From: "FamilyNet Direct" 

Bible Reading for July 06

2 Kings 18
[1] Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of
Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. [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.
[3] And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to
all that David his father did.
[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.
[5] He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like
him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. [6] For he
clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his
commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. [7] And the LORD was with
him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against
the king of Assyria, and served him not. [8] He smote the Philistines, even
unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the
fenced city. [9] And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah,
which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that
Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it. [10]
And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of
Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was
taken.
[11] And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put
them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the
Medes:
[12] Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but
transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD
commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them. [13] Now in the fourteenth
year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all
the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. [14] And Hezekiah king of Judah
sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return
from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria
appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and
thirty talents of gold. [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.
[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 Assyria. [17] And the king of Assyria
sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rab-shakeh 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] 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. [19] And Rab-shakeh said unto them,
Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria,
What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
[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? [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 Pharoah king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. [22]
But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose
high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to
Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem? [23]
Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria,
and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to
set riders upon them.
[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
horsemen? [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.
[26] Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto
Rab-shakeh, 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.
[27] But Rab-shakeh 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 piss
with you.
[28] Then Rab-shakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews'
language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of
Assyria:
[29] Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be
able to deliver you out of his hand: [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 Assyria.
[31] Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, 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:
[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. [33] Hath any of the
gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king
of Assyria?
[34] Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of
Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?
[35] Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered
their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out
of mine hand?
[36] But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the
king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not. [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 Rab-shakeh.

2 Kings 19
[1] And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his
clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the
LORD.
[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.
[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. [4] It may be the LORD thy
God will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh, whom the king of Assyria his
master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words
which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the
remnant that are left. [5] So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
[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 Assyria have blasphemed me. [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.
[8] So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against
Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. [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, [10] Thus
shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom
thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into
the hand of the king of Assyria. [11] Behold, thou hast heard what the
kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and
shalt thou be delivered? [12] Have the gods 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?
[13] Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of
the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah? [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.
[15] And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel,
which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of
all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. [16] LORD,
bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the
words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.
[17] Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and
their lands,
[18] And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the
work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
[19] Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his
hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD
God, even thou only.
[20] Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the
LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib
king of Assyria I have heard.
[21] This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin
the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the
daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. [22] Whom hast thou
reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice,
and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.
[23] By the messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With
the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains,
to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof,
and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his
borders, and into the forest of his Carmel. [24] I have digged and drunk
strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers
of besieged places. [25] Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it,
and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass,
that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps. [26]
Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and
confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as
the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up. [27]
But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage
against me.
[28] Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears,
therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I
will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. [29] And this shall be
a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves,
and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third
year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.
[30] And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again
take root downward, and bear fruit upward. [31] For out of Jerusalem shall
go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the
LORD of hosts shall do this. [32] Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning
the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow
there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. [33] By
the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into
this city, saith the LORD. [34] For I will defend this city, to save it,
for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
[35] And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out,
and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five
thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all
dead corpses.
[36] So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and
dwelt at Nineveh.
[37] And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his
god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and
they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esar-haddon his son reigned in
his stead.

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