Study Desk

When Hezekia hearde that, he rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth, and went into the temple of the Lorde.

But he sent Eliakim the chiefe ouer the householde, Sobna the scribe, with the eldest priestes clothed in sacke, vnto the prophete Esai the sonne of Amos,

And they sayde vnto hym, Thus saith Hezekia: This is the day of trouble, of plague, and of blasphemie: for the children are come to the place of birth, but there is no power to bryng them foorth.

The Lorde thy God [no doubt] hath well considered the wordes of Rabsakeh, whom his lorde king of the Assyrians hath sent to defie and blaspheme the lyuyng God, with such wordes as the Lorde thy God hath hearde ryght well: and therfore lyft vp thy prayer for the remnaunt that yet are left.

So the seruauntes of the kyng Hezekia came to Esai,

And Esai gaue them this aunswere: Say thus vnto your lorde, Thus saith the Lord: Be not afraide of the wordes that thou hast hearde, wherwith the kyng of the Assyrians seruauntes haue blasphemed me.

Beholde, I wyll rayse vp a wynde agaynst him, & he shall heare a rumour, and he shall go agayne into his countrey, there wyll I destroy hym with the sworde in his owne lande.

Nowe when Rabsakeh returned, he founde the kyng of Assyria laying siege to Libnas: for he had vnderstandyng that he was departed from Lachis.

And there came a rumour that Tharakas kyng of Ethiopia was come foorth to warre agaynst hym: and when the king of Assyria hearde that, he sent other messengers to kyng Hezekia with this commaundement.

Say thus to Hezekia kyng of Iuda: Let not thy God deceaue thee, in whom thou hopest, and sayest, Hierusalem shall not be geuen into the handes of the kyng of Assyria.

For lo, thou knowest well howe the kynges of Assyria haue handled all the landes that they haue subuerted: and hopest thou to escape?

Were the people of the gentiles whom my progenitours conquered, deliuered at any tyme through their gods? [As namely] Gosan, Haran, Rezeph, and the children of Eden, which were at Thalassar?

Where is the king of Hemath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the citie Sepharuaim, Ena, and Aua?

Nowe when Hezekia had receaued the letter of the messengers, and read it, he went vp into the house of the Lorde, and opened the letter before the Lorde,

And Hezekia prayed vnto the Lorde [on this maner.]

O Lorde of hoastes, thou God of Israel, which dwellest vpon Cherubim, thou art the God that only is God of all the kingdomes of the world, for thou only hast created heauen and earth.

Encline thine eare Lorde and consider, open thine eyes Lorde and see, and ponder all the wordes of Sennacherib, which hath sent his embassage to blaspheme the lyuyng God.

It is true O Lorde that the kynges of Assyria haue conquered all kyngdomes and landes,

And cast their gods in the fire: for those were no gods, but the workes of mens handes, of wood or stone, therfore haue they destroyed them.

Nowe therfore deliuer vs O Lord our God from the handes of Sennacherib, that all the kyngdomes of the earth may knowe that thou only art the Lorde.

Then Esai the sonne of Amos sent vnto Hezekia, saying, Thus saith the Lorde God of Israel: Wheras thou hast made thy prayer vnto me as touching Sennacherib the king of Assyria,

This is the aunswere that the Lorde hath geuen concernyng hym: Dispised art thou and mocked O daughter Sion, he hath shaken his head at thee O daughter of Hierusalem.

But thou Sennacherib, whom hast thou defied and blasphemed? Agaynst whom hast thou lifted vp thy voyce, and exalted thy proude lokes? euen agaynst the holy one of Israel.

Thou with thy seruauntes hast blasphemed the Lorde, and thus holdest thou of thy selfe: I wyll couer the hye mountaynes and sydes of Libanus with my horsemen, and there wyll I cut downe the hye Cedar trees, and the fayrest Firre trees: I wyll vp in the heyght of it, and into the chiefest of his tymber woods.

If there be no water, I wyll graue and drynke: and as for waters of defence, I wyll drye them vp with the feete of myne hoast.

Yea, hast thou not hearde what I haue taken in hande and brought to passe of olde tyme? That same wyll I do nowe also, and waste, destroy, and bryng strong cities vnto heapes of stones.

For their inhabitours shalbe like lame men brought in feare and confounded: they shalbe lyke grasse and greene hearbes in the fielde, lyke the hay vpon house toppes, that wythereth before it be growen vp.

I knowe thy wayes, thy going foorth, and thy commyng home, yea and thy madnesse agaynst me.

Therfore thy furiousnesse agaynst me, and thy pride is come before me, I wyll put my ryng in thy nose, and my bridle bit in the iawes of thee, and turne thee about euen the same way thou camest.

I wyll geue thee also this token [O Hezekia] this yere shalt thou eate such as groweth of it selfe, and the seconde yere that which spryngeth agayne of the same, & in the thirde yere ye shall sowe and reape, yea ye shall plant vineyardes, and enioy the fruites therof.

And such of the house of Iuda as are escaped shall come together, and the remnaunt shall take roote beneath, and bryng foorth fruite aboue.

For the escaped shall go out of Hierusalem, and the remnaunt from the mount Sion: and this shall the zeale of the Lorde of hoastes bryng to passe.

Therfore thus saith the Lorde concernyng the kyng of the Assyrians: He shall not come into this citie, and shall shoote no arrowe into it, there shall no shielde hurt it, neither shall they cast ditches about it.

The same way he came he shall returne, and not come at this citie, saith the Lorde.

And I wyll kepe and saue this citie [saith he] for myne owne and for my seruaunt Dauids sake.

Thus the angell of the Lorde went foorth, and slue of the Assyrians hoaste an hundred fourescore and fiue thousande: and when men arose vp early in the mornyng, beholde they were slayne, and all lay full of dead bodyes.

So Sennacherib the kyng of the Assyrians brake vp & dwelt at Niniue.

Afterwarde it chaunced as he prayed in the temple of Nesroch his God, that Adramalech and Sarazer his owne sonnes slue hym with the sworde, and fled into the lande of Armenia: and Asarhaddon his sonne raigned in his steede.