Those then who were  ¹scattered by the tribulation which took place on account of Stephen passed through as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to  ²no one except Jews only.

But there were some of them,  ¹men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and  ²spoke also to the Greeks, announcing the Lord Jesus as the gospel.

And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

And the account concerning them was heard in the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem, and they  ¹sent out  ²Barnabas to pass through as far as Antioch,

Who, when he arrived and saw the  ¹grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all to  ²remain with the Lord with purpose of heart;

For he was a good man and  ¹full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a considerable  ²number was added to the Lord.

And he went forth to Tarsus to search for Saul;

And when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it happened with them that for a whole year they were gathered in the church and taught a considerable number and that the disciples were first called  ¹Christians in Antioch.

And in these days  ¹prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

And one of them named Agabus rose up and signified through the Spirit that there was about to be a great famine over the whole inhabited earth, which occurred during the time of  ¹Claudius.

And the  ¹disciples, according to how one was  ²prospered, determined, each one of them, to send things  ³for dispensing to the brothers dwelling in Judea,

Which also they did, sending it to the  ¹elders through the hand of Barnabas and  ²Saul.

And Hezekiah  ¹appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites by their divisions, each of the priests and the Levites according to his service, for the burnt offering and for the peace offerings, to minister and give thanks and praise in the gates of the  ²temple of Jehovah.

Also he appointed the king's portion of his substance for the burnt offerings, the morning and evening burnt offerings and the burnt offerings of the Sabbaths and the new moon and the appointed feasts, as written in the law of Jehovah.

And he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the law of Jehovah.

And when the commandment went out, the children of Israel gave in abundance the firstfruits of the grain and of the new wine and of the fresh oil and of the honey and of all the produce of the field; and they brought the tithe of everything in abundance.

And the children of Israel and Judah who dwelt in the cities of Judah also brought the tithe of the herd and of the flock and the tithe of the dedicated things, which had been dedicated to Jehovah their God, and laid them heap upon heap.

In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and in the seventh month they finished.

And when Hezekiah and the leaders came and saw the heaps, they blessed Jehovah and His people Israel.

And Hezekiah inquired of the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps;

And Azariah the chief priest, of the house of Zadok, spoke to him and said, Since the time that the people began to bring the contributions into the house of Jehovah, there has been eating and satisfaction and an abundance left over, for Jehovah has blessed His people and this great amount is left over.

Then Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storechambers in the house of Jehovah, and they prepared them.

And they brought in the contribution and the tithe and dedicated things faithfully. And Conaniah the Levite was ruler over them, and Shimei his brother was second,

And Jehiel and Azaziah and Nahath and Asahel and Jerimoth and Jozabad and Eliel and Ismachiah and Mahath and Benaiah were overseers under Conaniah and Shimei his brother by appointment of Hezekiah the king and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.

And Kore the son of Imna the Levite, the gatekeeper on the east, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the contributions of Jehovah and the most holy things.

And under him were Eden and Miniamin and Jeshua and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, serving faithfully in the cities of the priests, to distribute the portion to their brothers by divisions, great and small alike,

Except for those who were enrolled by genealogy, males from three years old and upward, all who went to the house of Jehovah for their day-to-day duties, for their service in their offices by their divisions.

Now concerning the enrollment of the priests by genealogy, it was by their fathers' houses; and that of the Levites of those twenty years old and upward was by their offices in their divisions.

And the enrollment by genealogy included all their little ones, their wives, and their sons and daughters, the whole congregation of them; for they sanctified themselves faithfully in holiness.

And for the sons of Aaron the priests, who were in the pasture lands of their cities, in each and every city, there were men who were mentioned by name, to distribute portions to all the males among the priests and to all who were enrolled by genealogy among the Levites.

And Hezekiah did this throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and upright and faithful before Jehovah his God.

And in every work that he began in service to the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandment, to seek after his God, he did it with all his heart and prospered.

After these things and this faithfulness, Sennacherib the king of Assyria came and entered Judah. And he encamped against the fortified cities and intended to break into them for himself.

And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that his face was set to fight against Jerusalem,

He took counsel with his officers and mighty men to stop the water of the fountains that were outside the city, and they helped him.

So many people gathered together and stopped all the fountains and the brook that flowed through the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come and find an abundance of water?

And he took courage and built up all the wall that was broken down and  ¹erected towers on it and built another wall outside; and he strengthened the Millo in the city of David and made weapons and shields in abundance.

And he set battle captains over the people and gathered them to himself in the square at the gate of the city. And he encouraged them, saying,

Be strong and be bold; do not be afraid or dismayed because of the king of Assyria or because of all the multitude that is with him, for there is Someone greater with us than with him:

With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is Jehovah our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah the king of Judah.

After this Sennacherib the king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem—now he was before Lachish and all his forces were with him—to Hezekiah the king of Judah and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying,

Thus says Sennacherib the king of Assyria, In what are you trusting, that you remain in a siege in Jerusalem?

Is not Hezekiah trying to persuade you to give yourselves up to die by famine and by thirst, saying, Jehovah our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria?

Was it not the same Hezekiah who took away His high places and His altars and who commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Before one altar you shall worship, and upon it shall you burn incense?

Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands at all able to deliver their land out of my hand?

Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers destroyed who could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God would be able to deliver you out of my hand?

Now therefore do not let Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you in this way, and do not believe him; for there is no god of any nation or kingdom who was able to deliver his people out of my hand and out of the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand!

And his servants said still more against Jehovah God and against Hezekiah His servant.

And he wrote letters to cast contempt on Jehovah the God of Israel and to speak against Him, saying, Like the gods of the nations of the lands that did not deliver their people out of my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people out of my hand.

And they cried out in a loud voice in the Jews' language against the people of Jerusalem who were upon the wall in order to frighten them and terrify them, so that they might take the city.

And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem as they had against the gods of the peoples of the land, the work of men's hands.

But Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this, and they cried out to heaven.

And Jehovah sent an angel, who annihilated all the mighty men of valor and the leaders and the captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he entered the house of his god, some of those who had come forth from his bowels felled him there with the sword.

Thus Jehovah saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem out of the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and out of the hand of everyone, and He  ¹protected them on all sides.

And many brought gifts to Jehovah at Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah the king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all the nations thereafter.

In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill, and he prayed to Jehovah. And He spoke to him and gave him a sign.

But Hezekiah did not respond according to the benefit he had received, for his heart was proud; therefore wrath came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of Jehovah did not come again upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

Now Hezekiah had very much wealth and honor, and he made for himself treasuries for silver and gold and precious stones and for spices and shields and all kinds of valuable goods,

As well as storehouses for produce of grain and new wine and fresh oil, and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and flocks in sheepfolds.

And he built cities and acquired many flocks and herds, for God had given him very many possessions.

And it was this Hezekiah who stopped the upper spring of the water of Gihon and directed it down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

So also in the matter of the  ¹envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the wonders that had happened in the land, God forsook him only to test him and know all that was in his heart.

And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of faithfulness are there written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper part of the tombs of David's sons; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him when he died.