II Chronicles 32

¹Aftir whiche thingis and sich treuthe, Senacherib, the kyng of Assiriens, cam and entride in to Juda; and he bisegide stronge citees, and wolde take tho.

²And whanne Ezechie hadde herd this thing, that is, that Senacherib was comun, and that al the fersnesse of batel was turned ayens Jerusalem,

³he took counsel with the princes and strongest men, that thei schulden stoppe the heedis of wellis, that weren without the citee; and whanne the sentence of alle men demyde this,

⁴he gaderide togidere a ful greet multitude, and thei stoppiden alle the wellis, and the ryuer, that flowide in the myddis of the lond; and seiden, Lest the kyngis of Assiriens comen, and fynden abundance of watris.

⁵Also he dide wittili, and bildide al the wal that was distride, and he bildide touris aboue, and an other wal withoutforth. And he reparilide Mello in the citee of Dauid; and made armure of al kynde, and scheldis.

⁶And he ordeynede princes of werriouris in the oost; and he clepide togidere alle men in the street of the yate of the citee, and spake to the herte of hem,

⁷and seide, Do ye manli, and be ye coumfortid; nyle ye drede, nether be ye aferd of the kyng of Assiriens, and of al the multitude which is with him; for many mo ben with vs than with him.

⁸Fleischli arm is with him; `oure Lord God is with vs, which is oure helpere, and schal fiyte for vs. And the puple was coumfortid with sich wordis of Ezechie, kyng of Juda.

⁹And aftir that these thingis weren doon, Sennacherib sente hise seruauntis to Jerusalem; for he `with al the oost bisegide Lachis. He sente to Ezechie, kyng of Juda, and to al the puple that was in the citee,

¹⁰and seide, Sennacherib, the kyng of Assiriens, seith these thingis, In whom han ye trist, and sitten bisegid in Jerusalem?

¹¹Whether Ezechie disseyueth you, that he bitake you to deeth in hungur and thirst, and affermeth, that `youre Lord God schal delyuere you fro the hond of the kyng of Assyriens?

¹²Whether not this is Ezechie, that distriede hiy places, and auteris of hym, and comaundide to Juda and to Jerusalem, and seide, Ye schulen worschipe bifor oon auter, and therynne ye schulen brenne encense?

¹³Whether ye witen not what thingis Y haue do, and my fadir, to alle the puplis of londis? Whether the goddis of folkis and of alle londis myyten delyuere her cuntrei fro myn hond?

¹⁴Who is of alle goddis of folkis, whiche my fadris distrieden, that myyte delyuere his puple fro myn hond, that also youre God may delyuere you fro this hond?

¹⁵Therfor Ezechie disseyue not you, nether scorne bi veyn counselyng, nethir bileue ye to hym; for if no god of alle folkis and cuntreis myyte delyuere his puple fro myn hond, and fro the hond of my fadris, suyngli nether youre God schal mowe delyuere you fro this myn hond.

¹⁶But also hise seruauntis spaken many othir thingis ayenus the Lord God, and ayens Ezechie, his seruaunte.

¹⁷Also he wroot epistlis ful of blasfemye ayens the Lord God of Israel, and he spak ayens God, As the goddis of othere folkis myyten not delyuere her puple fro myn hond, so and the God of Ezechie may not delyuere his puple fro myn hond.

¹⁸Ferthermore and with greet cry in the langage of Jewis he sownede ayens the puple, that sat on the wallis of Jerusalem, to make hem aferd, and to take the citee.

¹⁹And he spake ayens God of Israel, as ayens the goddis of the puplis of erthe, the werkis of mennus hondis.

²⁰Therfor Ezechie, the kyng, and Ysaie, the profete, the sone of Amos, preieden ayens this blasfemye, and crieden til in to heuene.

²¹And the Lord sente his aungel, that killide ech strong man and werriour, and the prince of the oost of the kyng of Assiriens; and he turnede ayen with schenship `in to his lond. And whanne he hadde entrid in to the hows of his god, the sones, that yeden out of his wombe, killiden hym with swerd.

²²And the Lord sauyde Ezechie, and the dwelleris of Jerusalem, fro the hond of Senacherib, kyng of Assiriens, and fro the hond of alle men; and yaf to hem reste bi cumpas.

²³Also many men brouyten offryngis and sacrifices to the Lord in to Jerusalem, and yiftis to Ezechie, kyng of Juda; which was enhaunsid aftir these thingis bifor alle folkis.

²⁴In tho daies Ezechie was sijk `til to the deth, and he preiede the Lord; and he herde hym, and yaf to hym a signe;

²⁵but he yeldide not bi the benefices whiche he hadde take, for his herte was reisid; and ire was maad ayens hym, and ayens Juda, and ayens Jerusalem.

²⁶And he was mekid aftirward, for his herte was reisid; bothe he was mekid, and the dwelleris of Jerusalem; and therfor the ire of the Lord cam not on hem in the daies of Ezechie.

²⁷Forsothe Ezechie was riche, and ful noble, and gaderide to hym silf ful many tresours of siluer, of gold, and of preciouse stoon, of swete smellynge spices, and of armuris of al kynde, and of vessels of greet prijs.

²⁸Also he bildide large housis of wheete, of wyn, and of oile, and cratchis of alle beestis,

²⁹and fooldis to scheep, and sixe citees. For he hadde vnnoumbrable flockis of scheep and of grete beestis; for the Lord hadde youe to hym ful myche catel.

³⁰Thilke is Ezechie, that stoppide the hiyere welle of the watris of Gion, and turnede tho awei vndur the erthe at the west of the citee of Dauid; in alle hise werkis he dide `bi prosperite, what euer thing he wolde.

³¹Netheles in the message of the princes of Babiloyne, that weren sent to hym for to axe of the grete wondir, that bifelde on the lond, God forsook hym, that he were temptid, and that alle thingis weren knowun that weren in his herte.

³²Sotheli the residue of wordis of Ezechie, and of hise mercies, ben writun in the profesie of Ysaie, the profete, sone of Amos, and in the book of kyngis of Juda and of Israel.

³³And Ezechie slepte with hise fadris, and thei birieden hym aboue the sepulcris of the sones of Dauid. And al Juda and alle the dwelleris of Jerusalem maden solempne the seruyces of his biriyng; and Manasses, his sone, regnide for him.

II Chronicles 32

¹After these things, and the establishment thereof, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself.

²And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem,

³He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him.

⁴So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?

⁵Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance.

⁶And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying,

⁷Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him:

⁸With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

⁹After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying,

¹⁰Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem?

¹¹Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The Lord our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

¹²Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it?

¹³Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand?

¹⁴Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand?

¹⁵Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?

¹⁶And his servants spake yet more against the Lord God, and against his servant Hezekiah.

¹⁷He wrote also letters to rail on the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand.

¹⁸Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city.

¹⁹And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man.

²⁰And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.

²¹And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.

²²Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side.

²³And many brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.

²⁴In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the Lord: and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign.

²⁵But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

²⁶Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

²⁷And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels;

²⁸Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks.

²⁹Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance: for God had given him substance very much.

³⁰This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

³¹Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

³²Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

³³And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.