Hi, and welcome to
His Words are Life.
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I'm Kelly Mowrer, and
today we're going to be reading
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together from 2nd Kings. As
we've read these stories of the
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different kings and Israel and
Judah, we're marked before how
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there will be those kings
who followed what the Lord said.
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The Bible notes that they did
not take down the high places.
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They continued to offer
sacrifices where they were not
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supposed to, and in ways
and to God that were not of
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the God of heaven. And so even
when the kings were following
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the true God, they did
not remove the high places.
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Today, we're going to read a
story of one of the kings who
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did tear down the high
places. But before we start,
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let's pray together.
Dear God thank you so much for
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the stories that you have given
to us as instruction for us to
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learn from today. Please open
our hearts now as we read of
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king Hezekiah. And may we yield
every high place of our heart
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and our life completely
to you. We love you so much
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and thank you for loving
us. We're reading in 2nd Kings,
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chapter 18 and we're
just beginning the story of
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King Hezekiah. This
is the King James Version
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and we're starting with verse
4. He removed the high places,
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and brake the images, and
cut down the groves, and brake
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in pieces the brasen
serpent that Moses had made:
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for unto those days the children
of Israel did burn incense to it
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and he called it Nehushtan.
He trusted in the Lord God of
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Israel; so that after him
was none like him among all
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the kings of Judah, nor any that
were before him. For he clave
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to the Lord, and
departed not from following him,
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but kept his commandments,
which the Lord commanded Moses.
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and the Lord was with him;
and he prospered whithersoever
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he went forth: and he rebelled
against the king of Assyria,
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and served him not. He smote
the Philistines, even unto Gaza,
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and the borders thereof,
from the tower of the watchmen
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to the fenced city. And it came
to pass in the 4th year of king
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Hezekiah, which was the 7th year
of Hoshea son of Elah king of
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Israel, that Shalmaneser king of
Assyria came up against Samaria,
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and besieged it. And at the
end of three years they took it:
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even in the sixth year of
Hezekiah, that is the ninth
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year of Hoshea king of Israel,
Samaria was taken. And the king
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of Assyria did carry away Israel
unto Assyria, and put them in
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Halah and in Habor by the river
of Gozan, and in the cities of
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the Medes: Because they obeyed
not the voice of the Lord their
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God, but transgressed his
covenant, and all that Moses
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the servant of the Lord
commanded, and would not hear
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them, nor do them. Now in
the 14th year of king Hezekiah
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did Senacherib king of Assyria
come up against all the fenced
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cities of Judah, and took them.
And Hezekiah king of Judah,
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sent to the king of Assyria to
Lachish, saying, I have offended
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return from me: that which
thou puttest on me will I bear.
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And the king of
Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah
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king of Judah 300 talents of
silver and 30 talents of gold.
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And Hezekiah gave him all
the silver that was found in the
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house of the Lord, and in the
treasures of the king's house.
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At that time did Hezekiah
cut off the gold from the doors
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of the temple of the Lord, and
from the pillars which Hezekiah
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king of Judah had overlaid, and
gave it to the king of Assyria.
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And the king of Assyria
sent Tartan and Rabsaris
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and Rabshakeh from Lachish to
king Hezekiah with a great host
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against Jerusalem. And they went
up and came to Jerusalem and
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when they were come up, they
came and stood by the conduit of
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the upper pool, which is in the
highway of the fuller's field.
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And when they had called to
the king, there came out to them
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Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
which was over the household,
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and Shebna the scribe,
and Joah the son of Asaph
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the recorder. And Rabshakeh
said unto them, Speak ye now
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to Hezekiah, Thus saith the
great king, the king of Assyria,
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What confidence is
this wherein thou trustest?
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Thou sayest - but they are
vain words - I have counsel and
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strength for the war.
Now on whom dost thou trust,
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that thou rebellest against me?
Now, behold, thou trustest upon
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the staff of this bruised reed,
upon Egypt, on which if a man
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lean, it will go into his hand,
and pierce it: so is Pharaoh
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king of Egypt unto
all that trust on him.
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But if ye say unto me, We
trust in the Lord our God:
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is not that he, whose
high places and whose altars
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Hezekiah hath taken away, and
hath said to Judah and Jerusalem
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Ye shall worship before
this altar in Jerusalem?
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Now therefore, I pray thee, give
pledges to my lord the king of
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Assyria, and I will deliver thee
2,000 horses, if thou be able
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on thy part to set riders upon
them. How then wilt thou turn
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away the face of one captain
of the least of my master's
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servants, and put thy
trust on Egypt for chariots
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and for horsemen? Am I now
come up without the Lord against
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this place to destroy it? The
Lord said to me, Go up against
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this land, and destroy it. Then
said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
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and Shebna, and Joah, unto
Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee,
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to thy servants in the Syrian
language; for we understand it:
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and talk not with us in the
Jews' language in the ears of
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the people that are on the wall.
But Ragshakeh said unto them,
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Hath my master sent me to thy
master, and to thee, to speak
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these words? Hath he not
sent me to the men which sit on
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the wall, that they may
eat their own dung, and drink
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their own piss with you? Then
Rabshakeh stood and cried with
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a loud voice in the Jews'
language, and spake, saying,
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Hear the word of the great king,
the king of Assyria: Thus saith
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the king, Let not Hezekiah
deceive you: for he shall not
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be able to deliver you out of
his hand: Neither let Hezekiah
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make you trust in the Lord,
saying, The Lord will surely
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deliver us, and this city shall
not be delivered into the hand
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of the king of Assyria, Hearken
not to Hezekiah: for thus saith
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the king of Assyria, Make an
agreement with me by a present
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and come out to me, and then
eat ye every man of his own vine
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and everyone of his fig tree,
and drink ye everyone the waters
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of his cistern: Until I come
and take you away to a land like
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your own land, a land of corn
and wine, a land of bread and
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vineyards, a land of oil olive
and of honey, that ye may live,
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and not die: and hearken not
unto Hezekiah when he persuadeth
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you, saying, The Lord will
deliver us. Hath any of the gods
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of the nations delivered at all
his land out of the hand of the
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king of Assyria? Where are the
gods of Hamath, and of Arpad?
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where are the gods of
Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?
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have they delivered Samaria out
of mine hand? Who are they among
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all the gods of the countries,
that have delivered their
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country out of mine hand,
that the Lord should deliver
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Jerusalem out of mine hand?
But the people held their peace,
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and answered him not a word:
for the king's commandment was,
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saying, Answer him not. Then
came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
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which was over the household,
and Shebna the scribe, and Joah
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the son of Asaph the recorder,
to Hezekiah with their clothes
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rent, and told him
the words of Rabshakeh.
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We're continuing in
2nd Kings, chapter 19,
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And it came to pass, when king
Hezekiah heard it, that he rent
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his clothes, and covered himself
with sackcloth, and went into
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the house of the Lord. And he
sent Eliakim, which was over the
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household, and Shebna the
scribe, and the elders of the
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priests, covered with
sackcloth to Isaiah the prophet
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the son of Amoz. And they said
unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah,
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This day is a day of trouble,
and of rebuke, and blasphemy:
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for the children are come to the
birth, and there is not strength
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to bring forth. It may be
the Lord thy God will hear all
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the words of Rabshakeh, whom
the king of Assyria his master
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hath sent to reproach the living
God; and will reprove the words
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which the Lord
thy God hath heard:
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wherefore lift up thy prayer
for the remnant that are left.
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So the servants of king Hezekiah
came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said
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unto them, Thus shall
ye say to your master,
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Thus saith the Lord, Be not
afraid of the words which thou
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hast heard, with which the
servants of the king of Assyria
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have blasphemed me. Behold,
I will send a blast upon him,
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and he shall hear a rumor, and
shall return to his own land;
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and I will cause him to fall
by the sword in his own land.
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So Rabshakeh returned and found
the king of Assyria warring
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against Libnah: for he
heard that he was departed from
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Lachish. And when he hear say
of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia,
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Behold, he is come out to fight
against thee: he sent messengers
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again unto Hezekiah, saying,
Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah
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king of Judah, saying, Let not
thy God in whom thou trusteth
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deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem
shall not be delivered into the
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hand of the king of
Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard
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what the kings of Assyria have
done to all lands, by destroying
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them utterly: and shalt thou be
delivered? Have the gods of the
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nations delivered them,
which my fathers have destroyed;
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as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph,
and the children of Eden which
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were in Thelasar? Where is the
king of Hamath, and the king of
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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,
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and read it: and Hezekiah went
up into the house of the Lord,
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and spread it before the
Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before
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the Lord, and said, O Lord God
of Israel which dwellest between
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the cherubims, thou art
the God even thou alone, of all
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the kingdoms of the earth;
thou hast made heaven and earth.
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Lord, bow down thine ear, and
hear: open, Lord, thine eyes,
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and see: and hear the words of
Sennacherib, which hath sent him
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to reproach the living God. Of a
truth Lord, the kings of Assyria
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have destroyed the nations and
their lands, and have cast their
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gods into the fire: for they
were no gods, but the work of
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men's hands, wood and stone:
therefore they have destroyed
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them. Now therefore, O Lord our
God, I beseech thee, save thou
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us out of his hand, that all the
kingdoms of the earth may know
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that thou art the Lord God, even
thou only. Then Isaiah the son
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of Amoz sent to Hezekiah,
saying, Thus saith the Lord God
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of Israel, That which thou hast
prayed to me against Sennacherib
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king of Assyria I have heard.
This is the word that the Lord
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hath spoken concerning him; The
virgin the daughter of Zion hath
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despised thee, and laughed
thee to scorn; the daughter of
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Jerusalem hath shaken her
head at thee. Whom hast thou
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reproached and blasphemed? and
against whom hast thou exalted
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thy voice, and lifted up
thine eyes on high? even against
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the Holy One of Israel. By thy
messengers thou hast reproached
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the Lord, and hast said, With
the multitude of my chariots
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I am come up to the height of
the mountains, to the sides of
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Lebanon, and will cut
down the tall cedars thereof,
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and the choice fir trees thereof
and I will enter into the
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lodgings of his borders and
into the forest of his Carmel.
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I have digged and drunk strange
waters, and with the sole of my
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feet have I dried up all
the rivers of besieged places.
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Hast thou not heard long ago how
I have done it, and of ancient
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times that I have formed it?
now have I brought it to pass,
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that thou shouldest be to lay
waste fenced cities into ruinous
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heaps. Therefore their
inhabitants were of small power,
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they were dismayed and
confounded; they were as the
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grass of the field and as the
green herb, as the grass on the
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house tops, and as corn
blasted before it be grown up.
00:13:14.80\00:13:17.63
But I know thy abode, and thy
going out, and thy coming in,
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and thy rage against me. Because
thy rage against me and thy
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tumult is come up into mine
ears, therefore I will put my
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hook in thy nose, and my bridle
in thy lips, and I will turn
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thee back by the way by which
thou camest. And this shall be
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a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat
this year such things as grow
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of themselves, and in the second
year that which springeth of the
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same; and in the 3rd year sow ye
and reap, and plant vineyards,
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and eat the fruits thereof.
And the remnant that is escaped
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of the house of Judah shall
yet again take root downward,
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and bear fruit upward. For
out of Jerusalem shall go forth
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a remnant, and they that
escape out of mount Zion:
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the zeal of the Lord of
hosts shall do this. Therefore
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thus saith the Lord
concerning the king of Assyria,
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He shall not come into this
city nor shoot an arrow there,
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nor come before it with shield,
nor cast a bank against it.
00:14:18.84\00:14:22.76
By the way that he came, by the
same shall he return, and shall
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not come into this city, saith
the Lord. For I will defend
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this city, to save it, for mine
own sake, and for my servant
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David's sake. - Thank you
for joining with me today.
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Please join me
again next time. Goodbye.
00:14:39.03\00:14:41.15