'the hand of the king of Assyria." Hearken not to 'Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, "Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and drink ye every one the waters of 'his 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, The LORD will deliver " us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at 'all 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, Hena, and Ivah? have they ' delivered Samaria out of mine hand? Who are they 'among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered 'their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should ' deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?"

But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word for the king's commandment was, saying, 'Answer him not.'

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 Rab-shakeh. 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 the priests, covered with sackcloth, to 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 blasphemy. It may be the LORD thy GOD will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh, whom the king of Assyria

' his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy GOD hath heard: ' wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are ' 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 which thou hast heard, with ' which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed 'me. Behold, I will send a blast upon 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 Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring 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:' he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, 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 be ' delivered 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; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in 'Thelasar? Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of 'Hena, and Ivah?"'

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And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the

messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, 'O LORD GOD ' of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubim, thou art the GOD, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the 'earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. LORD, bow 'down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, ' and see and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath 'sent him to reproach the living GOD. Of a truth, LORD, 'the kings of Assyria have destroyed 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. Now therefore, O LORD our GOD, I beseech thee, save thou us out ' of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know 'that thou art the LORD GOD, even thou only.'

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Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD GOD of Israel

'That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib 'king of Assyria I have heard.

This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him

'The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and 'laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath 'shaken her head at thee. Whom hast thou reproached and 'blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy ' voice, and lifted 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 multitude of · my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, ' to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar'trees thereof, and the choice fir-trees thereof: and I will ' enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest

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⚫ of his Carmel. I have digged and drunk strange waters, ⚫ and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers ⚫ of besieged places." Hast thou not heard long ago how I ⚫ have done it, and of ancient times that have formed it? ' now have I brought it to pass, that 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 house-tops, and as corn 'blasted before it be grown up. But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against 'me. Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, ' and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. And this shall be a sign unto thee, "Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of them'selves, and in the second year that which springeth of the 'same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant 'vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof. And the remnant 'that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take 'root downward, and bear fruit upward. For out of Jeru'salem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out ' of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do ⚫ this."

'Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of 'Assyria

'He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, ' nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and 'shall not come into 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.'

And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead

corpses. So 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 his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying-

'Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abom'inations, and hath done wickedly above all that the 'Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made 'Judah also to sin with his idols: therefore thus saith the 'LORD GOD of Israel, "Behold, I am bringing such evil upon 'Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both 'his ears shall tingle."

And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

Amon was twenty and two years old when he began tò reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the