ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and 45 strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. But if ye say unto 50 me, We trust in Jehovah our God is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand 55 horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. How then wilt 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 ? Am I now come up without Jehovah against this place to destroy it? Jehovah said to me, Go 60 up against this land, and destroy it.

18.26. Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rab-shakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it and talk not with us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people that are 65 on the wall. But Rab-shakeh 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 Rab-shakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear the word 70 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 out of his hand: neither let Hezekiah make you trust in Jehovah, saying, Jehovah will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 75 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make your peace with me, 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 80 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, Jehovah 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 Sephar- 85 vaim, 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 Jehovah should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand? But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: 90 for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

And 100

18.37. 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 Rab-shakeh. (19.1) And it came to pass, 95 when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Jehovah. 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. they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. It may be Jehovah thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to 105 reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which Jehovah 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 Jehovah, Be not afraid of the words 110 which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that 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.

19.8. So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of 115 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 120 whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not

JUNIOR

X

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? 125 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? And Hezekiah received the 130 letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of Jehovah, and spread it before Jehovah. And Hezekiah prayed before Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the 135 earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. Jehovah, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Jehovah, thine eyes, and see and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Jehovah, 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 Jehovah our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art Jehovah the God, even thou only.

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19.20. Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. This is the word that Jehovah hath spoken concerning him; the virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and 150 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. Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the king of 155 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 Jehovah. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant 160 David's sake.

19.35. And it came to pass that night, that the angel of

Jehovah went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand and when men arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, 165 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.

LESSON LXXXI

JOSIAH

2 KINGS 21.1 to 23.14; 2 CHRONICLES 35

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21.1. Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem and Amon his son reigned in his stead. Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: 5 and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.

22.1. Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. And he did that which was right in the sight of 10 Jehovah, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of Jehovah, saying, Go up to Hilkiah 15 the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of Jehovah, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people: and let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah and let them give it to the doers of the work which 20 is in the house of Jehovah, to repair the breaches of the house, unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house. Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.

25

22.8. And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, 30 and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath de35 livered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and 40 Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying, Go ye, enquire of Jehovah for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of Jehovah that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto 45 all that which is written concerning us. So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the lower quarter ;) and they communed with her. 50 And she said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me, Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read because they have forsaken me, and have burned 55 incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, As 60 touching the words which thou hast heard; because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before Jehovah, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also 65 have heard thee, saith Jehovah. Behold therefore, I will gather