Old/New Testament
Sennacherib’s Invasion of Judah
32 After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib the king of Assyria came, and he came against Judah. And he encamped against the fortified cities and planned to break them down for himself. 2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that his face was set for battle against Jerusalem, 3 he took counsel with his commanders and his mighty warriors to block off the waters of the springs that came from outside the city, and they helped him. 4 Then many people were gathered, and they blocked off all the springs and the river that flowed through the midst of the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” 5 Then he strengthened himself and built up all the walls that were broken down, and raised towers upon them and another wall outside.[a] And he strengthened the Millo of the city of David and made much weaponry and small shields. 6 And he appointed commanders for battle over the people and gathered them to himself into the public square of the gate of the city. And he spoke to their hearts, saying, 7 “Be strong! Be courageous! Do not fear and do not be dismayed before the king of Assyria and before all the crowd that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. 8 With him is the arm of flesh, and with us is Yahweh our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people took confidence with the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.
9 After this Sennacherib the king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (now he and all his armies with him were against Lachish) to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all of Judah that was in Jerusalem, saying, 10 “Thus says Sennacherib the king of Assyria: ‘On what are you relying that you are dwelling in siege works in Jerusalem? 11 Is not Hezekiah urging you to give you up to die by starvation and thirst, saying, “Yahweh our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? 12 Has not Hezekiah himself removed his high places and his altars and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, saying, “You must bow down before one altar and upon it you must make offerings”? 13 Do you not know what I have done, I and my ancestors,[b] to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of all the lands at all able to save their land from my hand? 14 Who among all the gods of those nations whom my ancestors[c] utterly destroyed was able to save his people from my hand, that your God will be able to save you from my hand? 15 So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you. Do not let him urge you according to this. Do not put trust in him, for no god of any nation and kingdom has been able to save his people from my hand and from the hand of my ancestors.[d] Surely then your God will not save you from my hand!’”
16 And still more his servants said against Yahweh God and against Hezekiah his servant. 17 And he wrote letters to treat Yahweh the God of Israel with contempt and spoke against him, saying, “As the gods of the nations of the earth who did not save their people from my hand, so likewise the God of Hezekiah will not save his people from my hand.” 18 Then they called with a great voice in Judean to the people of Jerusalem who were upon the wall to frighten them and terrify them, so that they could take the city captive. 19 And they spoke about the God of Jerusalem as about the gods of the peoples of the earth, the works of the hands of humankind.
Yahweh’s Deliverance of Jerusalem
20 Then King Hezekiah and Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, prayed concerning this. And they cried to the heavens. 21 Then Yahweh sent an angel, and he destroyed every mighty warrior of strength, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. And he returned with shamed face to his land and went into the house of his god. And some of the offspring of his loins fell upon him there with the sword. 22 So Yahweh saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, and from the all their enemies, and gave them rest all around. 23 And many brought tribute to Yahweh, to Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the eyes of all the nations thereafter.
The Rest of Hezekiah’s Reign
24 In those days Hezekiah fell ill unto death, and he prayed to Yahweh. And he answered him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah did not reciprocate according to the benefit placed upon him, because his heart became proud. So wrath was upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem. 26 But Hezekiah humbled himself with respect to the arrogance of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of Yahweh did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
27 And Hezekiah had very much wealth and honor, and he made storehouses for himself for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, small shields, and all sorts of desirable objects; 28 and storage buildings for the yield of grain, new wine, and olive oil; and animal stalls for all kinds of animals, and animals and herds for animal stalls. 29 And he made cities for himself, and livestock of sheep and abundant cattle, for God had given to him very abundant possessions. 30 And this same Hezekiah blocked off the flow of the waters of the upper Gihon, and directed them down the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. 31 And thus in the matter of the envoys of the commanders of Babylon who had been sent to him to seek the sign that had happened in the land, God forsook him, to test him and to know all that was in his heart.
32 Now the remainder of the words of Hezekiah and his loyal love, behold, they are written in the visions of Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, upon the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel. 33 And Hezekiah slept with his ancestors,[e] and they buried him in the upper part of the burial sites of the descendants[f] of David. And all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. And Manasseh his son became king in his place.
The Reign of Manasseh
33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh according to the detestable things of the nations whom Yahweh drove out before the Israelites.[g] 3 And he rebuilt[h] the high places that Hezekiah his father broke down, and he set up altars for the Baals, made Asherahs, and bowed down to the host of heaven and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of Yahweh, of which Yahweh had said, “In Jerusalem my name shall be forever.” 5 And he built altars to all the host of heaven in the two courtyards of the house of Yahweh. 6 And he himself burned his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom. And he practiced sorcery and divination, and he engaged in witchcraft and dealt with mediums and spiritists. And he did much evil in the eyes of Yahweh, to provoke him to anger. 7 And he placed the carved image of the idol that 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 from all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever. 8 And I will never[i] remove the foot of Israel from upon the land that I appointed to your ancestors,[j] if only you will take care to do all that I have commanded them, all the law, the regulations, and the judgments by the hand of Moses.” 9 And Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do evil more than the nations that Yahweh destroyed before the Israelites.[k]
Manasseh’s Repentance
10 And Yahweh spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they would not listen. 11 So Yahweh brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria upon them, and they took Manasseh captive with hooks, and they bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon. 12 And when he was in distress he entreated Yahweh his God and greatly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors[l] 13 and prayed to him. And God responded to him and heard his plea and let him return to Jerusalem to his kingdom. And Manasseh knew that Yahweh was God.
14 Then afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of the Gihon in the valley, and for the entrance into the Gate of the Fishes. And it encircled the Ophel and raised it very high. Then he placed strong commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah. 15 And he removed the foreign gods and the carved image from the house of Yahweh and all the altars which he built on the mountain of the house of Yahweh and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. 16 And he restored the altar of Yahweh and offered sacrifices of peace offerings and thank offerings upon it. And he commanded Judah to serve Yahweh, the God of Israel. 17 Nevertheless, the people offered at the high places, but only to Yahweh their God.
18 Now the remainder of the words of Manasseh and his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, behold, they are in the words of the kings of Israel. 19 And his prayer, and how he[m] responded to him, all his sin and his unfaithful acts, and the places where he built the high places and set up Asherahs and idols before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the words of the seers.
Amon’s Reign
20 And Manasseh slept with his ancestors,[n] and they buried him in his house. And Amon his son became king in his place. 21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. 22 And he did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh as Manasseh his father had done. And Amon sacrificed to all the idols that Manasseh his father had made, and he served them. 23 And he did not humble himself before Yahweh, as Manasseh his father humbled himself, but Amon himself multiplied his guilt. 24 And his servants conspired against him and killed him in his house. 25 But the people of the land struck down all who conspired against King Amon. And the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.
Jesus Before Annas
19 So the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20 Jesus replied to him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple courts[a] where all the Jews assemble, and I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why are you asking me? Ask those who heard what I have said to them! Behold, these people know what I said.” 22 Now when[b] he had said these things, one of the officers who was standing by gave a slap in the face to Jesus, saying, “Do you reply to the high priest in this way?” 23 Jesus replied to him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify about what is wrong! But if I have spoken[c] correctly, why do you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him, tied up, to Caiaphas the high priest.
Peter Denies Jesus the Second and Third Times
25 Now Simon Peter was standing there and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?”[d] He denied it[e] and said, “I am not!” 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, who was related to the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 So Peter denied it[f] again, and immediately a rooster crowed.
Jesus Brought Before Pilate
28 Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s residence. Now it was early, and they did not enter into the governor’s residence so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have handed him over to you!” 31 So Pilate said to them, “You take him and judge him according to your law!” The Jews said to him, “It is not permitted for us to kill anyone,” 32 in order that the word of Jesus would be fulfilled that he had spoken, indicating by what sort of death he was going to die.
Pilate Questions Jesus
33 Then Pilate entered again into the governor’s residence and summoned Jesus and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 Jesus replied, “Do you say this from yourself, or have others said this[g] to you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I?[h] Your people and the chief priests handed you over to me! What have you done?” 36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So then you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I have come into the world: in order that I can testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
And when he[i] had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no basis for an accusation against him. 39 But it is your custom that I release for you one prisoner[j] at the Passover. So do you want me[k] to release for you the king of the Jews?” 40 Then they shouted again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.)[l]
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