<p class="bodytext">Ben Hadad sent another message to him, &#8220;May the gods judge me severely<n id="1" /> if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and said, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;Do you see this huge army?<n id="1" /> Look, I am going to hand it over to you this very day. Then you will know that I am the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8217;&#8221;

He went out to the spring and threw the salt in. Then he said, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;I have purified<n id="1" /> this water. It will no longer cause death or fail to produce crops.&#8221;<n id="2" />

Take the container of olive oil, pour it over his head, and say, &#8216;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8220;I have designated<n id="1" /> you as king over Israel.&#8221;&#8217; Then open the door and run away quickly!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

So Jehu<n id="1" /> got up and went inside. Then the prophet<n id="2" /> poured the olive oil on his head and said to him, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel says, &#8216;I have designated you as king over the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s people Israel.

So the horseman<n id="1" /> went to meet him and said, &#8220;This is what the king says, &#8216;Is everything all right?&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" /> Jehu replied, &#8220;None of your business!<n id="3" /> Follow me.&#8221; The watchman reported, &#8220;The messenger reached them, but hasn&#8217;t started back.&#8221;

So he sent a second horseman out to them<n id="1" /> and he said, &#8220;This is what the king says, &#8216;Is everything all right?&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" /> Jehu replied, &#8220;None of your business! Follow me.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">The chief adviser said to them, &#8220;Tell Hezekiah: &#8216;This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: &#8220;What is your source of confidence?<n id="1" />

Don&#8217;t listen to Hezekiah!&#8217; For this is what the king of Assyria says, &#8216;Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me.<n id="1" /> Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern,

&#8220;This is what Hezekiah says:<n id="1" /> &#8216;This is a day of distress, insults,<n id="2" /> and humiliation,<n id="3" /> as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through.<n id="4" />

&#8220;Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: &#8216;Don&#8217;t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, &#8220;Jerusalem will not be handed over<n id="1" /> to the king of Assyria.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel says: &#8216;I have heard your prayer concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria.<n id="1" />

<p class="poetry">So this is what the <sc>Lordsc> says about the king of Assyria:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;He will not enter this city,p> <p class="poetry">nor will he shoot an arrow here.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">He will not attack it with his shield-carrying warriors,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">nor will he build siege works against it.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness.<n id="1" /> The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;Give your household instructions, for you are about to die; you will not get well.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />

&#8220;Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people: &#8216;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> God of your ancestor David says: &#8220;I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you. The day after tomorrow<n id="1" /> you will go up to the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.

&#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: &#8216;I am about to bring disaster on this place and its residents, the details of which are recorded in the scroll which the king of Judah has read.<n id="1" />

&#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> says this: &#8220;Do not attack and make war with your brothers. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" /> They obeyed the <sc>Lordsc> and called off the attack against Jeroboam.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Shemaiah the prophet visited Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were assembled in Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: &#8216;You have rejected me, so I have rejected you and will hand you over to Shishak.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" />

Whenever your countrymen who live in the cities bring a case before you<n id="1" /> (whether it involves a violent crime<n id="2" /> or other matters related to the law, commandments, rules, and regulations), warn them that they must not sin against the <sc>Lordsc>. If you fail to do so, God will be angry with you and your colleagues; but if you obey, you will be free of guilt.<n id="3" />

He said: &#8220;Pay attention, all you people of Judah,<n id="1" /> residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says to you: &#8216;Don&#8217;t be afraid and don&#8217;t panic<n id="2" /> because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God&#8217;s.