The Invasion of Sennacherib

321 After these things and this truth, come hath Sennacherib king of Asshur, yea, he cometh in to Judah, and encampeth against the cities of the bulwarks, and saith to rend them unto himself. 2 And Hezekiah seeth that Sennacherib hath come, and his face 'is' to the battle against Jerusalem, 3 and he taketh counsel with his heads and his mighty ones, to stop the waters of the fountains that 'are' at the outside of the city—and they help him, 4 and much people are gathered, and they stop all the fountains and the brook that is rushing into the midst of the land, saying, 'Why do the kings of Asshur come, and have found much water?' 5 And he strengtheneth himself, and buildeth the whole of the wall that is broken, and causeth 'it' to ascend unto the towers, and at the outside of the wall another, and strengtheneth Millo, 'in' the city of David, and maketh darts in abundance, and shields. 6 And he putteth heads of war over the people, and gathereth them unto him, unto the broad place of a gate of the city, and speaketh unto their heart, saying, 7 'Be strong and courageous, be not afraid, nor be cast down from the face of the king of Asshur, and from the face of all the multitude that 'is' with him, for with us 'are' more than with him. 8 With him 'is' an arm of flesh, and with us 'is' Jehovah our God, to help us, and to fight our battles;' and the people are supported by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

9 After this hath Sennacherib king of Asshur sent his servants to Jerusalem—and he 'is' by Lachish, and all his power with him—against Hezekiah king of Judah, and against all Judah, who 'are' in Jerusalem, saying, 10 'Thus said Sennacherib king of Asshur, On what are ye trusting and abiding in the bulwark, in Jerusalem? 11 'Is not Hezekiah persuading you, to give you up to die by famine, and by thirst, saying, Jehovah our God doth deliver us from the hand of the king of Asshur? 12 Hath not Hezekiah himself turned aside His high places, and His altars, and speaketh to Judah and to Jerusalem, saying, Before one altar ye bow yourselves, and on it ye make perfume? 13 'Do ye not know what I have done—I and my fathers—to all peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands at all able to deliver their land out of my hand? 14 Who among all the gods of these nations whom my fathers have devoted to destruction 'is' he who hath been able to deliver his people out of my hand, that your God is able to deliver you out of my hand? 15 'And, now, let not Hezekiah lift you up, nor persuade you thus, nor give credence to him, for no god of any nation and kingdom is able to deliver his people from my hand, and from the hand of my fathers: also, surely your God doth not deliver you from my hand!' 16 And again have his servants spoken against Jehovah God, and against Hezekiah His servant, 17 and letters he hath written to give reproach to Jehovah, God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, 'As the gods of the nations of the lands that have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah doth not deliver His people from my hand.' 18 And they call with a great voice 'in' Jewish, against the people of Jerusalem who 'are' on the wall, to frighten them, and to trouble them, that they may capture the city, 19 and they speak against the God of Jerusalem as against the gods of the peoples of the land—work of the hands of man.

The LORD Delivers Hezekiah

20 And Hezekiah the king prayeth, and Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet, concerning this, and they cry to the heavens, 21 and Jehovah sendeth a messenger, and cutteth off every mighty one of valour—both leader and head—in the camp of the king of Asshur, and he turneth back with shame of face to his land, and entereth the house of his god, and those coming out of his bowels have caused him to fall there by the sword. 22 And Jehovah saveth Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Asshur, and from the hand of all, and He leadeth them round about; 23 and many are bringing in an offering to Jehovah, to Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah, and he is lifted up before the eyes of all the nations after this.

Hezekiah's Sickness

24 In those days hath Hezekiah been sick even unto death, and he prayeth unto Jehovah, and He speaketh to him, and a wonder hath appointed for him; 25 and Hezekiah hath not returned according to the deed 'done' unto him, for his heart hath been lofty, and there is wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem; 26 and Hezekiah is humbled for the loftiness of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the wrath of Jehovah hath not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

Hezekiah Receives Envoys from Babylon

27 And Hezekiah hath riches and honour very much, and treasures he hath made to himself of silver, and of gold, and of precious stone, and of spices, and of shields, and of all 'kinds' of desirable vessels, 28 and storehouses for the increase of corn, and new wine, and oil, and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and herds for stalls; 29 and cities he hath made for himself, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance, for God hath given to him very much substance. 30 And Hezekiah himself hath stopped the upper source of the waters of Gihon, and directeth them beneath to the west of the city of David, and Hezekiah prospereth in all his work; 31 and so with the ambassadors of the heads of Babylon, those sending unto him to inquire of the wonder that hath been in the land, God hath left him to try him, to know all in his heart,

The Death of Hezekiah

32 And the rest of the matters of Hezekiah, and his kind acts, lo, they are written in the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet, on the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 33 And Hezekiah lieth with his fathers, and they bury him in the uppermost of the graves of the sons of David, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem have done honour to him at his death, and reign doth Manasseh his son in his stead.

The Reign of Manasseh

331 A son of twelve years is Manasseh in his reigning, and fifty and five years he hath reigned in Jerusalem; 2 and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, like the abominations of the nations that Jehovah dispossessed from the presence of the sons of Israel, 3 and he turneth and buildeth the high places that Hezekiah his father hath broken down, and raiseth altars for Baalim, and maketh shrines, and boweth himself to all the host of the heavens, and serveth them. 4 And he hath built altars in the house of Jehovah of which Jehovah had said, 'In Jerusalem is My name to the age.' 5 And he buildeth altars to all the host of the heavens in the two courts of the house of Jehovah. 6 And he hath caused his sons to pass over through fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and observed clouds and used enchantments and witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and a wizard; he hath multiplied to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger. 7 And he placeth the graven image of the idol that he made in the house of God, of which God said unto David, and unto Solomon his son, 'In this house, and in Jerusalem that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I put My name to the age, 8 and I add not to turn aside the foot of Israel from off the ground that I appointed to your fathers, only, if they watch to do all that I have commanded them—to all the law, and the statutes, and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.' 9 And Manasseh maketh Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, to do evil above the nations that Jehovah destroyed from the presence of the sons of Israel. 10 And Jehovah speaketh unto Manasseh and unto his people, and they have not attended,

11 and Jehovah bringeth in against them the heads of the host that the king of Asshur hath, and they capture Manasseh among the thickets, and bind him with brazen fetters, and cause him to go to Babylon. 12 And when he is in distress he hath appeased the face of Jehovah his God, and is humbled exceedingly before the God of his fathers, 13 and prayeth unto Him, and He is entreated of him, and heareth his supplication, and bringeth him back to Jerusalem, to his kingdom, and Manasseh knoweth that Jehovah—He 'is' God. 14 And after this he hath built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west of Gihon, in the valley, and at the entering in at the fish-gate, and it hath gone round to the tower, and he maketh it exceeding high, and he putteth heads of the force in all the cities of the bulwarks in Judah. 15 And he turneth aside the gods of the stranger, and the idol, out of the house of Jehovah, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of Jehovah and in Jerusalem, and casteth 'them' to the outside of the city. 16 And he buildeth the altar of Jehovah, and sacrificeth upon it sacrifices of peace-offerings and thank-offering, and saith to Judah to serve Jehovah, God of Israel; 17 but still the people are sacrificing in high places, only—to Jehovah their God. 18 And the rest of the matters of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the matters of the seers, those speaking unto him in the name of Jehovah, God of Israel, lo, they are 'on the book of' the matters of the kings of Israel; 19 and his prayer, and his entreaty, and all his sin, and his trespass, and the places in which he had built high places, and established the shrines and the graven images before his being humbled, lo, they are written beside the matters of Hozai. 20 And Manasseh lieth with his fathers, and they bury him in his own house, and reign doth Amon his son in his stead.

The Reign of Amon

21 A son of twenty and two years 'is' Amon in his reigning, and two years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, 22 and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, as did Manasseh his father, and to all the graven images that Manasseh his father had made hath Amon sacrificed, and serveth them, 23 and hath not been humbled before Jehovah, like the humbling of Manasseh his father, for Amon himself hath multiplied guilt. 24 And his servants conspire against him, and put him to death in his own house, 25 and the people of the land smite all those conspiring against king Amon, and the people of the land cause Josiah his son to reign in his stead.

The Reign of Josiah

341 A son of eight years 'is' Josiah in his reigning, and thirty and one years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, 2 and he doth that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walketh in the ways of David his father, and hath not turned aside—right or left.

Josiah's Reforms

3 And in the eighth year of his reign (and he yet a youth), he hath begun to seek to the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he hath begun to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the shrines, and the graven images, and the molten images. 4 And they break down before him the altars of the Baalim, and the images that 'are' on high above them he hath cut down, and the shrines, and the graven images, and the molten images, he hath broken and beaten small, and streweth on the surface of the graves of those sacrificing to them, 5 and the bones of the priests he hath burnt on their altars, and cleanseth Judah and Jerusalem, 6 and in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their tools, round about. 7 And he breaketh down the altars and the shrines, and the graven images he hath beaten down very small, and all the images he hath cut down in all the land of Israel, and turneth back to Jerusalem.

The Book of the Law Discovered

8 And in the eighteenth year of his reign, to purify the land and the house he hath sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah head of the city, and Joah son of Johaz the remembrancer, to strengthen the house of Jehovah his God. 9 And they come in unto Hilkiah the high priest, and they give the money that is brought in to the house of God, that the Levites, keeping the threshold, have gathered from the hand of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah, and Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 10 and they give 'it' into the hand of the workmen, those appointed over the house of Jehovah, and they give it 'to' the workmen who are working in the house of Jehovah, to repair and to strengthen the house; 11 and they give 'it' to artificers, and to builders, to buy hewn stones, and wood for couplings and for beams to the houses that the kings of Judah had destroyed. 12 And the men are working faithfully in the business, and over them are appointed Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathite, to overlook; and of the Levites, every one understanding about instruments of song, 13 and over the burden-bearers, and overseers of every one doing work for service and service; and of the Levites 'are' scribes, and officers, and gatekeepers.

14 And in their bringing out the money that is brought in to the house of Jehovah, hath Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Jehovah by the hand of Moses, 15 and Hilkiah answereth and saith unto Shaphan the scribe, 'A book of the law I have found in the house of Jehovah;' and Hilkiah giveth the book unto Shaphan, 16 and Shaphan bringeth in the book unto the king, and bringeth the king back word again, saying, 'All that hath been given into the hand of thy servants they are doing, 17 and they pour out the money that is found in the house of Jehovah, and give it into the hand of those appointed, and into the hands of those doing the work.' 18 And Shaphan the scribe declareth to the king, saying, 'A book hath Hilkiah the priest given to me;' and Shaphan readeth in it before the king. 19 And it cometh to pass, at the king's hearing the words of the law, that he rendeth his garments, 20 and the king commandeth Hilkiah, and Ahikam son of Shaphan, and Abdon son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah, servant of the king, saying, 21 'Go, seek Jehovah for me, and for him who is left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found, for great 'is' the fury of Jehovah that is poured on us, because that our fathers kept not the word of Jehovah, to do according to all that is written on this book.' 22 And Hilkiah goeth, and they of the king, unto Huldah the prophetess, wife of Shallum son of Tikvath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the garments, and she is dwelling in Jerusalem in the Second, and they speak unto her thus. 23 And she saith to them, 'Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Say to the man who hath sent you unto me, 24 Thus said Jehovah, Lo, I am bringing in evil on this place, and on its inhabitants, all the execrations that are written on the book that they read before the king of Judah; 25 because that they have forsaken Me, and make perfume to other gods, so as to provoke Me with all the works of their hands, and poured out is My fury upon this place, and it is not quenched. 26 'And unto the king of Judah, who is sending you to inquire of Jehovah, thus do ye say unto him: Thus said Jehovah God of Israel, whose words thou hast heard: 27 Because thy heart 'is' tender, and thou art humbled before God in thy hearing His words concerning this place, and concerning its inhabitants, and art humbled before Me, and dost rend thy garments, and weep before Me: even I also have heard—the affirmation of Jehovah. 28 Lo, I am gathering thee unto thy fathers, and thou hast been gathered unto thy graves in peace, and thine eyes do not look on all the evil that I am bringing upon this place, and upon its inhabitants;' and they bring the king back word.

29 And the king sendeth and gathereth all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, 30 and the king goeth up to the house of Jehovah, and every man of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, even all the people, from great even unto small, and he readeth in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that is found in the house of Jehovah. 31 And the king standeth on his station, and maketh the covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and to keep His commands, and His testimonies, and His statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to do the words of the covenant that are written on this book. 32 And he presenteth every one who is found in Jerusalem and Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem do according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 And Josiah turneth aside all the abominations out of all the lands that the sons of Israel have, and causeth every one who is found in Israel to serve, to serve Jehovah their God; all his days they turned not aside from after Jehovah, God of their fathers.