Thomson(i)
1 Now after these acts and this faithfulness Sennacherim king of the Assyrians came; He came against Juda and encamped against the walled cities and ordered them to be taken first.
2 And when Ezekias saw that Sennacherim was come and that it was his purpose to attack Jerusalem
3 he consulted with his elders, and the mighty men, about stopping up 4 the waters of the wells, which were without the city.
4 And as they encouraged him he assembled much people, and stopped up the waters of the wells, and the brook which ran through the city with an intent that the king of Assyria, might not come and find much water, and be strengthened.
5 Ezekias also took courage and rebuilt all the wall which had been demolished, and the towers, and another outwork, and strengthened the fortifications, of the city of David, and provided many arms,
6 and appointed military officers over the people; and having assembled them before him in the street of the valley gate, he spoke affectionately to them, and said,
7 Take courage and behave like men, and be not terrified nor dismayed, because of the king of Assur, and because of all the multitude with him; for there are more with us than with him.
8 With him are arms of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to save, and to fight our battle. So the people were encouraged by the words of Ezekias king of Juda.
9 After this Sennacherim, king of the Assyrians, sent his servants against Jerusalem. While he himself with his main army lay before Lachis, he sent to Ezekias king of Juda and to all the Jews in Jerusalem saying,
10 Thus saith Sennacherim king of the Assyrians, On what do you rely, that you stand a siege in Jerusalem?
11 Doth not Ezekias deceive you, that he may deliver you up to death, and to famine, and to thirst by saying, The Lord our God will save us out of the hand of the king of Assur?
12 Hath not this same Ezekias demolished his altars, and his high places, and given orders to Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, You shall worship before this altar, and upon it you shall burn incense?
13 Will you not consider what I and my fathers have done to all the tribes of these regions? Have the gods of the nations of all this land, been able to save their people out of my hand?
14 Who is this of yours among all the gods of these nations which my father destroyed, who were not able to save their people out of my hand, that he should be able to save you out of my hand?
15 Now therefore let not Ezekias deceive you, nor cause you to trust in this manner. Do not believe him. For as there is no god of any nation or kingdom who is able to save his people out of my hand, or hath been able to save out of the hand of my fathers, therefore your God cannot save you out of my hand.
16 And besides what his servants spoke against the Lord God, and against his servant Ezekias,
17 he wrote a letter to reproach the Lord God of Israel, and spoke of him saying, As the gods of the nations of the earth have not delivered their peoples out of my hand, so neither can the God of Ezekias deliver his people out of my hand.
18 Moreover he cried with a loud voice, in the Jewish language to the people of Jerusalem, who were on the walls that he would assist them, in order to induce them to seize the city.
19 And he spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the works of men's hands.
20 But when Ezekias the king, and Esaias son of Amos the prophet addressed a prayer concerning these things, and cried to heaven,
21 the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty man, and warrior, including chief and general, in the camp of the king of Assur. So he returned with shame to his own land, and went to the house of his god, and some of them who sprang from his loins slew him with the sword.
22 And when the Lord had saved Ezekias, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of the hands of Sennacherim, king of Assur, and out of the hand of all men, and had given them rest all around,