"*** ISAIAH 17 ****" 
"Isaiahs prophecies like a sealed book to Judah The Lord has brought over you a spirit of deep sleep. He has blinded your eyes. This whole vision is to you like the words of a sealed book. The hearts of the people far from the Lord For the Lord says, This people"
"draw near to me with their lips but their hearts are far from me. Their fear toward me istaught by the traditions of men. Therefore I will astound these people with marvellous wonders and the wisdom oftheir wise shall vanish. Woe to those who go to great lengths to hide their evil deeds, who sin in darkness and think, Who will know? You turn things upside down. You are like the clay saying to the potter, You did not make me. Isaiahs prophecies will be understood when the great day of the Lord comes Yet, when the great day of the Lord comes, the deaf shall hear the words of this sealed book"
"and the eyes of the blind shall see. Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord. The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear and all who speak falsehoodsor have an eye for evil shall be destroyed. Therefore the Lord says, No longer in that day will Jacob be ashamed when helooks upon his children, the work of my hands. They will keep my name holy, and they who err in spirit will gain under-standing and accept instruction. Isaiah instructed to write this vision in a book as a witness for days to come Go now, inscribe this vision in a book that it may be a witness for the days to"
"come. Rebellious Judah want only to hear pleasant prophecies But woe to these obstinate children who carry out plans that are not mine. These are a rebellious people, unwilling to listen to instruction of the Lord. 12They say to the prophets, Give us no more visions of whatis right. Speak to us of pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Cease confronting us with the Holy One of Israel. Therefore the Holy One of Israel says, Because you have rejected my message and depend upon deceit, this sin willbecome for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that suddenly collapses upon you. Jerusalems"
"priests and rulers befuddled with wine Woe to Jerusalem. Your priests and rulers stagger from strong drink and arebefuddled with wine. All your tables are covered with vomit. There is not a spot without filth. Words of Isaiah scoffed at You scoff and say to me, Who is Isaiah trying to teach? Are we little children? Do this Do that Rule after rule God will therefore speak to Judah with foreign lips Very well then, with foreign lips God shall speak to you. It shall still be, Do this.Do that. Rule after rule. But it will not bring rest to the weary but will cause you to fall backward, to be"
"injured and snared andcaptured. When the overwhelming scourge comesyou shall be beaten down by it. As often as it comes it will carry you away. Morning after morning it will bring terror. The Messiah to be a cornerstone in Zion Hear the word of Jehovah you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem: I will lay a stone in Zion, a chosen cornerstone for asure foundation. He who trusts in him shall never be put to shame. Judahs chains to become heavier if they do not cease mocking Now cease your mocking or your chains will become heavier, for the Lord hasrevealed to me the destruction decreed"
"against this whole land. Only repentance will bring the help of the Lord The Lord says, In repentance is your salvation, in trust is your strength. But you would have none of it. You said, No, we will flee on horses. 21Therefore you shall flee. But your pursuers will be swifter. And athousand of you shall flee at the threat of one. The Lord longs to sh ow Judah compassion Yet the Lord longs to show you compassion. For Jehovah is a God ofjustice. Blessed are all who wait for him. O people of Jerusalem, how gracious he will be in that day when you cry for help. Assoon as he hears he will answer"
"you." 
"*** ISAIAH 18 ****" 
"Assyria captures many cities of Judah In the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah king of Judah , Sennacherib king of Assyria marched against Judah and attacked the fortified cities , capturing them . Jerusalem prepares to be attacked also When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib also intended to come against Jerusalem , he blocked off the springs and stream outside thecity saying , Why should the Assyrians come and find plenty of water? He repaired the broken sections of the city wall and built towers upon it , and then built another wall outside that one and reinforced"
"the terraces of the City of David . 4He also made many weapons and shields . King Hezekiah encourages his people The king appointed army officers over the people and assembled them in the square atthe city gate and encouraged them with these words , Be strong and courageous . Do not fear the king of Assyria and his vast army , for there is a greater power with us than with him . We have Jehovah our God to help us and to fight our battles . The army officers gained confidence from the words spoken by Hezekiah the king of Judah . Hezekiah pays the Assyrians a huge ransom of gold and silver to"
"withdraw Hezekiah then sent a message to the king of Assyria saying , I have done wrong . Withdraw from me and I will pay whatever you demand . So Sennacherib , king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah 300 talents of silver and 30talents of gold .  All the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple and the royal palace . 10King Hezekiah even had to strip gold from the doors of the Temple . The king of Assyria took the gold and silver and withdrew from Jerusalem . A clay record of Sennacherib in which he boasts of his victory over Hezekiah the Jew." 
"*** ISAIAH 19 ****" 
"The Assyrians come"
"again against Jerusalem Later that same year , when the king of Assyria was besieging Lachish , he sent his chief commander with a large army againstJerusalem a second time . The Assyrian comman der taunts Hezekiah The Assyrian commander led his army to the city gates and shouted for the king Hezekiah . Three of Hezekiah s officials went out to meet him . Then the commander cried out to them in a loud voice , Tell Hezekiah , the great king of Assyria says , On what are you basing this confidence of yours , that you remain in Jerusalem to rebel against me? 4You say you *23 About 10 tonnes of"
"silver and one tonne of gold. *1 A Canaanite city about 40 km south west of Jerusalem.have military strength , but you speak empty words . Come now , make a bargain with me . I will give you 2000 horses if you can put riderson them The Assyrians blaspheme Jehovah On whom then are you depending? Are you depending on Egypt , that splintered reed which pierces a man s hand if he leans on it Are you depending on Jehovah your God? Is not he the one whose high places and altars you have removed? 7Furthermore , Jehovah himself told me to march against this land and destroy it . The Assyrian comman"
"der intimidates the men of Judah sitting on the wall Hezekiah s officials said to the Assyrian commander , Speak in Assyrian since we understand it . Do not speak in Hebrew in the hearing of the men on the wall . But the commander cried out , Was it only to your king that I was sent to say these words , and not to the men sitting on the wall , who like you will have to eat their own dung and drinktheir own urine . Then he again shouted in Hebrew , Hear the words of the great king of Assyria Do not let Hezekiah deceive you He cannot deliver you from my hand 11Do not let him persuade you to"
"trust in Jehovah You will die of hungerand thirst The men of Judah encouraged to surrender Come out to me Then every one of you will continue to eat from your own vine and figtree, and drink from your own cistern until I come and take you to a land like your own , a land of grain and new wine , a land of vineyards , olive trees and honey Choose life , not death Do not listen to Hezekiah when he says Jehovah will deliveryou Has the god of any nation delivered his people from the hand of the king of Assyria? Was Samaria delivered? How then canJehovah deliver Jerusalem from my hand? The men of"
"Judah remain silent But the men were silent , for Hezekiah the king had commanded them , Do not answer him. Hezekiah seeks guidance from the Lord The officials went back to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him what the Assyrian commander had said . The king tore his clothes also and put on sackcloth and went up to the Temple of the Lord. 18Then he sent his officials and priests to consult the prophet Isaiah . The Lord to cause the Assyrian king to return home and be cut down with the sword Isaiah said to them , The Lord says , Do not fear the words with which the underlings of the"
"king of Assyria have blas-phemed me. I will put such a spirit into the king of Assyria that when he hears a certain report he will return to his own land. There he shall be cut down by the sword. The king of Assyria sends another blasphemous message to Hezekiah Soon after this the king of Assyria heard a report that the king of Egypt was marching against him . So he sent a letter to Hezekiah with these words : Let not the God you depend on deceive you when he says , Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king ofAssyria . You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to other nations ,"
"they destroyed them completely . Where is the king of Hamath , the king of Arpad , the king of Sepharvaim , or of Hena , or Ivvah? Hezekiah prays to the Lord for deliverance Hezekiah received the letter and read it . Then he went up to the Temple and spread it out before the Lord and prayed , O Jehovah , God of Israel , you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth . 24See the words that Sennacherib , king of Assyria has sent to insult the living God . It is true O Lord that the Assyrian kings have laid waste other nations , and burnt their gods with fire . But they were not gods ,"
"only wood and stone fashioned by men s hands . Now O Lord deliver us from his hand , that all the kingdoms on earth may know that you alone are God . The Lord rebukes the king of Assyria Then the Lord sent this message to Hezekiah by Isaiah the prophet : The God of Israel says , I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib, king of Assyria.He will not enter Jerusalem nor shoot an arrow here. I will defend this city and save it for my sake and for the sake of David myservant. Now this is the word the Lord has spoken against Sennacherib , The virgin daughter of Jerusalem mocks you. She"
"tosses her head as you flee. Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed? Against whom have you liftedyour eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel. By your messengers you have heaped insults on Jehovah. You have said, With my many chariots have I ascended the mountain heights to cut down its tallestcedars. Have you not heard? Long ago I planned all this. That you turn fortified citiesinto piles of stone, and I have brought it to pass. Now because you rage against me, and your insolence has reached my ears, Iwill put my hook in your nose and make you return the way you came.185,000"
"Assyrian soldiers die during the night That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death 185 ,000 men in the Assyrian camp . When those who were left alive arose the next morning there were dead bodies everywhere . Sennacherib king of Assyria returns home and is put to the sword by his sons So Sennacherib , king of Assyria returned to Nineveh , and while he was worshipping in the temple of his god Nisroch , two of his sons killed him with the sword . Jerusalems current warfare completed Then the Lord said to the prophet Isaiah , Comfort my people. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and"
"proclaim that her warfarehas been completed. Her sin has been atoned for."