The Bible, Old and New Testaments, King James Version Part 157

17:25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.

17:26 Wherefore they spake to the king of a.s.syria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the G.o.d of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the G.o.d of the land.

17:27 Then the king of a.s.syria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the G.o.d of the land.

17:28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

17:29 Howbeit every nation made G.o.ds of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.

17:30 And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made As.h.i.+ma, 17:31 And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the G.o.ds of Sepharvaim.

17:32 So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.

17:33 They feared the LORD, and served their own G.o.ds, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.

17:34 Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel; 17:35 With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other G.o.ds, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: 17:36 But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye wors.h.i.+p, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.

17:37 And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other G.o.ds.

17:38 And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other G.o.ds.

17:39 But the LORD your G.o.d ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.

17:40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.

17:41 So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

18:1 Now it came to pa.s.s in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

18:2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.

18:3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.

18:4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

18:5 He trusted in the LORD G.o.d of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.

18:6 For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.

18:7 And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of a.s.syria, and served him not.

18:8 He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

18:9 And it came to pa.s.s in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of a.s.syria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

18:10 And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is in the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

18:11 And the king of a.s.syria did carry away Israel unto a.s.syria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes: 18:12 Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their G.o.d, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.

18:13 Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of a.s.syria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.

18:14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of a.s.syria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of a.s.syria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

18:15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house.

18:16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of a.s.syria.

18:17 And the king of a.s.syria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field.

18:18 And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.

18:19 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of a.s.syria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? 18:20 Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? 18:21 Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.

18:22 But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our G.o.d: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall wors.h.i.+p before this altar in Jerusalem? 18:23 Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of a.s.syria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

18:24 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for hors.e.m.e.n? 18:25 Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

18:26 Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and talk not with us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

18:27 But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own p.i.s.s with you? 18:28 Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of a.s.syria: 18:29 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand: 18:30 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of a.s.syria.

18:31 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of a.s.syria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern: 18:32 Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us.

18:33 Hath any of the G.o.ds of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of a.s.syria? 18:34 Where are the G.o.ds of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the G.o.ds of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand? 18:35 Who are they among all the G.o.ds of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand? 18:36 But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

18:37 Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

19:1 And it came to pa.s.s, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

19:2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

19:3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.

19:4 It may be the LORD thy G.o.d will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of a.s.syria his master hath sent to reproach the living G.o.d; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy G.o.d hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.

19:5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

19:6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of a.s.syria have blasphemed me.

19:7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

19:8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of a.s.syria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.

19:9 And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying, 19:10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy G.o.d in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of a.s.syria.

19:11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of a.s.syria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered? 19:12 Have the G.o.ds of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar? 19:13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah? 19:14 And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

19:15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD G.o.d of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the G.o.d, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.