Study Desk

Just as birds fly over their nest to protect it, so the Lord All-Powerful will defend Jerusalem. He will save her. He will "pass over" and save Jerusalem.

Look at you. You attack others when you have not been attacked. You turn against others when no one has turned against you. So when you stop your attacks, you will be attacked. When you stop turning against others, they will turn against you.

The Lord decided there should be a time for killing in Bozrah and in Edom. So the sword of the Lord is covered with blood and fat. The blood is from the "goats." The fat is from the kidneys of the "rams."

So the rams, the cattle, and the strong bulls will be killed. The land will be filled with their blood. The dirt will be covered with their fat.

Look in the Lord 's scroll and read what it says: Not one of these will be missing. Not one will be without its mate. God said he would make this happen, so his Spirit will bring them together.

God decided what he should do with them, and then he chose a place for them. He drew a line and showed them their land. So the animals will own that land forever. They will live there year after year.

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened so that they can see, and the ears of the deaf will be opened so that they can hear.

I tell you, if you are trusting in power and great battle plans, that is useless. Those are nothing but empty words. Now I ask you, who do you trust so much that you are willing to rebel against me?

"‘So maybe you will say, "We trust the Lord our God to help us." But Hezekiah destroyed the altars and high places where people worshiped your God, right? Hezekiah told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship only at this one altar here in Jerusalem."

But even then, you couldn't beat even one of my master's lowest ranking officers. So why do you still depend on Egypt's chariots and horse soldiers?

But the commander said, "My master sent me to speak to everyone, not just to you and your master. I must also speak to those people sitting there on the wall. When we surround your city, they will suffer too. Like you, they will become so hungry they will eat their own waste and drink their own urine!"

None of the gods of these other places were able to save their land from me! So why do you think the Lord can save Jerusalem from me?

The commander's master, the king of Assyria, has sent him to say bad things about the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will hear it and prove the enemy is wrong. So pray for those who are still left alive."

Then the king of Assyria got a report that said, "King Tirhakah of Ethiopia is coming to fight you." So the king of Assyria sent messengers to Hezekiah again.

But you are the Lord our God, so please save us from the king of Assyria. Then all the other nations will know that you are the Lord , the only God."

"So this is the Lord 's message against Sennacherib: ‘The virgin daughter Zion does not think you are important. She makes fun of you. Daughter Jerusalem shakes her head at you and laughs behind your back.

Yes, you were upset at me. I heard your proud insults. So I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. Then I will turn you around and lead you back the way you came.'"

Then the Lord said, "I will give you a sign to show you that these words are true. You will not be able to plant seeds this year, so next year you will eat grain that grew wild from the previous year's crop. But in the third year, you will eat grain from seeds that you planted. You will harvest your crops, and you will have plenty to eat. You will plant vineyards and eat grapes from them.

So the Lord says this about the king of Assyria: "He will not come into this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not bring his shields up against this city or build up a hill of dirt to attack its walls.

So King Sennacherib of Assyria went back to Nineveh and stayed there.