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Isaiah Encourages Hezekiah

aAnd when King Hezekiah heard it, he btore his clothes, ccovered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD. Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, acovered with sackcloth, to bIsaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and rejection; for children have come to birth and there is no strength to deliver. aPerhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent bto reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for cthe remnant that is left.’” So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the aservants of the king of Assyria bhave blasphemed Me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that ahe will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And bI will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

Sennacherib Defies God

Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against aLibnah, for he had heard that 1the king had left bLachish. When he heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of 1Cush, “Behold, he has come out to fight against you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah saying, 10 Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of 1Judah, ‘Do not alet your God in whom you trust deceive you saying, “bJerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be 1spared? 12 aDid the gods of 1those nations which my fathers destroyed deliver them, even bGozan and cHaran and Rezeph and dthe sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 aWhere 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 aHezekiah took the 1letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and 2spread it out before the LORD. 15 Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, awho are 1enthroned above the cherubim, bYou are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 aIncline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; bopen Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent cto reproach the living God. 17 Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, afor they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. 19 Now, O LORD our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand athat all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O bLORD, are God.”

God’s Answer through Isaiah

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, aI have heard you. 21 This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him:‘She has despised you and mocked you,aThe virgin daughter of Zion;She bhas shaken her head behind you,The daughter of Jerusalem!

22 Whom have you areproached and bblasphemed?And against whom have you raised your voice,And 1haughtily lifted up your eyes?Against the cHoly One of Israel!23 aThrough your messengers you have reproached the Lord,And you have said, “With my many chariotsI came up to the heights of the mountains,To the remotest parts of Lebanon;And I 1cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypresses.And I 2entered its farthest lodging place, its bthickest forest.24 “I dug wells and drank foreign waters,And with the sole of my feet I 1adried upAll the rivers of 2Egypt.”
25 aHave you not heard?Long ago I did it;From ancient times I planned it.bNow I have brought it to pass,That you should turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps.26 ‘Therefore their inhabitants were short of strength,They were dismayed and put to shame;They were aas the vegetation of the field and as the green herb,As grass on the housetops is scorched before it is grown up.27 ‘But aI know your sitting down,And your going out and your coming in,And your raging against Me.28 Because of your raging against Me,And because your 1arrogance has come up to My ears,Therefore I awill put My hook in your nose,And My bridle in your lips,And bI will turn you back by the way which you came.

29 ‘Then this shall be athe sign for you: 1you will eat this year what grows of itself, in the second year what springs from the same, and in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 aThe surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant, and aout of Mount Zion 1survivors. bThe zeal of 2the LORD will perform this.

32 Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, “aHe will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield or throw up a siege ramp against it. 33 aBy the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city,”’ declares the LORD. 34 aFor I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and bfor My servant David’s sake.’”

35 aThen it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when 1men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were 2dead. 36 So aSennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home, and lived at bNineveh. 37 It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that 1aAdrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped into bthe land of Ararat. And cEsarhaddon his son became king in his place.

Isaiah Encourages Hezekiah

aWhen king Hezekiah heard it, he btore his clothes and he ccovered himself with sackcloth and went into the house (temple) of the LORD. Is 37:1-13 Then he sent Eliakim who was in charge of his household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, acovered with sackcloth, to bIsaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This is a day of distress and anxiety, of punishment and humiliation; for children have come to the time of their birth and there is no strength to rescue them. aIt may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent bto taunt and defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. So offer a prayer for cthe remnant of His people that is left in Judah.’” So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. Isaiah said to them, “Say this to your master: ‘Thus says the LORD, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the aservants of the king of Assyria bhave reviled (blasphemed) Me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that ahe will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And bI will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

Sennacherib Defies God

So the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against aLibnah a fortified city of Judah; for he had heard that the king had left bLachish. When the king heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of 1Ethiopia, “Behold, he has come out to make war against you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Say this to Hezekiah king of Judah, ‘aDo not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by saying, “bJerusalem shall not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 11 Listen, you have heard what the Assyrian kings have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be spared? 12 aDid the gods of the nations whom my forefathers destroyed rescue them—bGozan and cHaran of Mesopotamia and Rezeph and dthe people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 aWhere is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad of northern Syria, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer

14 aHezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the house (temple) of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. Is 37:14-20 15 Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, awho is enthroned above the cherubim of the 1ark in the temple, bYou are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth. 16 O LORD, abend down Your ear and hear; LORD, bopen Your eyes and see; hear the taunting words of Sennacherib, which he has sent cto taunt and defy the living God. 17 It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have devastated the nations and their lands 18 and have thrown their gods into the fire, afor they were not real gods but only the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they could destroy them and have destroyed them. 19 Now, O LORD our God, please, save us from his hand aso that all the kingdoms of the earth may know without any doubt that You alone, O bLORD, are God.”

God’s Answer through Isaiah

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘aI have heard your prayer to Me regarding Sennacherib king of Assyria.’ Is 37:21-38 21 This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him:aThe virgin daughter of ZionHas despised you and mocked you;The daughter of JerusalemHas bshaken her head behind you!

22 ‘Whom have you ataunted and bblasphemed?Against whom have you raised your voice,And haughtily lifted up your eyes?Against the cHoly One of Israel!23 aThrough your messengers you have taunted and defied the Lord,And have said boastfully, “With my many chariotsI came up to the heights of the mountains,To the remotest parts of Lebanon;I cut down its tall cedar trees and its choicest cypress trees.I entered its most distant lodging, its bdensest forest.24 “I dug wells and drank foreign waters,And with the sole of my feet I adried upAll the rivers of the Lower Nile of Egypt.”
25 aHave you not heard asks the God of Israel?Long ago I did it;From ancient times I planned it.bNow I have brought it to pass,That you king of Assyria should be My instrument to turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps.26 ‘Therefore their inhabitants were powerless,They were shattered in spirit and put to shame;They were alike plants of the field, the green herb,As grass on the housetops is scorched before it is grown up.27 ‘But aI the LORD know your sitting down O Sennacherib,Your going out, your coming in,And your raging against Me.28 ‘Because of your raging against Me,And because your arrogance and complacency have come up to My ears,I awill put My hook in your nose,And My bridle in your lips,And bI will turn you back to Assyria by the way that you came.

29 ‘Then this shall be athe sign of these things to you Hezekiah: this year you will eat what grows of itself, in the second year what springs up voluntarily, and in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 aThe survivors who remain of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For a remnant will go forth from Jerusalem, and a band of survivors afrom Mount Zion. bThe zeal of the LORD of hosts shall perform this.

32 ‘Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: “aHe will not come to this city Jerusalem nor shoot an arrow there; nor will he come before it with a shield nor throw up a siege ramp against it. 33 aBy the way that he came, by the same way he will return, and he will not come into this city,”’ declares the LORD. 34 aFor I will protect this city to save it, for My own sake and bfor My servant David’s sake.’”

35 aThen it came to pass that night, that the 1angel of the LORD went forth and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians; when the survivors got up early in the morning, behold, all 185,000 of them were dead. 36 So aSennacherib king of Assyria 1left and returned home, and lived at 2bNineveh. 37 It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons aAdrammelech and Sharezer killed him with a sword; and they escaped to bthe land of Ararat. And cEsarhaddon his son became king in his place.

Isaiah Tells Hezekiah Not to Be Afraid

aNow it happened that when King Hezekiah heard it, he btore his clothes, ccovered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of Yahweh. Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, acovered with sackcloth, to bIsaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, reproof, and rejection; for children have come to the point of breaking forth, but there is no strength to give birth. aPerhaps Yahweh your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent bto 1reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Therefore, lift up a prayer for cthe remnant that is left.’” So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the ayoung men of the king of Assyria bhave blasphemed Me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that ahe will hear a report and return to his own land. And bI will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

Sennacherib Deceives Hezekiah

Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against aLibnah, for he had heard that 1the king had set out from bLachish. Then he heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of 1Ethiopia, “Behold, he has come out to fight against you.” So he sent messengers again to Hezekiah saying, 10 Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of 1Judah, ‘Do not alet your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “bJerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, devoting them to destruction. So will you be delivered? 12 aDid the gods of 1those nations which my fathers brought to ruin deliver them, even bGozan and cHaran and Rezeph and dthe sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 aWhere 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 aHezekiah took the 1letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of Yahweh and 2spread it out before Yahweh. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before Yahweh and said, “O Yahweh, the God of Israel, awho is 1enthroned above the cherubim, bYou are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 aIncline Your ear, O Yahweh, and hear; bopen Your eyes, O Yahweh, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, who sent them cto 1reproach the living God. 17 Truly, O Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands 18 and have put their gods into the fire, afor they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. 19 But now, O Yahweh our God, I pray, save us from his hand athat all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O bYahweh, are God.”

Isaiah Speaks of Sennacherib’s Fall

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah saying, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, aI have heard you.’ 21 This is the word that Yahweh has spoken against him:‘She has despised you and mocked you,aThe virgin daughter of Zion;She bhas shaken her head behind you,The daughter of Jerusalem!

22 Whom have you 1areproached and bblasphemed?And against whom have you heightened your voice,And 2haughtily lifted up your eyes?Against the cHoly One of Israel!23 aThrough your messengers you have 1reproached the Lord,And you have said, “With my many chariotsI came up to the heights of the mountains,To the remotest parts of Lebanon;And I 2cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypresses.And I 3entered its farthest lodging place, its bthickest forest.24 “I dug wells and drank foreign waters,And with the sole of my feet I 1adried upAll the rivers of 2Egypt.”
25 aHave you not heard?Long ago I did it;From days of old I formed it.bNow I have brought it to pass,That you should devastate fortified cities into ruinous heaps.26 ‘So their inhabitants were short of power,They were dismayed and put to shame;They were aas the plant of the field and as the green herb,As grass on the rooftops is scorched before it rises.27 ‘But aI know your sitting down,And your going out and your coming in,And your raging against Me.28 Because of your raging against Me,And because your 1presumptuousness has come up to My ears,Therefore I awill put My hook in your nose,And My bridle in your lips,And bI will turn you back by the way which you came.

29 ‘Then this shall be athe sign for you: 1you will eat this year what grows of its own accord, in the second year what springs from the same, and in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 aAnd the surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant, and aout of Mount Zion 1survivors. bThe zeal of 2Yahweh will do this.

32 Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning the king of Assyria, “aHe will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield or throw up a siege ramp against it. 33 aBy the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city,”’ declares Yahweh. 34 aIndeed I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and bfor My servant David’s sake.’”

35 aNow it happened that night, that the angel of Yahweh went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And the 1men arose early in the morning, and behold, all of 2them were dead bodies. 36 So aSennacherib king of Assyria set out and went away and returned home and lived at bNineveh. 37 Now it happened that as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, 1aAdrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into bthe land of Ararat. And cEsarhaddon his son became king in his place.

Isaiah Encourages Hezekiah

aNow when King Hezekiah heard the report, he btore his clothes, ccovered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD. Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the household, with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, acovered with sackcloth, to bIsaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 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. aPerhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent bto taunt the living God, and will avenge the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for cthe remnant that is 1left.’” So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 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 aservants of the king of Assyria bhave blasphemed Me. Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that ahe will hear news and return to his own land. And bI will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

Sennacherib Defies God

Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against aLibnah, for he had heard that the king had left bLachish. When he heard them say about Tirhakah king of 1Cush, “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 1Judah: ‘Do not alet your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, “bJerusalem 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 aDid the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed save them: bGozan, cHaran, Rezeph, and dthe sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 aWhere 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 aHezekiah took the 1letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and 2spread it out before the LORD. 15 Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, “LORD, God of Israel, 1aenthroned above the cherubim, bYou are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 aIncline Your ear, LORD, and hear; bopen Your eyes, LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent cto taunt the living God. 17 It is true, LORD; the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have 1hurled their gods into the fire; afor 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, aso that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, bLORD, 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, aI have heard you. 21 This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him:‘She, athe virgin daughter of Zion, has shown contempt for you and mocked you;She, the daughter of Jerusalem, bhas shaken her head behind you!

22 Whom have you ataunted and bblasphemed?And against whom have you raised your voice,And 1haughtily raised your eyes?Against the cHoly One of Israel!23 aThrough your messengers you have taunted the Lord,And you have said, “With my many chariotsI 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 bthickest forest.24 “I dug wells and drank foreign waters,And with the soles of my feet I adried upAll the streams of Egypt.”
25 aHave you not heard?Long ago I did it;From ancient times I planned it.bNow I have brought it about,That you would turn fortified cities into ruined heaps.26 ‘Therefore their inhabitants were 1powerless,They were shattered and put to shame.They were alike the vegetation of the field and the green grass,Like grass on the housetops that is scorched before it has grown.27 ‘But aI 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 awill put My hook in your nose,And My bridle in your lips,And bI will turn you back by the way by which you came.

29 ‘Then this shall be athe sign for you: 1you 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 aThe 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 aout of Mount Zion. bThe zeal of 1the LORD will perform this.

32 Therefore this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: “aHe 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 aBy the way that he came, by 1the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city,”’ declares the LORD. 34 aFor I will protect this city to save it for My own sake, and bfor My servant David’s sake.’”

35 aThen 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 1the 185,000 were 2dead. 36 So aSennacherib the king of Assyria departed and 1returned home, and lived at bNineveh. 37 Then it came about, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that 1aAdrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped to bthe land of Ararat. And his son cEsarhaddon became king in his place.

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