Old/New Testament
Sennacherib Invades Judah
32 After these [a]acts of faithfulness (A)Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities, and [b]thought to break into them for himself. 2 Now when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that [c]he intended to make war on Jerusalem, 3 he decided with his officers and his warriors to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were outside the city, and they helped him. 4 So many people assembled (B)and stopped up all the springs and (C)the stream which flowed [d]through the region, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?” 5 And he took courage and (D)rebuilt all the wall that had been broken down and [e]erected towers on it, and built (E)another outside wall and strengthened the (F)Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in great number. 6 He appointed military officers over the people and gathered them to him in the square at the city gate, and (G)spoke [f]encouragingly to them, saying, 7 “(H)Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; (I)for the one with us is greater than the one with him. 8 With him is only (J)an arm of flesh, but (K)with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
Sennacherib Undermines Hezekiah
9 After this (L)Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was [g]besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying, 10 “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting that you are remaining in Jerusalem under siege? 11 Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, “The Lord our God will deliver us from the [h]hand of the king of Assyria”? 12 (M)Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and [i]Jerusalem, “You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall [j]burn incense”? 13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? (N)Were the gods of the nations of the lands able at all to deliver their land from my hand? 14 (O)Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? 15 Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for (P)no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’”
16 His servants spoke further against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah. 17 He also wrote letters to insult the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “(Q)As the gods of the nations of the lands [k]have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.” 18 (R)They called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city. 19 They spoke [l]of the God of Jerusalem as of (S)the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of men’s hands.
Hezekiah’s Prayer Is Answered
20 But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven. 21 And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned [m]in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword. 22 So the Lord (T)saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and [n]guided them on every side. 23 And (U)many were bringing gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem and choice presents to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that (V)he was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter.
24 (W)In those days Hezekiah became [o]mortally ill; and he prayed to the Lord, and [p]the Lord spoke to him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit [q]he received, (X)because his heart was [r]proud; (Y)therefore wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. 26 However, (Z)Hezekiah [s]humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah.
27 Now Hezekiah had immense riches and honor; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuable articles, 28 storehouses also for the produce of grain, wine and oil, pens for all kinds of cattle and [t]sheepfolds for the flocks. 29 He made cities for himself and acquired flocks and herds in abundance, for (AA)God had given him very great [u]wealth. 30 It was Hezekiah who (AB)stopped the upper outlet of the waters of (AC)Gihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did. 31 Even in the matter of (AD)the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of (AE)the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone only (AF)to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.
32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of devotion, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 So Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the [v]upper section of the tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (AG)honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh became king in his place.
Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah in Judah
33 (AH)Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 (AI)He did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3 For (AJ)he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; (AK)he also erected altars for the Baals and made [w]Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 (AL)He built altars in the house of the Lord of which the Lord had said, “My name shall be (AM)in Jerusalem forever.” 5 For he built altars for all the host of heaven in (AN)the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6 (AO)He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and (AP)dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger. 7 Then he put (AQ)the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “(AR)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 not again remove the foot of Israel from the land (AS)which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law, the statutes and the ordinances given through Moses.” 9 Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.
Manasseh’s Idolatry Rebuked
10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but (AT)they paid no attention. 11 (AU)Therefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with [x]hooks, (AV)bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon. 12 When (AW)he was in distress, he entreated the Lord his God and (AX)humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 When he prayed to Him, (AY)He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh (AZ)knew that the Lord was God.
14 Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of (BA)Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance of the (BB)Fish Gate; and he encircled the (BC)Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah. 15 He also (BD)removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, as well as all the altars which he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside the city. 16 He set up the altar of the Lord and sacrificed (BE)peace offerings and thank offerings on it; and he ordered Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. 17 Nevertheless (BF)the people still sacrificed in the high places, although only to the Lord their God.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh even (BG)his prayer to his God, and the words of (BH)the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, behold, they are among the records of the kings of (BI)Israel. 19 His prayer also and (BJ)how God was entreated by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and (BK)the sites on which he built high places and erected the Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of the [y]Hozai. 20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And Amon his son became king in his place.
Amon Becomes King in Judah
21 (BL)Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. 22 He did evil in the sight of the Lord as Manasseh his father (BM)had done, and Amon sacrificed to all (BN)the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and he served them. 23 Moreover, he did not humble himself before the Lord (BO)as his father Manasseh had [z]done, but Amon multiplied guilt. 24 Finally (BP)his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house. 25 But the people of the land [aa]killed all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.
19 (A)The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I (B)have spoken openly to the world; I always (C)taught in [a]synagogues and (D)in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. 21 Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.” 22 When He had said this, one of the (E)officers standing nearby (F)struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” 23 (G)Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” 24 (H)So Annas sent Him bound to (I)Caiaphas the high priest.
Peter’s Denial of Jesus
25 (J)Now (K)Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “(L)You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one (M)whose ear Peter cut off, *said, “Did I not see you in (N)the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied it again, and immediately (O)a rooster crowed.
Jesus before Pilate
28 (P)Then they *led Jesus from (Q)Caiaphas into (R)the [b]Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into (S)the [c]Praetorium so that (T)they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. 29 (U)Therefore Pilate went out to them and *said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.” 31 So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,” 32 to fulfill (V)the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.
33 Therefore Pilate (W)entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “(X)Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this [d]on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “(Y)My kingdom [e]is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not [f]of this realm.” 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “(Z)You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, (AA)to testify to the truth. (AB)Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?”
And when he had said this, he (AC)went out again to the Jews and *said to them, “(AD)I find no guilt in Him. 39 (AE)But you have a custom that I release someone [g]for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release [h]for you the King of the Jews?” 40 So they cried out again, saying, “(AF)Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.
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