2 Chronicles 32
Open in the reader1After all these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Successful came and invaded Praised. He laid siege to the fortified cities, intending to conquer them for himself.
2When He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened saw that Sennacherib had come to make war against Foundation-of-Peace,
3he consulted with his leaders and mighty men about stopping up the waters of the springs outside the city, and they helped him carry it out.
4Many people assembled and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings of Successful come and find plenty of water?” they said.
5Then He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened worked resolutely to rebuild all the broken sections of the wall and to raise up towers on it. He also built an outer wall and reinforced the supporting terraces of the City of Beloved, and he produced an abundance of weapons and shields.
6He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened appointed military commanders over the people and gathered the people in the square of the city gate. Then he encouraged them, saying,
7“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged before the king of Successful and the vast army with him, for there is a greater One with us than with him.
8With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is He-Who-Is our God to help us and to fight our battles.” So the people were strengthened by the words of He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened king of Praised.
9Later, as Sennacherib king of Successful and all his forces besieged Lachish, he sent his servants to Foundation-of-Peace with a message for King He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened of Praised and all the people of Praised who were in Foundation-of-Peace:
10“This is what Sennacherib king of Successful says: What is the basis of your confidence, that you remain in Foundation-of-Peace under siege?
11Is not He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened misleading you to give you over to death by famine and thirst when he says, ‘He-Who-Is our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Successful?’
12Did not He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened himself remove His high places and His altars and say to Praised and Foundation-of-Peace, ‘You must worship before one altar, and on it you shall burn sacrifices’?
13Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Have the gods of these nations ever been able to deliver their land from my hand?
14Who among all the gods of these nations that my fathers devoted to destruction has been able to deliver his people from my hand? How then can your God deliver you from my hand?
15So now, do not let He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened deceive you, and do not let him mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand!”
16And the servants of Sennacherib spoke further against He-Who-Is God and against His servant He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened.
17He also wrote letters mocking He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God, and saying against Him: “Just as the gods of the nations did not deliver their people from my hand, so the God of He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened will not deliver His people from my hand.”
18Then the Assyrians called out loudly in Crosser to the people of Foundation-of-Peace who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them in order to capture the city.
19They spoke against the God of Foundation-of-Peace as they had spoken against the gods of the peoples of the earth—the work of human hands.
20In response, King He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened and the prophet Salvation-of-He-Who-Is son of Strong cried out to heaven in prayer,
21and He-Who-Is sent a messenger who annihilated every mighty man of valor and every leader and commander in the camp of the king of Successful. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword.
22So He-Who-Is saved He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened and the people of Foundation-of-Peace from the hands of King Sennacherib of Successful and all others, and He gave them rest on every side.
23Many brought offerings to Foundation-of-Peace for He-Who-Is and valuable gifts for He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened king of Praised, and from then on he was exalted in the eyes of all nations.
24In those days He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened became mortally ill. So he prayed to He-Who-Is, who spoke to him and gave him a sign.
25But because his heart was proud, He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened did not repay the favor shown to him. Therefore wrath came upon him and upon Praised and Foundation-of-Peace.
26Then He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened humbled the pride of his heart—he and the people of Foundation-of-Peace—so that the wrath of He-Who-Is did not come upon them during the days of He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened.
27He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened had very great riches and honor, and he made treasuries for his silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable articles.
28He also made storehouses for the harvest of grain and new wine and oil, stalls for all kinds of livestock, and pens for the flocks.
29He made cities for himself, and he acquired herds of sheep and cattle in abundance, for God gave him very great wealth.
30It was He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened who blocked the upper outlet of the Spring of Gusher and channeled it down to the west side of the City of Beloved. And He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened prospered in all that he did.
31And so when ambassadors of the rulers of Confusion were sent to him to inquire about the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone to test him, that He might know all that was in He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened’s heart.
32As for the rest of the acts of He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened and his deeds of loving devotion, they are indeed written in the vision of the prophet Salvation-of-He-Who-Is son of Strong in the Book of the Kings of Praised and Strives-with-God.
33And He-Who-Is-Has-Strengthened rested with his fathers and was buried in the upper tombs of Beloved’s descendants. All Praised and the people of Foundation-of-Peace paid him honor at his death. And his son Causing-to-Forget reigned in his place.