem.”
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2 Chronicles 32
Christian Standard Bible

Sennacherib’s Invasion

32 After Hezekiah’s faithful deeds, King Sennacherib of Assyria came and entered Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities and intended[a] to break into them.(A) 2 Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he planned[b] war on Jerusalem, 3 so he consulted with his officials and his warriors about stopping up the water of the springs that were outside the city, and they helped him. 4 Many people gathered and stopped up all the springs(B) and the stream that flowed through the land;(C) they said, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?” 5 Then Hezekiah strengthened his position by rebuilding the entire broken-down wall(D) and heightening the towers and the other outside wall.(E) He repaired the supporting terraces(F) of the city of David, and made an abundance of weapons and shields.

6 He set military commanders over the people and gathered the people in the square of the city gate. Then he encouraged them,[c](G) saying, 7 “Be strong and courageous!(H) Don’t be afraid or discouraged before the king of Assyria or before the large army that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.(I) 8 He has only human strength,[d] but we have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.”(J) So the people relied on the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.

Sennacherib’s Servant’s Speech

9 After this,(K) while King Sennacherib of Assyria with all his armed forces besieged[e] Lachish, he sent his servants to Jerusalem against King Hezekiah of Judah and against all those of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10 “This is what King Sennacherib of Assyria says: ‘What are you relying on that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? 11 Isn’t Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to death by famine and thirst when he says, “The Lord our God will keep us from the grasp of the king of Assyria”? 12 Didn’t Hezekiah himself remove his high places and his altars(L) and say to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before one altar, and you must burn incense on it”?

13 “‘Don’t you know(M) what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of the lands? Have any of the national gods of the lands been able to rescue their land from my power? 14 Who among all the gods of these nations that my predecessors completely destroyed was able to rescue his people from my power, that your God should be able to deliver you from my power?(N) 15 So now,(O) don’t let Hezekiah deceive you, and don’t let him mislead you like this. Don’t believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people from my power or the power of my predecessors. How much less will your God rescue you from my power!’”

16 His servants said more against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. 17 He also wrote letters to mock the Lord, the God of Israel, saying against him:

Just like the national gods of the lands that did not rescue their people from my power, so Hezekiah’s God will not rescue his people from my power.(P)

18 Then they called out loudly in Hebrew[f] to the people of Jerusalem, who were on the wall, to frighten and discourage them in order that he might capture the city. 19 They spoke against the God of Jerusalem like they had spoken against the gods of the peoples of the earth, which were made by human hands.

Deliverance from Sennacherib

20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heaven,(Q) 21 and the Lord sent an angel who annihilated every valiant warrior, leader, and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned in disgrace to his land. He went to the temple of his god, and there some of his own children struck him down with the sword.(R)

22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the power of King Sennacherib of Assyria and from the power of all others. He gave them rest[g](S) on every side. 23 Many were bringing an offering to the Lord to Jerusalem and valuable gifts to King Hezekiah of Judah, and he was exalted in the eyes of all the nations after that.(T)

Hezekiah’s Illness and Pride

24 In those days Hezekiah became sick to the point of death, so he prayed to the Lord, who spoke to him and gave him a miraculous sign.(U) 25 However, because his heart was proud,(V) Hezekiah didn’t respond according to the benefit that had come to him. So there was wrath on him, Judah, and Jerusalem.(W) 26 Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart—he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—so the Lord’s wrath didn’t come(X) on them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.(Y)

Hezekiah’s Wealth and Works

27 Hezekiah had abundant riches and glory, and he made himself treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and every desirable item. 28 He made warehouses for the harvest of grain, new wine, and fresh oil, and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and pens for flocks. 29 He made cities for himself, and he acquired vast numbers of flocks and herds, for God gave him abundant possessions.

30 This same Hezekiah blocked the upper outlet of the water from the Gihon Spring(Z) and channeled it smoothly downward and westward to the city of David.(AA) Hezekiah succeeded in everything he did. 31 When the ambassadors of Babylon’s rulers(AB) were sent[h] to him to inquire about the miraculous sign(AC) that happened in the land, God left him to test him and discover what was in his heart.(AD)

Hezekiah’s Death

32 As for the rest of the events(AE) of Hezekiah’s reign and his deeds of faithful love, note that they are written in the Visions of the Prophet Isaiah son of Amoz,(AF) and in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.(AG) 33 Hezekiah rested with his ancestors and was buried on the ascent to the tombs of David’s descendants. All Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem paid him honor at his death. His son Manasseh became king in his place.

Footnotes

  1. 32:1 Lit said to himself
  2. 32:2 Lit that his face was for
  3. 32:6 Lit he spoke to their hearts
  4. 32:8 Lit With him an arm of flesh
  5. 32:9 Lit with his dominion was against
  6. 32:18 Lit Judahite
  7. 32:22 Lit He led them; Ps 23:2
  8. 32:31 LXX, Tg, Vg; MT reads of Babylon sent
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