1. Who was Hezekiah? 2. What kind of king was he? 3. Who wanted to hurt him? 4. What did Sennacherib mean to do? 5. What had he done to other cities? 6. What very wicked thing did Sennacherib say? 7. Where did Hezekiah go in his distress? 8. To whom did he pray? 9. Why did he say the other cities had not been saved by their gods? 10. What commandment tells us not to have gods of wood and stone? 11. What did Hezekiah ask God to do? 12. What did God promise? 13. And what happened to the soldiers of Sennacherib? 14. Who slew them? 15. Why were these people slain? 16. Why was Hezekiah safe? 17. What did he do that he might be saved? 18. How can you do like Hezekiah? 19. What may you tell God about? 20. What will He be sure to hear? 21. And if you pray to Him, what will He do for you?
THIRD READING.
"Like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might."—2 Kings 23:25.
THERE is one more good king to tell you about, whose name was Josiah. He was great-grandson to good King Hezekiah. The two kings who had come between Josiah's grandfather and father, had both been very bad men. His grandfather repented when he fell into trouble, and God forgave him; but his father never repented, and died in his wickedness when Josiah was only eight years old. But Josiah was very different. He made his people break down their idols, and clear out the Temple of the unholy things they had brought in, and worship God rightly once more.
THE BOOK OF THE LAW OF MOSES.
While they were cleaning out the Temple, they found a book that nobody knew—the Book of the Law of Moses—that is, the first five books in the Bible. All the time of these two bad kings nobody had minded it, or read it; it had been lost, and everyone had forgotten all about it.
When Josiah knew what it was, and that it was the Law that God had spoken to Moses, he made the priests read it to him and all his people. They were very much frightened when they heard it; for they found they were doing all the very things that God had said He would punish them for, and turn them out of their good land.