SENNACHerib's LETTER.

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Then came Eliakim son of Hilkiah, steward of the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the chronicler, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh. 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 Jehovah. And he sent Eliakim, steward of the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. And they said to him : Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is the 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. Perchance Jehovah thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will punish the words which Jehovah thy God hath heard; if thou liftest up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.

So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said to them: Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith Jehovah : Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I put a spirit in him, and he heareth a rumor, and returneth to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

And Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. And the king of Assyria heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia: Behold, he is come out to fight against thee; and 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 given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction; and shalt thou be delivered? Have the gods of the nations which my fathers have destroyed delivered them, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden, which is in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hana, and Avva?

And Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of Jehovah, and spread it before Jehovah. And Hezekiah prayed before Jehovah, and said: Jehovah, God of Israel, that inhabitest the cherubim, Thou alone art the God of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline Thine ear, Jehovah, and hear; open Thine eyes, Jehovah, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, wherewith he hath sent to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Jehovah, 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; and they have destroyed them. And now, Jehovah, our God, save us out of his hands, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou, Jehovah, alone art God.

Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying: Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: That which y thou hast prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, have I heard. This is the word that Jehovah hath spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion hath despised and mocked thee; behind thee hath the daughter of Jerusalem shaken her head. Whom

THE ASSYRIAN SHALL be turned BACK. 479

hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou raised thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel. By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and said, With the multitude of my chariots have I ascended the height of the mountains, the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down its tall cedars, and its choice fir-trees; and I will enter into the farthest lodging place of its forest park. I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet will I dry up all the rivers of Egypt. Hast thou not heard? Long ago I did it, in days of yore I formed it; now have I brought it to pass-that thy part should be to lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps. Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they became like grass of the field, and green herbs, like grass on the housetops, blasted before the east wind. But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy raging against Me. Because of thy raging against Me, and because thine arrogancy is come up into Mine ears, therefore will I put My hook in thy nose, and My bridle in thy lips, and turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

And this is the sign unto thee: this year they eat the after-growth, and next year that which springeth of itself; but in the third year sow, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. And the remnant of the house of Judah that is left shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem goeth forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion they that escape. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts shall perform it. Therefore thus saith Jehovah 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 up a mount against it. By the way that he cometh, by the same he returneth, and unto this city he cometh not, saith Jehovah. For I will defend this city to save it, for Mine own sake, and for My servant David's sake.

And the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote the camp of the Assyrians, and they arose early in the morning, and, behold, they were all dead corpses. And 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 Nusuku his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.

And Jehovah was with Hezekiah, and he prospered whithersoever he went forth. And he smote the Philistines, both Gaza and its district, both watch-tower and fortified city. And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor; and he provided him treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of costly vessels; storehouses also for the crops of corn and wine and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and folds for flocks. Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God gave him very great wealth. This same Hezekiah also covered the upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and brought them underground unto the west side of the city of David. And the men of Hezekiah copied out also proverbs of Solomon (for the king's library). And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. And Hezekiah slept with his fathers; and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

CHAPTER VI.

II. KINGS, xxi. II. CHRONICLES, xxxiii. NAHUM, iii.

MANASSEH AND AMON.

Reaction-High Places Restored—Idolatry Legalized-Magic Sanctioned-Prophetic Denunciations-Captivity of Manasseh-His Restoration-Works of Defence-King Amon-AssassinatedNahum the Elkoshite-The Burden of Nineveh.

MANASSEH was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Hephzi-bah. And he did evil in the sight of Jehovah, after the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel. And he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he set up altars to Baal, and made an Ashtoreth image, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars to all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of Jehovah, whereof Jehovah said: In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever; neither will I cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them. And he made his son to pass through the fire, and practised augury, and magic, and made familiar spirits, and wizards. He wrought much evil in the sight of Jehovah, to