Daily Bread

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem^(A)(B)

32 After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib^(C) king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. ² When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem,^{(D) 3} he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. ⁴ They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs^(E) and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings^[a] of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said. ⁵ Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall^(F) and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the terraces^[b](G) of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons^(H) and shields.

⁶ He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: ⁷ “Be strong and courageous.^(I) Do not be afraid or discouraged^(J) because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.^{(K) 8} With him is only the arm of flesh,^(L) but with us^(M) is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.”^(N) And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

⁹ Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish,^(O) he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:

¹⁶ Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ The king also wrote letters^(W) ridiculing^(X) the Lord, the God of Israel, and saying this against him: “Just as the gods^(Y) of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.” ¹⁸ Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city. ¹⁹ They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world—the work of human hands.^(Z)

²⁰ King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer^(AA) to heaven about this. ²¹ And the Lord sent an angel,^(AB) who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword.^(AC)

²² So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them^[c] on every side. ²³ Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts^(AD) for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations.