Isaiah 30-37

New International Version

Woe to the Obstinate Nation

30 “Woe^(A) to the obstinate children,”^(B)
    declares the Lord,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
    forming an alliance,^(C) but not by my Spirit,
    heaping sin upon sin;
²who go down to Egypt^(D)
    without consulting^(E) me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,^(F)
    to Egypt’s shade for refuge.^(G)
³But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
    Egypt’s shade^(H) will bring you disgrace.^(I)
⁴Though they have officials in Zoan^(J)
    and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
⁵everyone will be put to shame
    because of a people^(K) useless^(L) to them,
who bring neither help^(M) nor advantage,
    but only shame and disgrace.^(N)”

⁶A prophecy^(O) concerning the animals of the Negev:^(P)

Through a land of hardship and distress,^(Q)
    of lions^(R) and lionesses,
    of adders and darting snakes,^(S)
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’^(T) backs,
    their treasures^(U) on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
⁷    to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.^(V)
Therefore I call her
    Rahab^(W) the Do-Nothing.

⁸Go now, write it on a tablet^(X) for them,
    inscribe it on a scroll,^(Y)
that for the days to come
    it may be an everlasting witness.^(Z)
⁹For these are rebellious^(AA) people, deceitful^(AB) children,
    children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.^(AC)
¹⁰They say to the seers,^(AD)
    “See no more visions^(AE)!”
and to the prophets,
    “Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,^(AF)
    prophesy illusions.^(AG)
¹¹Leave this way,^(AH)
    get off this path,
and stop confronting^(AI) us
    with the Holy One^(AJ) of Israel!”

¹²Therefore this is what the Holy One^(AK) of Israel says:

“Because you have rejected this message,^(AL)
    relied on oppression^(AM)
    and depended on deceit,
¹³this sin will become for you
    like a high wall,^(AN) cracked and bulging,
    that collapses^(AO) suddenly,^(AP) in an instant.
¹⁴It will break in pieces like pottery,^(AQ)
    shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
    for taking coals from a hearth
    or scooping water out of a cistern.”

¹⁵This is what the Sovereign^(AR) Lord, the Holy One^(AS) of Israel, says:

“In repentance and rest^(AT) is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust^(AU) is your strength,
    but you would have none of it.^(AV)
¹⁶You said, ‘No, we will flee^(AW) on horses.’^(AX)
    Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
    Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
¹⁷A thousand will flee
    at the threat of one;
at the threat of five^(AY)
    you will all flee^(AZ) away,
till you are left^(BA)
    like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
    like a banner^(BB) on a hill.”

¹⁸Yet the Lord longs^(BC) to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.^(BD)
For the Lord is a God of justice.^(BE)
Blessed are all who wait for him!^(BF)

¹⁹People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.^(BG) How gracious he will be when you cry for help!^(BH) As soon as he hears, he will answer^(BI) you. ²⁰Although the Lord gives you the bread^(BJ) of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers^(BK) will be hidden^(BL) no more; with your own eyes you will see them. ²¹Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice^(BM) behind you, saying, “This is the way;^(BN) walk in it.” ²²Then you will desecrate your idols^(BO) overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold;^(BP) you will throw them away like a menstrual^(BQ) cloth and say to them, “Away with you!^(BR)”

²³He will also send you rain^(BS) for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich^(BT) and plentiful.^(BU) In that day^(BV) your cattle will graze in broad meadows.^(BW) ²⁴The oxen^(BX) and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder^(BY) and mash, spread out with fork^(BZ) and shovel. ²⁵In the day of great slaughter,^(CA) when the towers^(CB) fall, streams of water will flow^(CC) on every high mountain and every lofty hill. ²⁶The moon will shine like the sun,^(CD) and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals^(CE) the wounds he inflicted.

²⁷See, the Name^(CF) of the Lord comes from afar,
    with burning anger^(CG) and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,^(CH)
    and his tongue is a consuming fire.^(CI)
²⁸His breath^(CJ) is like a rushing torrent,^(CK)
    rising up to the neck.^(CL)
He shakes the nations in the sieve^(CM) of destruction;
    he places in the jaws of the peoples
    a bit^(CN) that leads them astray.
²⁹And you will sing
    as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;^(CO)
your hearts will rejoice^(CP)
    as when people playing pipes^(CQ) go up
to the mountain^(CR) of the Lord,
    to the Rock^(CS) of Israel.
³⁰The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice^(CT)
    and will make them see his arm^(CU) coming down
with raging anger^(CV) and consuming fire,^(CW)
    with cloudburst, thunderstorm^(CX) and hail.^(CY)
³¹The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria;^(CZ)
    with his rod he will strike^(DA) them down.
³²Every stroke the Lord lays on them
    with his punishing club^(DB)
will be to the music of timbrels^(DC) and harps,
    as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.^(DD)
³³Topheth^(DE) has long been prepared;
    it has been made ready for the king.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
    with an abundance of fire and wood;
the breath^(DF) of the Lord,
    like a stream of burning sulfur,^(DG)
    sets it ablaze.^(DH)

Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

31 Woe^(DI) to those who go down to Egypt^(DJ) for help,
    who rely on horses,^(DK)
who trust in the multitude of their chariots^(DL)
    and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One^(DM) of Israel,
    or seek help from the Lord.^(DN)
²Yet he too is wise^(DO) and can bring disaster;^(DP)
    he does not take back his words.^(DQ)
He will rise up against that wicked nation,^(DR)
    against those who help evildoers.
³But the Egyptians^(DS) are mere mortals and not God;^(DT)
    their horses^(DU) are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,^(DV)
    those who help will stumble,
    those who are helped^(DW) will fall;
    all will perish together.^(DX)

⁴This is what the Lord says to me:

“As a lion^(DY) growls,
    a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds^(DZ)
    is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
    or disturbed by their clamor^(EA)—
so the Lord Almighty will come down^(EB)
    to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
⁵Like birds hovering^(EC) overhead,
    the Lord Almighty will shield^(ED) Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver^(EE) it,
    he will ‘pass over’^(EF) it and will rescue it.”

⁶Return,^(EG) you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted^(EH) against. ⁷For in that day^(EI) every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold^(EJ) your sinful hands have made.^(EK)

⁸“Assyria^(EL) will fall by no human sword;
    a sword, not of mortals, will devour^(EM) them.
They will flee before the sword
    and their young men will be put to forced labor.^(EN)
⁹Their stronghold^(EO) will fall because of terror;
    at the sight of the battle standard^(EP) their commanders will panic,^(EQ)”
declares the Lord,
    whose fire^(ER) is in Zion,
    whose furnace^(ES) is in Jerusalem.

The Kingdom of Righteousness

32 See, a king^(ET) will reign in righteousness
    and rulers will rule with justice.^(EU)
²Each one will be like a shelter^(EV) from the wind
    and a refuge from the storm,^(EW)
like streams of water^(EX) in the desert^(EY)
    and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

³Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,^(EZ)
    and the ears^(FA) of those who hear will listen.
⁴The fearful heart will know and understand,^(FB)
    and the stammering tongue^(FC) will be fluent and clear.
⁵No longer will the fool^(FD) be called noble
    nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
⁶For fools speak folly,^(FE)
    their hearts are bent on evil:^(FF)
They practice ungodliness^(FG)
    and spread error^(FH) concerning the Lord;
the hungry they leave empty^(FI)
    and from the thirsty they withhold water.
⁷Scoundrels use wicked methods,^(FJ)
    they make up evil schemes^(FK)
to destroy the poor with lies,
    even when the plea of the needy^(FL) is just.^(FM)
⁸But the noble make noble plans,
    and by noble deeds^(FN) they stand.^(FO)

The Women of Jerusalem

⁹You women^(FP) who are so complacent,
    rise up and listen^(FQ) to me;
you daughters who feel secure,^(FR)
    hear what I have to say!
¹⁰In little more than a year^(FS)
    you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,^(FT)
    and the harvest of fruit will not come.
¹¹Tremble,^(FU) you complacent women;
    shudder, you daughters who feel secure!^(FV)
Strip off your fine clothes^(FW)
    and wrap yourselves in rags.^(FX)
¹²Beat your breasts^(FY) for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vines^(FZ)
¹³and for the land of my people,
    a land overgrown with thorns and briers^(GA)—
yes, mourn^(GB) for all houses of merriment
    and for this city of revelry.^(GC)
¹⁴The fortress^(GD) will be abandoned,
    the noisy city deserted;^(GE)
citadel and watchtower^(GF) will become a wasteland forever,
    the delight of donkeys,^(GG) a pasture for flocks,^(GH)
¹⁵till the Spirit^(GI) is poured on us from on high,
    and the desert becomes a fertile field,^(GJ)
    and the fertile field seems like a forest.^(GK)
¹⁶The Lord’s justice^(GL) will dwell in the desert,^(GM)
    his righteousness^(GN) live in the fertile field.
¹⁷The fruit of that righteousness^(GO) will be peace;^(GP)
    its effect will be quietness and confidence^(GQ) forever.
¹⁸My people will live in peaceful^(GR) dwelling places,
    in secure homes,^(GS)
    in undisturbed places of rest.^(GT)
¹⁹Though hail^(GU) flattens the forest^(GV)
    and the city is leveled^(GW) completely,
²⁰how blessed you will be,
    sowing^(GX) your seed by every stream,^(GY)
    and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.^(GZ)

Distress and Help

33 Woe^(HA) to you, destroyer,
    you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
    you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
    you will be destroyed;^(HB)
when you stop betraying,
    you will be betrayed.^(HC)

²Lord, be gracious^(HD) to us;
    we long for you.
Be our strength^(HE) every morning,
    our salvation^(HF) in time of distress.^(HG)
³At the uproar of your army,^(HH) the peoples flee;^(HI)
    when you rise up,^(HJ) the nations scatter.
⁴Your plunder,^(HK) O nations, is harvested^(HL) as by young locusts;^(HM)
    like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

⁵The Lord is exalted,^(HN) for he dwells on high;^(HO)
    he will fill Zion with his justice^(HP) and righteousness.^(HQ)
⁶He will be the sure foundation for your times,
    a rich store of salvation^(HR) and wisdom and knowledge;
    the fear^(HS) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.^[a]^(HT)

⁷Look, their brave men^(HU) cry aloud in the streets;
    the envoys^(HV) of peace weep bitterly.
⁸The highways are deserted,
    no travelers^(HW) are on the roads.^(HX)
The treaty is broken,^(HY)
    its witnesses^[b] are despised,
    no one is respected.
⁹The land dries up^(HZ) and wastes away,
    Lebanon^(IA) is ashamed and withers;^(IB)
Sharon^(IC) is like the Arabah,
    and Bashan^(ID) and Carmel^(IE) drop their leaves.

¹⁰“Now will I arise,^(IF)” says the Lord.
    “Now will I be exalted;^(IG)
    now will I be lifted up.
¹¹You conceive^(IH) chaff,
    you give birth^(II) to straw;
    your breath is a fire^(IJ) that consumes you.
¹²The peoples will be burned to ashes;^(IK)
    like cut thornbushes^(IL) they will be set ablaze.^(IM)”

¹³You who are far away,^(IN) hear^(IO) what I have done;
    you who are near, acknowledge my power!
¹⁴The sinners^(IP) in Zion are terrified;
    trembling^(IQ) grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?^(IR)
    Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
¹⁵Those who walk righteously^(IS)
    and speak what is right,^(IT)
who reject gain from extortion^(IU)
    and keep their hands from accepting bribes,^(IV)
who stop their ears against plots of murder
    and shut their eyes^(IW) against contemplating evil—
¹⁶they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,^(IX)
    whose refuge^(IY) will be the mountain fortress.^(IZ)
Their bread will be supplied,
    and water will not fail^(JA) them.

¹⁷Your eyes will see the king^(JB) in his beauty^(JC)
    and view a land that stretches afar.^(JD)
¹⁸In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:^(JE)
    “Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
    Where is the officer in charge of the towers?^(JF)”
¹⁹You will see those arrogant people^(JG) no more,
    people whose speech is obscure,
    whose language is strange and incomprehensible.^(JH)

²⁰Look on Zion,^(JI) the city of our festivals;
    your eyes will see Jerusalem,
    a peaceful abode,^(JJ) a tent^(JK) that will not be moved;^(JL)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
    nor any of its ropes broken.
²¹There the Lord will be our Mighty^(JM) One.
    It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.^(JN)
No galley with oars will ride them,
    no mighty ship^(JO) will sail them.
²²For the Lord is our judge,^(JP)
    the Lord is our lawgiver,^(JQ)
the Lord is our king;^(JR)
    it is he who will save^(JS) us.

²³Your rigging hangs loose:
    The mast is not held secure,
    the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
    and even the lame^(JT) will carry off plunder.^(JU)
²⁴No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;^(JV)
    and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.^(JW)

Judgment Against the Nations

34 Come near, you nations, and listen;^(JX)
    pay attention, you peoples!^(JY)
Let the earth^(JZ) hear, and all that is in it,
    the world, and all that comes out of it!^(KA)
²The Lord is angry with all nations;
    his wrath^(KB) is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy^[c]^(KC) them,
    he will give them over to slaughter.^(KD)
³Their slain^(KE) will be thrown out,
    their dead bodies^(KF) will stink;^(KG)
    the mountains will be soaked with their blood.^(KH)
⁴All the stars in the sky will be dissolved^(KI)
    and the heavens rolled up^(KJ) like a scroll;
all the starry host will fall^(KK)
    like withered^(KL) leaves from the vine,
    like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

⁵My sword^(KM) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
    see, it descends in judgment on Edom,^(KN)
    the people I have totally destroyed.^(KO)
⁶The sword^(KP) of the Lord is bathed in blood,
    it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
    fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice^(KQ) in Bozrah^(KR)
    and a great slaughter^(KS) in the land of Edom.
⁷And the wild oxen^(KT) will fall with them,
    the bull calves and the great bulls.^(KU)
Their land will be drenched with blood,^(KV)
    and the dust will be soaked with fat.

⁸For the Lord has a day^(KW) of vengeance,^(KX)
    a year of retribution,^(KY) to uphold Zion’s cause.
⁹Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
    her dust into burning sulfur;^(KZ)
    her land will become blazing pitch!
¹⁰It will not be quenched^(LA) night or day;
    its smoke will rise forever.^(LB)
From generation to generation^(LC) it will lie desolate;^(LD)
    no one will ever pass through it again.
¹¹The desert owl^[d]^(LE) and screech owl^[e] will possess it;
    the great owl^[f] and the raven^(LF) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom^(LG)
    the measuring line of chaos^(LH)
    and the plumb line^(LI) of desolation.
¹²Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
    all her princes^(LJ) will vanish^(LK) away.
¹³Thorns^(LL) will overrun her citadels,
    nettles and brambles her strongholds.^(LM)
She will become a haunt for jackals,^(LN)
    a home for owls.^(LO)
¹⁴Desert creatures^(LP) will meet with hyenas,^(LQ)
    and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures^(LR) will also lie down
    and find for themselves places of rest.
¹⁵The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
    she will hatch them, and care for her young
    under the shadow of her wings;^(LS)
there also the falcons^(LT) will gather,
    each with its mate.

¹⁶Look in the scroll^(LU) of the Lord and read:

None of these will be missing,^(LV)
    not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth^(LW) that has given the order,^(LX)
    and his Spirit will gather them together.
¹⁷He allots their portions;^(LY)
    his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
    and dwell there from generation to generation.^(LZ)

Joy of the Redeemed

35 The desert^(MA) and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.^(MB)
Like the crocus,^(MC) ²it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.^(MD)
The glory of Lebanon^(ME) will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel^(MF) and Sharon;^(MG)
they will see the glory^(MH) of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.^(MI)

³Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees^(MJ) that give way;
⁴say^(MK) to those with fearful hearts,^(ML)
    “Be strong, do not fear;^(MM)
your God will come,^(MN)
    he will come with vengeance;^(MO)
with divine retribution
    he will come to save^(MP) you.”

⁵Then will the eyes of the blind be opened^(MQ)
    and the ears of the deaf^(MR) unstopped.
⁶Then will the lame^(MS) leap like a deer,^(MT)
    and the mute tongue^(MU) shout for joy.^(MV)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams^(MW) in the desert.
⁷The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground^(MX) bubbling springs.^(MY)
In the haunts where jackals^(MZ) once lay,
    grass and reeds^(NA) and papyrus will grow.

⁸And a highway^(NB) will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;^(NC)
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean^(ND) will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
⁹No lion^(NE) will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;^(NF)
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed^(NG) will walk there,
¹⁰    and those the Lord has rescued^(NH) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;^(NI)
    everlasting joy^(NJ) will crown their heads.
Gladness^(NK) and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.^(NL)

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem^(NM)

36 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s^(NN) reign, Sennacherib^(NO) king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.^(NP) ²Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish^(NQ) to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,^(NR) ³Eliakim^(NS) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator,^(NT) Shebna^(NU) the secretary,^(NV) and Joah^(NW) son of Asaph the recorder^(NX) went out to him.

⁴The 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? ⁵You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel^(NY) against me? ⁶Look, I know you are depending^(NZ) on Egypt,^(OA) that splintered reed^(OB) 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. ⁷But if you say to me, “We are depending^(OC) on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed,^(OD) saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?^(OE)

⁸“‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses^(OF)—if you can put riders on them! ⁹How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt^(OG) for chariots^(OH) and horsemen^[g]?^(OI) ¹⁰Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself told^(OJ) me to march against this country and destroy it.’”

¹¹Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah^(OK) said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,^(OL) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

¹²But 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?^(OM)”

¹³Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew,^(ON) “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!^(OO) ¹⁴This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive^(OP) you. He cannot deliver you! ¹⁵Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver^(OQ) us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’^(OR)

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^(OS) and drink water from your own cistern,^(OT) ¹⁷until I come and take you to a land like your own^(OU)—a land of grain and new wine,^(OV) 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? ¹⁹Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad?^(OW) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?^(OX) Have they rescued Samaria^(OY) from my hand? ²⁰Who of all the gods^(OZ) of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”^(PA)

²¹But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”^(PB)

²²Then Eliakim^(PC) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder^(PD) went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,^(PE) and told him what the field commander had said.

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold^(PF)

37 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes^(PG) and put on sackcloth^(PH) and went into the temple^(PI) of the Lord. ²He sent Eliakim^(PJ) the palace administrator, Shebna^(PK) the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.^(PL) ³They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress^(PM) and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth^(PN) and there is no strength to deliver them. ⁴It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule^(PO) the living God,^(PP) and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard.^(PQ) Therefore pray^(PR) for the remnant^(PS) that still survives.”

⁵When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, ⁶Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid^(PT) of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed^(PU) me. ⁷Listen! When he hears a certain report,^(PV) I will make him want^(PW) to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down^(PX) with the sword.’”

⁸When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,^(PY) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.^(PZ)

⁹Now Sennacherib^(QA) received a report^(QB) that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,^[h]^(QC) was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: ¹⁰“Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive^(QD) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’^(QE) ¹¹Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered?^(QF) ¹²Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors^(QG) deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran,^(QH) Rezeph and the people of Eden^(QI) who were in Tel Assar? ¹³Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad?^(QJ) Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim,^(QK) Hena and Ivvah?”^(QL)

Hezekiah’s Prayer^(QM)

¹⁴Hezekiah received the letter^(QN) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple^(QO) of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. ¹⁵And Hezekiah prayed^(QP) to the Lord: ¹⁶“Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned^(QQ) between the cherubim,^(QR) you alone are God^(QS) over all the kingdoms^(QT) of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.^(QU) ¹⁷Give ear, Lord, and hear;^(QV) open your eyes, Lord, and see;^(QW) listen to all the words Sennacherib^(QX) has sent to ridicule^(QY) the living God.^(QZ)

¹⁸“It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.^(RA) ¹⁹They have thrown their gods into the fire^(RB) and destroyed them,^(RC) for they were not gods^(RD) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.^(RE) ²⁰Now, Lord our God, deliver^(RF) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth^(RG) may know that you, Lord, are the only God.^[i]^(RH)”

Sennacherib’s Fall^(RI)

²¹Then Isaiah son of Amoz^(RJ) sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, ²²this is the word the Lord has spoken against him:

“Virgin Daughter^(RK) Zion^(RL)
    despises and mocks you.
Daughter Jerusalem
    tosses her head^(RM) as you flee.
²³Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?^(RN)
    Against whom have you raised your voice^(RO)
and lifted your eyes in pride?^(RP)
    Against the Holy One^(RQ) of Israel!
²⁴By your messengers
    you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said,
    ‘With my many chariots^(RR)
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
    the utmost heights^(RS) of Lebanon.^(RT)
I have cut down its tallest cedars,
    the choicest of its junipers.^(RU)
I have reached its remotest heights,
    the finest of its forests.
²⁵I have dug wells in foreign lands^[j]
    and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
    I have dried up^(RV) all the streams of Egypt.^(RW)’

²⁶“Have you not heard?
    Long ago I ordained^(RX) it.
In days of old I planned^(RY) it;
    now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
    into piles of stone.^(RZ)
²⁷Their people, drained of power,
    are dismayed and put to shame.
They are like plants in the field,
    like tender green shoots,
like grass^(SA) sprouting on the roof,^(SB)
    scorched^[k] before it grows up.

²⁸“But I know where you are
    and when you come and go^(SC)
    and how you rage^(SD) against me.
²⁹Because you rage against me
    and because your insolence^(SE) has reached my ears,
I will put my hook^(SF) in your nose^(SG)
    and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
    by the way you came.^(SH)

³⁰“This will be the sign^(SI) for you, Hezekiah:

“This year^(SJ) you will eat what grows by itself,
    and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year^(SK) sow and reap,
    plant vineyards^(SL) and eat their fruit.^(SM)
³¹Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah
    will take root^(SN) below and bear fruit^(SO) above.
³²For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,^(SP)
    and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.^(SQ)
The zeal^(SR) of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

³³“Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:

“He will not enter this city^(SS)
    or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
    or build a siege ramp^(ST) against it.
³⁴By the way that he came he will return;^(SU)
    he will not enter this city,”
declares the Lord.
³⁵“I will defend^(SV) this city and save it,
    for my sake^(SW) and for the sake of David^(SX) my servant!”

³⁶Then the angel^(SY) of the Lord went out and put to death^(SZ) a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian^(TA) camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! ³⁷So Sennacherib^(TB) king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh^(TC) and stayed there.

³⁸One day, while he was worshiping in the temple^(TD) of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat.^(TE) And Esarhaddon^(TF) his son succeeded him as king.^(TG)

Footnotes

Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him
Isaiah 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / the cities
Isaiah 34:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 5.
Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
Isaiah 36:9 Or charioteers
Isaiah 37:9 That is, the upper Nile region
Isaiah 37:20 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also 2 Kings 19:19); Masoretic Text you alone are the Lord
Isaiah 37:25 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also 2 Kings 19:24); Masoretic Text does not have in foreign lands.
Isaiah 37:27 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Kings 19:26); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text roof / and terraced fields