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Isaiah 36-39
Expanded Bible
Isaiah 36-39
Expanded Bible
The Assyrians Invade Judah(A)
36 During Hezekiah’s fourteenth year as king [C 701 bc], Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the ·strong, walled [fortified] cities of Judah and captured them. 2 The king of Assyria sent out ·his field commander [or chief advisor; or the Rabshakeh] with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem [2 Chr. 32:9]. When the commander came near the ·waterway [aqueduct; conduit] from the upper pool on the road ·where people do their laundry [or to the Launderer’s/T Fuller’s Field], he stopped. 3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah [22:20], ·the palace manager [L who was over the house], Shebna [22:15], the ·royal secretary [scribe], and Joah son of Asaph, the ·recorder [royal historian] went out to meet him.
4 The ·field commander [chief advisor; or Rabshakeh] said to them, “Tell Hezekiah this:
“‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says: ·What can you trust in now [On what do you base your confidence; Where does this confidence come from]? 5 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? 6 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. 7 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].”
8 “‘Now make an ·agreement [pledge; deal] with my ·master [lord], the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses if you can find enough men to ride them [C a taunt that Judah’s army is too small even if Assyria were to supply it]. 9 You cannot ·defeat [repel] one of my ·master’s [lord’s] least important officers, so why do you depend on Egypt to give you chariots and ·horsemen [charioteers]? 10 ·I have not [L Do you think I have…?] come to attack and destroy this country without ·an order from the Lord [L the Lord]. The Lord himself told me to come ·to [against] this country and destroy it [C echoing Isaiah’s prophecy that this is judgment from the Lord].’”
11 Then Eliakim [22:20], Shebna [22:15], and Joah said to the ·field commander [chief advisor; or Rabshakeh], “Please speak to ·us [L your servants] in the Aramaic language [C the language of trade and diplomacy]. We understand it. Don’t speak to us in ·Hebrew [L Judean], because the people on the city wall can hear you.”
12 But the commander said, “My master did not send me to tell these ·things [words] only to you and your ·king [L master; lord]. He sent me to speak also to those people sitting on the wall who will have to eat their own ·dung [excrement] and drink their own urine like you [C because of shortages caused by the upcoming siege].”
13 Then the commander stood and shouted loudly in ·the Hebrew language [L Judean], “·Listen to what [L Hear the word of] the great king, the king of Assyria, says. 14 The king says you should not let Hezekiah ·fool [deceive; delude] you, because he can’t ·save [rescue; T deliver] you. 15 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting the Lord by saying, ‘The Lord will surely ·save [rescue; T deliver] us. This city won’t be handed over to the king of Assyria.’
16 “Don’t listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria says, ‘Make peace with me, and come out of the city to me. Then everyone will be free to eat the fruit from his own grapevine and fig tree and to drink water from his own ·well [cistern; C symbols of freedom and prosperity]. 17 ·After that [L …until] I will come and take you to a land like your own—a land with grain and new wine, bread and vineyards.’
18 “Don’t let Hezekiah ·fool [mislead] you, saying, ‘The Lord will save us.’ Has a god of any other nation saved his people from the ·power [L hand] of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad [C cities conquered by Assyria; 10:9]? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim [C city in northern Syria conquered by Assyria]? They did not save Samaria from my ·power [L hand]. 20 ·Not one [L Which…?] of all the gods of these countries has ·saved [rescued; T delivered] his people from me. Neither can the Lord ·save [rescue; T deliver] Jerusalem from my ·power [L hand].”
21 ·The people [L They] were silent. They didn’t answer the commander at all, because King Hezekiah had ordered, “Don’t answer him.”
22 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah [22:20], ·the palace manager [L who was over the house], Shebna [22:15], the ·royal secretary [scribe], and Joah son of Asaph, the ·recorder [royal historian], went to Hezekiah. They tore their clothes [C a sign of grief, anguish or despair] and went in and told him what the field commander had said.
Hezekiah Asks God to Help(B)
37 When King Hezekiah heard the message, he tore his clothes [C a sign of mourning or distress; 36:22] and put on ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth; C also a sign of mourning]. Then he went into the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 2 Hezekiah sent Eliakim [22:20], ·the palace manager [L who was over the house], and Shebna [22:15], the ·royal secretary [scribe], and the ·older [or senior; leading; L elders of the] priests to Isaiah. They were all wearing ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth] when they came to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 They told Isaiah, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of ·sorrow [distress; trouble] and ·punishment [insults; rebuke] and ·disgrace [rejection], as when a child ·should [is ready to] be born, but the mother is not strong enough to give birth to it. 4 The king of Assyria sent his ·field commander [chief advisor; or Rabshakeh] to ·make fun of [defy; ridicule; insult] the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will hear what the commander said and will ·punish [rebuke] him for it. So pray for the ·few of us who are left alive [remnant that is left].”
5 When Hezekiah’s ·officers [officials] came to Isaiah, 6 he said to them, “Tell your ·master [lord] this: ·The Lord says [T Thus says the Lord], ‘Don’t be afraid of what you have heard. Don’t be frightened by the words the ·servants [subordinates; young men] of the king of Assyria have ·spoken [used to blaspheme] against me. 7 ·Listen [Look; T Behold]! I am going to put a spirit [C either an evil spirit or an inclination] in the king of Assyria. He will hear a report that will make him return to his own country, and I will cause him to ·die [L fall] by the sword there.’”
8 The ·field commander [chief advisor; or Rabshakeh] heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish. When he went back, he found the king fighting against the city of Libnah.
9 The king received a report that Tirhakah, the ·Cushite king of Egypt [L king of Cush; C ruled 689–664 bc], was coming to attack him. When the king of Assyria heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Tell Hezekiah king of Judah: Don’t be ·fooled [deceived; deluded] by the god you trust. Don’t believe him when he says Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. 11 You ·have heard [know] what the kings of Assyria have done. They have completely defeated every country, so do ·not [L you…?] think you will be ·saved [rescued; T delivered]. 12 Did the gods of ·those people [the nations] ·save [rescue; T deliver] them? My ·ancestors [predecessors; fathers] destroyed them, defeating the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and the people of Eden living in Tel Assar [C cities in Mesopotamia]. 13 Where are the kings of Hamath and Arpad [10:9; 36:19]? Where are the kings of Sepharvaim [36:19], Hena, and Ivvah?”
Hezekiah Prays to the Lord
14 When Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. He spread the letter out before the Lord 15 and prayed ·to [before] the Lord: 16 “Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], you are the God of Israel, whose throne is ·between [above] the ·gold creatures with wings [L cherubim; Ex. 25:18–22; Ezek. 10:1], only you are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth [Gen. 1]. 17 ·Hear [L Extend/Incline your ear], Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Listen to all the words Sennacherib has said to ·insult [defy; ridicule; mock] the living God.
18 “It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have ·destroyed [devastated; laid waste to] all these ·countries [nations] and their lands. 19 They have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire, ·but [for] they were only wood and rock statues ·that people made [L the work of human hands]. So they have destroyed them. 20 Now, Lord our God, ·save [rescue; T deliver] us from the king’s ·power [L hand] so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, ·Lord, are the only God [L …alone are Lord; 2 Kin. 19:19].”
The Lord Answers Hezekiah
21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah that said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘You prayed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria [C from 704–681 bc]. 22 So this is what the Lord has said against Sennacherib:
The ·people of Jerusalem [L virgin daughter of Zion]
·hate you [despise] and ·make fun of [mock; scorn] you;
the ·people [L daughter] of Jerusalem
·laugh at you [L tosses her head] ·as you run away [as you flee; or behind your back].
23 ·You have insulted me and spoken against me [L Whom have you defied/ridiculed/mocked?];
·you have raised your voice against me [L against whom have you raised your voice?].
·You have a proud look on your face [L …and arrogantly lifted your eyes/gaze…?],
which is against me, the Holy One of Israel [1:4]!
24 You have sent your messengers to ·insult [defy; ridicule; mock] the Lord.
You have said, “With my many chariots
I have gone to the tops of the mountains,
to the ·highest [or remotest] mountains of Lebanon.
I have cut down its tallest cedars
and its best ·pine [cypress] trees.
I have gone to its greatest heights
and its ·best [densest] forests.
25 I have dug wells in foreign ·countries [lands]
and drunk water there.
By the soles of my feet,
I have ·dried [stopped] up all the rivers of Egypt.”
26 “‘King of Assyria, ·surely you have [L have you not…?] heard.
Long ago I, the Lord, ·planned [determined; ordained] these things.
·Long ago [In ancient times/days of old] I ·designed them [planned it],
and now I have ·made them happen [brought them to pass].
I allowed you to turn those ·strong, walled [fortified] cities
into piles of ·rocks [rubble; ruins].
27 The people in those cities were ·weak [powerless; drained of strength];
they were ·frightened [dismayed] and ·put to shame [confused; confounded].
They were like grass in the field,
like tender, young ·grass [shoots],
like grass on the housetop
that is ·burned [scorched] by the wind before it can grow.
28 “‘I know ·when you rest [when you stand or sit; or where you are],
when you come and go,
and how you ·rage [rave] against me.
29 Because you ·rage [rave] against me,
and because I have heard your ·proud [arrogant] words,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth.
Then I will ·force you to leave my country [turn you back; make you retreat]
the ·same way [road] you came.’
30 “Then the Lord said, ‘Hezekiah, I will give you this sign:
This year you will eat the grain that grows ·wild [L of itself],
and the second year you will eat what ·grows [springs] from that.
But in the third year, ·plant grain [sow] and ·harvest it [reap].
Plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
31 ·Some of the people in [A remnant of] the ·family [L house] of Judah
will ·escape [survive].
·Like plants that take root [They will put down roots below],
·they will grow strong and have many children [and will bear fruit above].
32 A ·few people will come out of Jerusalem alive [remnant will spread out from Jerusalem];
·a few from Mount Zion will live […and survivors out from Mount Zion].
The ·strong love [zeal] of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]
will ·make this happen [accomplish this].’
33 “So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
‘He will not enter this city
or even shoot an arrow here.
He will not fight against it with shields
or build a ramp to ·attack the city walls [lay siege to it].
34 He will ·return to his country [retreat] the same ·way [road] he came,
and he will not enter this city,’
says the Lord.
35 ‘I will defend and ·save [rescue; T deliver] this city
for my sake and for David, my servant.’”
The Angel of Death(C)
36 Then the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord went out and killed one hundred eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up early the next morning, they saw all the dead bodies. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria left and went back to Nineveh and stayed there.
38 One day as Sennacherib was worshiping in the ·temple [L house] of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with a sword. Then they escaped to the land of Ararat. So Sennacherib’s son Esarhaddon became king of Assyria.
Hezekiah’s Illness(D)
38 At that time Hezekiah became so sick he ·almost died [was about to die]. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and told him, “·This is what the Lord says [T Thus says the Lord]: ·Make arrangements [L Set your house in order], because you are going to die. You will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Lord, please remember that I have always ·obeyed [L walked before] you. I have ·given myself completely to you [served you wholeheartedly] and have done ·what you said was right [L right in the eyes/sight of the Lord].” Then Hezekiah ·cried loudly [wept bitterly].
4 Then the Lord spoke his word to Isaiah: 5 “Go to Hezekiah and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ·ancestor [father] David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. So I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will ·save [rescue] you and this city from [L the hand of] the king of Assyria; I will defend this city.
7 “‘The Lord will do what he ·says [promises]. This is the sign from the Lord to show you: 8 The sun has made a shadow go down the stairway of Ahaz, but I will make it go back ten steps.’” So the shadow made by the sun went back up the ten steps it had gone down.
9 After Hezekiah king of Judah got well, he wrote this ·song [or poem; L writing]:
10 I said, “I am in the ·middle [prime] of my life.
Do I have to go through the gates of ·death [or the grave; L Sheol]?
Will I have the rest of my life ·taken away [deprived; robbed] from me?”
11 I said, “I will not see ·the Lord [the Lord, the Lord; L Yah, Yah; 26:4]
in the land of the living again.
I will not again see ·the people [a human being]
who live on the earth.
12 Like a shepherd’s tent,
my home has been pulled down and taken from me.
I am like the cloth a weaver rolls up and cuts from the loom.
·In one day [L From day to night] you brought me to this end.
13 ·All night I cried loudly [or I waited patiently till morning].
Like a lion, he ·crushed [breaks] all my bones.
·In one day [L From day to night] you brought me to this end.
14 I ·cried [twitter; chatter] like a ·bird [L swallow or a crane]
and moaned like a dove.
My eyes ·became tired as I looked [grew weary from looking] to the ·heavens [heights].
Lord, I ·have troubles [am oppressed]. ·Please help me [Be my security].”
15 What can I say?
·The Lord told me what would happen and then made it happen [L He spoke to me and he did it].
I will ·be humble [wander about; shuffle along; walk slowly] all my ·life [years]
because of ·these troubles in [the bitterness of] my soul.
16 Lord, because of ·you [L these things], people live.
Because of ·you [L them], my spirit also lives;
you ·made me well [restored me] and let me live.
17 It was for my own ·good [welfare; peace; C Hebrew shalom]
that I had such ·troubles [anguish; bitterness].
Because you love me very much,
you ·did not let me die [delivered my soul from the pit of destruction/corruption]
but threw my sins
·far away [L behind your back].
18 ·People in the place of the dead [or For the grave; L For Sheol] cannot ·praise [thank] you;
·those who have died [L death] cannot ·sing praises [praise] to you;
those who ·die [L go down to the pit] ·don’t trust you
to help them [L cannot hope for your faithfulness].
19 ·The people who are alive [L The living, the living] are the ones who ·praise [thank] you.
They praise you as I praise you today.
A father should tell his children
·that you provide help [L about your faithfulness].
20 The Lord ·saved me [or will save; or is ready to save],
so we will play songs on stringed instruments
in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord
all the days of our lives.
21 Then Isaiah said, “·Make a paste from [or Take a cake of] figs and put it on Hezekiah’s boil. Then he will get well.” 22 Hezekiah ·then [or had] asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign? What will show that I will go up to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord?”
Messengers from Babylon(E)
39 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan was king of Babylon [C ruled 722–710 and 703–702 bc]. He sent ·letters [greetings] and a gift to Hezekiah, because he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick and was now well. 2 Hezekiah was pleased and showed the messengers what was in his storehouses: the silver, gold, spices, ·expensive perfumes [precious oils], his ·swords and shields [armory], and all his ·wealth [treasures]. He showed them everything in his ·palace [L house] and in his kingdom.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say? Where did they come from?”
Hezekiah said, “They came from a faraway country—from Babylon.”
4 So Isaiah asked him, “What did they see in your ·palace [L house]?”
Hezekiah said, “They saw everything in my ·palace [L house]. I showed them all my ·wealth [L treasuries; store houses].”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah: “Listen to the words of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]: 6 ‘·In the future to you [The time/day is coming when] everything in your palace and everything your ·ancestors [fathers] have stored up until this day will be ·taken away [carried off] to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 7 Some of your own ·children [sons], those ·who will be born to you [you will father], will be taken away, and they will become ·servants [eunuchs] in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
8 Hezekiah told Isaiah, “These words from the Lord are good.” He said this because he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”
Isaiah 36-39
New International Version
Isaiah 36-39
New International Version
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem(A)
36 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s(B) reign, Sennacherib(C) king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.(D) 2 Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish(E) to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,(F) 3 Eliakim(G) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator,(H) Shebna(I) the secretary,(J) and Joah(K) son of Asaph the recorder(L) 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(M) against me? 6 Look, I know you are depending(N) on Egypt,(O) that splintered reed(P) 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(Q) on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed,(R) saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?(S)
8 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses(T)—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(U) for chariots(V) and horsemen[a]?(W) 10 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself told(X) me to march against this country and destroy it.’”
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah(Y) said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(Z) 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?(AA)”
13 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew,(AB) “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!(AC) 14 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive(AD) 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(AE) us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’(AF)
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(AG) and drink water from your own cistern,(AH) 17 until I come and take you to a land like your own(AI)—a land of grain and new wine,(AJ) 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?(AK) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?(AL) Have they rescued Samaria(AM) from my hand? 20 Who of all the gods(AN) of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”(AO)
21 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”(AP)
22 Then Eliakim(AQ) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder(AR) went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,(AS) and told him what the field commander had said.
Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold(AT)
37 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes(AU) and put on sackcloth(AV) and went into the temple(AW) of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakim(AX) the palace administrator, Shebna(AY) the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.(AZ) 3 They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress(BA) and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth(BB) and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 It 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(BC) the living God,(BD) and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard.(BE) Therefore pray(BF) for the remnant(BG) that still survives.”
5 When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid(BH) of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed(BI) me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report,(BJ) I will make him want(BK) to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down(BL) with the sword.’”
8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,(BM) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.(BN)
9 Now Sennacherib(BO) received a report(BP) that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,[b](BQ) 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(BR) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’(BS) 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered?(BT) 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors(BU) deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran,(BV) Rezeph and the people of Eden(BW) who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad?(BX) Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim,(BY) Hena and Ivvah?”(BZ)
Hezekiah’s Prayer(CA)
14 Hezekiah received the letter(CB) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple(CC) of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed(CD) to the Lord: 16 “Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned(CE) between the cherubim,(CF) you alone are God(CG) over all the kingdoms(CH) of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.(CI) 17 Give ear, Lord, and hear;(CJ) open your eyes, Lord, and see;(CK) listen to all the words Sennacherib(CL) has sent to ridicule(CM) the living God.(CN)
18 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.(CO) 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire(CP) and destroyed them,(CQ) for they were not gods(CR) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.(CS) 20 Now, Lord our God, deliver(CT) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth(CU) may know that you, Lord, are the only God.[c](CV)”
Sennacherib’s Fall(CW)
21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz(CX) 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, 22 this is the word the Lord has spoken against him:
“Virgin Daughter(CY) Zion(CZ)
despises and mocks you.
Daughter Jerusalem
tosses her head(DA) as you flee.
23 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?(DB)
Against whom have you raised your voice(DC)
and lifted your eyes in pride?(DD)
Against the Holy One(DE) of Israel!
24 By your messengers
you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said,
‘With my many chariots(DF)
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
the utmost heights(DG) of Lebanon.(DH)
I have cut down its tallest cedars,
the choicest of its junipers.(DI)
I have reached its remotest heights,
the finest of its forests.
25 I have dug wells in foreign lands[d]
and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
I have dried up(DJ) all the streams of Egypt.(DK)’
26 “Have you not heard?
Long ago I ordained(DL) it.
In days of old I planned(DM) it;
now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
into piles of stone.(DN)
27 Their people, drained of power,
are dismayed and put to shame.
They are like plants in the field,
like tender green shoots,
like grass(DO) sprouting on the roof,(DP)
scorched[e] before it grows up.
28 “But I know where you are
and when you come and go(DQ)
and how you rage(DR) against me.
29 Because you rage against me
and because your insolence(DS) has reached my ears,
I will put my hook(DT) in your nose(DU)
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
by the way you came.(DV)
30 “This will be the sign(DW) for you, Hezekiah:
“This year(DX) you will eat what grows by itself,
and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year(DY) sow and reap,
plant vineyards(DZ) and eat their fruit.(EA)
31 Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah
will take root(EB) below and bear fruit(EC) above.
32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,(ED)
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.(EE)
The zeal(EF) 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(EG)
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege ramp(EH) against it.
34 By the way that he came he will return;(EI)
he will not enter this city,”
declares the Lord.
35 “I will defend(EJ) this city and save it,
for my sake(EK) and for the sake of David(EL) my servant!”
36 Then the angel(EM) of the Lord went out and put to death(EN) a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian(EO) camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 37 So Sennacherib(EP) king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh(EQ) and stayed there.
38 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple(ER) of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat.(ES) And Esarhaddon(ET) his son succeeded him as king.(EU)
Hezekiah’s Illness(EV)
38 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz(EW) went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order,(EX) because you are going to die; you will not recover.”(EY)
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked(EZ) before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion(FA) and have done what is good in your eyes.(FB)” And Hezekiah wept(FC) bitterly.
4 Then the word(FD) of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David,(FE) says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;(FF) I will add fifteen years(FG) to your life. 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend(FH) this city.
7 “‘This is the Lord’s sign(FI) to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: 8 I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.(FJ)
9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
10 I said, “In the prime of my life(FK)
must I go through the gates of death(FL)
and be robbed of the rest of my years?(FM)”
11 I said, “I will not again see the Lord himself(FN)
in the land of the living;(FO)
no longer will I look on my fellow man,
or be with those who now dwell in this world.
12 Like a shepherd’s tent(FP) my house
has been pulled down(FQ) and taken from me.
Like a weaver I have rolled(FR) up my life,
and he has cut me off from the loom;(FS)
day and night(FT) you made an end of me.
13 I waited patiently(FU) till dawn,
but like a lion he broke(FV) all my bones;(FW)
day and night(FX) you made an end of me.
14 I cried like a swift or thrush,
I moaned like a mourning dove.(FY)
My eyes grew weak(FZ) as I looked to the heavens.
I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”(GA)
15 But what can I say?(GB)
He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.(GC)
I will walk humbly(GD) all my years
because of this anguish of my soul.(GE)
16 Lord, by such things people live;
and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
and let me live.(GF)
17 Surely it was for my benefit(GG)
that I suffered such anguish.(GH)
In your love you kept me
from the pit(GI) of destruction;
you have put all my sins(GJ)
behind your back.(GK)
18 For the grave(GL) cannot praise you,
death cannot sing your praise;(GM)
those who go down to the pit(GN)
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living—they praise(GO) you,
as I am doing today;
parents tell their children(GP)
about your faithfulness.
20 The Lord will save me,
and we will sing(GQ) with stringed instruments(GR)
all the days of our lives(GS)
in the temple(GT) of the Lord.
21 Isaiah had said, “Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”
22 Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign(GU) that I will go up to the temple of the Lord?”
Envoys From Babylon(GV)
39 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon(GW) sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. 2 Hezekiah received the envoys(GX) gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold,(GY) the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures.(GZ) There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”
“From a distant land,(HA)” Hezekiah replied. “They came to me from Babylon.”
4 The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”
“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word(HB) of the Lord Almighty: 6 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon.(HC) Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 7 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.(HD)”
8 “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,(HE)” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.(HF)”
Footnotes
- 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
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