FIRST
READING: 2 Kings 19:
9 - 11, 14 - 21, 31 - 36
9
And when the king heard concerning Tirha'kah king of Ethiopia,
"Behold, he has set out to fight against you," he sent
messengers again to Hezeki'ah, saying,
10
"Thus shall you speak to Hezeki'ah king of Judah: `Do not let
your God on whom you rely deceive you by promising that Jerusalem
will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
11
Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all
lands, destroying them utterly. And shall you be delivered?
14
Hezeki'ah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and
read it; and Hezeki'ah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread
it before the LORD.
15
And Hezeki'ah prayed before the LORD, and said: "O LORD the God
of Israel, who art enthroned above the cherubim, thou art the God,
thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven
and earth.
16
Incline thy ear, O LORD, and hear; open thy eyes, O LORD, and see;
and hear the words of Sennach'erib, which he has sent to mock the
living God.
17
Of a truth, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations
and their lands,
18
and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but
the work of men's hands, wood and stone; therefore they were
destroyed.
19
So now, O LORD our God, save us, I beseech thee, from his hand, that
all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou, O LORD, art God
alone."
20
Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezeki'ah, saying, "Thus
says the LORD, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me about
Sennach'erib king of Assyria I have heard.
21
This is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him: "She
despises you, she scorns you -- the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags
her head behind you -- the daughter of Jerusalem.
31for
out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a
band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this.
32
"Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He
shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before
it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it.
33
By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall
not come into this city, says the LORD.
34
For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the
sake of my servant David."
35
And that night the angel of the LORD went forth, and slew a hundred
and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men
arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.
36
Then Sennach'erib king of Assyria departed, and went home, and dwelt
at Nin'eveh.
PSALM:
Psalms 48: 2 - 4, 10 - 11
2
beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in
the far north, the city of the great King.
3
Within her citadels God has shown himself a sure defense.
4
For lo, the kings assembled, they came on together.
10
As thy name, O God, so thy praise reaches to the ends of the earth.
Thy right hand is filled with victory;
11
let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of
thy judgments!
GOSPEL:
Matthew 7: 6, 12 - 14
6
"Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls
before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack
you.
12
So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for
this is the law and the prophets.
13
"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is
easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
14
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and
those who find it are few.
