Beginning

32 ¶ After these things and after this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities and thought to break them up.

² And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem,

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

⁴ So many people gathered together, and they stopped up all the fountains and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?

⁵ Also he strengthened himself and built up all the wall that was broken and caused the towers to be raised up, and another wall outside, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made swords and shields in abundance.

⁶ And he set captains of war over the people and gathered them together to him in the plaza of the gate of the city and spoke unto their heart, saying,

⁷ Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria nor for all the multitude that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.

⁸ With 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 were upheld by the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

⁹ ¶ After this Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent his slaves to Jerusalem (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying,

¹⁰ Thus hath said Sennacherib, king of Assyria, In whom do ye trust that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem?

¹¹ Does not Hezekiah deceive you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The LORD our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

¹² Has not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar and burn incense upon it?

¹³ Have ye not known what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? Could peradventure the gods of the Gentiles of those lands deliver their lands out of my hand?

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

¹⁵ Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you nor persuade you in this matter neither believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hands and out of the hands of my fathers; how much less shall your God deliver you out of my hand?

¹⁶ And his slaves spoke yet more against the LORD God and against his slave Hezekiah.

¹⁷ In addition to this, he wrote letters that blasphemed the LORD God of Israel and spoke against him, saying, As the gods of the Gentiles of other lands could not deliver their people out of my hand, neither shall the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of my hand.

¹⁸ Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to make them afraid and to trouble them, that they might take the city.

¹⁹ And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem as against the gods of the peoples of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man.

²⁰ And for this cause Hezekiah, the king, and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.

²¹ And the LORD sent an angel who cut off all the mighty men of valour and the captains and the princes in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And as he entered into the house of his god, those that had come forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.

²² Thus, the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hands of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and from the hands of all others and guided them concerning everything.

²³ And many brought a present unto the LORD to Jerusalem and precious gifts unto Hezekiah, king of Judah, so that he was magnified in the sight of all the Gentiles from then on.

²⁴ ¶ In those days Hezekiah was sick unto the death and prayed to the LORD, who responded to him and gave him a sign.

²⁵ But Hezekiah did not render again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart lifted itself up; therefore there was wrath against him and against Judah and Jerusalem.

²⁶ Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

²⁷ And Hezekiah had exceedingly great riches and honour, and he made himself treasures of silver and of gold and of precious stones and of spices and of shields and of all manner of pleasant vessels,

²⁸ storehouses also for the increase of grain and wine and oil and stalls for all manner of beasts and places for cattle.

²⁹ Moreover, he made himself cities and possessions of sheep and cows in abundance, for God had given him great substance.

³⁰ This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah was prospered in all that he did.

³¹ However, because of the ambassadors {Heb. scorners} of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that had happened 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 mercy, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

³³ And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh, his son, reigned in his stead.

33 ¶ Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

² And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the Gentiles, whom the LORD had cast out before the sons of Israel.

³ For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah, his father, had broken down, and he raised up altars for the Baalim and made groves and worshipped all the host of the heavens and served them.

⁴ He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.

⁵ He likewise built altars for all the host of the heavens in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

⁶ And he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the valley of the sons of Hinnom; he also observed times, used enchantments, and was given over to witchcraft, consulting with spiritists and with diviners; he multiplied in doing much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

⁷ In addition to this, he set a graven image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen over all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name for ever;

⁸ neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I have appointed for your fathers under the condition that they take, keep, and do all that I have commanded them, the whole law, the statutes and the rights by the hand of Moses.

⁹ So Manasseh deceived Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to do more evil than the Gentiles, whom the LORD had destroyed before the sons of Israel.

¹⁰ And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they would not hearken.

¹¹ ¶ Therefore, the LORD brought upon them the princes of the host of the king of Assyria who took Manasseh and bound him with fetters of brass and carried him to Babylon.

¹² And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,

¹³ and when he prayed unto him, he was heard; for he heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

¹⁴ Now after this he built the wall outside the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, and at the entrance of the fish gate, and fenced Ophel and raised it up to a very great height and put captains of the army in all the fenced cities of Judah.

¹⁵ Likewise, he took away the strange gods and the idol out of the house of the LORD and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem and cast them out of the city.

¹⁶ And he repaired the altar of the LORD and sacrificed upon it sacrifices of peace and of praise and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.

¹⁷ Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed in the high places, yet unto the LORD their God only.

¹⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God and the words of the seers that spoke to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are written in the acts of the kings of Israel.

¹⁹ His prayer also and how he was heard, and all his sins, and his trespass, and the places upon which he built high places, and set up groves and graven images, before he humbled himself; behold, these things are written among the words of the seers.

²⁰ So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house; and Amon, his son, reigned in his stead.

²¹ ¶ Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign and reigned two years in Jerusalem.

²² But he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as Manasseh his father had done, for Amon sacrificed unto all the graven images which Manasseh, his father, had made, and served them.

²³ But he never humbled himself before the LORD as Manasseh, his father, humbled himself; to the contrary Amon multiplied the guilt.

²⁴ And his slaves conspired against him and slew him in his own house.

²⁵ But the people of the land slew all those that had conspired against King Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah, his son, king in his stead.

34 ¶ Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.

² And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD and walked in the ways of David, his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

³ For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David, his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places and the groves and the graven images and the molten images.

⁴ And they broke down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the images of the sun, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves and the graven images and the molten images, he broke in pieces and made dust of them and scattered it upon the graves of those that had sacrificed unto them.

⁵ And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

⁶ He did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their swords round about.

⁷ And when he had broken down the altars and the groves and had beaten the graven images into powder and cut down all the idols of the sun throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

⁸ ¶ Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah, the son of Joahaz, the writer of chronicles, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

⁹ And they went to Hilkiah, the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim and of all the remnant of Israel and of all Judah and Benjamin, having then returned to Jerusalem.

¹⁰ And they put it in the hand of those that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and restore the house.

¹¹ They also gave to the craftsmen and builders, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and for the woodwork of the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.

¹² And the men did the work faithfully, and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of Kohath, to set it forward; and others of the Levites, all those with understanding in instruments of music.

¹³ Also they were over the bearers of burdens and were overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service; and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.

¹⁴ ¶ And when they brought out the money that had been brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah, the priest, found the book of the law of the LORD given by the hand of Moses.

¹⁵ And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan, the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.

¹⁶ And Shaphan carried the book to the king and brought the king word back again, saying, Thy slaves have fulfilled all that was committed unto them to do.

¹⁷ And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD and have delivered it into the hand of those who were commissioned and to the hand of the workmen.

¹⁸ Then Shaphan, the scribe, told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest, has given me a book. And Shaphan read in it before the king.

¹⁹ And when the king heard the words of the law, he rent his clothes.

²⁰ And the king commanded Hilkiah and Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Abdon, the son of Micah, and Shaphan, the scribe, and Asaiah, a slave of the king’s, saying,

²¹ Go, enquire of the LORD for me and for the remnant of Israel and of Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found, for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do according to all the things that are written in this book.

²² Then Hilkiah and those of the king went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the house of doctrine); and they spoke to her to that effect.

²³ And she answered them, The LORD God of Israel hath said thus, Tell the man that sent you to me,

²⁴ that thus hath the LORD said, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah

²⁵ because they have forsaken me and have sacrificed unto other gods, provoking me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore, my wrath shall be poured out upon this place and shall not be quenched.

²⁶ But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus hath the LORD God of Israel said, Because thou hast heard the words of the book,

²⁷ and thy heart became tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, hearing his words against this place and against its inhabitants and didst humble thyself before me and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me, I also have heard thee, saith the LORD.

²⁸ Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace; neither shall thy eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.

²⁹ ¶ Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

³⁰ And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites and all the people, great and small; and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.

³¹ And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and that they would keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and with all their soul to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.

³² And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

³³ And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the lands that pertained to the sons of Israel and made all that were present in Israel serve the LORD their God only. And all his days they did not depart from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.