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Isaiah 35-36
English Standard Version
Isaiah 35-36
English Standard Version
The Ransomed Shall Return
35 (A)The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
(B)the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
(C)The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of (D)Carmel and (E)Sharon.
(F)They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
3 (G)Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
(H)Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
5 (I)Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 (J)then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
(K)For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 (L)the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of (M)jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 (N)And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
(O)the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.[a]
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 (P)And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
(Q)everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Sennacherib Invades Judah
36 (R)In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, (S)Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 2 (T)And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh[b] from (U)Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood (V)by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field. 3 And there came out to him (W)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and (X)Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder.
4 And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the (Y)great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? 5 Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? 6 (Z)Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 7 But if you say to me, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not he (AA)whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar”? 8 Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 9 How then can you repulse (AB)a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when (AC)you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 10 Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this land to destroy it? (AD)The Lord said to me, “Go up against this land and destroy it.”’”
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants (AE)in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 12 But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”
13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14 Thus says the king: (AF)‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. 15 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 16 Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me[c] and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, 17 until (AG)I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 (AH)Where are the gods of (AI)Hamath and (AJ)Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? (AK)Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 20 (AL)Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”
21 But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, “Do not answer him.” 22 (AM)Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 35:8 Or if they are fools, they shall not wander in it
- Isaiah 36:2 Rabshakeh is the title of a high-ranking Assyrian military officer
- Isaiah 36:16 Hebrew Make a blessing with me
Isaiah 35-36
New International Version
Isaiah 35-36
New International Version
Joy of the Redeemed
35 The desert(A) and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.(B)
Like the crocus,(C) 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.(D)
The glory of Lebanon(E) will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel(F) and Sharon;(G)
they will see the glory(H) of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.(I)
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees(J) that give way;
4 say(K) to those with fearful hearts,(L)
“Be strong, do not fear;(M)
your God will come,(N)
he will come with vengeance;(O)
with divine retribution
he will come to save(P) you.”
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened(Q)
and the ears of the deaf(R) unstopped.
6 Then will the lame(S) leap like a deer,(T)
and the mute tongue(U) shout for joy.(V)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams(W) in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground(X) bubbling springs.(Y)
In the haunts where jackals(Z) once lay,
grass and reeds(AA) and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway(AB) will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;(AC)
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean(AD) will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion(AE) will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;(AF)
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed(AG) will walk there,
10 and those the Lord has rescued(AH) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(AI)
everlasting joy(AJ) will crown their heads.
Gladness(AK) and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(AL)
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem(AM)
36 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s(AN) reign, Sennacherib(AO) king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.(AP) 2 Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish(AQ) to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,(AR) 3 Eliakim(AS) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator,(AT) Shebna(AU) the secretary,(AV) and Joah(AW) son of Asaph the recorder(AX) went out to him.
4 The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:
“‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 5 You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel(AY) against me? 6 Look, I know you are depending(AZ) on Egypt,(BA) that splintered reed(BB) 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. 7 But if you say to me, “We are depending(BC) on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed,(BD) saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?(BE)
8 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses(BF)—if you can put riders on them! 9 How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt(BG) for chariots(BH) and horsemen[a]?(BI) 10 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself told(BJ) me to march against this country and destroy it.’”
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah(BK) said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(BL) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
12 But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?(BM)”
13 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew,(BN) “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!(BO) 14 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive(BP) you. He cannot deliver you! 15 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver(BQ) us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’(BR)
16 “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree(BS) and drink water from your own cistern,(BT) 17 until I come and take you to a land like your own(BU)—a land of grain and new wine,(BV) a land of bread and vineyards.
18 “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad?(BW) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?(BX) Have they rescued Samaria(BY) from my hand? 20 Who of all the gods(BZ) of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”(CA)
21 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”(CB)
22 Then Eliakim(CC) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder(CD) went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,(CE) and told him what the field commander had said.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 36:9 Or charioteers
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.