1 W hen King Hezekiah heard it, he rent his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord.

When King Hezekiah heard about it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with cloth made from hair. Then he went into the house of the Lord.

2 A nd he sent Eliakim, who was over his household, Shebna the scribe, and the older priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

He sent Eliakim who was the head of the house, Shebna the writer, and the head religious leaders, to the man of God Isaiah the son of Amoz. They were covered with cloth made from hair.

3 T hey said to him, Hezekiah says: This is a day of distress, of rebuke and chastisement, and blasphemous and insolent insult; for children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth.

And they said to him, “Hezekiah says, ‘This day is a day of trouble, sharp words, and shame. For children have come to be born, but there is no strength to give birth to them.

4 I t may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria has sent to mock, reproach, insult, and defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. So raise your prayer for the remnant that is left.

It might be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his ruler the king of Assyria has sent to make fun of the living God. And the Lord your God might speak sharp words against what He has heard. So pray for those who are left of the Lord’s people.’”

5 S o the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

The servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6 I saiah said to them, Say to your master, Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled and blasphemed Me.

And Isaiah said to them, “Tell your ruler, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Do not be afraid because of the words you have heard spoken against Me by the servants of the king of Assyria.

7 B ehold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own country.

See, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a made-up story and he will return to his own land. And I will have him killed by the sword in his own land.”’” Assyrians Talk of Taking Jerusalem Again

8 S o the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah; for he had heard that the king had left Lachish.

Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah. For he had heard that the king had left Lachish.

9 A nd Sennacherib king of Assyria heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He has come to make war against you. And when he heard it, he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying,

The king of Assyria was told, “See, King Tirhakah of Cush has come out to fight against you.” So he sent men again to Hezekiah, saying,

10 S ay this to Hezekiah king of Judah: Let not your God on Whom you rely deceive you by saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

“Tell King Hezekiah of Judah, ‘Do not let your God in Whom you trust lie to you by saying that Jerusalem will not be given into the power of the king of Assyria.

11 B ehold, you have heard what the Assyrian kings have done to all lands, destroying them utterly. And shall you be delivered?

You have heard how the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the lands. And will you be saved?

12 H ave the gods of the nations delivered those whom my ancestors have destroyed, as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?

Did the gods of those nations which my fathers destroyed save them? Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar, were destroyed.

13 W here are the kings of Hamath, of Arpad, of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?

Where are the kings of Hamath, Arpad, the city of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?’”

14 H ezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. And he went up into the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord.

Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the men from Assyria, and read it. Then he went up to the house of the Lord, and spread the letter out before the Lord.

15 A nd Hezekiah prayed: O Lord, the God of Israel, Who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth.

Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying, “O Lord the God of Israel, You sit on Your throne above the cherubim. You are the God, and You alone, of all the nations of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

16 L ord, bow down Your ear and hear; Lord, open Your eyes and see; hear the words of Sennacherib which he has sent to mock, reproach, insult, and defy the living God.

Turn Your ear, O Lord, and hear. Open Your eyes, O Lord, and see. Listen to the words Sennacherib has spoken against the living God.

17 I t is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste the nations and their lands

O Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands.

18 A nd have cast the gods of those peoples into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.

They have thrown their gods into the fire. For they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, made from wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.

19 N ow therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech You, save us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know and understand that You, O Lord, are God alone.

Now, O Lord our God, I beg You to save us from his power. Then all the nations of the earth may know that You alone are God, O Lord.” Isaiah’s Word to the King

20 T hen Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Your prayer to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.

Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I have heard your prayer to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria.’

21 T his is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him: The Virgin Daughter of Zion has despised you and laughed you to scorn; the Daughter of Jerusalem has wagged her head behind you.

This is the Word that the Lord has spoken against him: ‘She has hated you and made fun of you, the young daughter of Zion! She has shaken her head behind you, the daughter of Jerusalem!

22 W hom have you mocked and reviled and insulted and blasphemed? Against Whom have you raised your voice and haughtily lifted your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel!

Whom have you spoken against? Against whom have you raised your voice, and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!

23 B y your messengers you have mocked, reproached, insulted, and defied the Lord, and have said, With my many chariots I have gone up to the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon. I cut down its tall cedar trees and its choicest cypress trees. I entered its most distant retreat, its densest forest.

You have spoken against the Lord through the men you have sent. You have said, “With my many war-wagons I have come up to the tops of the mountains, to the farthest parts of Lebanon. I cut down its tall cedar trees and its best cypress trees. I went to its highest place, where its trees are close together.

24 I dug wells and drank foreign waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the streams of Egypt.

I dug wells and drank the water of other lands. I dried up all the rivers of Egypt with the bottom of my feet.”

25 H ave you not heard how I ordained long ago what now I have brought to pass? I planned it in olden times, that you should lay waste fortified cities, making them ruinous heaps.

’Have you not heard that I planned this long ago? From times long ago I planned it. Now I have made it happen, that you should destroy strong cities.

26 T hat is why their inhabitants had little power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were like plants of the field, the green herb, the grass on the housetops, blasted before it is grown up.

That is why those who lived there did not have much strength. They were troubled and put to shame. They were like the plants of the field and the green grass. They were like grass on the roofs, killed by the sun before it is grown.

27 B ut I know your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your raging against Me.

But I know when you sit down, go out, and come in. And I know how you speak in anger against Me.

28 B ecause your raging against Me and your arrogance and careless ease have come to 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 you came, O king of Assyria.

You have spoken against Me in your anger and pride, and I have heard it. So I will put My hook in your nose, and My bit in your mouth. And I will have you return by the way you came.

29 A nd this shall be the sign to you: you shall eat this year what grows of itself, also in the second year what springs up voluntarily. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

’This will be the special thing for you to see: This year you will eat what grows of itself. In the second year you will eat what grows of the same. Then in the third year, you will plant seeds and gather food. You will plant vines and eat their fruit.

30 A nd the remnant that has survived of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.

And those who are left of the family of Judah will again take root and give fruit.

31 F or out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and a band of survivors out of Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.

For those who are left will go out of Jerusalem. Those who are still alive will go out of Mount Zion. This will be done by the power of the Lord.

32 T herefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow here or come before it with shield or cast up a siege mound against it.

So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there. He will not come to it with a battle-covering or build a wall around it.

33 B y the way that he came, by that way shall he return, and he shall not come into this city, says the Lord.

He will return by the way he came. He will not come to this city, says the Lord.

34 F or I will defend this city to save it, for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.

For I will help this city and save it, because of My honor, and because of My servant David.’” Sennacherib’s Death

35 A nd it all came to pass, for that night the Angel of the Lord went forth and slew 185, 000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when arose early in the morning, behold, all these were dead bodies.

That night the angel of the Lord went out and killed 185, 000 men among the Assyrian tents. When those left alive got up early in the morning, they saw all the dead bodies.

36 S o Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned and dwelt at Nineveh.

Then King Sennacherib of Assyria left and returned home, and lived at Nineveh.

37 A nd as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Armenia or Ararat. Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

As he was worshiping in the house of his god Nisroch, Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword. Then they ran away to the land of Ararat. And his son Esarhaddon became king in his place.