Praise the Lord, you angels of his, you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees and obey his orders!

The Lord then said to me, “What they have said is good.

They are calloused; they speak arrogantly.

He sent them an assuring word and healed them; he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped.

He proclaims his word to Jacob, his statutes and regulations to Israel.

Yet which of them has ever stood in the Lord’s inner circle so they could see and hear what he has to say? Which of them have ever paid attention or listened to what he has said?

until the time when his prediction came true. The Lord’s word proved him right.

He made it dark; they did not disobey his orders.

He sends his command through the earth; swiftly his order reaches its destination.

He then orders it all to melt; he breathes on it, and the water flows.

O fire and hail, snow and clouds, O stormy wind that carries out his orders,

He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After this his brothers talked with him.

Now if you say to yourselves, ‘How can we tell that a message is not from the Lord?’ –

The king of Israel replied, “Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off.”

Sennacherib’s servants further insulted the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah.

Those who seek my life try to entrap me; those who want to harm me speak destructive words; all day long they say deceitful things.

In God – I boast in his promise – in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me?

For they say cruel and deceptive things to me; they lie to me.

Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted! Issue your orders, but they will not be executed! For God is with us!

For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin; your lips speak lies, your tongue utters malicious words.