Isa 36-39 | NASB1995 | STEP | Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah , Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.

Isaiah 36

1 ^aNow in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, ^bSennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 2 And the ^cking of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. And he stood by the ^dconduit of the upper pool on the highway of the ^{▼▼ I.e. launderer’s}fuller’s field. 3 Then ^fEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and ^gShebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him.

4 Then ^hRabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “What is this confidence that you ^{▼▼ Lit trust}have? 5 “I say, ‘Your counsel and strength for the war are only ^{▼▼ Lit words of lips}empty words.’ Now on whom do you rely, that ^kyou have rebelled against me? 6 “Behold, you rely on the ^lstaff of this crushed reed, even on Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his ^{▼▼ Lit palm}hand and pierce it. ⁿSo 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 ^owhose 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 therefore, ^{▼▼ Lit please exchange pledges}come make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 9 “How then can you ^{▼▼ Lit turn away the face of}repulse one ^{▼▼ Or governor}official of the least of my master’s servants and ^{▼▼ Lit rely on for yourself
,} ^trely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 10 “Have I now come up ^{▼▼ Lit without the Lord}without the Lord’s approval against this land to destroy it? ^vThe Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”

11 Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in ^wAramaic, for we ^{▼▼ Lit hear}understand it; and do not speak with us in ^{▼▼ I.e. Hebrew
,} ^zJudean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 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 ^aacried with a loud voice in Judean and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14 “Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah ^abdeceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15 nor let Hezekiah make you ^actrust in the Lord, saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us, this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 16 ‘Do not listen to Hezekiah,’ for thus says the king of Assyria, ‘ ^{▼▼ Lit Make with me a blessing}Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his ^aevine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the ^afwaters 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, ^ag“The Lord will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 ‘Where are the gods of ^ahHamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of ^aiSepharvaim? And when have they ^ajdelivered Samaria from my hand? 20 ‘Who among all the ^akgods of these lands have delivered their land from my hand, that the ^alLord would deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’”

21 But they were silent and ^amanswered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 22 Then ^anEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and ^aoShebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

Isaiah 37

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Help

1 And ^apwhen King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent ^aqEliakim who was over the household with ^arShebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to ^asIsaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a ^atday of distress, rebuke and rejection; for ^auchildren have come to birth, and there is no strength to ^{▼▼ Lit give birth}deliver. 4 ‘Perhaps the Lord your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to ^awreproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for ^axthe remnant that is left.’”

5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord, ^ay“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 will put a spirit in him so that he will ^azhear a rumor and ^bareturn 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 ^bbLibnah, for he had heard that ^{▼▼ Lit he}the king had left ^bdLachish. 9 When he ^beheard them say concerning Tirhakah king of ^{▼▼ Or Ethiopia
,} ^bgCush, “He has come out to fight against you,” and when he heard it he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of ^{▼▼ Lit Judah, saying}Judah, ‘ ^biDo 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 ‘ ^bjBehold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be ^{▼▼ Lit delivered}spared? 12 ‘Did the gods of ^{▼▼ Lit the}those nations which my fathers have destroyed deliver them, even ^bmGozan and ^bnHaran and 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 ^{▼▼ Lit letters}letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and ^{▼▼ Lit Hezekiah spread}spread it out before the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed to the Lord saying, 16 “O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ^bqwho is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the ^brGod, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. ^bsYou have made heaven and earth. 17 ^bt“Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and ^bulisten to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to ^bvreproach the living God. 18 “Truly, O Lord, the ^bwkings of Assyria have devastated all the countries and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the ^bxwork of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have ^bydestroyed them. 20 “Now, O Lord our God, ^bzdeliver us from his hand that ^caall the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, ^{▼▼ So DSS and 2 Kin 19:19; M.T. omits God}are God.”

God Answers through Isaiah

21 Then ^ccIsaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘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 despised you and mocked you,
The ^cdvirgin ^cedaughter of Zion;
She has ^cfshaken her head behind you,
The daughter of Jerusalem!
23 “Whom have you ^cgreproached and blasphemed?
And against whom have you raised your voice
And ^{▼▼ Lit on high}haughtily ^cilifted up your eyes?
Against the ^cjHoly One of Israel!
24 “Through your servants you have reproached the Lord,
And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I came up to the heights of the mountains,
To the remotest parts of ^ckLebanon;
And I cut down its tall ^clcedars and its choice cypresses.
And I will go to its ^{▼▼ Lit farthest height}highest peak, its thickest ^cnforest.
25 ‘I dug wells and drank waters,
And ^cowith the sole of my feet I dried up
All the rivers of ^{▼▼ Or the besieged place}Egypt.’
26 ^cq“Have you not heard?
Long ago I did it,
From ancient times I ^crplanned it.
Now ^csI have brought it to pass,
That ^ctyou should turn fortified cities into ^curuinous heaps.
27 “Therefore their inhabitants were short of strength,
They were dismayed and put to shame;
They were as the ^cvvegetation of the field and as the green herb,
As ^cwgrass on the housetops ^{▼▼ So DSS and 2 Kin 19:26; M.T. as a plowed field}is scorched before it is grown up.
28 “But I ^cyknow your sitting down
And your going out and your coming in
And your raging against Me.
29 “Because of your raging against Me
And because your ^{▼▼ Lit complacency
,} ^daarrogance has come up to My ears,
Therefore I will put My ^dbhook in your nose
And My ^dcbridle in your lips,
And I will turn you back ^ddby the way which you came.

30 “Then this shall be the sign for you: ^{▼▼ Lit eating}you will eat this year what ^dfgrows of itself, in the second year what springs from the same, and in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 31 “The ^dgsurviving ^dhremnant of the house of Judah will again ^ditake root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 “For out of Jerusalem will go forth a ^djremnant and out of Mount Zion ^{▼▼ Lit those who escape}survivors. The ^dlzeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”’

33 “Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He 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 ^dmsiege ramp against it. 34 ‘ ^dnBy 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 ^dodefend this city to save it ^dpfor My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’”

Assyrians Destroyed

36 Then the ^dqangel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when ^{▼▼ Lit they}men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were ^{▼▼ Lit dead bodies}dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and ^{▼▼ Lit went and returned}returned home and lived at ^duNineveh. 38 It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of ^dvArarat. And ^dwEsarhaddon his son became king in his place.

Isaiah 38

Hezekiah Healed

1 ^dxIn those days Hezekiah became ^{▼▼ Lit sick to the point of death}mortally ill. And ^dzIsaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘ ^eaSet your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, ^eb“Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have ^ecwalked before You in truth and with a ^edwhole heart, and ^eehave done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah ^efwept ^{▼▼ Lit great weeping}bitterly.

4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add ^ehfifteen years to your ^{▼▼ Lit days}life. 6 “I will ^ejdeliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city.”’

7 “This shall be the ^eksign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that He has spoken: 8 “Behold, I will ^elcause the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, to go back ten steps.” So the ^emsun’s shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.

9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and ^{▼▼ Lit he lived after his illness}recovery: 10 I said, ^eo“In the middle of my ^{▼▼ Lit days}life
I am to enter the ^eqgates of Sheol;
I am to be ^erdeprived of the rest of my years.”
11 I said, “I will not see the Lord,
The Lord ^esin the land of the living;
I will look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.
12 “Like a shepherd’s ^ettent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me;
As a ^euweaver I ^evrolled up my life.
He ^ewcuts me off from the loom;
From ^exday until night You make an end of me.
13 “I composed my soul until morning.
^eyLike a lion— so He ^ezbreaks all my bones,
From ^faday until night You make an end of me.
14 ^fb“Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter;
I ^fcmoan like a dove;
My ^fdeyes look wistfully to the heights;
O Lord, I am oppressed, be my ^fesecurity.

15 ^ff“What shall I say?
^{▼▼ Targum and DSS read And what shall I say for He}For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it;
I will ^fhwander about all my years because of the ^fibitterness of my soul.
16 “O Lord, ^fjby these things men live,
And in all these is the life of my spirit;
^{▼▼ Lit You will
,} ^flO restore me to health and ^fmlet me live!
17 “Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness;
It is You who has ^{▼▼ So some versions; Heb loved
,} ^fokept my soul from the pit of ^{▼▼ Or destruction}nothingness,
For You have ^fqcast all my sins behind Your back.
18 “For ^frSheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down ^fsto the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
19 “It is the ^ftliving who give thanks to You, as I do today;
A ^fufather tells his sons about Your faithfulness.
20 “The Lord will surely save me;
So we will ^fvplay my songs on stringed instruments
^fwAll the days of our life ^fxat the house of the Lord.”

21 Now ^fyIsaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” 22 Then Hezekiah had said, “What is the ^fzsign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”

Isaiah 39

Hezekiah Shows His Treasures

1 ^gaAt that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 Hezekiah ^{▼▼ Lit rejoiced over them}was ^gcpleased, and showed them all his treasure house, the ^gdsilver and the gold and the spices and the precious oil and his whole armory and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the ^geprophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far ^gfcountry, from Babylon.” 4 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah ^{▼▼ Lit said}answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.”

5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the ^ghword of the Lord of hosts, 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming when ^giall that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, ^gjwill be taken away, and ^gkthey will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 8 ^glThen Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.” For he ^{▼▼ Lit said}thought, “For there will be peace and truth ^gnin my days.”