19. They talked about the God of Jerusalem in the same way that they talked about the gods of the other peoples, idols made by human hands.
20. Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed to God and cried out to him for help.
21. The Lord sent an angel that killed the soldiers and officers of the Assyrian army. So the emperor went back to Assyria disgraced. One day when he was in the temple of his god, some of his sons killed him with their swords.
22. In this way the Lord rescued King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the power of Sennacherib, the emperor of Assyria, and also from their other enemies. He let the people live in peace with all the neighbouring countries.
23. Many people came to Jerusalem, bringing offerings to the Lord and gifts to Hezekiah, so that from then on all the nations held Hezekiah in honour.
24. About this time King Hezekiah fell ill and almost died. He prayed, and the Lord gave him a sign that he would recover.
25. But Hezekiah was too proud to show gratitude for what the Lord had done for him, and Judah and Jerusalem suffered for it.
26. Finally, however, Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem humbled themselves, and so the Lord did not punish the people until after Hezekiah's death.
27. King Hezekiah became very wealthy, and everyone held him in honour. He had storerooms built for his gold, silver, precious stones, spices, shields, and other valuable objects.
28. In addition, he had storehouses built for his corn, wine, and olive oil; barns for his cattle; and enclosures for his sheep.
29. Besides all this, God gave him sheep and cattle and so much other wealth that he built many cities.
30. It was King Hezekiah who blocked the outlet for the Spring of Gihon and channelled the water to flow through a tunnel to a point inside the walls of Jerusalem. Hezekiah succeeded in everything he did,
31. and even when the Babylonian ambassadors came to inquire about the unusual event that had happened in the land, God let Hezekiah go his own way only in order to test his character.