2 Chronicles 32: Sennacherib’s Attack on Jerusalem – Clear & Engaging Audio Bible Reading | Hezekiah’s Faith, God’s Deliverance, and Sennacherib’s Defeat

Immerse yourself in the powerful events of 2 Chronicles 32 with this clear and engaging audio recording. Follow the story of Sennacherib’s attack on Jerusalem, how Hezekiah trusted in God, God’s miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem, and Sennacherib’s ultimate defeat. Perfect for study, reflection, or meditation, let the Scriptures come alive through this rich chapter.

2 CHRONICLES 32 (NIV)

1 After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria
came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to
conquer them for himself.

2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and
that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem,

3 he consulted with his
officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs
outside the city, and they helped him.

4 They gathered a large group of people
who blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why
should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said.

5 Then
he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building
towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the
terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and
shields.

6 He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him
in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words:

7 “Be
strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of
Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than
with him.

8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God
to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from
what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

9 Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege
to Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah
king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:

10 “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your
confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege?

11 When Hezekiah says,
‘The Lord our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,’ he is
misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst.

12 Did not Hezekiah
himself remove this god’s high places and altars, saying to Judah and
Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar and burn sacrifices on it’?

13 “Do you not know what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of
the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their
land from my hand?

14 Who of all the gods of these nations that my
predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can
your god deliver you from my hand?

15 Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and
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 the hand of my
predecessors. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!”

16 Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his
servant Hezekiah.

17 The king also wrote letters ridiculing the Lord, the God
of Israel, and saying this against him: “Just as the gods of the peoples of
the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of
Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.”

18 Then they called out in
Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and
make them afraid in order to capture the city.

19 They spoke about the God of
Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world—the
work of human hands.

20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to
heaven about this.

21 And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the
fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king.
So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple
of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the
sword.

22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of
Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of
them on every side.

23 Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and
valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded
by all the nations.

24 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed
to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign.

25 But
Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him;
therefore the Lord’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.

26 Then
Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem;
therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.

27 Hezekiah had very great wealth and honor, and he made treasuries for his
silver and gold and for his precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of
valuables.

28 He also made buildings to store the harvest of grain, new wine
and olive oil; and he made stalls for various kinds of cattle, and pens for
the flocks.

29 He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and
herds, for God had given him very great riches.

30 It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and
channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded
in everything he undertook.

31 But when envoys were sent by the rulers of
Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land,
God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.

32 The other events of Hezekiah’s reign and his acts of devotion are written
in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the book of the kings of
Judah and Israel.

33 Hezekiah rested with his ancestors and was buried on the
hill where the tombs of David’s descendants are. All Judah and the people of
Jerusalem honored him when he died. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as
king.