The Bible in Basic English BBE
Orthodox Jewish Bible OJB
1 Now after these things and this true-hearted work, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came into Judah, and put his army in position before the walled towns of Judah, designing to make his way into them by force.
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2 After these things, and haemes thereof, Sancheriv (Sennacherib) Melech Assyria came, and invaded Yehudah, and laid siege against the fortified cities, and thought to conquer them for himself.
2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come for the purpose of fighting against Jerusalem,
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And when Chizkiyahu saw that Sancheriv was come, and that he was purposed to make milchamah against Yerushalayim,
3 He took up with his rulers and men of war the question of stopping up the water-springs outside the town; and they gave him their support.
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He took counsel with his sarim and his gibborim to cover over the waters of the springs [Spring of Gihon] which were outside the Ir; and they did support him.
4 So they got together a great number of people, and had all the water-springs and the stream flowing through the land stopped up, saying, Why let the kings of Assyria come and have much water?
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So there was gathered Am Rav together, who covered the springs, and the wadi that flowed through the midst of HaAretz, saying, Why should the melachim of Assyria come, and find mayim rabbim?
5 Then he took heart, building up the wall where it was broken down, and making its towers higher, and building another wall outside; and he made strong the Millo in the town of David, and got together a great store of all sorts of instruments of war.
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Also he strengthened himself, and repaired all the chomah that was broken down, and raised it on the migdalot, and another chomah outside of it, and repaired Millo [terraces] in Ir Dovid, and made weapons and shields in abundance.
6 And he put war chiefs over the people, and sent for them all to come together to him in the wide place at the doorway into the town, and to give them heart he said to them,
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And he appointed sarim milchamot over HaAm, and gathered them together before him in the rechov of the Sha’ar HaIr, and spoke encouragingly to them, saying,
7 Be strong and take heart; have no fear, and do not be troubled on account of the king of Assyria and all the great army with him: for there is a greater with us.
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Chizku (be strong) and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed because of the melech Assyria, nor because of all the vast army that is with him, for there be more with us than with him.
8 With him is an arm of flesh; but we have the Lord our God, helping us and fighting for us. And the people put their faith in what Hezekiah, king of Judah, said.
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With him is zero’a basar, but with us is Hashem Eloheinu to help us, and to fight milchamoteinu (our battles). And HaAm took heart upon the words of Chizkiyahu Melech Yehudah.
9 After this, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent his servants to Jerusalem (at that time he was stationed with all his army in front of Lachish), to say to Hezekiah and all the men of Judah in Jerusalem,
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After this did Sancheriv melech Assyria send his avadim to Yerushalayim, (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, with all his forces with him,) unto Chizkiyah Melech Yehudah, and unto kol Yehudah that were in Yerushalayim, saying,
10 Sennacherib, king of Assyria, says, In what are you placing your hope, waiting here in the walled town of Jerusalem?
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Thus saith Sancheriv melech Assyria, Whereon do ye base confidence, that ye abide in the siege in Yerushalayim?
11 Is it not Hezekiah who has got you to do it, causing your death from need of food and water, by saying, The Lord our God will give us salvation out of the hands of the king of Assyria?
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Doth not Chizkiyahu mislead you to give over yourselves to die by ra’av and by tzama, saying, Hashem Eloheinu shall deliver us out of the yad Melech Assyria?
12 Has not this same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, Give worship before one altar only, burning offerings on it?
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Is not this the same Chizkiyah that has removed His high places and His mizbechot, and commanded Yehudah and Yerushalayim, saying, Ye shall worship before Mizbe’ach echad, and burn ketoret upon it?
13 Have you no knowledge of what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of every land? were the gods of the nations of those lands able to keep their land from falling into my hands?
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Know ye not what I and avotai have done unto all the people of other lands? Were the elohei goyei ha’aratzot able to deliver their land out of mine yad?
14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations, which my fathers put to destruction, who was able to keep his people safe from my hands? and is it possible that your God will keep you safe from my hands?
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Who was there among kol elohei haGoyim that avotai utterly destroyed, that could save his people out of mine yad, that Eloheichem should be able to save you out of mine yad?
15 So do not be tricked by Hezekiah or let him get you to do this, and do not put any faith in what he says: for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to keep his people safe from my hands, or the hands of my fathers: how much less will your God keep you safe from my hands!
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Now therefore let not Chizkiyahu deceive you, nor mislead you on this manner, neither yet believe him, for no g-d of any goy or mamlachah was able to deliver his people out of mine yad, and out of the yad of avotai. How much less shall Eloheichem deliver you out of mine yad?
16 And his servants said even more against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah.
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And his avadim spoke yet more against Hashem HaElohim, and against His eved Chizkiyahu.
17 And he sent letters, in addition, to put shame on the Lord, the God of Israel, and to say evil against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not been able to keep their people safe from my hands, no more will the God of Hezekiah keep his people safe from my hands.
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He wrote also sefarim to blaspheme Hashem Elohei Yisroel, and to speak against Him, saying, As the elohei goyei ha’aratzot have not saved their people out of mine yad, so shall not the Elohei Chizkiyahu save his people out of mine yad.
18 These things they said, crying out with a loud voice in the Jews' language, to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, with the purpose of troubling them and putting fear into them, so that they might take the town;
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Then they cried with a kol gadol in the language of the Yehudim unto the Am Yerushalayim that were on the chomah, to frighten them, and to terrorize them, that they might capture the Ir.
19 Talking of the God of Jerusalem as if he was like the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of men's hands.
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And they spoke against the Elohei Yerushalayim, as against the g-ds of the peoples of the land, which were the work of the hands of ha’adam.
20 And Hezekiah the king, and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, made prayer because of this, crying out to heaven.
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And for this cause Chizkiyahu HaMelech, and Yeshayah ben Amoz, HaNavi, davened and cried out to Shomayim.
21 And the Lord sent an angel who put to death all the men of war and the chiefs and the captains in the army of the king of Assyria. So he went back to his country in shame. And when he came into the house of his god, his sons, the offspring of his body, put him to death there with the sword.
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And Hashem sent a malach, which destroyed all the fighting gibborim, and the nagid and sar in the machaneh of the melech Assyria. So he withdrew in boshet panim (shamefaced disgrace) to his own land. And when he was entered the bais elohav, they that came forth of his own loins [i.e., his sons] cut him down there with the cherev.
22 So the Lord gave Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem salvation from the power of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and from all others, giving them rest on every side.
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Thus Hashem saved Chizkiyahu and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim from the yad Sancheriv Melech Ashur, and from the yad of all other, and guided them on every side.
23 And great numbers came to Jerusalem with offerings for the Lord, and things of great price for Hezekiah, king of Judah: so that he was honoured among all nations from that time.
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And many brought minchah unto Hashem to Yerushalayim, and migdanot (expensive gifts) to Chizkiyahu Melech Yehudah, so that he was magnified in the sight of Kol HaGoyim from thenceforth.
24 In those days Hezekiah was ill and near death; and he made prayer to the Lord, and the Lord in answer gave him a sign.
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In those yamim Chizkiyah became ill, to the point of mot, and davened unto Hashem, and He answered him, and He gave him a mofet [see 2Kgs 20:1-11].
25 But Hezekiah did not do as had been done to him; for his heart was lifted up in pride; and so wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.
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But Chizkiyahu did not render back according to the benefit done unto him; for his lev was lifted up in pride; therefore there was ketzef (wrath) upon him, and upon Yehudah and Yerushalayim.
26 But then, Hezekiah, in sorrow for what he had done, put away his pride; and he and all Jerusalem made themselves low, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come on them in Hezekiah's life-time.
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Notwithstanding Chizkiyahu humbled himself for the pride of his lev, both he and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, so that the ketzef Hashem came not upon them in the days of Chizkiyah.
27 And Hezekiah had very great wealth and honour; and he made himself store-houses for his gold and silver and jewels and spices, and for body-covers and all sorts of beautiful vessels.
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And Chizkiyahu had exceeding much osher and kavod, and he made himself otzarot for kesef, and for zahav, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for moginim, and for all manner of valuable things;
28 And store-houses for the produce of grain and wine and oil; and buildings for all sorts of beasts and flocks.
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Silos also for the increase of dagan, and tirosh and yitzhar (pure olive oil); and stalls for the livestock, and pens for all the sheep.
29 And he made towns for himself, and got together much property in flocks and herds: for God had given him great wealth.
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Moreover he built him towns, and possessions of tzon and bakar in abundance, for Elohim had given him wealth very much.
30 It was Hezekiah who had the higher spring of the water of Gihon stopped, and the water taken down on the west side of the town of David. In everything he undertook, Hezekiah did well.
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This same Chizkiyahu also covered over the upper source of the Gichon Spring and tunneled it straight down to the west side of Ir Dovid. Chizkiyahu prospered in all his works.
31 However, in the business of the representatives sent by the rulers of Babylon to get news of the wonder which had taken place in the land, God gave up guiding him, testing him to see what was in his heart.
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Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the sarim of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the mofet that was done in HaAretz, HaElohim left him, to test him, that He might know all that was in his lev.
32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and the good he did, are recorded in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
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Now the rest of the acts of Chizkiyahu, and his acts of chesed, hinei, they are written in the Chazon Yeshayahu ben Amoz HaNavi, and in the Sefer Melachim of Yehudah and Yisroel.
33 So Hezekiah went to rest with his fathers, and they put his body into the higher part of the resting-places of the sons of David: and all Judah and the people of Jerusalem gave him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son became king in his place.
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And Chizkiyahu slept with Avotav, and they buried him on the ascent in kivrei Bnei Dovid; and all Yehudah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim did him kavod at his mot. And Menasheh bno reigned in his place.
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The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.