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He placed all the men in the city under the command of army officers and had them assemble in the open square at the city gate. He said to them,
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"Be determined and confident, and don't be afraid of the Assyrian emperor or of the army he is leading. We have more power on our side than he has on his.
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He has human power, but we have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles." The people were encouraged by these words of their king.
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Some time later, while Sennacherib and his army were still at Lachish, he sent the following message to Hezekiah and the people of Judah who were with him in Jerusalem:
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"I, Sennacherib, Emperor of Assyria, ask what gives you people the confidence to remain in Jerusalem under siege.
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Hezekiah tells you that the Lord your God will save you from our power, but Hezekiah is deceiving you and will let you die of hunger and thirst.
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He is the one who destroyed the Lord's shrines and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem to worship and burn incense at one altar only.
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Don't you know what my ancestors and I have done to the people of other nations? Did the gods of any other nation save their people from the emperor of Assyria?
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When did any of the gods of all those countries ever save their country from us? Then what makes you think that your god can save you?
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Now don't let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like that. Don't believe him! No god of any nation has ever been able to save his people from any Assyrian emperor. So certainly this god of yours can't save you!"
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The Assyrian officials said even worse things about the Lord God and Hezekiah, the Lord's servant.