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Isaiah 37:14-40:8
King James Version
Isaiah 37:14-40:8
King James Version
14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.
15 And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying,
16 O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.
17 Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open thine eyes, O Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.
18 Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,
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 have destroyed them.
20 Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou only.
21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:
22 This is the word which the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
23 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.
24 By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.
25 I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.
26 Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.
27 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.
28 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.
29 Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
30 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.
31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:
32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.
33 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.
34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.
35 For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
36 Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
38 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping 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 Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
38 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord,
3 And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
4 Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying,
5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.
6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.
7 And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken;
8 Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.
9 The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:
10 I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.
11 I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.
12 Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
13 I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
14 Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me.
15 What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.
16 O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.
17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.
20 The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.
21 For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.
22 Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?
39 At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.
2 And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.
3 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.
4 Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.
5 Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord of hosts:
6 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.
7 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
8 Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.
40 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins.
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
Isaiah 37:14-40:8
New International Version
Isaiah 37:14-40:8
New International Version
Hezekiah’s Prayer(A)
14 Hezekiah received the letter(B) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple(C) of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed(D) to the Lord: 16 “Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned(E) between the cherubim,(F) you alone are God(G) over all the kingdoms(H) of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.(I) 17 Give ear, Lord, and hear;(J) open your eyes, Lord, and see;(K) listen to all the words Sennacherib(L) has sent to ridicule(M) the living God.(N)
18 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.(O) 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire(P) and destroyed them,(Q) for they were not gods(R) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.(S) 20 Now, Lord our God, deliver(T) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth(U) may know that you, Lord, are the only God.[a](V)”
Sennacherib’s Fall(W)
21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz(X) 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(Y) Zion(Z)
despises and mocks you.
Daughter Jerusalem
tosses her head(AA) as you flee.
23 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?(AB)
Against whom have you raised your voice(AC)
and lifted your eyes in pride?(AD)
Against the Holy One(AE) of Israel!
24 By your messengers
you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said,
‘With my many chariots(AF)
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
the utmost heights(AG) of Lebanon.(AH)
I have cut down its tallest cedars,
the choicest of its junipers.(AI)
I have reached its remotest heights,
the finest of its forests.
25 I have dug wells in foreign lands[b]
and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
I have dried up(AJ) all the streams of Egypt.(AK)’
26 “Have you not heard?
Long ago I ordained(AL) it.
In days of old I planned(AM) it;
now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
into piles of stone.(AN)
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(AO) sprouting on the roof,(AP)
scorched[c] before it grows up.
28 “But I know where you are
and when you come and go(AQ)
and how you rage(AR) against me.
29 Because you rage against me
and because your insolence(AS) has reached my ears,
I will put my hook(AT) in your nose(AU)
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
by the way you came.(AV)
30 “This will be the sign(AW) for you, Hezekiah:
“This year(AX) you will eat what grows by itself,
and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year(AY) sow and reap,
plant vineyards(AZ) and eat their fruit.(BA)
31 Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah
will take root(BB) below and bear fruit(BC) above.
32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,(BD)
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.(BE)
The zeal(BF) 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(BG)
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege ramp(BH) against it.
34 By the way that he came he will return;(BI)
he will not enter this city,”
declares the Lord.
35 “I will defend(BJ) this city and save it,
for my sake(BK) and for the sake of David(BL) my servant!”
36 Then the angel(BM) of the Lord went out and put to death(BN) a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian(BO) camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 37 So Sennacherib(BP) king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh(BQ) and stayed there.
38 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple(BR) of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat.(BS) And Esarhaddon(BT) his son succeeded him as king.(BU)
Hezekiah’s Illness(BV)
38 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz(BW) went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order,(BX) because you are going to die; you will not recover.”(BY)
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked(BZ) before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion(CA) and have done what is good in your eyes.(CB)” And Hezekiah wept(CC) bitterly.
4 Then the word(CD) of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David,(CE) says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;(CF) I will add fifteen years(CG) to your life. 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend(CH) this city.
7 “‘This is the Lord’s sign(CI) to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: 8 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.(CJ)
9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
10 I said, “In the prime of my life(CK)
must I go through the gates of death(CL)
and be robbed of the rest of my years?(CM)”
11 I said, “I will not again see the Lord himself(CN)
in the land of the living;(CO)
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(CP) my house
has been pulled down(CQ) and taken from me.
Like a weaver I have rolled(CR) up my life,
and he has cut me off from the loom;(CS)
day and night(CT) you made an end of me.
13 I waited patiently(CU) till dawn,
but like a lion he broke(CV) all my bones;(CW)
day and night(CX) you made an end of me.
14 I cried like a swift or thrush,
I moaned like a mourning dove.(CY)
My eyes grew weak(CZ) as I looked to the heavens.
I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”(DA)
15 But what can I say?(DB)
He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.(DC)
I will walk humbly(DD) all my years
because of this anguish of my soul.(DE)
16 Lord, by such things people live;
and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
and let me live.(DF)
17 Surely it was for my benefit(DG)
that I suffered such anguish.(DH)
In your love you kept me
from the pit(DI) of destruction;
you have put all my sins(DJ)
behind your back.(DK)
18 For the grave(DL) cannot praise you,
death cannot sing your praise;(DM)
those who go down to the pit(DN)
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living—they praise(DO) you,
as I am doing today;
parents tell their children(DP)
about your faithfulness.
20 The Lord will save me,
and we will sing(DQ) with stringed instruments(DR)
all the days of our lives(DS)
in the temple(DT) 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(DU) that I will go up to the temple of the Lord?”
Envoys From Babylon(DV)
39 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon(DW) sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. 2 Hezekiah received the envoys(DX) gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold,(DY) the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures.(DZ) There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”
“From a distant land,(EA)” Hezekiah replied. “They came to me from Babylon.”
4 The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”
“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word(EB) of the Lord Almighty: 6 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon.(EC) Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 7 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.(ED)”
8 “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,(EE)” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.(EF)”
Comfort for God’s People
40 Comfort, comfort(EG) my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly(EH) to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service(EI) has been completed,(EJ)
that her sin has been paid for,(EK)
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double(EL) for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way(EM) for the Lord[d];
make straight(EN) in the desert
a highway for our God.[e](EO)
4 Every valley shall be raised up,(EP)
every mountain and hill(EQ) made low;
the rough ground shall become level,(ER)
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory(ES) of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.(ET)
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”(EU)
6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,(EV)
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers(EW) and the flowers fall,
because the breath(EX) of the Lord blows(EY) on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers(EZ) fall,
but the word(FA) of our God endures(FB) forever.(FC)”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 37:20 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also 2 Kings 19:19); Masoretic Text you alone are the Lord
- Isaiah 37:25 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also 2 Kings 19:24); Masoretic Text does not have in foreign lands.
- 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
- Isaiah 40:3 Or A voice of one calling in the wilderness: / “Prepare the way for the Lord
- Isaiah 40:3 Hebrew; Septuagint make straight the paths of our God
Psalm 37:21-33
King James Version
Psalm 37:21-33
King James Version
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
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Psalm 37:21-33
New International Version
Psalm 37:21-33
New International Version
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;(A)
22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses(B) will be destroyed.(C)
23 The Lord makes firm the steps(D)
of the one who delights(E) in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,(F)
for the Lord upholds(G) him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken(H)
or their children begging(I) bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;(J)
their children will be a blessing.[a](K)
27 Turn from evil and do good;(L)
then you will dwell in the land forever.(M)
28 For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.(N)
Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed[b];
the offspring of the wicked will perish.(O)
29 The righteous will inherit the land(P)
and dwell in it forever.(Q)
Footnotes
- Psalm 37:26 Or freely; / the names of their children will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or freely; / others will see that their children are blessed
- Psalm 37:28 See Septuagint; Hebrew They will be protected forever
New International Version (NIV) 
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