2 Chronicles 32
Assyria attacks Judah
After these acts of faithfulness, Assyria’s King Sennacherib invaded Judah and set up camp around the fortified cities in attempt to conquer them. When Hezekiah saw this, he made plans with his military officers to shut off the water springs outside the city. Lots of people gathered and stopped the springs and the brook saying, “Why should Assyria’s kings come here and find so much water?” He got to work and repaired the wall that was broken down and built towers on top of it. Outside the wall he built another wall and strengthened the Millo in David’s city. He also produced an abundance of weapons and shields. He stationed military commanders over the people and gathered them together for encouragement, saying, “Be strong and brave. Don’t be scared or stressed by Assyria’s king and his horde, for we outnumber them. He came with physical strength, but the Existing One our God is with us to help us and fight our battles.” So the people felt assured from King Hezekiah’s speech.
Assyria mocks God
Then Assyria’s King Sennacherib who was besieging Lachish with all his forces, sent messengers to Jerusalem saying, “Assyria’s King Sennacherib says, ‘What are you trusting in that makes you think you can survive the siege on Jerusalem? Isn’t Hezekiah misleading you, allowing you to die from famine and thirst when he tells you, “The Existing One our God will save us from Assyria”? Wasn’t Hezekiah the one who took away your shrines and altars ordering Judah, “You can only worship and burn sacrifices on one altar”? Do you know what my father and I have done to all the other countries? Were the gods of those other countries able to save them from my conquest? Out of all the other countries that my fathers destroyed, which of their gods were able to save them from my conquest? What makes you think your God will be able to save you from my conquest? So now, don’t let Hezekiah mislead you in this way—don’t believe him, because none of the gods from any other country has been able to save his people from me and my fathers. How much less will your God be able to save you!’”
The messengers said even more against God the Existing One and against his servant Hezekiah. He wrote letters to ridicule Israel’s God the Existing One, speaking against him, saying, “Hezekiah’s God will be just like the gods of the other nations: unable to save their people from my conquest.” And they shouted that in Judah’s language at Jerusalem’s people whenever they were on the wall, to intimidate them so they might capture the city. They talked about Jerusalem’s God in the same way that they talked about the worldly countries’ gods, which were made by men’s hands.
Hezekiah prays, God kills Assyrian king
This caused King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah (Amoz’s son) to pray and cry out to heaven. Then the Existing One sent an angel who cut off all the troops, commanders, and officers in Assyria’s camp, causing him to go back to his own land feeling shamefully. When he got to the house of his god, some of his own sons murdered him with the sword. So the Existing One saved Hezekiah and Jerusalem from Assyria and his enemies, providing for them on every side. Many people brought gifts to the Existing One in Jerusalem and valuables to King Hezekiah, so that he was revered in every country from that time forward.
Eventually Hezekiah became sick on his deathbed, so he prayed to the Existing One, and he answered him and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and didn’t give back to God to the same degree that God saved him. So then anger came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. That caused Hezekiah and Jerusalem to humble themselves so that they didn’t receive the Existing One’s anger during Hezekiah’s reign.
Hezekiah revered
Hezekiah was very wealthy and highly revered, and he made for himself vaults for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuables. He also made vaults for grain, wine, and oil and stalls for all kinds of cattle and sheep. He also built cities for himself, and amassed livestock in abundance, for God had given him many possessions. Hezekiah was also the one who shut off Gihon’s waters and redirected them down to the west side of David’s city. Hezekiah prospered in all his endeavors. When Babylon’s princes sent representatives to ask about the sign that had been done, God left Hezekiah to himself in order to test him and know everything that was in his heart.
The rest of Hezekiah’s history and good deeds are recorded in the book of Kings and the book of Isaiah (the prophet who was Amoz’s son). And Hezekiah joined the slumber of his ancestors, and they buried him in the upper part of David’s sons’ tombs. All of Judah and Jerusalem honored him at his death, and his son Manasseh took the throne in his place.