1 W hen King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes. He covered himself with cloth made from hair, and went into the house of the Lord.

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

2 T hen he sent Eliakim, the head of the house, and Shebna the writer, and the head religious leaders, covered with cloth made from hair, to Isaiah the man of God, the son of Amoz.

And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the older priests, clothed with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.

3 T hey said to him, “Hezekiah says, ‘This day is a day of trouble, pain, and shame. For children have come to birth, and there is no strength for them to be born.

And they said to him, Thus says Hezekiah: This day is a day of trouble and distress and of rebuke and of disgrace; for children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth.

4 I t may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his leader the king of Assyria has sent to try to bring shame upon the living God. The Lord your God may speak sharp words against what He has heard. So say a prayer for those who are left of His people.’”

It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria, his master, has sent to mock, reproach, insult, and 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 S o the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6 A nd Isaiah said to them, “Tell your king, ‘This is what the Lord says. “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have spoken against Me.

And Isaiah said to them, You shall say to your master, Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled and blasphemed Me.

7 S ee, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear some news and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

Behold, 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 land.

8 T hen Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish.

So the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah; for he had heard that the king had departed from Lachish.

9 N ow the king had heard them say about King Tirhakah of Cush, “He has come out to fight against you.” When he heard it, he sent men to Hezekiah, saying,

And heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He has come forth to make war with you. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

10 “ Tell Hezekiah king of Judah, ‘Do not let your God in Whom you trust fool you, saying, “Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”

Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: Let not your God in Whom you trust deceive you by saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.

11 S ee, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands. They have destroyed them all. So will you be kept from trouble?

Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, destroying them utterly. And shall you be delivered?

12 D id the gods of those nations which my fathers have destroyed take them out of trouble? Did they save Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar?

Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my predecessors have destroyed, as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?

13 W here is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’” Hezekiah’s Prayer

Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?

14 T hen Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the men from Assyria, and read it. He went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.

And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. And Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord.

15 A nd Hezekiah prayed to the Lord,

And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord:

16 “ O Lord of All, the God of Israel, Who sits on the throne above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the nations of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, Who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

17 L isten, O Lord, and hear. Open Your eyes, O Lord, and see. Listen to all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to speak against the living God.

Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib which he has sent to mock, reproach, insult, and defy the living God.

18 I t is true, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations and their lands.

It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands

19 T hey have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, made of wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.

And 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. Therefore they have destroyed them.

20 N ow, O Lord our God, take us out of his hand, that all the nations of the earth may know that You alone are the Lord.” The Word of the Lord to the King

Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know (understand and realize) that You are the Lord, even You only.

21 T hen 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,

Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,

22 t his is the word the Lord has spoken against him: “She has hated you and made fun of you, the young daughter of Zion who has never had a man! She has shaken her head behind you, the people of Jerusalem!

This is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him: The Virgin Daughter of Zion has despised you and laughed you to scorn; the Daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head behind you.

23 W hom have you put to shame and spoken against? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted up your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!

Whom have you mocked and reviled ? And against Whom have you raised your voice and haughtily lifted your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel!

24 T hrough your servants you have spoken against the Lord. You have said, ‘I came up to the high mountains with my many war-wagons, to the farthest parts of Lebanon. I cut down its tall cedar trees and its best cypress trees. I came to its highest mountain top, and to the place that has the most trees.

By your servants you have mocked, reproached, insulted, and defied the Lord, and you have said, With my many chariots I have gone up to the height of the mountains, to the inner recesses of Lebanon. I cut down its tallest cedars and its choicest cypress trees; I came to its remotest height, its most luxuriant and dense forest;

25 I dug wells in strange lands and drank water there. With the bottom of my feet I dried up all the rivers of Egypt.’

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

26 H ave you not heard that I planned this long ago? From days of old I planned it. Now I have made it happen, that you should turn strong cities built for battles into waste lands.

have you not heard that I purposed to do it long ago, that I planned it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that you should lay waste fortified cities, making them ruinous heaps.

27 S o their people did not have any more strength. They were troubled and put to shame. They were like the grass of the field and like the green plant. They were like grass on the housetops, dried up before it is grown.

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 a field of grain blasted before it is grown or is in stalk.

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

But I know your sitting down and your going out and your coming in and your raging against Me.

29 B ecause of your anger against Me, and because I have heard of your pride, I will put My hook in your nose, and My bit in your mouth. And I will make you return the way you came.

Because your raging against Me and your arrogance and careless ease have come to My ears, therefore will I put My hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way you came.

30 “ This will be the special thing for you to see: You will eat this year what grows of itself. In the second year you will eat what grows up from the same. Then in the third year you will plant and gather. You will plant grape-fields and eat their fruit.

And this shall be the sign to you: you shall eat this year what grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs from the same. And in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.

31 A nd those who are left of the family of Judah will again have their roots grow down and grow their fruit above.

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

32 F or My people who are left will go out from Jerusalem and from Mount Zion. This will be done by the work of the Lord of All.”’”

For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant, and a band that survives out of Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

33 S o the Lord says about the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there. He will not come before it with a battle-covering, or build a battle-wall against it.

Therefore 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.

34 H e will return by the same way he came, and he will not come to this city,’ says the Lord.

By the way that he came, by the same way he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, says the Lord.

35 ‘ For I will fight for this city to save it for My own good, and for the good of My servant David.’”

For I will defend this city to save it, for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.

36 T hen the angel of the Lord went out and killed 185, 000 men in the Assyrian camp. And when men got up early in the morning, they saw all these dead bodies.

And 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.

37 S o Sennacherib king of Assyria left and returned home, and lived at Nineveh.

So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned and dwelt at Nineveh.

38 W hen he was worshiping in the house of his god Nisroch, his sons 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.

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