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After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his seruants to Ierusalem (but he himselfe laide siege against Lachish, and all his power with him) vnto Hezekiah king of Iudah, and vnto all Iudah that were at Ierusalem, saying;

Thus sayth Semacherib king of Assyria, Whereon doe ye trust, that yee abide in the siege in Ierusalem?

Doeth not Hezekiah perswade you to giue ouer your selues to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The Lord our God shall deliuer vs out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places, and his altars, and commanded Iudah and Ierusalem, saying; Yee shall worship before one altar, & burne incense vpon it?

Know ye not what I and my fathers haue done vnto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those landes any wayes able to deliuer their lands out of mine hand?

Who was there among all the gods of those nations, that my fathers vtterly destroyed, that could deliuer his people out of mine hand, that your God should bee able to deliuer you out of mine hand?

Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceiue you, nor perswade you on this manner, neither yet beleeue him: for no god of any nation or kingdome was able to deliuer his people out of mine hand, & out of the hand of my fathers: how much lesse shall your God deliuer you out of mine hand?

And his seruants spake yet more against the Lord God, and against his seruant Hezekiah.

Hee wrote also letters to raile on the Lord God of Israel, & to speake against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands haue not deliuered their people out of mine hand: so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliuer his people out of mine hand.

Then they cryed with a loude voice in the Iewes speech vnto the people of Ierusalem that were on the wal, to affright them, and to trouble them, that they might take the city.

And they spake against the God of Ierusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth which were the worke of the hands of man.