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1pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

courage, and built up all the wall that was broken down, and 'raised it up to the towers, and 2the other wall without, and strengthened Millo in the city of David, and made weapons 6 and shields in abundance. And

he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the broad place at the gate of the city, and spake 7 comfortably to them, saying, Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for 'there is a greater with us than 8 with him with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight Our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Sennacherib's Emissaries threaten Hezekiah.*

And the king of Assyria sent 2Tartan and 2Rabsaris and 2Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army unto Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the high way of the fuller's field. 18 And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which

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9 After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (now he was before Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying,

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the son of Asaph the 'recorder. 19 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this 20 wherein thou trustest? Thou sayest, but they are but vain words, There is counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou 21 hast rebelled against me? Now,

behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on 22 him. But if ye say unto me, We

trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Je23 rusalem? Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set 24 riders upon them. How then canst thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and 25 for horsemen? Am I now come

up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. 26 Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the *Syrian language; for we understand it and speak not with us

1 Or, chronicler

2 Heb. a word of the lips. 3 Or, make a wager with 4 Heb. Aramean.

Io Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide 1the siege in JeII rusalem? Doth not Hezekiah persuade you, to give you over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The LORD our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the 12 king of Assyria? Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and upon it shall ye burn incense?

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Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands any ways able to deliver their 14 land out of mine hand? Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers 2 utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine 15 hand? Now therefore let not

Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither believe ye him for no god of any

:

1 Or, in the strong hold 2 Heb. devoted.

in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the 27 wall.

But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink their own water 28 with you? Then Rabshakeh

stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear ye the word of the great king, the king of 29 Assyria. Thus saith the king,

Let not Hezekiah deceive you; for he shall not be able to deliver 30 you out of his hand: neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 31 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, 'Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the

nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of 16 mine hand? And his servants

spake yet more against the LORD God, and against his 17 servant Hezekiah. He wrote also letters, to rail on the LORD, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his 18 people out of mine hand. And

they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might 19 take the city. And they spake

of the God of Jerusalem, as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of 20 men's hands. And Hezekiah ✔ the king, and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, prayed because of this, and cried to heaven.

2 Kings 18. 31.

32 waters of his own cistern; until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, 33 The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations ever 34 delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah? have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 35 Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem 36 out of my hand? But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not. 37 Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

1 Heb. Make with me a blessing.

2 Or, gods

3 Or, a letter

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Prophecies of Isaiah.

And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house 2 of the LORD. And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sack3 cloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of contumely: for the children are come to the birth, and there is 4 not strength to bring forth. It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, 'whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the rem5 nant that is left. So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith 7 the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against 9 Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, IO saying, Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not II be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them 12 utterly and shalt thou be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, 13 and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city 14 of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah? And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD, the God of Israel, that sittest upon the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and 16 earth. Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see and hear the words of Sennacherib, wherewith he 17 hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the 18 kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them. 19 Now therefore, O LORD our God, save thou us, I beseech thee, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.

:

i Or, wherewith the king of Assyria

hath sent him

2 Heb. devoting them.

2

3 Or, dwellest between

4 Or, that thou, O LORD, art God

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Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against 21 Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard thee. This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem 22 hath shaken her head 1at thee. Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted 23 up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the 2multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice "fir trees thereof: and I will enter into his 24 farthest lodging place, the forest of his fruitful field. I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet will I dry up all the 25 rivers of Egypt. Hast thou not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? now have I brought it to pass, that 26 thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps. Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown 27 up. But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming 28 in, and thy raging against me. Because of thy raging against me, and

for that "thine arrogancy is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee 29 back by the way by which thou camest. And this shall be the sign unto thee: ye shall eat this year that which groweth of itself, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow 30 ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof. And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root 31 downward, and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape: the zeal of 32 'the LORD shall perform this. Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast a 33 mount against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he 34 return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith the LORD. For I will defend this city to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

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