Beginning

Assyria Attacks Judah^(A)

32 After Hezekiah ·did all these things to serve the Lord [accomplished these faithful acts], Sennacherib king of Assyria ·came and attacked [invaded] Judah. He and his army ·surrounded and attacked [besieged] the ·strong, walled [fortified] cities, ·hoping [intending] to take them for himself. ² Hezekiah ·knew [realized] that Sennacherib had come to Jerusalem to attack it. ³ So Hezekiah and his ·officers [officials] and army ·commanders [officers] decided to ·cut off [stop the flow of] the water from the springs outside the city. So they helped Hezekiah. ⁴ Many people ·came [gathered] and ·cut off [stopped up] all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. They said, “Why should the king of Assyria come and find ·plenty of [abundant] water?” ⁵ Then Hezekiah ·made Jerusalem stronger. He […took courage/or worked hard/^Lstrengthened himself and] rebuilt all the broken parts of the wall and ·put [erected; raised] towers on it. He also built another wall outside the first one and strengthened the ·area that was filled in on the east side [^LMillo; ^Cpossibly fortified terraces] of the City of David [^CJerusalem]. He also made many weapons and shields.

⁶ Hezekiah ·put [appointed] army ·commanders [officers] over the ·people [or army] and met with them ·at the open place near [in the square at] the city gate. Hezekiah encouraged them, saying, ⁷ “Be strong and ·brave [courageous]. Don’t be afraid or ·worried [panic] because of the king of Assyria or ·his large army [all his horde]. There is a greater ·power [one] with us than with him. ⁸ He only has ·men [human strength; ^Lan arm of flesh], but we have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” The people were encouraged by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

⁹ After this King Sennacherib of Assyria and all his army ·surrounded and attacked [besieged] Lachish. Then he sent his ·officers [officials; servants] to Jerusalem with this message for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah in Jerusalem:

¹⁶ Sennacherib’s ·officers [officials] ·said worse things against [further insulted/mocked] the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ King Sennacherib also wrote letters ·insulting [mocking] the Lord, the God of Israel. They spoke against him, saying, “The gods of the other nations could not ·save [rescue; ^Tdeliver] their people from me. In the same way Hezekiah’s ·god [God] won’t be able to ·save [rescue; ^Tdeliver] his people from me.” ¹⁸ Then the king’s ·officers [officials] shouted in ·Hebrew [^Lthe language of Judah], calling out to the people of Jerusalem who were on the city wall. The ·officers [officials] wanted to ·scare [frighten and terrify] the people so they could capture Jerusalem. ¹⁹ They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as though he were like the gods the people of the ·world [earth] worshiped, which are made by human hands.

God Rescues Judah^(B)

²⁰ King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz ·prayed [cried out to] to heaven about this. ²¹ Then the Lord sent an angel who ·killed [destroyed; annihilated] all the soldiers, ·leaders [commanders], and officers in the ·camp [army] of the king of Assyria. So the king went back to his own country in ·disgrace [shame; humiliation]. When he went into the ·temple [^Lhouse] of his god, some of his own ·sons [children] killed him with a sword.

²² So the Lord ·saved [rescued; ^Tdelivered] Hezekiah and the people in Jerusalem from [^Lthe hand of] Sennacherib king of Assyria and from all other people. He ·took care of [guided; or gave rest to] them on every side. ²³ Many people brought ·gifts [offerings] for the Lord to Jerusalem, and they also brought ·valuable gifts [precious things] to King Hezekiah of Judah. From then on all the nations ·respected [looked up to; exalted] Hezekiah.

Hezekiah Dies^(C)

²⁴ At that time Hezekiah became so sick he almost died. When he prayed to the Lord, the Lord spoke to him and gave him a ·sign [miraculous sign; ^CGod gave him a sign that he would live for another fifteen years; Is. 38:1–8]. ²⁵ But Hezekiah ·did not thank God for his kindness [did not respond to/was not grateful for the kindness shown him], because he was so proud. So ·the Lord was angry with [^Lwrath came upon] him and the people of Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶ ·But later [Then] Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem ·were sorry and stopped being proud [humbled themselves], so ·the Lord did not punish [^Lthe wrath of the Lord did not come on] them while Hezekiah was alive.

²⁷ Hezekiah had ·many riches [great wealth] and much honor. He made treasuries for his silver, gold, ·gems [precious stones], spices, shields, and other valuable things. ²⁸ He built ·storage buildings [storehouses] for grain, new wine, and olive oil and stalls for all the cattle and pens for the sheep. ²⁹ He also built many towns. He had ·many [vast] flocks and herds, because God had given Hezekiah much wealth.

³⁰ It was Hezekiah who ·cut off [blocked; stopped; dammed] the upper pool of the Gihon spring and ·made those waters flow [channeled/directed the water] straight down to the west side of the City of David [^CJerusalem]. And Hezekiah ·was successful [prospered] in everything he did. ³¹ But one time the ·leaders [officials] of Babylon sent messengers to Hezekiah, asking him about a ·strange [miraculous] sign that had happened in the land [2 Kin. 20:12–19; Is. 39:1–8]. When they came, God left Hezekiah ·alone [to himself] to test him so he could know everything that was in Hezekiah’s heart.

Hezekiah Dies^(D)

³² Hezekiah’s ·love for God [acts of devotion] and the ·other things [rest of the events/acts] he did as king are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. This is in the ·book [scroll] of the kings of Judah and Israel. ³³ Hezekiah ·died [^Llay down/^Tslept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried on a hill, where the ·graves [tombs] of David’s ·ancestors [descendants] are. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem honored Hezekiah when he died, and his son Manasseh became king in his place.

Manasseh King of Judah^(E)

33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he ·was king [reigned] for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. ² He did ·what the Lord said was wrong [^Levil in the Lord’s sight/eyes]. He did the ·hateful [detestable; abominable] things the nations had done—the nations that the Lord had ·forced [driven] out of the land ahead of the Israelites. ³ Manasseh’s father, Hezekiah, had torn down ·places where gods were worshiped [^Lthe high places; 11:15], but Manasseh rebuilt them. He also built altars for the Baal gods, and he made Asherah ·idols [poles; 14:3] and worshiped all the ·stars of the sky [powers/hosts of heaven] and ·served [worshiped] them. ⁴ The Lord had said about the ·Temple [^Lhouse], “·I will be worshiped [^LMy name will be] in Jerusalem forever,” but Manasseh built altars in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord. ⁵ He built altars to worship the ·stars [^Lpowers/hosts of heaven] in the two courtyards of the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord. ⁶ He ·made his children pass through [sacrificed his children in the] fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He practiced magic and witchcraft and ·told the future by explaining signs and dreams [divination; augery]. He ·got advice from [dealt with] mediums and ·fortune-tellers [spiritualists; spiritists; Deut. 18:9–13]. He did ·many things the Lord said were wrong [^Lmuch evil in the Lord’s sight/eyes], which made the Lord angry.

⁷ Manasseh carved an idol and put it in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of God. God had said to David and his son Solomon about the ·Temple [^Lhouse], “I will ·be worshiped [^Lput my name] forever in this ·Temple [^Lhouse] and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel. ⁸ I will never again make the ·Israelites [^Lfeet of Israel] ·leave [wander from; ^Cinto exile] the land I ·gave to [appointed for] their ·ancestors [fathers]. But they must ·obey [be careful to do] everything I have commanded them in all the ·teachings [instructions; laws], ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements], and ·commands [judgments] I gave them through Moses.” ⁹ But Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem ·to do wrong [astray]. They did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed ahead of the Israelites.

¹⁰ The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ·did not listen [paid no attention]. ¹¹ So the Lord brought the king of Assyria’s army commanders to attack Judah. They captured Manasseh, put hooks in him [^Cin his nose], ·placed bronze chains on his hands [bound him with bronze chains], and took him to Babylon. ¹² ·As Manasseh suffered [^LWhen he was in distress], he ·begged [entreated; ^Lsought] the Lord his God for help and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ·ancestors [fathers]. ¹³ When Manasseh prayed, the Lord heard ·him [^Lhis plea] and ·had pity on him [was moved]. So the Lord ·let him return [brought him back] to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is the true God.

¹⁴ After that happened, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David [^CJerusalem] and made it higher. It was in the valley on the west side of the Gihon spring and went to the entrance of the Fish Gate and around the hill of Ophel. Then he ·put [stationed] ·commanders [officers] in all the ·strong, walled [fortified] cities in Judah.

¹⁵ Manasseh removed the ·idols of other nations [foreign gods], including the idol in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord. He removed all the altars he had built on the hill of the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord and in Jerusalem and threw them out of the city. ¹⁶ Then he ·set up [restored] the Lord’s altar and ·sacrificed [offered] on it ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1] and ·offerings to show thanks to God [thank/thanksgiving offerings]. Manasseh commanded all the people of Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁷ The people continued to offer sacrifices at the ·places of worship [^Lhigh places], but their sacrifices were only to the Lord their God. ¹⁸ The ·other things Manasseh did as king [rest of the events/acts/history of Manasseh], his prayer to his God, and what the ·seers [prophets] said to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel—all are recorded in the ·book [scroll] of the ·history [annals; records] of the kings of Israel. ¹⁹ Manasseh’s prayer and ·God’s pity for him [how God responded to his plea/entreaty], his sins, his unfaithfulness, the ·places [sites on which] he built ·for worshiping gods [^Lhigh places; 11:15] and the Asherah ·idols [poles; 14:3] before he humbled himself—all are written in the ·book [scroll] of the ·seers [prophets]. ²⁰ Manasseh ·died [^Llay down/^Tslept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in his ·palace [^Lhouse]. Then Manasseh’s son Amon became king in his place.

Amon King of Judah^(F)

²¹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ·was king [reigned] for two years in Jerusalem. ²² He did ·what the Lord said was wrong [^Levil in the Lord’s sight/eyes], as his father Manasseh had done. Amon ·worshiped [served] and ·offered [sacrificed] sacrifices to all the carved ·idols [images] Manasseh had made. ²³ Amon did not humble himself before the Lord as his father Manasseh had done. Instead, Amon ·sinned even more [^Lmultiplied guilt].

²⁴ King Amon’s ·officers [officials; servants] ·made plans [conspired; plotted] against him and killed him in his ·palace [^Lhouse]. ²⁵ Then the people of the land ·killed [executed] all those who had ·made plans [conspired; plotted] to kill King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.

Josiah King of Judah^(G)

34 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he ·ruled [reigned] thirty-one years in Jerusalem. ² He did what ·the Lord said was right [^Lwas pleasing/proper in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. He lived as his ·ancestor [father] David had lived, and he did not ·stop doing what was right [^Lturn aside/deviate to the right or the left].

³ In his eighth year as king while he was still young, Josiah began to ·obey [seek] the God of his ·ancestor [father] David. In his twelfth year as king, Josiah began to ·remove [purge; rid] from Judah and Jerusalem the ·places for worshiping gods [^Lhigh places; 11:15], the Asherah ·idols [poles; 14:3], and the ·wooden [carved] and ·metal [cast; molten] ·idols [images]. ⁴ The people tore down the altars for the Baal gods ·as Josiah directed [or in his presence]. Then Josiah cut down the incense altars that were above them. He broke up the Asherah ·idols [poles; 14:3] and the wooden and ·metal [cast; molten] idols and ·beat [ground; crushed] them into powder. Then he sprinkled the powder on the ·graves [tombs] of the people who had ·offered [sacrificed] sacrifices to these gods. ⁵ He burned the bones of their priests on their own altars. So Josiah ·removed idol worship from [purged; purified] Judah and Jerusalem, ⁶ and from the towns in the areas of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon all the way to Naphtali, and in the ·ruins [or regions] near these towns. ⁷ Josiah broke down the altars and Asherah ·idols [poles; 14:3] and ·beat [ground; crushed] the ·idols [carved images] into powder. He ·cut down [chopped up; smashed] all the incense altars in all of Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

⁸ In Josiah’s eighteenth year ·as king [of reigning], ·he made [he continued to make; or after he had made…] ·Judah [^Lthe land] and the ·Temple [^Lhouse] pure. He sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the city ·leader [official; governor], and Joah son of Joahaz the ·recorder [royal historian] to ·repair [restore] the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord, the God of Josiah. ⁹ These men went to Hilkiah the high priest and ·gave him [delivered] the money the Levite gatekeepers had gathered from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim, and all the ·Israelites who were left alive [^Lremnant of Israel], and also from all the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Jerusalem. This is the money they had brought into the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of God. ¹⁰ Then the Levites gave it to the ·supervisors [overseers; foremen] of the work on the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord, and they paid the workers who ·rebuilt [restored] and repaired the ·Temple [^Lhouse]. ¹¹ They gave money to carpenters and builders to buy ·cut [quarried; finished] stone and ·wood [timber]. The ·wood [timber] was used ·to rebuild [for rafters/joists/braces for] the buildings and to make beams for them, because the kings of Judah had let the buildings fall into ruin. ¹² The men did their work ·well [faithfully]. Their ·supervisors [overseers; foremen] were Jahath and Obadiah, who were Levites from the ·family [clan] of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, who were from the ·family [clan] of Kohath. ·These [or Other] Levites were all skilled musicians. ¹³ They were also ·in charge [supervisors; overseers; foremen] of the ·workers who carried loads [burden bearers; laborers] and all the other workers. Some Levites worked as ·secretaries [scribes], ·officers [officials], and gatekeepers.

The Book of the Teachings Is Found

¹⁴ The Levites brought out the money that was in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord. As they were doing this, Hilkiah the priest found the ·Book [scroll] of the Lord’s ·Teachings [instructions; laws] that had been given through Moses. ¹⁵ Hilkiah said to Shaphan the royal ·secretary [scribe] , “I’ve found the ·Book [scroll] of the ·Teachings [instructions; laws] in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord!” Then he gave it to Shaphan.

¹⁶ Shaphan took the ·book [scroll] to the king and reported to Josiah, “Your ·officers [officials] are doing everything you ·told [assigned; entrusted] them to do. ¹⁷ They have paid out the ·money [silver] that was in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord and have ·given [delivered; entrusted] it to the ·supervisors [overseers] and the workers.” ¹⁸ Then Shaphan the royal ·secretary [scribe] told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a ·book [scroll].” And Shaphan read from the ·book [scroll] to the king.

¹⁹ When the king heard the words of the ·Teachings [instructions; laws], he tore his clothes [^Ca sign of mourning or distress]. ²⁰ He gave orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the royal ·secretary [scribe], and Asaiah, the king’s servant. These were the orders: ²¹ “Go and ·ask [inquire of] the Lord about the words in the ·book [scroll] that was found. Ask for me and for the ·people who are left alive in [remnant of] Israel and Judah. The Lord is ·very angry with [^Lpouring out/igniting his wrath on] us, because our ·ancestors [fathers] did not ·obey [seek] the Lord’s word; they did not ·do [act in accordance with] everything this ·book [scroll] says to do.”

²² So Hilkiah and those the king sent with him went to talk to Huldah the prophetess. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, ·who took care of the king’s clothes [keeper of the wardrobe]. Huldah lived in Jerusalem, in the ·new area of the city [second quarter].

²³ She said to them, “·This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says [^TThus says the Lord, the God of Israel]: Tell the man who sent you to me, ²⁴ ‘This is what the Lord says: I will bring ·trouble to [disaster/^Levil on] this place and ·to [on] the people living here. I will bring all the curses that are written in the ·book [scroll] that was read to the king of Judah [Deut. 27–28]. ²⁵ The people of Judah have ·left [abandoned; forsaken] me and have burned incense to other gods. They have ·made me angry [^Lprovoked/aroused me to anger] by all the evil things [^Cidols] they have made. So ·I will punish them in my anger [^Lmy wrath will be poured out on this place], which will not be ·put out [quenched; extinguished].’ ²⁶ Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ·ask [inquire of] the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the ·words [message] you heard: ²⁷ When you heard my words against this place and its people, ·you became sorry for what you had done [your heart was tender/responsive/sensitive] and you humbled yourself before me. You tore your clothes [^Ca sign of mourning or distress], and you cried in my presence. This is why I have heard you, says the Lord. ²⁸ So I will ·let you die and be buried [^Lgather you to your ancestors/fathers and to your grave/tomb] in peace. You won’t see all the ·trouble [disaster; ^Levil] I will bring to this place and the people living here.’”

So they took her ·message [response; answer] back to the king.

²⁹ Then the king ·gathered [summoned] all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem together. ³⁰ He went up to the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord, and all the people from Judah and from Jerusalem went with him. The priests, the Levites, and all the people—·from the most important to the least important [both great and small; or from the oldest to the youngest]—went with him. He read to them all the words in the ·Book [scroll] of the ·Agreement [covenant; treaty] that was found in the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord. ³¹ The king stood by his pillar [^Ca place of authority] and made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] ·in the presence of [before] the Lord to follow the Lord and ·obey [keep] his commands, rules, and laws with ·his whole being [all his heart] and to obey the words of the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] written in this ·book [scroll]. ³² Then Josiah ·made [required] all the people in Jerusalem and Benjamin ·promise to accept [stand with him regarding] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty]. So the people of Jerusalem ·obeyed [acted in accordance with] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] of God, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers].

³³ And Josiah threw out the [detestable; abominable] idols from all the land that belonged to the Israelites. He ·led [forced; caused] everyone in Israel to serve the Lord their God. While Josiah lived, the people ·obeyed [did not turn from] the Lord, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers].