Old/New Testament
Assyria Troubles Hezekiah
32 Hezekiah did all these things to serve the Lord. Sennacherib king of Assyria came to attack Judah. He and his army surrounded and attacked the strong, walled cities. He wanted to take them for himself. 2 Hezekiah knew that Sennacherib had come to Jerusalem to attack it. 3 So Hezekiah talked to his officers and army commanders. They decided to cut off the waters from the springs outside the city. So the officers and commanders helped Hezekiah. 4 Many people came to help. They cut off all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. They said, “The king of Assyria will not find much water when he comes here.” 5 Then Hezekiah made Jerusalem stronger. He rebuilt all the broken parts of the wall. And he built towers on the wall. He also built another wall outside the first one. And he made the area that was filled in on the east side of the old part of Jerusalem stronger. He made many weapons and shields.
6 Hezekiah put army commanders over the people. He met with these commanders at the open place near the city gate. Hezekiah encouraged them, saying, 7 “Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid or worried because of the king of Assyria or his large army. There is a greater power with us than with him. 8 He only has men, but we have the Lord our God. He will help us. He will fight our battles.” The people were encouraged by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
9 King Sennacherib of Assyria and all his army surrounded and attacked Lachish. Then he sent his officers to Jerusalem with a message. The message was for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah in Jerusalem. This was the message:
10 Sennacherib king of Assyria says this: “You have nothing to trust in to help you. It is no use for you to stay in Jerusalem under attack. 11 Hezekiah says to you, ‘The Lord our God will save us from the king of Assyria.’ But he is fooling you. If you stay in Jerusalem, you will die from hunger and thirst. 12 Hezekiah himself removed your Lord’s places of worship and altars. He told you people of Judah and Jerusalem that you must worship and burn incense on only one altar.
13 “You know what my ancestors and I have done to all the people in other nations. The gods of those nations could not save their people from my power. 14 My ancestors destroyed those nations. None of their gods could save them from me. So your god cannot save you from my power. 15 Do not let Hezekiah fool you or trick you. Do not believe him. No god of any nation or kingdom has been able to save his people from me or my ancestors. Your god is even less able to save you from me.”
16 Sennacherib’s officers said worse things against the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah. 17 King Sennacherib also wrote letters insulting the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what his letters said: “The gods of the other nations could not save their people from me. In the same way Hezekiah’s god won’t be able to save his people from me.” 18 Then the king’s officers shouted out in Hebrew. They called out to the people of Jerusalem who were on the city wall. The officers wanted to scare the people away so they could capture Jerusalem. 19 They said evil things about the gods the people of the world worshiped. They are only things people have made with their hands. In the same way the officers said evil things about the God of Jerusalem.
20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed to heaven about this. 21 Then the Lord sent an angel to the king of Assyria’s camp. That angel killed all the soldiers, leaders and officers of the Assyrian army. So the king of Assyria returned to his own country in disgrace. He went into the temple of his god. There some of his own sons killed him with a sword.
22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people in Jerusalem. He saved them from Sennacherib king of Assyria and from all other people. The Lord took care of Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem. 23 Many people brought gifts for the Lord to Jerusalem. They also brought valuable gifts to King Hezekiah of Judah. From then on all the nations respected Hezekiah.
Hezekiah Dies
24 At that time Hezekiah became very sick. He was almost dead. He prayed to the Lord. And the Lord spoke to him and gave him a sign.[a] 25 But Hezekiah was proud. So he did not thank God for his kindness. So the Lord was angry with him and the people of Judah and Jerusalem. 26 But later Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem were sorry and stopped being proud. So the Lord did not punish them while Hezekiah was alive.
27 Hezekiah had many riches and much honor. He made treasuries for his silver, gold, gems, spices, shields and other valuable things. 28 Hezekiah built storage buildings for grain, new wine and oil. He built stalls for all the cattle and pens for the sheep. 29 He also built many towns. He had many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. God gave Hezekiah much wealth.
30 It was Hezekiah who cut off the upper pool of the Gihon spring. He made those waters flow straight down on the west side of the older part of Jerusalem. And Hezekiah was successful in everything he did. 31 But one time the leaders of Babylon sent messengers to Hezekiah. They asked him about a strange sign[b] that had happened in the land. When they came, God left Hezekiah alone to test him. He wanted to know everything that was in Hezekiah’s heart.[c]
32 Hezekiah’s love for the Lord and the other things he did as king are recorded. They are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. This is in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 33 Hezekiah died and was buried on a hill. It is where the graves of David’s ancestors are. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem honored Hezekiah when he died. And Hezekiah’s son Manasseh became king in his place.
Manasseh King of Judah
33 Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king of Judah. And he was king for 55 years in Jerusalem. 2 He did what the Lord said was wrong. He did the hated things the other nations had done. And the Lord had forced these nations out of the land ahead of Israel. 3 Manasseh’s father, Hezekiah, had torn down the places where false gods were worshiped. But Manasseh rebuilt them. Manasseh also built altars for the Baal gods and made Asherah idols. He bowed down to the stars and worshiped them. 4 The Lord had said about the Temple, “I will be worshiped in Jerusalem forever.” But Manasseh built altars for false gods in the Temple of the Lord. 5 He built altars to worship the stars in the two courtyards of the Temple of the Lord. 6 He burned his sons as sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He practiced magic and witchcraft. He told the future by explaining signs and dreams. He got advice from mediums and fortune-tellers. He did many things the Lord said were wrong. And this made the Lord angry.
7 He carved an idol and put it in the Temple of God. God had spoken to David and his son Solomon about the Temple. He had said, “I will be worshiped in this Temple and in Jerusalem forever. I have chosen Jerusalem from all the tribes of Israel. 8 I will never again make the Israelites leave the land I gave to their ancestors. But they must obey everything I commanded them. They must obey all the teachings, rules and commands I gave them through Moses.” 9 But Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do wrong. 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. 11 So the Lord brought the king of Assyria’s army commanders to attack Judah. They captured Manasseh and put hooks in him. They put bronze chains on his hands. They made him their prisoner and took him to Babylon. 12 As Manasseh suffered, he begged the Lord his God for help. He became very sorry for what he had done before the God of his ancestors. 13 When Manasseh prayed, the Lord heard him and had pity for him. So the Lord let him return 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 for Jerusalem. It was in the valley on the west side of the Gihon spring. It went to the entrance of the Fish Gate and around the hill of Ophel. He also made the wall higher. Then he put commanders in all the strong, walled cities in Judah.
15 Manasseh removed the idols of other nations. And he took the idol out of the Temple of the Lord. He removed all the altars he had built on the Temple hill and in Jerusalem. And he threw them out of the city. 16 Then he set up the Lord’s altar. And he sacrificed on it fellowship offerings and offerings to show thanks to the Lord. 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. But their sacrifices were only to the Lord their God. 18 The other things Manasseh did as king are written down. His prayer to his God is recorded. And what the seers said to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, is recorded. They are all in the book of the history of the kings of Israel. 19 Manasseh’s prayer and God’s pity for him are written down. Also all of Manasseh’s sins and how he was unfaithful to the Lord are recorded. The places he built for worshiping false gods and for the Asherah idols are recorded. He did all these things but later became sorry for them. They are all in the book of the seers. 20 Manasseh died and was buried in his palace. Then Manasseh’s son Amon became king in his place.
Amon King of Judah
21 Amon was 22 years old when he became king. And he was king for two years in Jerusalem. 22 He did what the Lord said was wrong. He did as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the carved idols Manasseh had made. 23 Amon was not sorry for what he did wrong before the Lord. He was not sorry as his father Manasseh had been. Instead, Amon sinned even more.
24 Amon’s officers made plans against him and killed him in his palace. 25 But the people of Judah killed all those who had made plans to kill King Amon. And they made his son Josiah to be king in his place.
The High Priest Questions Jesus
19 The high priest asked Jesus questions about his followers and his teaching. 20 Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to everyone. I have always taught in synagogues and in the Temple, where all the Jews come together. I never said anything in secret. 21 So why do you question me? Ask the people who heard my teaching. They know what I said.”
22 When Jesus said this, one of the guards standing there hit him. The guard said, “Is that the way you answer the high priest?”
23 Jesus answered him, “If I said something wrong, then say what was wrong. But if what I said is true, why do you hit me?”
24 Then Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas, the high priest. Jesus was still tied.
Peter Says Again He Doesn’t Know Jesus
25 Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “Aren’t you one of that man’s followers?”
Peter denied it and said, “No, I am not.”
26 One of the servants of the high priest was there. This servant was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. The servant said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”
27 Again Peter said it wasn’t true. Just then a rooster crowed.
Jesus Is Brought Before Pilate
28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas’ house to the Roman governor’s palace. It was early in the morning. The Jews would not go inside the palace. They did not want to make themselves unclean,[a] because they wanted to eat the Passover meal. 29 So Pilate went outside to them. He asked, “What charges do you bring against this man?”
30 They answered, “He is a criminal. That is why we brought him to you.”
31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
They answered, “But we are not allowed to put anyone to death.” 32 (This happened so that what Jesus had said about how he would die would come true.)
33 Then Pilate went back inside the palace. He called Jesus to him and asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 Jesus said, “Is that your own question, or did others tell you about me?”
35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew. It was your own people and their leading priests who brought you before me. What have you done wrong?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If it belonged to this world, my servants would have fought to keep me from being given over to the Jewish leaders. But my kingdom is from another place.”
37 Pilate said, “So you are a king!”
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. That is true. I was born for this: to tell people about the truth. That is why I came into the world. And everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me.”
38 Pilate said, “What is truth?” After he said this, he went out to the Jews again. He said to them, “I can find nothing to charge against this man. 39 But it is your custom that I free one prisoner to you at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to free this ‘king of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Let Barabbas go free!” (Barabbas was a robber.)
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.