A. 2 Kings 18. (Continued.) 4 David his father had done. [He removed the high places, and brake the pillars, and cut down the Asherah: and he brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and he called 5 it Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, 6 nor that were before him. For he clave to the LORD, he departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the 7 LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; whithersoever he went forth he prospered: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. 8 He smote the Philistines unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.] B. 2 Chron. 29. (Continued.) David his father had done. (B. proceeds to give a full account of the Restoration of the Temple Services, and of the Passover.) (§ 42.) NOTE.-The following section is only a brief abstract in B., and it is printed at the foot of the page, its place in the right-hand column has been taken by an insertion from Isaiah (C.). The variations between A. and C. are of the very slightest character, and almost always resolve themselves into various readings or minute changes which hardly affect the sense. There is no substitution of God for LORD, and no variation in the spelling of David's name. The omission of the word yay (of Hosts) three times over is noteworthy. (The cleansing of the Temple, the Passover, the Restoration of the After these things, and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the 2 fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself. And when A. 2 Kings 18. (Continued.) 14 [And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver 15 and thirty talents of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the 16 king's house. At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.] 17 And the king of Assyria sent [Tartan and Rabsaris and] Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army to 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 C. Isaiah 36. And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the high way of the fuller's field. B. 2 Chron. 32. (Continued.) Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed 3 to fight against Jerusalem, he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without 4 the city; and they helped him. So there was gathered much people together, and they stopped all the fountains, and the brook that flowed through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of 5 Assyria come, and find much water? And he took courage, and built up all the wall that was broken down, and raised it up to the towers, and the other wall without, and strengthened Millo in the city of 6 David, and made weapons 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 comfortably to 7 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 8 with him for there is a greater with us than 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. 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 A. 2 Kings 18. (Continued.) the king,] there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebnaha the scribe, and Joah 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, counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me? 21 [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 22 on 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 23 Jerusalem]? 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 riders upon them. 24 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 for horsemen ? 25 Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy 3. C. Isaiah 36. (Continued.) Then came out unto him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder. 4 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this 5 wherein thou trustest? I say, thy counsel and strength for the war are but vain words. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me? 6. 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 to all that trust 7 on him. But if thou 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? 8. 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 riders upon them. 9 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 10 chariots and for horsemen? [And] am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy B. 2 Chron. 32. (Continued.) 10 Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon 11 do ye trust, that ye abide the siege in Jerusalem? 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 13 incense? Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the § 42. But Shebna, ver. 37, &c. .אמרתו .C .אמרת . b 26 A. 2 Kings 18. (Continued.) it? The LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. the Then said Eliakim [the son of Hilkiah], and Shebnah, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in Syrian language; for we understand it and speak not with us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on 27 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, to eat their own dung, and to drink their own 28 water 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 29 of 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 31 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 32 waters of his own cistern; until I come and take you away to C. Isaiah 36. (Continued.) it? The LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. 11 Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on 12 the wall. But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink their own 13 water with you? Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king 14 of Assyria. Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you; for he shall not be able to deliver 15 you: neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us; this city 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 17 waters of his own cistern: until I come and take you away to 16 B. 2 Chron. 32. peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands any 14 ways able to deliver their land out of mine hand? Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should 15 be able to deliver you out of mine hand? Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither believe ye him: for no god of any 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 mine hand? 16 And his servants spake yet more against the LORD God, and against his servant Hezekiah. A. 2 Kings 18. (Continued.) 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 33 us. Hath any of the gods of the nations [ever] delivered his land out of the hand of the king of 34 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 35 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 out of 36 my hand? But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him 37 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 Rabshakeh. lest persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of 19 Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim?. [and] have they delivered Samaria out of 20 my hand? Who are they among all the gods of these countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of 21 my hand? But they held their peace, and answered him not a word for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him 22 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 Rabshakeh. A. 2 Kings 19. (Continuous.) (§ 43.) And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went 2 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, unto Isaiah the prophet the son 3 of Amoz. And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This C. Isaiah 37. (Continuous.) And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went 2 into the house of the LORD. And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the son of Amoz the 3 prophet. And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This |