Study Desk

You women who are so complacent, listen to me! Overconfident women, pay attention to my words!

You will not see the intransigent people, that people whose language is so obscure, whose stuttering speech you cannot understand.

For your ropes are hanging loose, not holding the mast, not spreading the sail. Then the plunder shared out is so huge that even the lame get part of the spoil.

Rav-Shakeh addressed them: "Tell Hizkiyahu: ‘Here is what the great king, the king of Ashur, says: "What makes you so confident?

Where is the god of any of these countries that has saved its country from my power, so that Adonai might be able to save Yerushalayim from my power?'"

But they kept still and didn't answer him so much as a word, for the king's order was, "Don't answer him."

Maybe Adonai your God will hear the words of Rav-Shakeh, whom his master the king of Ashur has sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke the message which Adonai your God has heard. So pray for the remnant that is left.'"

You have heard what the kings of Ashur have done to all lands — they have completely destroyed them. So how will you be delivered?

Now therefore, Adonai our God, save us from his power — so that all the kingdoms on earth will know that you are Adonai — you only."

So Sancheriv king of Ashur left, went and returned to live in Ninveh.

One day, as he was worshipping in the temple of Nisrokh his god, his sons Adramelekh and Shar'etzer struck him with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. So his son Esar-Hadon took his place as king.

that I will cause the shadow of the sundial, which has started going down on the sundial of Achaz, to go backward ten intervals.'" So the sun went back ten intervals of the distance it had already gone down.

M'rodakh-Bal'adan the son of Bal'adan, king of Bavel, heard that Hizkiyahu had been ill and had recovered, so he sent a letter and a gift to him.

Bring out those idols! Have them foretell the future for us, tell us about past events, so that we can reflect on them and understand their consequences. Or tell us about events yet to come,

state what will happen in the future, so that we can know you are gods. At least, do something, either good or bad — anything, to make us awestruck and fearful!

Who said this at the start, so we could know, or foretold it, so we could say, "He's right"? In fact, no one said it; no one foretold it — the fact is, nobody hears what you say.

Look at them all! What they do is nothing! Their idols are so much wind and waste.

so that you can open blind eyes, free the prisoners from confinement, those living in darkness from the dungeon.

Listen, you deaf! Look, you blind! — so that you will see!

All the nations are gathered together, and the peoples are assembled. Who among them can proclaim this and reveal what happened in the past? Let them bring their witnesses to justify themselves, so that others, on hearing, can say, "That's true."