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Rh own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.'

So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia: 'He is come out to fight against thee.' And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying: 'Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: Let not thy God in whom thou trustest beguile thee, saying: Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden that were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?'

And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the, and spread it before the. And Hezekiah prayed unto the, saying: 'O of hosts, the God of Israel, that sittest upon the cherubim, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline Thine ear, O, and hear; open Thine eyes, O , and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to taunt the living God. Of a truth,, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries, and their land, 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. Now therefore, O our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the, even Thou only.'

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying: 'Thus saith the, the God of Israel: Whereas thou hast prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word which the hath spoken concerning him:


 * The virgin daughter of Zion
 * Hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn;
 * The daughter of Jerusalem
 * Hath shaken her head at thee.
 * Whom hast thou taunted and blasphemed?
 * And against whom hast thou exalted thy voice?
 * Yea, thou hast lifted up thine eyes on high,
 * Even against the Holy One of Israel!
 * By thy servants hast thou taunted the Lord,
 * And hast said: With the multitude of my chariots
 * Am I come up to the height of the mountains,
 * To the innermost parts of Lebanon;
 * And I have cut down the tall cedars thereof,
 * And the choice cypress-trees thereof;
 * And I have entered into his farthest height,
 * The forest of his fruitful field.
 * I have digged and drunk water,
 * And with the sole of my feet have I dried up
 * All the rivers of Egypt.
 * Hast thou not heard?
 * Long ago I made it,
 * In ancient times I fashioned it;