Font Size
2 Kings 18:17-20:11
New American Standard Bible
2 Kings 18:17-20:11
New American Standard Bible
17 Then the king of Assyria sent (A)Tartan, Rab-saris, and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large army to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the (B)conduit of the upper pool, which is on the road of the [a]fuller’s field. 18 Then they called to the king, and (C)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, (D)Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the secretary, went out to them.
19 And Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria says: “(E)What is this confidence that you [b]have? 20 You say—but they are only [c]empty words—‘I have a plan and strength for the war.’ Now on whom have you relied, (F)that you have revolted against me? 21 Now behold, you have [d](G)relied on the [e]support of this broken reed, on Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his [f]hand and pierce it. That is how Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him. 22 However, if you say to me, ‘We have trusted in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and (H)whose altars Hezekiah has removed, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’? 23 Now then, [g]come 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 put riders on them! 24 How then can you drive back even [h]one [i]official of the least of my master’s servants, and [j]rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25 Have I now come up without [k]the Lord’s approval against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”
26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah, said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, because we [l]understand it; and do not speak with us in [m](I)Judean [n]so that the people who are on the wall hear you.” 27 But Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words? Has he not also sent me to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”
28 Then Rabshakeh stood up and shouted with a loud voice in Judean, [o]saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: ‘(J)Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to save you from [p]my hand. 30 And do not let Hezekiah lead you to trust in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will certainly save us, and this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: “Make [q]your peace with me and come out to me, and eat, (K)each one, from his vine and each from his fig tree, and drink, each one, the waters of his own cistern, 32 until I come and take you (L)to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees producing oil, and of honey, so that you will live and not die.” But do not listen to Hezekiah, because he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will save us.” 33 (M)Has any of the gods of the nations actually saved his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 (N)Where are the gods of Hamath and (O)Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and [r](P)Ivvah? Have they saved Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands are there who have saved their land from my hand, (Q)that the Lord would save Jerusalem from my hand?’”
36 But the people were silent and did not answer him with even a word, because it was the king’s [s]command: “Do not answer him.” 37 Then (R)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the secretary, came to Hezekiah (S)with their clothes torn, and they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.
Isaiah Encourages Hezekiah
19 (T)Now when King Hezekiah heard the report, he (U)tore his clothes, (V)covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the household, with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, (W)covered with sackcloth, to (X)Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says: ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and humiliation; for children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 (Y)Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent (Z)to taunt the living God, and will avenge the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for (AA)the remnant that is [t]left.’” 5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, “This is what you shall say to your master: ‘The Lord says this: “Do not be fearful because of the words that you have heard, with which the (AB)servants of the king of Assyria (AC)have blasphemed Me. 7 Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that (AD)he will hear news and return to his own land. And (AE)I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”
Sennacherib Defies God
8 Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against (AF)Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left (AG)Lachish. 9 When he heard them say about Tirhakah king of [u]Cush, “Behold, he has come out to fight you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “This is what you shall say to Hezekiah king of [v]Judah: ‘Do not (AH)let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, “(AI)Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 11 Behold, you yourself have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be saved? 12 (AJ)Did the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed save them: (AK)Gozan, (AL)Haran, Rezeph, and (AM)the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 (AN)Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”
Hezekiah’s Prayer
14 Then (AO)Hezekiah took the [w]letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and [x]spread it out before the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, “Lord, God of Israel, [y](AP)enthroned above the cherubim, (AQ)You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 (AR)Incline Your ear, Lord, and hear; (AS)open Your eyes, Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent (AT)to taunt the living God. 17 It is true, Lord; the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have [z]hurled their gods into the fire; (AU)for they were not gods, but only the work of human hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. 19 But now, Lord our God, please, save us from his hand, (AV)so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, (AW)Lord, are God.”
God’s Answer through Isaiah
20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, (AX)I have heard you.’ 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken against him:
‘She, (AY)the virgin daughter of Zion, has shown contempt for you and mocked you;
She, the daughter of Jerusalem, (AZ)has shaken her head behind you!
22 Whom have you (BA)taunted and (BB)blasphemed?
And against whom have you raised your voice,
And [aa]haughtily raised your eyes?
Against the (BC)Holy One of Israel!
23 (BD)Through your messengers you have taunted the Lord,
And you have said, “With my many chariots
I went up to the heights of the mountains,
To the remotest parts of Lebanon;
And I cut down its tall cedars and its choicest junipers.
And I entered its farthest resting place, its (BE)thickest forest.
24 I dug wells and drank foreign waters,
And with the soles of my feet I (BF)dried up
All the streams of Egypt.”
25 ‘(BG)Have you not heard?
Long ago I did it;
From ancient times I planned it.
(BH)Now I have brought it about,
That you would turn fortified cities into ruined heaps.
26 Therefore their inhabitants were [ab]powerless,
They were shattered and put to shame.
They were (BI)like the vegetation of the field and the green grass,
Like grass on the housetops that is scorched before it has grown.
27 But (BJ)I know your sitting down,
Your going out, your coming in,
And your raging against Me.
28 Because of your raging against Me,
And because your complacency has come up to My ears,
I (BK)will put My hook in your nose,
And My bridle in your lips,
And (BL)I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
29 ‘Then this shall be (BM)the sign for you: [ac]you will eat this year what grows of itself, in the second year what grows by itself, and in the third year sow, harvest, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 (BN)The survivors that are left of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem will go a remnant, and survivors (BO)out of Mount Zion. (BP)The zeal of [ad]the Lord will perform this.
32 ‘Therefore this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: “(BQ)He will not come to this city nor shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield nor heap up an assault ramp against it. 33 (BR)By the way that he came, by [ae]the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city,”’ declares the Lord. 34 ‘(BS)For I will protect this city to save it for My own sake, and (BT)for My servant David’s sake.’”
35 (BU)Then it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when the rest got up early in the morning, behold, all of [af]the 185,000 were [ag]dead. 36 So (BV)Sennacherib the king of Assyria departed and [ah]returned home, and lived at (BW)Nineveh. 37 Then it came about, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that [ai](BX)Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped to (BY)the land of Ararat. And his son (BZ)Esarhaddon became king in his place.
Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
20 (CA)In those days Hezekiah became [aj]mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘(CB)Set your house in order, for you are going to die and not live.’” 2 Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 “Please, Lord, just (CC)remember (CD)how I have walked before You wholeheartedly and in truth, and have done what is good in Your sight!” And (CE)Hezekiah wept [ak]profusely. 4 And even before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 5 “Return and say to (CF)Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: “(CG)I have heard your prayer, (CH)I have seen your tears; behold, I am going to heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. 6 And I will add fifteen years to your [al]life, and I will save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and (CI)I will protect this city for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”’” 7 Then Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.” And they took it and placed it on the inflamed spot, and he recovered.
8 Now Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I will go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” 9 Isaiah said, “(CJ)This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will perform the word that He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps or go back ten steps?” 10 So Hezekiah said, “It is easy for the shadow to decline ten steps; no, but have the shadow turn backward ten steps.” 11 Then Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and (CK)He brought the shadow on the [am]stairway back ten steps by which it had gone down on the [an]stairway of Ahaz.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 18:17 I.e., launderer’s
- 2 Kings 18:19 Lit trust
- 2 Kings 18:20 Lit a word of lips
- 2 Kings 18:21 Lit relied for yourself
- 2 Kings 18:21 Or staff
- 2 Kings 18:21 Lit palm
- 2 Kings 18:23 Lit please exchange pledges
- 2 Kings 18:24 Lit the face of one
- 2 Kings 18:24 Or governor
- 2 Kings 18:24 Lit rely for yourself
- 2 Kings 18:25 Lit the Lord
- 2 Kings 18:26 Lit hear
- 2 Kings 18:26 I.e., Hebrew
- 2 Kings 18:26 Lit in the ears of...wall
- 2 Kings 18:28 Lit and spoke, saying,
- 2 Kings 18:29 MT his
- 2 Kings 18:31 Lit with me a blessing
- 2 Kings 18:34 In 2 Kin 17:24, Avva
- 2 Kings 18:36 Lit command, saying
- 2 Kings 19:4 Lit found
- 2 Kings 19:9 Or Ethiopia
- 2 Kings 19:10 Lit Judah, saying,
- 2 Kings 19:14 Lit letters...read them
- 2 Kings 19:14 Lit Hezekiah spread
- 2 Kings 19:15 Lit sitting
- 2 Kings 19:18 Lit given
- 2 Kings 19:22 Lit on high
- 2 Kings 19:26 Lit short of hand
- 2 Kings 19:29 Lit to eat
- 2 Kings 19:31 Some ancient mss the Lord of armies
- 2 Kings 19:33 Lit it
- 2 Kings 19:35 Lit them
- 2 Kings 19:35 Lit dead bodies
- 2 Kings 19:36 Lit went and returned
- 2 Kings 19:37 Some ancient mss his sons Adrammelech
- 2 Kings 20:1 Lit sick to death
- 2 Kings 20:3 Lit great weeping
- 2 Kings 20:6 Lit days
- 2 Kings 20:11 Lit steps
- 2 Kings 20:11 Lit steps
2 Kings 18:17-20:11
New International Version
2 Kings 18:17-20:11
New International Version
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem(A)(B)
17 The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander,(C) his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool,(D) on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 18 They called for the king; and Eliakim(E) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna(F) the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.
19 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(G) of yours? 20 You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 21 Look, I know you are depending on Egypt,(H) that splintered reed of a staff,(I) which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 22 But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?
23 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! 24 How can you repulse one officer(J) of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen[a]? 25 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord?(K) The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’”
26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(L) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
27 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?”
28 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive(M) you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. 30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’
31 “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(N) and drink water from your own cistern,(O) 32 until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life(P) and not death!
“Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ 33 Has the god(Q) of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath(R) and Arpad?(S) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? 35 Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”(T)
36 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”
37 Then Eliakim(U) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,(V) and told him what the field commander had said.
Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold(W)
19 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore(X) his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakim(Y) the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests,(Z) all wearing sackcloth,(AA) to the prophet Isaiah(AB) son of Amoz. 3 They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment(AC) of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule(AD) the living God, and that he will rebuke(AE) him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant(AF) 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(AG) of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed(AH) me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report,(AI) I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.(AJ)’”
8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,(AK) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.(AL)
9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,[b] was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend(AM) on deceive(AN) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver(AO) them—the gods of Gozan,(AP) Harran,(AQ) Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?”(AR)
Hezekiah’s Prayer(AS)
14 Hezekiah received the letter(AT) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,(AU) you alone(AV) are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear,(AW) Lord, and hear;(AX) open your eyes,(AY) Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.
17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods(AZ) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.(BA) 19 Now, Lord our God, deliver(BB) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms(BC) of the earth may know(BD) that you alone, Lord, are God.”
Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall(BE)(BF)
20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard(BG) your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken against(BH) him:
“‘Virgin Daughter(BI) Zion
despises(BJ) you and mocks(BK) you.
Daughter Jerusalem
tosses her head(BL) as you flee.
22 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?(BM)
Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes in pride?
Against the Holy One(BN) of Israel!
23 By your messengers
you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said,(BO)
“With my many chariots(BP)
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
the utmost heights of Lebanon.
I have cut down(BQ) its tallest cedars,
the choicest of its junipers.
I have reached its remotest parts,
the finest of its forests.
24 I have dug wells in foreign lands
and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”
25 “‘Have you not heard?(BR)
Long ago I ordained it.
In days of old I planned(BS) it;
now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
into piles of stone.(BT)
26 Their people, drained of power,(BU)
are dismayed(BV) and put to shame.
They are like plants in the field,
like tender green shoots,(BW)
like grass sprouting on the roof,
scorched(BX) before it grows up.
27 “‘But I know(BY) where you are
and when you come and go
and how you rage against me.
28 Because you rage against me
and because your insolence has reached my ears,
I will put my hook(BZ) in your nose
and my bit(CA) in your mouth,
and I will make you return(CB)
by the way you came.’
29 “This will be the sign(CC) for you, Hezekiah:
“This year you will eat what grows by itself,(CD)
and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year sow and reap,
plant vineyards(CE) and eat their fruit.
30 Once more a remnant(CF) of the kingdom of Judah
will take root(CG) below and bear fruit above.
31 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,(CH)
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.(CI)
“The zeal(CJ) of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
32 “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:
“‘He will not enter this city
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege ramp against it.
33 By the way that he came he will return;(CK)
he will not enter this city,
declares the Lord.
34 I will defend(CL) this city and save it,
for my sake and for the sake of David(CM) my servant.’”
35 That night the angel of the Lord(CN) went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!(CO) 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew.(CP) He returned to Nineveh(CQ) and stayed there.
37 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek(CR) and Sharezer killed him with the sword,(CS) and they escaped to the land of Ararat.(CT) And Esarhaddon(CU) his son succeeded him as king.
Hezekiah’s Illness(CV)
20 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember,(CW) Lord, how I have walked(CX) before you faithfully(CY) and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard(CZ) your prayer and seen your tears;(DA) I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend(DB) this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”
7 Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil,(DC) and he recovered.
8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day from now?”
9 Isaiah answered, “This is the Lord’s sign(DD) to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?”
10 “It is a simple(DE) matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.”
11 Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back(DF) the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 18:24 Or charioteers
- 2 Kings 19:9 That is, the upper Nile region
2 Chronicles 32:9-24
New American Standard Bible
2 Chronicles 32:9-24
New American Standard Bible
Sennacherib Undermines Hezekiah
9 After this (A)Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was [a]besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10 “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: ‘On what are you trusting that you are staying in Jerusalem under siege? 11 Is Hezekiah not misleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, “The Lord our God will save us from the [b]hand of the king of Assyria”? 12 (B)Is it not the same Hezekiah who removed His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and [c]Jerusalem, “You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall [d]burn incense”? 13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? (C)Were the gods of the nations of those lands at all able to save their land from my hand? 14 (D)Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could save his people from my hand, that your God would be able to save you from my hand? 15 Now then, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for (E)no god of any nation or kingdom was able to save his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God save you from my hand?’”
16 His servants spoke further against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah. 17 He also wrote letters to insult the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “(F)As the gods of the nations of the lands [e]have not saved their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not save His people from my hand.” 18 (G)They called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city. 19 They spoke [f]of the God of Jerusalem as they did against (H)the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of human hands.
Hezekiah’s Prayer Is Answered
20 But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and called out to heaven for help. 21 And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every warrior, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned [g]in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with the sword. 22 So the Lord (I)saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and [h]guided them on every side. 23 And (J)many were bringing gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem and valuable presents to Hezekiah king of Judah; so thereafter (K)he rose in the sight of all nations.
24 (L)In those days Hezekiah became [i]mortally ill; and he prayed to the Lord, and [j]the Lord spoke to him and gave him a sign.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Chronicles 32:9 Lit against
- 2 Chronicles 32:11 Lit palm
- 2 Chronicles 32:12 Lit Jerusalem, saying,
- 2 Chronicles 32:12 Lit offer up in smoke
- 2 Chronicles 32:17 Lit who have
- 2 Chronicles 32:19 Lit to
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 Lit in shame of face
- 2 Chronicles 32:22 Another reading is gave them rest
- 2 Chronicles 32:24 Lit sick to the point of death
- 2 Chronicles 32:24 Lit He
2 Chronicles 32:9-24
New International Version
2 Chronicles 32:9-24
New International Version
9 Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish,(A) he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:
10 “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence,(B) that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? 11 When Hezekiah says, ‘The Lord our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,’ he is misleading(C) you, to let you die of hunger and thirst. 12 Did not Hezekiah himself remove this god’s high places and altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar(D) and burn sacrifices on it’?
13 “Do you not know what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand?(E) 14 Who of all the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? 15 Now do not let Hezekiah deceive(F) you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver(G) his people from my hand or the hand of my predecessors.(H) How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!”
16 Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. 17 The king also wrote letters(I) ridiculing(J) the Lord, the God of Israel, and saying this against him: “Just as the gods(K) of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.” 18 Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city. 19 They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world—the work of human hands.(L)
20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer(M) to heaven about this. 21 And the Lord sent an angel,(N) who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword.(O)
22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them[a] on every side. 23 Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts(P) for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations.
Hezekiah’s Pride, Success and Death(Q)
24 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign.(R)
Footnotes
- 2 Chronicles 32:22 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate He gave them rest
Isaiah 36:2-38:8
New American Standard Bible
Isaiah 36:2-38:8
New American Standard Bible
2 And the (A)king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. And he stood by the (B)conduit of the upper pool on the road to the [a]fuller’s field. 3 Then (C)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and (D)Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to him.
4 And (E)Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria says: “What is this confidence that you have? 5 I say, ‘Your plan and strength for the war are only [b]empty words.’ Now on whom have you relied, that (F)you have revolted against me? 6 Behold, you have relied on the (G)staff of this broken reed, on Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his [c]hand and pierce it. (H)So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. 7 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He (I)whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’? 8 Now then, come 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 put riders on them! 9 How then can you [d]drive back even one [e]official of the least of my master’s servants and [f](J)rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 10 And have I now come up [g]without the Lord’s approval against this land to destroy it? (K)The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in (L)Aramaic, for we [h]understand it; and do not speak to us in [i](M)Judean [j]so that the people who are on the wall hear you.” 12 But Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”
13 Then Rabshakeh stood and (N)called out with a loud voice in Judean and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14 This is what the king says: ‘Do not let Hezekiah (O)deceive you, for he will not be able to save you; 15 and do not let Hezekiah lead you to (P)rely on the Lord, saying, “The Lord will certainly save us. This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria!” 16 Do not listen to Hezekiah,’ for this is what the king of Assyria says: ‘[k]Surrender to me and come out to me, and eat, each one, of his (Q)vine and each of his fig tree, and each drink of the (R)waters of his own cistern, 17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you, saying, “(S)The Lord will save us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations saved his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of (T)Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of (U)Sepharvaim? And when have they (V)saved Samaria from my hand? 20 Who among all the (W)gods of these lands have saved their land from my hand, that the (X)Lord would save Jerusalem from my hand?’”
21 But they were silent and did not (Y)answer him so much as a word; for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.” 22 Then (Z)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and (AA)Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the secretary, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.
Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Help
37 Now (AB)when King Hezekiah heard the report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent (AC)Eliakim, who was in charge of the household, with (AD)Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to (AE)Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says: ‘This day is a (AF)day of distress, rebuke, and humiliation; for (AG)children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to [l]deliver them. 4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to (AH)taunt the living God, and will avenge the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for (AI)the remnant that is left.’”
5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, “This is what you shall say to your master: ‘This is what the Lord says: “(AJ)Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will (AK)hear news and (AL)return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”
8 Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against (AM)Libnah, for he had heard that [m]the king had left (AN)Lachish. 9 Now he (AO)heard them say regarding Tirhakah king of [n](AP)Cush, “He has come out to fight against you,” and when he heard it he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “This is what you shall say to Hezekiah king of [o]Judah: ‘(AQ)Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 11 (AR)Behold, you yourself have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be saved? 12 Did the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed save them: (AS)Gozan, (AT)Haran, Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”
Hezekiah’s Prayer in the Temple
14 Then Hezekiah took the [p]letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and [q]spread it out before the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying, 16 “Lord of armies, God of Israel, (AU)who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the (AV)God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. (AW)You made heaven and earth. 17 (AX)Incline Your ear, Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, Lord, and see; and (AY)listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to (AZ)taunt the living God. 18 Truly, Lord, the (BA)kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries and their lands, 19 and have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but only the (BB)work of human hands, wood and stone. So they have (BC)destroyed them. 20 But now Lord, our God, (BD)save us from his hand, so that (BE)all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, [r]Lord, are God.”
God Answers through Isaiah
21 Then (BF)Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word that the Lord has spoken against him:
“She has shown contempt for you and derided you,
The (BG)virgin (BH)daughter of Zion;
The daughter of Jerusalem has (BI)shaken her head behind you!
23 Whom have you (BJ)taunted and blasphemed?
And against whom have you raised your voice
And [s]haughtily (BK)raised your eyes?
Against the (BL)Holy One of Israel!
24 Through your servants you have taunted the Lord,
And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I came up to the heights of the mountains,
To the remotest parts of (BM)Lebanon;
And I cut down its tall (BN)cedars and its choice junipers.
And I will come to its [t]highest peak, its thickest (BO)forest.
25 I dug wells and drank waters,
And (BP)with the sole of my feet I dried up
All the canals of [u]Egypt.’
26 (BQ)Have you not heard?
Long ago I did it,
From ancient times I (BR)planned it.
Now (BS)I have brought it about
That (BT)you would turn fortified cities into (BU)ruined heaps.
27 Therefore their inhabitants were [v]powerless,
They were shattered and put to shame;
They were like the (BV)vegetation of the field and the green grass,
Like (BW)grass on the housetops [w]that is scorched before it has grown.
28 But I (BX)know your sitting down,
Your going out, your coming in,
And your raging against Me.
29 Because of your raging against Me
And because your (BY)complacency has come up to My ears,
I will put My (BZ)hook in your nose
And My (CA)bridle in your lips,
And I will turn you back (CB)by the way that you came.
30 “Then this shall be the sign for you: [x]you will eat this year what (CC)grows of itself, in the second year what grows from the same, and in the third year sow, harvest, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 The (CD)survivors that are (CE)left of the house of Judah will again (CF)take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem a (CG)remnant will go, and out of Mount Zion survivors. The (CH)zeal of the Lord of armies will perform this.”’
33 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not come to this city nor shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield, nor heap up an (CI)assault ramp against it. 34 (CJ)By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he will not come to this city,’ declares the Lord. 35 ‘For I will (CK)protect this city to save it (CL)for My own sake, and for My servant David’s sake.’”
Assyrians Destroyed
36 Then the (CM)angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when the rest got up early in the morning, behold, all of [y]the 185,000 were [z]dead. 37 So Sennacherib the king of Assyria departed and [aa]returned home and lived in (CN)Nineveh. 38 Then it came about, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped to the land of (CO)Ararat. And his son (CP)Esarhaddon became king in his place.
Hezekiah Healed
38 (CQ)In those days Hezekiah became [ab]mortally ill. And (CR)Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘(CS)Set your house in order, for you are going to die and not live.’” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “(CT)Please, Lord, just remember how I have (CU)walked before You (CV)wholeheartedly and in truth, and (CW)have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah (CX)wept [ac]profusely.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add (CY)fifteen years to your [ad]life. 6 And I will (CZ)save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city.”’
7 “And this shall be the (DA)sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will perform this word that He has spoken: 8 Behold, I will (DB)make the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, go back ten steps.” So the (DC)sun’s shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 36:2 I.e., launderer’s
- Isaiah 36:5 Lit a word of lips
- Isaiah 36:6 Lit palm
- Isaiah 36:9 Lit turn away the face of
- Isaiah 36:9 Or governor
- Isaiah 36:9 Lit rely on for yourself
- Isaiah 36:10 Lit without the Lord
- Isaiah 36:11 Lit hear
- Isaiah 36:11 I.e., Hebrew
- Isaiah 36:11 Lit in the ears of...wall
- Isaiah 36:16 Lit Make with me a blessing
- Isaiah 37:3 Lit give birth
- Isaiah 37:8 Lit he
- Isaiah 37:9 Or Ethiopia
- Isaiah 37:10 Lit Judah, saying
- Isaiah 37:14 Lit letters
- Isaiah 37:14 Lit Hezekiah spread
- Isaiah 37:20 As in DSS and 2 Kin 19:19; MT are the Lord
- Isaiah 37:23 Lit on high
- Isaiah 37:24 Lit farthest height
- Isaiah 37:25 Or the besieged place
- Isaiah 37:27 Lit short of hand
- Isaiah 37:27 As in DSS and 2 Kin 19:26; MT and as a terraced field
- Isaiah 37:30 Lit eating
- Isaiah 37:36 Lit them
- Isaiah 37:36 Lit dead bodies
- Isaiah 37:37 Lit went and returned
- Isaiah 38:1 Lit sick to death
- Isaiah 38:3 Lit great weeping
- Isaiah 38:5 Lit days
Isaiah 36:2-38:8
New International Version
Isaiah 36:2-38:8
New International Version
2 Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish(A) to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,(B) 3 Eliakim(C) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator,(D) Shebna(E) the secretary,(F) and Joah(G) son of Asaph the recorder(H) 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(I) against me? 6 Look, I know you are depending(J) on Egypt,(K) that splintered reed(L) 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(M) on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed,(N) saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?(O)
8 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses(P)—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(Q) for chariots(R) and horsemen[a]?(S) 10 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself told(T) me to march against this country and destroy it.’”
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah(U) said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(V) 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?(W)”
13 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew,(X) “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!(Y) 14 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive(Z) 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(AA) us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’(AB)
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(AC) and drink water from your own cistern,(AD) 17 until I come and take you to a land like your own(AE)—a land of grain and new wine,(AF) 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?(AG) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?(AH) Have they rescued Samaria(AI) from my hand? 20 Who of all the gods(AJ) of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”(AK)
21 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”(AL)
22 Then Eliakim(AM) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder(AN) went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,(AO) and told him what the field commander had said.
Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold(AP)
37 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes(AQ) and put on sackcloth(AR) and went into the temple(AS) of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakim(AT) the palace administrator, Shebna(AU) the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.(AV) 3 They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress(AW) and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth(AX) 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(AY) the living God,(AZ) and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard.(BA) Therefore pray(BB) for the remnant(BC) 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(BD) of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed(BE) me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report,(BF) I will make him want(BG) to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down(BH) with the sword.’”
8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,(BI) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.(BJ)
9 Now Sennacherib(BK) received a report(BL) that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,[b](BM) 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(BN) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’(BO) 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered?(BP) 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors(BQ) deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran,(BR) Rezeph and the people of Eden(BS) who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad?(BT) Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim,(BU) Hena and Ivvah?”(BV)
Hezekiah’s Prayer(BW)
14 Hezekiah received the letter(BX) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple(BY) of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed(BZ) to the Lord: 16 “Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned(CA) between the cherubim,(CB) you alone are God(CC) over all the kingdoms(CD) of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.(CE) 17 Give ear, Lord, and hear;(CF) open your eyes, Lord, and see;(CG) listen to all the words Sennacherib(CH) has sent to ridicule(CI) the living God.(CJ)
18 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.(CK) 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire(CL) and destroyed them,(CM) for they were not gods(CN) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.(CO) 20 Now, Lord our God, deliver(CP) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth(CQ) may know that you, Lord, are the only God.[c](CR)”
Sennacherib’s Fall(CS)
21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz(CT) 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(CU) Zion(CV)
despises and mocks you.
Daughter Jerusalem
tosses her head(CW) as you flee.
23 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?(CX)
Against whom have you raised your voice(CY)
and lifted your eyes in pride?(CZ)
Against the Holy One(DA) of Israel!
24 By your messengers
you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said,
‘With my many chariots(DB)
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
the utmost heights(DC) of Lebanon.(DD)
I have cut down its tallest cedars,
the choicest of its junipers.(DE)
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(DF) all the streams of Egypt.(DG)’
26 “Have you not heard?
Long ago I ordained(DH) it.
In days of old I planned(DI) it;
now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
into piles of stone.(DJ)
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(DK) sprouting on the roof,(DL)
scorched[e] before it grows up.
28 “But I know where you are
and when you come and go(DM)
and how you rage(DN) against me.
29 Because you rage against me
and because your insolence(DO) has reached my ears,
I will put my hook(DP) in your nose(DQ)
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
by the way you came.(DR)
30 “This will be the sign(DS) for you, Hezekiah:
“This year(DT) you will eat what grows by itself,
and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year(DU) sow and reap,
plant vineyards(DV) and eat their fruit.(DW)
31 Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah
will take root(DX) below and bear fruit(DY) above.
32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,(DZ)
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.(EA)
The zeal(EB) 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(EC)
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege ramp(ED) against it.
34 By the way that he came he will return;(EE)
he will not enter this city,”
declares the Lord.
35 “I will defend(EF) this city and save it,
for my sake(EG) and for the sake of David(EH) my servant!”
36 Then the angel(EI) of the Lord went out and put to death(EJ) a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian(EK) camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 37 So Sennacherib(EL) king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh(EM) and stayed there.
38 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple(EN) of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat.(EO) And Esarhaddon(EP) his son succeeded him as king.(EQ)
Hezekiah’s Illness(ER)
38 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz(ES) went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order,(ET) because you are going to die; you will not recover.”(EU)
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked(EV) before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion(EW) and have done what is good in your eyes.(EX)” And Hezekiah wept(EY) bitterly.
4 Then the word(EZ) of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David,(FA) says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;(FB) I will add fifteen years(FC) to your life. 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend(FD) this city.
7 “‘This is the Lord’s sign(FE) 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.(FF)
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
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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.