Hezekiah is the one who eliminated<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s<n id="2" /> high places and altars and then told Judah and Jerusalem, &#8220;At one altar you must worship and offer sacrifices.&#8221;

Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, &#8220;Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.&#8221; Shaphan read it out loud before the king.

Please recall the word you commanded your servant Moses: &#8216;If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the nations.<n id="1" />

Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me saying, &#8220;Come on! Let&#8217;s set up a time to meet together at Kephirim<n id="1" /> in the plain of Ono.&#8221; Now they intended to do me harm.p>

<p class="bodytext">So I sent messengers to them saying, &#8220;I am engaged in<n id="1" /> an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?&#8221;

You have also established prophets to announce<n id="1" /> in Jerusalem<n id="2" /> on your behalf, &#8216;We have a king in Judah!&#8217; Now the king is going to hear about these rumors. So come on! Let&#8217;s talk about this.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">I sent word back to him, &#8220;We are not engaged in these activities you are describing.<n id="1" /> All of this is a figment of your imagination.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">All of them were wanting<n id="1" /> to scare us, supposing, &#8220;Their hands will grow slack from the work, and it won&#8217;t get done.&#8221;p> <p class="bodytext">So now, strengthen my hands!<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">At that time<n id="1" /> the brother will shout,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;I am no doctor,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I have no food or coat in my house;p> <p class="poetry">don&#8217;t make me a leader of the people!&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Seven women will grab hold ofp> <p class="poetry">one man at that time.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They will say, &#8220;We will provide<n id="2" /> our own food,p> <p class="poetry">we will provide<n id="3" /> our own clothes;p> <p class="poetry">but let us belong to you<n id="4" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">take away our shame!&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

<p class="bodytext">It was reported to the family<n id="1" /> of David, &#8220;Syria has allied with<n id="2" /> Ephraim.&#8221; They and their people were emotionally shaken, just as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Indeed this is what the <sc>Lordsc> told me. He took hold of me firmly and warned me not to act like these people:<n id="1" />p>

<n id="1" /><p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies makes this solemn vow:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Be sure of this:p> <p class="poetry">Just as I have intended, so it will be;p> <p class="poetry">just as I have planned, it will happen.p>

The <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession,<n id="2" /> Israel!&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Be ashamed, O Sidon,p> <p class="poetry">for the sea<n id="1" /> says this, O fortress of the sea:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I have not gone into laborp> <p class="poetry">or given birth;p> <p class="poetry">I have not raised young menp> <p class="poetry">or brought up young women.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

Or when they hand the scroll to one who can&#8217;t read<n id="1" /> and say, &#8220;Read this,&#8221; he says, &#8220;I can&#8217;t read.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">You<n id="1" /> will hear a word spoken behind you, saying,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;This is the correct<n id="2" /> way, walk in it,&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">whether you are heading to the right or the left.p>

Don&#8217;t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the <sc>Lordsc> by saying, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.&#8221;

Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> will rescue us.&#8221; Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria?<n id="1" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Later the <sc>Lordsc> asked me, &#8220;What do you see, Jeremiah?&#8221; I answered, &#8220;I see a branch of an almond tree.&#8221;