with you?

22 But if ye say unto me, We trust in the Lord our A.C. 710. 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 #Or, hostages
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 ser-
vants in the Syrian language ; for we understand it: and
talk not with us in the Jews' language in the ear of the peo-
ple 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 that sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink + their own piss + Heb. the wa.

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 :

28 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you : for be 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, #ş Make an agreement with me by a present, and 10r, Seek my come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, Het: Make

every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the with me a 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 vine-
yards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live,
and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he * per *Ot, deccio.
suadeth 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, Henah, and Ivah ? have they
delivered Samaria out of mine hand ?

ter of their feet.

and

ll Or, pit.

eth.

thou

A.C. 710.

m Is. xxxvii, 1, &c,

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 houshold, 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 XIX. Ver. 1-8.
1 And mit 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 houshold, and

Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with callevkemias. sackcloth, to " Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day talim provo- 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 + Heb, found. prayer for the remnant that are + left.

5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6 9 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 bear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

anakest

chate usi mbastos demattered u

PSALM XLIV 52

I The church, in memory of former favours, 7 complaineth of their present evils.

17 Professing her integrity, 24 she fervently prayeth for suceous.

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil.
1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have
told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of
old.

52 Psalm xliv. It is not unlikely that Hezekiah was the author of this Psalm; and perhaps soon after the blasphemous message of Rab-shakeh.-Mudge.

sheep of meal.

2 How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, A.C.710. and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.

3 For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them : but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.

4 Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

5 Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

6 For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

7 But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

8 In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

9 But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.

10 Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.

11 Thou hast given us * like sheep appointed for meat ; * Heb. as and hast scattered us among the heathen.

12 Thou sellest thy people + for nought, and dost not in- + Heb. with. crease thy wealth by their price.

13 • Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn o Ps. Ixxix. 4. and a derision to them that are round about us.

14 p Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a p Jer, xxiv. 9, shaking of the head among

the people.
15 My confusion is continually before me, and the shame
of my face hath covered me,

16 For the voice of him that reproacheth and blaphemeth;
by reason of the enemy

and

avenger.
17 All this is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten
thee

, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.
18 Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps Or, goings.
declined from thy way;

19 Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.

20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;

21 Shall not God search this out ? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

22 4 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long ; we q Rom. viii.. are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

23 Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us

out riches.

not off for ever.

A.C.710.

24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affiction and our oppression?

25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust : our belly

cleaveth unto the earth. * Heb. a help 26 Arise * for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' for us. sake.

SECTION XVI.

Destruction of Sennacherib's Army.

2 KINGS xix, ver. 8- 20.
8 So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of As-
syria 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 més-
sengers 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 9 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: + Heb. given. 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,

PSALM LXXI11 53.

ly

+ Or, yet. Heb. clean of heart.

Ps, xxxvii. I.
Jer. xii. I.

other men.
* Heb, with.

pass the

heart,

1 The prophet, prevailing in a temptation, 2 sheweth the occasion thereof, the
prosperity of the wicked. 13 The wound given thereby, diffidence. 15 The
victory over it, knowledge of God's purpose, in destroying of the wicked, and
sustaining the righteous.

. A Psalm of Asaph.
I Truly + God is good to Israel, even to such as are # of A.C. 710.
a clean heart.

*Or, A Psalm 2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had for Asaph. well nigh slipped.

3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the pros-Job xxi. 7. perity of the wicked.

4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is $ firm.

Heb. fat. 5 They are not || in trouble as other men; neither are they | Heb. in the plagued * like other men.

6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain ; violence covereth them as a garment.

7 Their eyes stand out with fatness : † they have more Heb, they than heart could wish.

thoughts of the 8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.

9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

10 Therefore his people return hither : and waters of a fall cup are wrung out to them.

11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most high?

12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

15 If I say, I will speak thus ; behold, I should offend what against the generation of thy children.

* Psalm lxxiii. Thiş Psalm is inserted here on the authority of Dr. Wells,
who supposes the Asaph mentioned in the title to have been Asaph the seer, who
lived in the days of Hezekiah.

Psalm lxxv. This Psalm is supposed by Travell to have been composed by
Asaph on the destruction of the Assyrian arıny under Sennacherib.

Psalm laxvi. This is a song of triumph on God's deliverance of Jerusalem
from a powerful army which threatened its destruction ; probably the army of
Sennacherib. Green,

Heb. my chastisement