19:1 希西家王聽見,就撕裂衣服,披上麻布,進了耶和華的殿;
19:2 使家宰以利亞敬和書記舍伯那,並祭司中的長老,都披上麻布,去見亞摩斯的兒子先知以賽亞,
19:3 對他說:「希西家如此說:『今日是急難、責罰、凌辱的日子,就如婦人將要生產嬰孩,卻沒有力量生產。
19:4 或者耶和華─你的上帝聽見拉伯沙基的一切話,就是他主人亞述王打發他來辱罵永生上帝的話,耶和華─你的上帝聽見這話,就發斥責。故此,求你為餘剩的民揚聲禱告。』」
19:5 希西家王的臣僕就去見以賽亞。
19:6 以賽亞對他們說:「要這樣對你們的主人說,耶和華如此說:『你聽見亞述王的僕人褻瀆我的話,不要懼怕。
19:7 我必驚動(原文是使靈進入)他的心,他要聽見風聲就歸回本地。我必使他在那裡倒在刀下。』」
19:8 拉伯沙基回去,正遇見亞述王攻打立拿,原來他早聽見亞述王拔營離開拉吉。
19:9 亞述王聽見人論古實王特哈加說:「他出來要與你爭戰。」於是亞述王又打發使者去見希西家,吩咐他們說:
19:10 「你們對猶大王希西家如此說:『不要聽你所倚靠的上帝欺哄你,說耶路撒冷必不交在亞述王的手中。
19:11 你總聽說亞述諸王向列國所行的,乃是盡行滅絕,難道你還能得救嗎?
19:12 我列祖所毀滅的,就是歌散、哈蘭、利色,和屬提.拉撒的伊甸人,這些國的神何曾拯救這些國呢?
19:13 哈馬的王、亞珥拔的王、西法瓦音城的王、希拿,和以瓦的王都在哪裡呢?』」
When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 3 They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives.”
5 When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.’”
8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.
9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,[a] was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?”
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惡者就像亞述王一般:喜歡虛張聲勢、威脅恐嚇,讓人覺得害怕,來消磨人的意志,好來達成其目的。但是上帝的子民不要被其所欺騙,因為這些邪惡的力量是無法勝過上帝的,一切都在上帝的掌管之中。
我們有主作我們的保障,就不要害怕這些惡勢力,因為永恆的勝利是屬於上帝和祂的子民!