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Aftertheseacts of faithfulnessSennacheribking of Assyriacame and invadedJudah and besieged* the fortifiedcities, and thought to break into them for himself.
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So manypeopleassembled and stopped up all the springs and the stream which flowedthrough the region, saying, "Why should the kings of Assyriacome and findabundantwater?"
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And he tookcourage and rebuiltall the wall that had been brokendown and erectedtowers on it, and built anotheroutsidewall and strengthened the Millo in the city of David, and madeweapons and shields in greatnumber.
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"Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayedbecause* of the king of Assyria nor because* of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greaterthan the one with him.
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"With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the peoplerelied on the words of Hezekiahking of Judah.
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AfterthisSennacheribking of Assyriasent his servants to Jerusalem while he was besiegingLachish with all his forces with him, againstHezekiahking of Judah and againstallJudahwho were at Jerusalem, saying,
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'Is not Hezekiahmisleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, "The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria "?
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'Has not the sameHezekiahtakenaway His highplaces and His altars, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, "You shall worshipbeforeonealtar, and on it you shall burnincense "?
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'Do you not knowwhat I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the landsable at all to deliver their land from my hand?
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'Who was there among all the gods of thosenationswhich my fathersutterlydestroyedwhocoulddeliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand?
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'Now therefore, do not let Hezekiahdeceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for no*god of anynation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. Howmuch*less will your Goddeliver you from my hand?' "
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He also wroteletters to insult the LORDGod of Israel, and to speakagainst Him, saying, "As the gods of the nations of the lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand."
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They called this out with a loudvoice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalemwho were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city.
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And the LORDsent an angel who destroyedeverymightywarrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned in shame* to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his ownchildren*killed him there with the sword.
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So the LORDsavedHezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and guided them on everyside.
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And many were bringinggifts to the LORD at Jerusalem and choicepresents to Hezekiahking of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of allnationsthereafter**.
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However, Hezekiahhumbled 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.
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Now Hezekiahhadimmenseriches and honor; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, gold, preciousstones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuablearticles,
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It was Hezekiah who stopped the upperoutlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them to the westside of the city of David. And Hezekiahprospered in all that he did.
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Even in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, Godleft him alone only to test him, that He might knowall that was in his heart.
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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.
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So Hezekiahslept with his fathers, and they buried him in the uppersection of the tombs of the sons of David; and allJudah and the inhabitants of Jerusalemhonored him at his death. And his sonManassehbecameking in his place.