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You say you have ·battle plans [strategy; counsel] and ·power [strength] for war, but your words ·mean nothing [are empty]. Whom are you ·trusting [relying/counting on] for help so that you ·turn [rebel] against me? Look, you are depending on Egypt to help you, but Egypt is like a ·splintered [broken] ·walking stick [reed]. If you lean on it for help, it will stab your hand and ·hurt [pierce] you. So it will be with the king of Egypt for all those who depend on him. You might say, “We are depending on the Lord our God,” but ·Hezekiah destroyed [L did not Hezekiah destroy…?] the Lord’s altars and ·the places of worship [L high places; 2 Kin. 18:4; 2 Chr. 30:14; 31:1]. Hezekiah told Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship only at this one altar [C at the temple in Jerusalem; the Assyrian official wrongly assumes that the other altars and high places were dedicated to the Lord and that restricting worship to Jerusalem would offend him; Deut. 12].”

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You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel(A) against me? Look, I know you are depending(B) on Egypt,(C) that splintered reed(D) of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. But if you say to me, “We are depending(E) on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed,(F) saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?(G)

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