1. After these matters and this trustworthiness, Sanḥĕriḇ sovereign of Ashshur came. And he entered Yehuḏah and encamped against the cities of defence, and said to break them open to himself.
2. And Ḥizqiyahu saw that Sanḥĕriḇ had come, and his face set to fight against Yerushalayim,
3. and he took counsel with his rulers and mighty men to stop the water from the springs which were outside the city. And they helped him.
4. And many people were gathered, and they stopped all the springs and the stream that ran through the land, saying, “Why should the sovereigns of Ashshur come and find much water?”
5. And he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and outside of it another wall, and strengthened Millo, the City of Dawiḏ, and made large numbers of weapons and shields.
6. And he appointed battle officers over the people, and gathered them to him in the open space at the city gate, and spoke to their heart, saying,
7. “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid nor be cast down before the sovereign of Ashshur, nor before all the army that is with him. For with us there are more than with him.
8. “With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is יהוה our Elohim, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people leaned on the words of Ḥizqiyahu sovereign of Yehuḏah.
9. After this Sanḥĕriḇ the sovereign of Ashshur sent his servants to Yerushalayim – but he himself, and all his power with him against Laḵish – to Ḥizqiyahu sovereign of Yehuḏah, and to all Yehuḏah who were in Yerushalayim, saying,
10. “Thus said Sanḥĕriḇ the sovereign of Ashshur, ‘On what are you trusting, that you remain in Yerushalayim under siege?
11. ‘Is Ḥizqiyahu not persuading you to give yourselves over to die by scarcity of food and by thirst, saying, “יהוה our Elohim shall deliver us from the hand of the sovereign of Ashshur”?
12. ‘Has not Ḥizqiyahu himself taken away His high places and His altars, and ordered Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim, saying, “Bow yourselves before one altar and burn incense on it”?
13. ‘Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the mighty ones of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hand?
14. ‘Who was there among all the mighty ones of those nations that my fathers put under the ban that could deliver his people from my hand, that your Elohim should be able to deliver you from my hand?
15. ‘And now, do not let Ḥizqiyahu deceive you or persuade you like this, and do not believe him; for no mighty one of any nation or reign was able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers – much less your Elohim, to deliver you from my hand!’ ”
16. And his servants spoke even more against יהוה Elohim and against His servant Ḥizqiyahu.
17. And he wrote letters to reproach יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, and to speak against Him, saying, “As the mighty ones of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the Elohim of Ḥizqiyahu shall not deliver His people from my hand.”
18. Then they called out with a loud voice in the language of Yehuḏah to the people of Yerushalayim who were on the wall, to frighten them and to trouble them, in order to capture the city.