Study Desk

So one of the priests who the Assyrians had carried away from Samaria came to live in Bethel. He taught the people how they should honor the Lord .

So now those other nations respected the Lord , but they also served their own idols. Their children and grandchildren did the same thing their ancestors did. They still do these things to this day.

The Lord was with Hezekiah, so he was successful in everything he did. Hezekiah broke away from the king of Assyria and stopped serving him.

If you say, "I trust in power and great battle plans," then that is useless. Now I ask you, who do you trust so much that you are willing to rebel against me?

But even then you couldn't beat 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 all those things and answer them. Maybe the Lord your God will show how wrong the enemy is! So pray for the people who are still left alive."

Look, I will send a spirit against the king of Assyria. He will get a report warning him about a danger, so he will return to his own country. And I will cut him down with a sword in his own country.'"

Then the king of Assyria heard a report that said, "Tirhakah, the king of Ethiopia, has come to fight against 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, Lord , are the only God."

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 that these words are true. You were not able to plant seeds this year, so next year you will eat grain that grows 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 have plenty to eat. You will plant grapevines and eat their fruit. You will plant vineyards and eat the grapes from them.

"So the Lord says this about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not come into this city or shoot an arrow at this city. 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 left and went back to Nineveh where he stayed.

One day Sennacherib was in the temple of his god Nisroch, worshiping him. His sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with a sword and ran away to Ararat. So his son Esarhaddon became the new king of Assyria.

At that time Hezekiah became sick and almost died. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and told him, "The Lord says, ‘You will die soon, so you should tell your family what they should do when you die. You will not get well.'"

"Go back and speak to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord , the God of your ancestor David, says: I heard your prayer and I saw your tears, so I will heal you. On the third day you will go up to the Temple of the Lord .

Then Isaiah said, "Crush figs together and put them on your sore; you will get well." So they took the mixture of figs and put it on Hezekiah's sore place, and he got well.

So the Lord , the God of Israel, says, ‘Look! I will bring so much trouble against Jerusalem and Judah that anyone who hears about it will be shocked.