2 Kings 19
1 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
When King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the LORD’s house.
2 And he sent Elyakim, who was superintendent over the house, and Shebnah the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
3 And they said unto him, Thus hath said Hezekiah, A day of trouble, and of rebuke, and derision is this day; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
They said to him, “Hezekiah says, ‘Today is a day of trouble, of rebuke, and of rejection; for the children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to deliver them.
4 Perhaps the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to blaspheme the living God; and who hath reproached with the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up a prayer in behalf of the remnant that is still found here.
It may be the LORD your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’”
5 And the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus hath said the Lord, Be not afraid because of the words which thou hast heard, with which the boys of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘The LORD says, “Do not be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
7 Behold, I will put an [other] spirit in him, that when he will hear a rumor, he shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he will hear news, and will return to his own land. I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.”’”
8 And Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
So Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish.
9 And he heard it said of Thirhakah the king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight with thee; and he again sent messengers unto Hezekiah, saying,
When he heard it said of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “Behold, he has come out to fight against you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying,
10 Thus shall ye say to Hezekiah the king of Judah, as followeth, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given up into the hand of the king of Assyria.
“Tell Hezekiah king of Judah this: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
11 Behold, thou thyself hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, by destroying them utterly: and thou alone shouldst be delivered?
Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly. Will you be delivered?
12 Have the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed delivered them; as Gozan, and Charan, and Rezeph, and the children of 'Eden, who were in Thelassar?
Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed—Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?
13 Where is the king of Chamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvayim, of Hena', and 'Ivvah?
Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?’”
14 And Hezekiah took the letters out of the hand of the messengers, and read them: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread them out before the Lord.
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the LORD’s house, and spread it before the LORD.
15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, who dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the [true] God, thou alone, for all the kingdoms of the earth; for it is thou who hast made the heavens and the earth.
Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, “LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, even you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
16 Bend down, O Lord, thy ear, and hear! open, O Lord, thy eyes, and see! and hear the words of Sennacherib, that which he hath sent to blaspheme the living God.
Incline your ear, LORD, and hear. Open your eyes, LORD, and see. Hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to defy the living God.
17 Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their land,
Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands,
18 And they have placed their gods into the fire; for they are no gods, but the work of man's hands, wood and stone: and these have they destroyed.
and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they have destroyed them.
19 And now, O Lord our God, save us, I beseech thee, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, thou alone.
Now therefore, LORD our God, save us, I beg you, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, LORD, are God alone.”
20 Then sent Isaiah the son of Amoz to Hezekiah, saying, Thus hath said the Lord the God of Israel, What thou hast prayed to me concerning Sennacherib the king of Assyria have I heard.
Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “The LORD, the God of Israel, says ‘You have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, and I have heard you.
21 This is the word that the Lord hath spoken over him: She despiseth thee, she laugheth thee to scorn, the virgin daughter of Zion; behind thee shaketh her head the daughter of Jerusalem.
This is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him: ‘The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and ridiculed you. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you.
22 Whom hast thou blasphemed, and [whom] hast thou scorned? and against whom hast thou raised thy voice, and lifted up thy eyes on high? against the Holy One of Israel.
Whom have you defied and blasphemed? Against whom have you exalted your voice and lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel!
23 By thy messengers thou hast blasphemed the Lord and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots am I indeed come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and I will cut down its tall cedars, the choice of its fir-trees: and I will enter into the lodgings on its summit, the forest of its fruitful soil.
By your messengers, you have defied the Lord, and have said, “With the multitude of my chariots, I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon, and I will cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypress trees; and I will enter into his farthest lodging place, the forest of his fruitful field.
24 I have dug and drunk strange waters, and I will dry up with the sole of my feet all the streams of besieged places.
I have dug and drunk strange waters, and I will dry up all the rivers of Egypt with the sole of my feet.”
25 Hadst thou not heard that in distant ages I had prepared this? in the times of antiquity when I formed it? now have I brought it along, and it came to pass, to desolate into ruinous heaps fortified cities.
Have not you heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that it should be yours to lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps.
26 And thus their inhabitants were short of power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the herbs of the field, and as the green grass; as the moss on the housetops, and as corn blasted before the ear appeareth.
Therefore their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were like the grass of the field and like the green herb, like the grass on the housetops and like grain blasted before it has grown up.
27 But thy abiding and thy going out and thy coming in do I know, and thy raging against me.
But I know your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your raging against me.
28 Because of thy raging against me and thy tumult that is come up into my ears, will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle between thy lips; and I will cause thee to turn back on the way by which thou camest.
Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose, and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.’
29 And this shall be unto thee the sign, Ye shall eat this year what groweth of itself, and in the second year what springeth up after the same; and in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
“This will be the sign to you: This year, you will eat that which grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs from that; and in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
30 And the remnant of the house of Judah that is escaped shall yet again strike root downward, and bear fruit upward.
The remnant that has escaped of the house of Judah will again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
31 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and that which escapeth out of mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
For out of Jerusalem a remnant will go out, and out of Mount Zion those who shall escape. The LORD’s zeal will perform this.
32 Therefore thus hath said the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, and he shall not shoot an arrow thereon, nor come before it with shield, nor cast up against it an embankment.
“Therefore the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there. He will not come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it.
33 On the way by which he came, by the same shall he return, and into this city shall he not come, saith the Lord.
He will return the same way that he came, and he will not come to this city,’ says the LORD.
34 And I will shield this city, to save it, for my own sake, and for the sake of David my servant.
‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.’”
35 And it came to pass, on the same night, that an angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred eighty and five thousand men: and when people arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
That night, the LORD’s angel went out and struck one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.
36 And Sennacherib the king of Assyria then departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, went home, and lived at Nineveh.
37 And it came to pass, as he was prostrating himself in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Essar-chaddon his son became king in his stead.
As he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Esar Haddon his son reigned in his place.
