of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt 110 for chariots and 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. 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 115 we understand it and speak not with us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the 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 and starve with you? Then Rabshakeh stood, 120 and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear ye the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you; for he shall not be able to deliver you: neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city 125 shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 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 waters of his own cistern; until I come and take you away to a 130 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, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations ever 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? 1 have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 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 140 out of my hand? But the people held their peace, and answered for the king's commandment was, saying, 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. 135 145 him not a word Answer him not. 19 1 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 of the LORD. And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of 1 After Ivvah insert Where are the gods of the land of Samaria ? (S). the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the 150 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 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 155 to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left. So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that 160 thou hast heard, wherewith 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. 8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring 165 against 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, Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch 170 his god, that Ādrammelech and Sharezer smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. A SECOND ACCOUNT 19 9... he sent messengers unto Hezekiah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem 175 shall not 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 utterly and shalt thou be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of 180 Eden which were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city 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. And 185 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 earth. Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open : 190 thine eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, wherewith he hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the 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 195 they have destroyed them. 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. 20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, 200 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 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 mount against it. By the way that 205 he came, by the same shall he 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. 35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred 210 fourscore and five thousand: and when men arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. For a very different account of Hezekiah, see 2 Chron. 29-32. LESSON LXIX ISAIAH AND THE ASSYRIANS Some of Isaiah's prophecies, which were delivered just before and during the Assyrian invasion. ISAIAH I., IX., X., XXVIII., XXIX., XXX., XXXI. (PARTS) THE INSOLENT NOBLES OF JERUSALEM 28 7 But these also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are gone astray; The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are gone astray 5 through strong drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgement. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will be make to understand the message ? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts ? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept; 15 Here a little, there a little. Nay, but by men of strange lips and with another tongue and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 Line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little ; That they may go, and fall backward and be broken, and snared, and taken. 14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem: Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; For we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves : 16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, A precious corner stone of sure foundation : And the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, As often as it passeth through, it shall take you ; For morning by morning shall it pass through, And it shall be nought but terror to understand the message. For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, lest your bands be made strong; For a consummation, and that determined,1 have I heard from the LORD of hosts. 1 For a consummation, and that determined read a decree of distinc tion. |