Tuesday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time

When he heard it said of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “Behold, he has come out to fight against you, he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, ‘Tell Hezekiah king of Judah this: “Don’t let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly. Will you be delivered? Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s house, and spread it before the Lord. Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, “the Lord, the God of Israel, who sit above the cherubim, you are the God, even you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, the Lord, and hear. Open your eyes, the Lord, and see. Hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to defy the living God. Truly, the Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 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 have destroyed them. Now therefore, the Lord our God, save us, I beg you, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, the Lord, are God alone.” Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “the Lord, the God of Israel, says ‘You have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, and I have heard you. This is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him: ‘The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and ridiculed you. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you. For out of Jerusalem a remnant will go out, and out of Mount Zion those who shall escape. The Lord’s zeal will perform this. “Therefore the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there. He will not come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he will not come to this city,’ says the Lord. ‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’” That night, the Lord’s angel went out, and struck one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and lived at Nineveh.

Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the north sides, the city of the great King. God has shown himself in her citadels as a refuge. God has shown himself in her citadels as a refuge. For, behold, the kings assembled themselves, they passed by together. As is your name, God, so is your praise to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice, Because of your judgments.

“Don’t give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets. “Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it. How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.