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fuller's field; and say to him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither let thy heart be faint, because of these two stumps of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah; because Syria hath counselled evil against thee, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and distress it, and break in and take it, and set up as king therein the son of Tabeel; thus saith the Lord Jehovah: It shall not stand, nor come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son (but the head of Judah is Jehovah of Hosts). If ye will not believe, ye shall not be established.

And Jehovah spake again to Ahaz, saying: Ask thee a sign of Jehovah thy God, deep unto hell, or high above. But Ahaz said: I will not ask, nor tempt Jehovah. And Isaiah said: Hear, O house of David; is it too little for you to weary men, that ye will weary my God also? Therefore Jehovah Himself shall give you a sign; behold, the virgin is with child and bringeth forth a son, and calleth his name God with us (Immanuel).

Jehovah bringeth upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah. And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they shall come and settle all of them in the rugged valleys, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures.

In that day shall Jehovah shave with a razor hired beyond the River (with the king of Assyria) the head and

the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard. And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place, where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, shall be briers and thorns. And all the hills that were digged with the spade, shall serve for pasturing cattle, and for the trampling of sheep.

And concerning his son Maher-shalal-hash-baz (SwiftSpoil-Speedy-Prey) spake Isaiah, saying: The prophetess conceived, and bare a son, and Jehovah said to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz. For before the child can say, My father, or My mother, the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be carried away by the king of Assyria.

And Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel warred against Jerusalem, but could not prevail against it. Then Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying: Thy servant and thy son am I. Come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who are risen up against me. And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent a present to the king of Assyria. And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him, and went up, and distressed Israel, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maacah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, even Gilead and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried them captive unto Assyria.

And Isaiah son of Amoz spake unto Israel and Judah, saying Jehovah spake to me yet again, saying, Because this people hath refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son; therefore, behold, Jehovah bringeth up upon them the waters of

UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN.

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the River, strong and many (the king of Assyria and all his glory); and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks; and he shall sweep onward into Judah; he shall overflow and pass through; up to the neck shall it reach; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, Immanuel.

But when the people turn unto Jehovah their God, and look up, then will He rescue them. Then shall there be no gloom to her that was in anguish. At the first He made mean the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but at the last He maketh glorious the way of the sea, the other side of Jordan, the district (Galilee) of the nations. The people that walk in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of shadow, upon them hath light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, Thou hast increased their joy. They joy before Thee like the joy in harvest; as men exult that divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the rod of his neck, the staff of his oppressor, Thou hast broken as in the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior, and the garments rolled in blood, shall be for burning, for fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonder Counsellor, God - Hero, Everlasting - Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts shall perform this.

And the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried it captive unto Kir, and slew

Rezin. And King Ahaz went to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria at Damascus. And King Ahaz saw the altar at Damascus, and he sent to Urijah (Light is Jah) the priest the fashion of the altar, and its pattern, in all it's construction. And Urijah the priest built the altar according to all that King Ahaz sent from Damascus. So did Urijah the priest against King Ahaz came from Damascus. And the king came from Damascus, and the king saw the altar; and the king approached the altar, and sacrificed thereon. And he burnt his burnt-offering and his offering of fruits, and poured his drink-offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace-offerings, upon the altar. And the brazen altar, which was before Jehovah, he brought from before the house, from between his altar and the house of Jehovah, and put it on the north side of his altar. And King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying: Burn the sacrifices upon the great altar; and the brazen altar shall be for me to inquire by. And Urijah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded.

And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a foundation of stones. And the sabbath canopy that they had built in the temple, and the king's entrance, the outer one, he changed in the house of Jehovah. These things did he because of the king of Assyria, for he paid tribute unto him.

And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead,

CHAPTER IV.

II. KINGS, xviii., xx. . II. CHRONICLES, xxix.-xxxi. ISAIAH, X., xi., xx., xxii., xxviii., xxxviii. MICAH, iv., v.

HEZEKIAH THE GOOD.

Centralization of Worship-High Places Destroyed-NehushtanThe Temple Restored-The Passover-Support of the TempleSamaria Deported-A Sermon against Drunkenness-The Scourge of Jehovah-Hezekiah's Sickness-The Sign of the Shadow-A Babylonian Embassy-Isaiah Denounces the Alliance-Capture of Ashdod—Symbolic Acts-Egyptian Alliance Denounced—A Word of Encouragement-The Assyrian Advance-Jehovah Will SaveThe Shoot of Jesse The Reign of Peace-Restoration of the Captives-Micah Prophesies-A Ruler from Bethlehem-Shebna the Prime-Minister-Isaiah Denounces Him.

HEZEKIAH reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.

And Hezekiah did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places, and brake the pillars of Baal, and cut down the Ashtoreth image. And he brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel burned incense to it and it was called Nehushtan (Brazen). In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors. of the house of Jehovah, and repaired them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and said to them: Sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of Jehovah,