The Day of the Lord

Now concerning (A)the times and the seasons, brothers,[a] (B)you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that (C)the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then (D)sudden destruction will come upon them (E)as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you (F)are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all (G)children[b] of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then (H)let us not sleep, as others do, but let us (I)keep awake and (J)be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, (K)are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, (L)having put on the breastplate of (M)faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for (N)wrath, but (O)to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 (P)who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Final Instructions and Benediction

12 We ask you, brothers, (Q)to respect those who labor among you and (R)are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. (S)Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish (T)the idle,[c] (U)encourage the fainthearted, (V)help the weak, (W)be patient with them all. 15 See that (X)no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always (Y)seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 (Z)Rejoice always, 17 (AA)pray without ceasing, 18 (AB)give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 (AC)Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise (AD)prophecies, 21 but (AE)test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

23 Now may (AF)the God of peace himself (AG)sanctify you completely, and may your (AH)whole (AI)spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at (AJ)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 (AK)He who calls you is faithful; (AL)he will surely do it.

25 (AM)Brothers, pray for us.

26 (AN)Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

27 I put you under oath before the Lord to have (AO)this letter read to all the brothers.

28 (AP)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Thessalonians 5:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 4, 12, 14, 25, 26, 27
  2. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 Or sons; twice in this verse
  3. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 Or disorderly, or undisciplined

The Day of the Lord

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates(A) we do not need to write to you,(B) for you know very well that the day of the Lord(C) will come like a thief in the night.(D) While people are saying, “Peace and safety,”(E) destruction will come on them suddenly,(F) as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.(G)

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness(H) so that this day should surprise you like a thief.(I) You are all children of the light(J) and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep,(K) but let us be awake(L) and sober.(M) For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.(N) But since we belong to the day,(O) let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate,(P) and the hope of salvation(Q) as a helmet.(R) For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath(S) but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.(T) 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.(U) 11 Therefore encourage one another(V) and build each other up,(W) just as in fact you are doing.

Final Instructions

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard(X) among you, who care for you in the Lord(Y) and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.(Z) 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle(AA) and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak,(AB) be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong,(AC) but always strive to do what is good for each other(AD) and for everyone else.

16 Rejoice always,(AE) 17 pray continually,(AF) 18 give thanks in all circumstances;(AG) for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit.(AH) 20 Do not treat prophecies(AI) with contempt 21 but test them all;(AJ) hold on to what is good,(AK) 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace,(AL) sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul(AM) and body be kept blameless(AN) at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.(AO) 24 The one who calls(AP) you is faithful,(AQ) and he will do it.(AR)

25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us.(AS) 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.(AT) 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.(AU)

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.(AV)

16 The plans of the heart belong to man,
    but (A)the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
(B)All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
    but the Lord (C)weighs the spirit.[a]
(D)Commit your work to the Lord,
    and your plans will be established.
(E)The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
    even (F)the wicked for the day of trouble.
Everyone who is arrogant in heart is (G)an abomination to the Lord;
    (H)be assured, he will not go unpunished.
By (I)steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
    and by (J)the fear of the Lord one (K)turns away from evil.
When a man's ways please the Lord,
    (L)he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
(M)Better is a little with righteousness
    than great revenues with injustice.
(N)The heart of man plans his way,
    but (O)the Lord establishes his steps.
10 (P)An oracle is on the lips of a king;
    his mouth does not sin in judgment.
11 (Q)A just balance and scales are the Lord's;
    all the weights in the bag are his work.
12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil,
    for (R)the throne is established by righteousness.
13 (S)Righteous lips are the delight of a king,
    and he loves him who speaks what is right.
14 (T)A king's wrath is a messenger of death,
    and a wise man will (U)appease it.
15 (V)In the light of a king's face there is life,
    and his (W)favor is like (X)the clouds that bring the spring rain.
16 (Y)How much better to get wisdom than (Z)gold!
    To get understanding is to be chosen rather than (AA)silver.
17 The highway of the upright (AB)turns aside from evil;
    whoever guards his way preserves his life.
18 (AC)Pride goes before destruction,
    and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 (AD)It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
    than to (AE)divide the spoil with the proud.
20 Whoever gives thought to the word[b] (AF)will discover good,
    and blessed is he (AG)who trusts in the Lord.
21 The wise of heart is called discerning,
    and sweetness of speech (AH)increases persuasiveness.
22 Good sense is (AI)a fountain of life to him who has it,
    but the instruction of fools is folly.
23 (AJ)The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
    and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24 (AK)Gracious words are like (AL)a honeycomb,
    sweetness to the soul and (AM)health to the body.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.[c]
26 A worker's appetite works for him;
    his (AN)mouth urges him on.
27 (AO)A worthless man plots evil,
    and his speech[d] is like (AP)a scorching fire.
28 (AQ)A dishonest man spreads strife,
    and (AR)a whisperer (AS)separates close friends.
29 A man of violence (AT)entices his neighbor
    and leads him in a way that is not good.
30 Whoever winks his eyes plans[e] (AU)dishonest things;
    he who (AV)purses his lips brings evil to pass.
31 (AW)Gray hair is (AX)a crown of glory;
    it (AY)is gained in a righteous life.
32 (AZ)Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
    and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 (BA)The lot is cast into the lap,
    but its every decision is (BB)from the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:2 Or spirits
  2. Proverbs 16:20 Or to a matter
  3. Proverbs 16:25 Hebrew ways of death
  4. Proverbs 16:27 Hebrew what is on his lips
  5. Proverbs 16:30 Hebrew to plan

16 To humans belong the plans of the heart,
    but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.(A)

All a person’s ways seem pure to them,(B)
    but motives are weighed(C) by the Lord.(D)

Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
    and he will establish your plans.(E)

The Lord works out everything to its proper end(F)
    even the wicked for a day of disaster.(G)

The Lord detests all the proud of heart.(H)
    Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.(I)

Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
    through the fear of the Lord(J) evil is avoided.(K)

When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way,
    he causes their enemies to make peace(L) with them.(M)

Better a little with righteousness
    than much gain(N) with injustice.(O)

In their hearts humans plan their course,
    but the Lord establishes their steps.(P)

10 The lips of a king speak as an oracle,
    and his mouth does not betray justice.(Q)

11 Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord;
    all the weights in the bag are of his making.(R)

12 Kings detest wrongdoing,
    for a throne is established through righteousness.(S)

13 Kings take pleasure in honest lips;
    they value the one who speaks what is right.(T)

14 A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,(U)
    but the wise will appease it.(V)

15 When a king’s face brightens, it means life;(W)
    his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.(X)

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold,
    to get insight(Y) rather than silver!(Z)

17 The highway of the upright avoids evil;
    those who guard their ways preserve their lives.(AA)

18 Pride(AB) goes before destruction,
    a haughty spirit(AC) before a fall.(AD)

19 Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed
    than to share plunder with the proud.

20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,[a](AE)
    and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.(AF)

21 The wise in heart are called discerning,
    and gracious words promote instruction.[b](AG)

22 Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,(AH)
    but folly brings punishment to fools.

23 The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,(AI)
    and their lips promote instruction.[c](AJ)

24 Gracious words are a honeycomb,(AK)
    sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.(AL)

25 There is a way that appears to be right,(AM)
    but in the end it leads to death.(AN)

26 The appetite of laborers works for them;
    their hunger drives them on.

27 A scoundrel(AO) plots evil,
    and on their lips it is like a scorching fire.(AP)

28 A perverse person stirs up conflict,(AQ)
    and a gossip separates close friends.(AR)

29 A violent person entices their neighbor
    and leads them down a path that is not good.(AS)

30 Whoever winks(AT) with their eye is plotting perversity;
    whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.

31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor;(AU)
    it is attained in the way of righteousness.

32 Better a patient person than a warrior,
    one with self-control than one who takes a city.

33 The lot is cast(AV) into the lap,
    but its every decision(AW) is from the Lord.(AX)

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:20 Or whoever speaks prudently finds what is good
  2. Proverbs 16:21 Or words make a person persuasive
  3. Proverbs 16:23 Or prudent / and make their lips persuasive

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah's Help

37 (A)As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet (B)Isaiah the son of Amoz. They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a (C)day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; (D)children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. (E)It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for (F)the remnant that is left.’”

When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, (G)I will put a spirit in him, so that (H)he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and (I)I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’”

The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against (J)Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left (K)Lachish. Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of (L)Cush,[a] “He has set out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: (M)‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem 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 lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? 12 (N)Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, (O)Gozan, (P)Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 (Q)Where 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 for Deliverance

14 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 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, (R)enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; (S)you have made heaven and earth. 17 (T)Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear (U)all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 18 Truly, O Lord, (V)the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 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 were destroyed. 20 So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.”

Sennacherib's Fall

21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:

“‘She despises you, she scorns you—
    (W)the virgin daughter of Zion;
she wags her head behind you—
    the daughter of Jerusalem.

23 “‘Whom have you mocked and reviled?
    Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes to the heights?
    Against (X)the Holy One of Israel!
24 By your servants you have mocked the Lord,
    and you have said, (Y)With my many chariots
I have gone up the heights of the mountains,
    to the far recesses of Lebanon,
(Z)to cut down its tallest cedars,
    its choicest cypresses,
to come to its remotest height,
    its most fruitful forest.
25 I dug wells
    and drank waters,
to dry up with the sole of my foot
    all (AA)the streams (AB)of Egypt.

26 (AC)“‘Have you not heard
    that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
    what now I bring to pass,
that you should make fortified cities
    crash into heaps of ruins,
27 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,
    are dismayed and confounded,
and have become like plants of the field
    and like tender grass,
like grass on the housetops,
    blighted[b] before it is grown.

28 “‘I know your sitting down
    and your going out and coming in,
    and your raging against me.
29 (AD)Because you have raged against me
    and your complacency has come to my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
    and my bit in your mouth,
and (AE)I will turn you back on the way
    by which you came.’

30 “And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah (AF)shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 (AG)For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. (AH)The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or (AI)cast up a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 35 (AJ)For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for (AK)the sake of my servant David.”

36 (AL)And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 37 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at (AM)Nineveh. 38 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of (AN)Ararat, (AO)Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

Hezekiah's Sickness and Recovery

38 (AP)In those days Hezekiah became (AQ)sick and was at the point of death. And (AR)Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.”[c] Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how (AS)I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add (AT)fifteen years to your life.[d] (AU)I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.

“This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: (AV)Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.[e]

A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:

10 I said, (AW)In the middle[f] of my days
    I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
    for the rest of my years.
11 I said, I shall not see the Lord,
    the Lord (AX)in the land of the living;
I shall look on man no more
    among the inhabitants of the world.
12 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
    (AY)like a shepherd's tent;
(AZ)like a weaver (BA)I have rolled up my life;
    (BB)he cuts me off from the loom;
(BC)from day to night you bring me to an end;
13     (BD)I calmed myself[g] until morning;
like a lion (BE)he breaks all my bones;
    from day to night you bring me to an end.

14 Like (BF)a swallow or a crane I chirp;
    (BG)I moan like a dove.
(BH)My eyes are weary with looking upward.
    O Lord, I am oppressed; (BI)be my pledge of safety!
15 What shall I say? For he has spoken to me,
    and he himself has done it.
(BJ)I walk slowly all my years
    because of the bitterness of my soul.

16 (BK)O Lord, by these things men live,
    and in all these is the life of my spirit.
    Oh restore me to health and make me live!
17 (BL)Behold, it was for my welfare
    that I had great bitterness;
(BM)but in love you have delivered my life
    from the pit of destruction,
(BN)for you have cast all my sins
    behind your back.
18 (BO)For Sheol does not thank you;
    death does not praise you;
those who go down to the pit do not hope
    for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living, he thanks you,
    as I do this day;
(BP)the father makes known to the children
    your faithfulness.

20 The Lord will save me,
    and we will play my music on stringed instruments
all the days of our lives,
    (BQ)at the house of the Lord.

21 (BR)Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” 22 Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 37:9 Probably Nubia
  2. Isaiah 37:27 Some Hebrew manuscripts and 2 Kings 19:26; most Hebrew manuscripts a field
  3. Isaiah 38:1 Or live; also verses 9, 21
  4. Isaiah 38:5 Hebrew to your days
  5. Isaiah 38:8 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
  6. Isaiah 38:10 Or In the quiet
  7. Isaiah 38:13 Or (with Targum) I cried for help

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold(A)

37 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes(B) and put on sackcloth(C) and went into the temple(D) of the Lord. He sent Eliakim(E) the palace administrator, Shebna(F) the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.(G) They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress(H) and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth(I) and there is no strength to deliver them. It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule(J) the living God,(K) and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard.(L) Therefore pray(M) for the remnant(N) that still survives.”

When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid(O) of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed(P) me. Listen! When he hears a certain report,(Q) I will make him want(R) to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down(S) with the sword.’”

When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,(T) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.(U)

Now Sennacherib(V) received a report(W) that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,[a](X) was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive(Y) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’(Z) 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered?(AA) 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors(AB) deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran,(AC) Rezeph and the people of Eden(AD) who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad?(AE) Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim,(AF) Hena and Ivvah?”(AG)

Hezekiah’s Prayer(AH)

14 Hezekiah received the letter(AI) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple(AJ) of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed(AK) to the Lord: 16 Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned(AL) between the cherubim,(AM) you alone are God(AN) over all the kingdoms(AO) of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.(AP) 17 Give ear, Lord, and hear;(AQ) open your eyes, Lord, and see;(AR) listen to all the words Sennacherib(AS) has sent to ridicule(AT) the living God.(AU)

18 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.(AV) 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire(AW) and destroyed them,(AX) for they were not gods(AY) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.(AZ) 20 Now, Lord our God, deliver(BA) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth(BB) may know that you, Lord, are the only God.[b](BC)

Sennacherib’s Fall(BD)

21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz(BE) sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word the Lord has spoken against him:

“Virgin Daughter(BF) Zion(BG)
    despises and mocks you.
Daughter Jerusalem
    tosses her head(BH) as you flee.
23 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?(BI)
    Against whom have you raised your voice(BJ)
and lifted your eyes in pride?(BK)
    Against the Holy One(BL) of Israel!
24 By your messengers
    you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said,
    ‘With my many chariots(BM)
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
    the utmost heights(BN) of Lebanon.(BO)
I have cut down its tallest cedars,
    the choicest of its junipers.(BP)
I have reached its remotest heights,
    the finest of its forests.
25 I have dug wells in foreign lands[c]
    and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
    I have dried up(BQ) all the streams of Egypt.(BR)

26 “Have you not heard?
    Long ago I ordained(BS) it.
In days of old I planned(BT) it;
    now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
    into piles of stone.(BU)
27 Their people, drained of power,
    are dismayed and put to shame.
They are like plants in the field,
    like tender green shoots,
like grass(BV) sprouting on the roof,(BW)
    scorched[d] before it grows up.

28 “But I know where you are
    and when you come and go(BX)
    and how you rage(BY) against me.
29 Because you rage against me
    and because your insolence(BZ) has reached my ears,
I will put my hook(CA) in your nose(CB)
    and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
    by the way you came.(CC)

30 “This will be the sign(CD) for you, Hezekiah:

“This year(CE) you will eat what grows by itself,
    and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year(CF) sow and reap,
    plant vineyards(CG) and eat their fruit.(CH)
31 Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah
    will take root(CI) below and bear fruit(CJ) above.
32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,(CK)
    and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.(CL)
The zeal(CM) of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

33 “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:

“He will not enter this city(CN)
    or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
    or build a siege ramp(CO) against it.
34 By the way that he came he will return;(CP)
    he will not enter this city,”
declares the Lord.
35 “I will defend(CQ) this city and save it,
    for my sake(CR) and for the sake of David(CS) my servant!”

36 Then the angel(CT) of the Lord went out and put to death(CU) a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian(CV) camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 37 So Sennacherib(CW) king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh(CX) and stayed there.

38 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple(CY) of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat.(CZ) And Esarhaddon(DA) his son succeeded him as king.(DB)

Hezekiah’s Illness(DC)

38 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz(DD) went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order,(DE) because you are going to die; you will not recover.”(DF)

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked(DG) before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion(DH) and have done what is good in your eyes.(DI)” And Hezekiah wept(DJ) bitterly.

Then the word(DK) of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David,(DL) says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;(DM) I will add fifteen years(DN) to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend(DO) this city.

“‘This is the Lord’s sign(DP) to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.(DQ)

A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:

10 I said, “In the prime of my life(DR)
    must I go through the gates of death(DS)
    and be robbed of the rest of my years?(DT)
11 I said, “I will not again see the Lord himself(DU)
    in the land of the living;(DV)
no longer will I look on my fellow man,
    or be with those who now dwell in this world.
12 Like a shepherd’s tent(DW) my house
    has been pulled down(DX) and taken from me.
Like a weaver I have rolled(DY) up my life,
    and he has cut me off from the loom;(DZ)
    day and night(EA) you made an end of me.
13 I waited patiently(EB) till dawn,
    but like a lion he broke(EC) all my bones;(ED)
    day and night(EE) you made an end of me.
14 I cried like a swift or thrush,
    I moaned like a mourning dove.(EF)
My eyes grew weak(EG) as I looked to the heavens.
    I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”(EH)

15 But what can I say?(EI)
    He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.(EJ)
I will walk humbly(EK) all my years
    because of this anguish of my soul.(EL)
16 Lord, by such things people live;
    and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
    and let me live.(EM)
17 Surely it was for my benefit(EN)
    that I suffered such anguish.(EO)
In your love you kept me
    from the pit(EP) of destruction;
you have put all my sins(EQ)
    behind your back.(ER)
18 For the grave(ES) cannot praise you,
    death cannot sing your praise;(ET)
those who go down to the pit(EU)
    cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living—they praise(EV) you,
    as I am doing today;
parents tell their children(EW)
    about your faithfulness.

20 The Lord will save me,
    and we will sing(EX) with stringed instruments(EY)
all the days of our lives(EZ)
    in the temple(FA) of the Lord.

21 Isaiah had said, “Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”

22 Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign(FB) that I will go up to the temple of the Lord?”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 37:9 That is, the upper Nile region
  2. Isaiah 37:20 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also 2 Kings 19:19); Masoretic Text you alone are the Lord
  3. Isaiah 37:25 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also 2 Kings 19:24); Masoretic Text does not have in foreign lands.
  4. Isaiah 37:27 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Kings 19:26); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text roof / and terraced fields