Praise the Lord, you angels of his, you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees and obey his orders! ¹ 

The Lord then said to me, “What they have said is good.

They are calloused; ¹  they speak arrogantly. ² 

He sent them an assuring word ¹  and healed them; he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped. ² 

He proclaims his word to Jacob, his statutes and regulations to Israel.

Yet which of them has ever stood in the Lord’s inner circle ¹  so they ²  could see and hear what he has to say? ³  Which of them have ever paid attention or listened to what he has said?

until the time when his prediction ¹  came true. The Lord’s word ²  proved him right. ³ 

He made it dark; ¹  they did not disobey his orders. ² 

He ¹  sends his command through the earth; ²  swiftly his order reaches its destination. ³ 

He then orders it all to melt; ¹  he breathes on it, ²  and the water flows.

O fire and hail, snow and clouds, ¹  O stormy wind that carries out his orders, ² 

He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After this his brothers talked with him.

Now if you say to yourselves, ¹  ‘How can we tell that a message is not from the Lord?’ ²  –

The king of Israel replied, “Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off.” ¹ 

Sennacherib’s ¹  servants further insulted ²  the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah.

Those who seek my life try to entrap me; ¹  those who want to harm me speak destructive words; all day long they say deceitful things.

In God – I boast in his promise ¹  – in God I trust, I am not afraid. What can mere men ²  do to me? ³ 

For they say cruel and deceptive things to me; they lie to me. ¹ 

Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted! Issue your orders, but they will not be executed! ¹  For God is with us! ² 

For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin; your lips speak lies, your tongue utters malicious words.