Hezekiah’s Prayer^(A)

¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter^(B) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple^(C) of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. ¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed^(D) to the Lord: ¹⁶ “Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned^(E) between the cherubim,^(F) you alone are God^(G) over all the kingdoms^(H) of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.^{(I) 17} Give ear, Lord, and hear;^(J) open your eyes, Lord, and see;^(K) listen to all the words Sennacherib^(L) has sent to ridicule^(M) the living God.^(N)

¹⁸ “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.^{(O) 19} They have thrown their gods into the fire^(P) and destroyed them,^(Q) for they were not gods^(R) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.^{(S) 20} Now, Lord our God, deliver^(T) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth^(U) may know that you, Lord, are the only God.^[a](V)”

Sennacherib’s Fall^(W)

²¹ Then Isaiah son of Amoz^(X) sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, ²² this is the word the Lord has spoken against him:

³⁰ “This will be the sign^(AW) for you, Hezekiah:

³³ “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:

³⁶ Then the angel^(BM) of the Lord went out and put to death^(BN) a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian^(BO) camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! ³⁷ So Sennacherib^(BP) king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh^(BQ) and stayed there.

³⁸ One day, while he was worshiping in the temple^(BR) of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat.^(BS) And Esarhaddon^(BT) his son succeeded him as king.^(BU)

1 Paul, Silas^[a](A) and Timothy,^(B)

To the church of the Thessalonians^(C) in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

² Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.^(D)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³ We ought always to thank God for you,^(E) brothers and sisters,^[b] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.^{(F) 4} Therefore, among God’s churches we boast^(G) about your perseverance and faith^(H) in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.^(I)

⁵ All this is evidence^(J) that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy^(K) of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. ⁶ God is just:^(L) He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you^{(M) 7} and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven^(N) in blazing fire^(O) with his powerful angels.^{(P) 8} He will punish^(Q) those who do not know God^(R) and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.^{(S) 9} They will be punished with everlasting destruction^(T) and shut out from the presence of the Lord^(U) and from the glory of his might^{(V) 10} on the day^(W) he comes to be glorified^(X) in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.^(Y)

¹¹ With this in mind, we constantly pray for you,^(Z) that our God may make you worthy^(AA) of his calling,^(AB) and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness^(AC) and your every deed prompted by faith.^{(AD) 12} We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,^(AE) and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.^[c]

¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,^{(A) 14} and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”^(B)

The Parable of the Great Banquet^(C)

¹⁵ When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast^(D) in the kingdom of God.”^(E)

¹⁶ Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. ¹⁷ At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

¹⁸ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

¹⁹ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

²⁰ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

²¹ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’^(F)

²² “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

²³ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. ²⁴ I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”^(G)