WEBVTT - 2 Kings 19

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

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<v Speaker 1>walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. You're listening to the chapter today Audio Bible.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm John Stangey, and today we're in Second King's Chapter nineteen,

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<v Speaker 1>and we'll be reading from the contemporary English version. As

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<v Speaker 1>soon as Hezekiah heard the news, he tore off his

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<v Speaker 1>clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. Then he went

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<v Speaker 1>into the temple of the Lord. He told Prime Minister

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<v Speaker 1>Eliah Kim, Assistant Prime Minister Shebnah, and the senior priests

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<v Speaker 1>to dress in sacloth and tell the prophet Isaiah. These

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<v Speaker 1>are difficult and disgraceful times. Our nation is like a

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<v Speaker 1>woman too weak to give birth when it's time for

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<v Speaker 1>her baby to be born. Please pray for those of

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<v Speaker 1>us who are left alive. The king of Assyria sent

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<v Speaker 1>his army commander to insult the living God. Perhaps the

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<v Speaker 1>Lord heard what he said and will do something if

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<v Speaker 1>you pray. When these leaders went to Isaiah, he told

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<v Speaker 1>them that the Lord had this message for Hesekiah. I

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<v Speaker 1>am the Lord. Don't worry about the insulting things that

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<v Speaker 1>have been said about me by these messengers from the

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<v Speaker 1>King of Assyria. I will upset him with rumors about

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<v Speaker 1>what's happening in his own country. He will go back,

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<v Speaker 1>and there I will make him die a violent death. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>the commander of the Assyrian forces heard that his king

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<v Speaker 1>had left the town of Lakish and was now attacking Libna,

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<v Speaker 1>so he went there. About this same time, the King

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<v Speaker 1>of Assyria learned that King Trhika of Ethiopia was on

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<v Speaker 1>his way to attack him. Then the King of Assyria

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<v Speaker 1>sent some messengers with this note for Kiah, don't trust

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<v Speaker 1>your God or be fooled by his promise to defend

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<v Speaker 1>Jerusalem against me. You have heard how we Assyrian kings

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<v Speaker 1>have completely wiped out other nations. What makes you feel

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<v Speaker 1>so safe? The Assyrian kings before me destroyed the towns

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<v Speaker 1>of Gozen, Heron, Resif, and everyone from Eden who lived

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<v Speaker 1>in Tallassar. What good did their gods do them? The

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<v Speaker 1>kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hennah, and Iva have all disappeared.

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<v Speaker 1>After Hezekiah had read the note from the King of Assyria,

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<v Speaker 1>he took it to the temple and spread it out

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<v Speaker 1>for the Lord to see. He prayed, Lord God of Israel.

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<v Speaker 1>Your throne is above the winged creatures. You created the

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<v Speaker 1>heavens and the earth, and you alone rule the kingdoms

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<v Speaker 1>of this world. But just look how Sanakarib insulted you,

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<v Speaker 1>the Living God. It is true, our Lord, that Assyrian

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<v Speaker 1>kings have turned nations into deserts. They destroyed the idols

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<v Speaker 1>of wood and stone that the people of those nations

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<v Speaker 1>had made and worshiped. But you are our Lord and

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<v Speaker 1>our God. We ask you to keep us safe from

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<v Speaker 1>the Assyrian king. Then everyone in every kingdom on earth

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<v Speaker 1>will know that you are the only God. Isaiah went

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<v Speaker 1>to Hezekiah and told him that the Lord God of

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<v Speaker 1>Israel had said, Hezekiah, I heard your prayer about King

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<v Speaker 1>Sanakarib of Assyria. Now this is what I say to

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<v Speaker 1>that king. The people of Jerusalem hate and make fun

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<v Speaker 1>of you. They laugh behind your back. Snakarib, you cursed,

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<v Speaker 1>shouted and sneered at me, the Holy God of Israel.

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<v Speaker 1>You let your officials insult me the Lord. And here

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<v Speaker 1>is what you have said about yourself. I led my

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<v Speaker 1>chariots to the highest heights of Lebanon's mountains. I went

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<v Speaker 1>deep into its forest, cutting down the best cedar and

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<v Speaker 1>cypress trees. I dried up every stream in the land

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<v Speaker 1>of Egypt, and I drank water from the wells I

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<v Speaker 1>had dug Snakarib. Now listen to me, the Lord, I

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<v Speaker 1>planned all this long ago, and you don't even realize

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<v Speaker 1>that I alone am the one who decided that you

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<v Speaker 1>would do these things. I let you make ruins of

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<v Speaker 1>fortified cities. Their people became weak, terribly confused. They were

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<v Speaker 1>like wildflowers or tender young grass growing on a flat roof,

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<v Speaker 1>scorched before it matures. I know all about you, even

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<v Speaker 1>how fiercely angry you are with me. I have seen

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<v Speaker 1>your pride and the tremendous hatred you have for me.

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<v Speaker 1>Now I will put a hook in your nose, bit

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<v Speaker 1>in your mouth. Then I will send you back to

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<v Speaker 1>where you came from. Hezekiah. I will tell you what's

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<v Speaker 1>going to happen. This year, you will eat crops that

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<v Speaker 1>grow on their own, and the next year you will

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<v Speaker 1>eat whatever springs up where those crops grew. But the

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<v Speaker 1>third year you will plant grain and vineyards, and you

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<v Speaker 1>will eat what you harvest. Those who survive in Judah

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<v Speaker 1>will be like a vine that puts down deep roots

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<v Speaker 1>and bears fruit. I the Lord all Powerful, will see

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<v Speaker 1>to it that some who live in Jerusalem will survive.

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<v Speaker 1>I promise that the king of Assyria won't get into Jerusalem,

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<v Speaker 1>or shoot an arrow into the city, or even surround

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<v Speaker 1>it and prepare to attack. As surely as I am

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<v Speaker 1>the Lord, he will return by the way he came

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<v Speaker 1>and will never enter Jerusalem. I will protect it from

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<v Speaker 1>myself and for my servant David. That same night, the

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<v Speaker 1>Lord sent an angel to the camp of the Assyrians,

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<v Speaker 1>and he killed one hundred eighty five thousand of them,

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<v Speaker 1>and so the next morning the camp was full of

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<v Speaker 1>dead bodies. After this, King Sanakaib went back to Assyria

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<v Speaker 1>and lived in the city of Ninevah. One day he

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<v Speaker 1>was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok when

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<v Speaker 1>his sons Adramelek and Shariza killed him with their swords.

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<v Speaker 1>They escaped to the land of Ararat, and his son

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<v Speaker 1>Esar Haddan became king. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you

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<v Speaker 1>for your word, and we thank you for the privilege

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<v Speaker 1>of being able to look at it today. And Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>as we look at this portion of scripture, we see

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<v Speaker 1>that King Sanakarib had set his heart against you. He

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<v Speaker 1>was filled with pride, he was filled with conceit, and

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<v Speaker 1>he failed to realize that the things that had been

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<v Speaker 1>accomplished during the course of his reign were only accomplished

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<v Speaker 1>because you allowed them to take place. And he failed

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<v Speaker 1>to give you credit, and he failed to honor you

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<v Speaker 1>as Lord, and ultimately he suffered a terrible fate. Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>these are things that all humanity wrestles with, and we've

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<v Speaker 1>wrestled with these things as well. But Lord, we pray

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<v Speaker 1>that we would trust you with our lives. We pray

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<v Speaker 1>that we would trust you with our futures. We pray

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<v Speaker 1>that when we have needs and concerns and things that

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<v Speaker 1>weigh heavy on our hearts, that we would lay them

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<v Speaker 1>out before you, just as Hezekiah did, and that we

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<v Speaker 1>would trust that you will accomplish your purpose and your will,

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<v Speaker 1>and that whatever you decide is what's best. Lord, we

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<v Speaker 1>know that you have our futures secure in your hand.

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<v Speaker 1>Through faith in your son Jesus Christ, we have been

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<v Speaker 1>set apart. We have been sealed by your Holy Spirit,

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<v Speaker 1>and you call us your children, and you remind us

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<v Speaker 1>that we have an inheritance in your kingdom that will

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<v Speaker 1>never be taken away. It's gone, it's never going to rust,

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<v Speaker 1>it's never going to disappear. So we're grateful Lord for

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<v Speaker 1>these promises, and we're grateful that, in the midst of

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<v Speaker 1>whatever we face this side of heaven, that we can

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<v Speaker 1>be confident that you're working all things together for good

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<v Speaker 1>and that you have good things in store for those

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<v Speaker 1>who love you. So we do love you, Lord, and

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<v Speaker 1>we thank you for your presence with us, and we

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<v Speaker 1>pray that throughout the course of this day that we

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<v Speaker 1>would honor you as our Lord and our God. And

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<v Speaker 1>we pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.