2 Chronicles · Chapter 32

[ edit] After þe whiche þingis and ſiche a maner treuþ, came Senacherub, king of Aſſiries, and gon in to Judam, beſeegide ſtrengþed cytees, wilnynge to taken hem. Þe whiche þing whanne Ezechias hadde herd, þat is, Senacherub to han commen, and al þe bure of þe batayl to ben turned aȝeinus Jeruſalem, gon in counſeile wiþ þe princis and moſt ſtronge men, þat þei ſchulden ſtoppyn þe heuedis of wellis, þat weren wiþ oute þe cyte; and, þat deemyng þe ſentence of alle, he gaderede a myche multitude, and þei ſtoppiden alle þe wellis, and þe ryuer, þat flowede in þe myddis of þe lond; ſeyinge, Leſt þere commen kingis of Aſſiries, and fynde aboundaunce of watirs.

And doyng tauȝtly he bilde up al þe wal þat was ſcatered, and maad out tours þer vpon, and wiþ oute forþ anoþer wall. And he enſtored Mello in þe cyte of Dauid; and maad armour of al maner, and tergettis. And he ſette princis of fiȝters in þe hooſt; and he togider clepide alle in þe ſtrete of þe ȝate of þe citee, and he ſpac to þe herte of hem, ſeyinge, Doþ manly, and takiþ coumfort; williþ not taken ferd, ne dreeden þe kyng of Aſſiries, and al þe multitude þat is wiþ hym; forſoþe many mo ben wiþ us þanne wiþ hym. Wiþ hym is þe fleſchely arm; wiþ us þe Lord oure God, þe which is oure help and fiȝter for us. And þe puple is comfortide wiþ ſiche maner wordis of Ezechie, kyng of Juda.

Þe whiche þingus after þat ben don, Senacherub, þe king of Aſſiries, ſente his ſeruauntis vnto Jeruſalem; he forſoþe wiþ al his hoſt beſegide Lachis; to Ezechie, kyng of Juda, and to al þe puple þat was in þe cytee, ſeying, Þes þingus ſeiþ Senacherub, king of Aſſiries, In whome hauing truſt ȝe ſitten biſegid in Jeruſalem? For why Ezechias deceyuiþ ȝou, þat he take to deþ in hungur and þirſt, affermynge þat þe Lord ȝoure God delyuer ȝou fro þe hond of þe kyng of Aſſiries? Wheþer þis is Ezechie, þat diſtruyede his heeȝe þingus and auters, and comaundide to Jude and Jeruſalem, ſeyinge, Before oon auter ȝe ſchul honouren, and in it ȝe ſchul brenne encenſe?

Wheþer ȝe vnknowen what I haue don, and my fadirs, to alle puplis of londis? Wheþer þe goddis of Gentilis and of alle londis myȝten delyueren þeir regyoun fro my hond? Who is of alle þe goddis of Gentilis, whom my fadirs waaſtiden, þat myȝte delyueren his puple of myn hond, þat alſo ȝoure God myȝte delyueren ȝou of þis hond? Þanne ȝou deceyue not Ezechie, ne by veyn mouynge begile, ne trowe ȝe to hym; ȝif forſoþe no God of alle Gentilis and of regyouns myȝte delyueren his puple of my hond, and of þe hond of my fadirs, folowyngly ne ȝour God ſchal mown delyuer ȝou of þis myn hond. Bot and many oþer þingus his ſeruauntis ſpeeken aȝeinus þe Lord God, and aȝeinus Ezechie, his ſeruaunt.

Alſo letters he wroot ful of blasfemy in to þe Lord God of Irael, and he ſpac aȝeinus hym, As þe goddis of Gentilis of oþer londis myȝten not delyueren þeir puple fro myn hond, ſo and þe God of Ezechie ſchal not mowen delyuer his puple fro þis hond. Forþermore and wiþ a grete crie in Jews tunge aȝeinus þe puple, þat ſat in þe wallis of Jeruſalem, he ful out ſounnede, þat he agaſte hem, and take þe cite. And he ſpac aȝein þe God of Irael, as aȝeinus þe goddis of þe puplis of þe erþ, þe werkis of menus hondis. Þanne preyden Ezechias, king, and Iſaias, þe ſone of Amos, prophete, aȝeynus þis blasfemye; and þei cryeden out vnto heuen.

And þe Lord ſente his aungel, þat ſmote eche ſtronge man and fiȝter, and þe prince of þe hooſt of þe kyng of Aſſiries; and he is turned aȝeyn wiþ ſchenſchip in to his lond. And whanne he was gon in to þe hous of his god, þe ſonus, þat weren gon out of his wombe, ſlewen hym wiþ ſwerd. And þe Lord ſauede Ezechie, and þe dwellers of Jeruſalem, fro þe hond of Senacherub, kyng of Aſſiries, and fro þe hond of alle men; and ȝaue to hem reſte by enuyroun. Many alſo beeren hooſtis and ſacrifices to þe Lord in to Jeruſalem, and ȝiftis to Ezechie, kyng of Juda; þe whiche is enhaunſid after þes þingus before alle folkis of kynde.

In þo dais ſiknede Ezechie vnto þe deþ, and he preyde þe Lord; and he herde hym, and ȝaue to hym a ſygne; bot not after þe benefetis þat he hadde taken, he ȝeeldide, for arered is his herte; and þer is don aȝeinus hym wraþ, and aȝeinus Judam, and aȝeinus Jeruſalem. And he is mekide aftirward, forþi þat his herte was arered, boþe he and þe dwellers of Jeruſalem; and þerfore came not vpon hem þe wraþ of þe Lord in þe dais of Ezechie. Forſoþe Ezechias was riche, and ful glorious, and he gaderede to hym many treſoures of ſyluer, of gold, and of precious ſtone, of ſwote ſpices, and of alle maner armour, and of veſſels of grete priſe.

And leyinge places of whete, and of wyne, and of oyle, and cratchis of alle beſtis, and foldes to feeld beſtis, and ſixe cytees he bilde. He hadde forſoþe flockis of ſcheep, and of droues vnnoumbreable; forþi þat þe Lord hadde ȝeuen to hym ful mych ſubſtaunce. He is Ezechie, þat ſtoppide þe ouer well of þe waters of Gyon, and he turnede hem awey vndirneþe toward þe weſt of þe citee of Dauid; in alle his werkis he dide welſumly, þat he wolde. Neuerþelater in þe meſſage of þe princis of Babyloyne, þat weren ſente to hym, þat þei ſchulden aſken of þe wonder, þat hadde fallen vpon þe erþ, God forſoke hym, þat he ſchulde be temptid, and alle þingus ſchulden ben maad knowen þat weren in his herte.

Þe remnaunt forſoþe of þe wordis of Ezechie, and of his mercyes, ben writen in þe viſioun of Yſay, þe ſone of Amos, prophete, and in þe boke of kingus of Juda and of Irael. And Ezechie ſlepte wiþ his fadirs, and þei birieden hym vpon þe ſepulcres of þe ſonus of Dauid. And al Juda maad ſolempne his deed offices, and alle þe dwelleres of Jeruſalem; and Manaſſes, his ſone, regnede for hym.