¹³ Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.

²⁰ Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children.^(A) In regard to evil be infants,^(B) but in your thinking be adults.

¹⁷ who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon^(A) in the other, ¹⁸ and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet^(B) stayed with me.

¹¹ Put on the full armor of God,^(A) so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,^(B) but against the rulers, against the authorities,^(C) against the powers^(D) of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.^{(E) 13} Therefore put on the full armor of God,^(F) so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,^(G) with the breastplate of righteousness in place,^{(H) 15} and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.^{(I) 16} In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,^(J) with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.^{(K) 17} Take the helmet of salvation^(L) and the sword of the Spirit,^(M) which is the word of God.^(N)

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit^(O) on all occasions^(P) with all kinds of prayers and requests.^(Q) With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying^(R) for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me,^(S) that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly^(T) make known the mystery^(U) of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador^(V) in chains.^(W) Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

¹⁶ “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.^(A) Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.^(B)

² When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem,^{(A) 3} he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. ⁴ They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs^(B) and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings^[a] of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said. ⁵ Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall^(C) and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the terraces^[b](D) of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons^(E) and shields.

⁶ He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: ⁷ “Be strong and courageous.^(F) Do not be afraid or discouraged^(G) because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.^{(H) 8} With him is only the arm of flesh,^(I) but with us^(J) is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.”^(K) And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

¹³ He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift^(A) for his brother Esau: ¹⁴ two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,^{(B) 15} thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.^{(C) 16} He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.”^(D)

¹⁷ He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ ¹⁸ then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant^(E) Jacob. They are a gift^(F) sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’”

¹⁹ He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ²⁰ And be sure to say, ‘Your servant^(G) Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts^(H) I am sending on ahead;^(I) later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.”^(J)