Isaiah 36

New International Version

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem^(A)

36 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s^(B) reign, Sennacherib^(C) king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.^(D) ²Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish^(E) to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,^(F) ³Eliakim^(G) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator,^(H) Shebna^(I) the secretary,^(J) and Joah^(K) son of Asaph the recorder^(L) went out to him.

⁴The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:

“‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? ⁵You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel^(M) against me? ⁶Look, I know you are depending^(N) on Egypt,^(O) that splintered reed^(P) of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. ⁷But if you say to me, “We are depending^(Q) on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed,^(R) saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?^(S)

⁸“‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses^(T)—if you can put riders on them! ⁹How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt^(U) for chariots^(V) and horsemen^[a]?^(W) ¹⁰Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself told^(X) me to march against this country and destroy it.’”

¹¹Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah^(Y) said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,^(Z) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

¹²But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?^(AA)”

¹³Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew,^(AB) “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!^(AC) ¹⁴This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive^(AD) you. He cannot deliver you! ¹⁵Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver^(AE) us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’^(AF)

¹⁶“Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree^(AG) and drink water from your own cistern,^(AH) ¹⁷until I come and take you to a land like your own^(AI)—a land of grain and new wine,^(AJ) a land of bread and vineyards.

¹⁸“Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹⁹Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad?^(AK) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?^(AL) Have they rescued Samaria^(AM) from my hand? ²⁰Who of all the gods^(AN) of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”^(AO)

²¹But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”^(AP)

²²Then Eliakim^(AQ) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder^(AR) went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,^(AS) and told him what the field commander had said.

Footnotes

Isaiah 36:9 Or charioteers

Isaiah 38

New International Version

Hezekiah’s Illness^(A)

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

²Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ³“Remember, Lord, how I have walked^(E) before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion^(F) and have done what is good in your eyes.^(G)” And Hezekiah wept^(H) bitterly.

⁴Then the word^(I) of the Lord came to Isaiah: ⁵“Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David,^(J) says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;^(K) I will add fifteen years^(L) to your life. ⁶And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend^(M) this city.

⁷“‘This is the Lord’s sign^(N) to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: ⁸I 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.^(O)

⁹A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:

¹⁰I said, “In the prime of my life^(P)
    must I go through the gates of death^(Q)
    and be robbed of the rest of my years?^(R)”
¹¹I said, “I will not again see the Lord himself^(S)
    in the land of the living;^(T)
no longer will I look on my fellow man,
    or be with those who now dwell in this world.
¹²Like a shepherd’s tent^(U) my house
    has been pulled down^(V) and taken from me.
Like a weaver I have rolled^(W) up my life,
    and he has cut me off from the loom;^(X)
    day and night^(Y) you made an end of me.
¹³I waited patiently^(Z) till dawn,
    but like a lion he broke^(AA) all my bones;^(AB)
    day and night^(AC) you made an end of me.
¹⁴I cried like a swift or thrush,
    I moaned like a mourning dove.^(AD)
My eyes grew weak^(AE) as I looked to the heavens.
    I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”^(AF)

¹⁵But what can I say?^(AG)
    He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.^(AH)
I will walk humbly^(AI) all my years
    because of this anguish of my soul.^(AJ)
¹⁶Lord, by such things people live;
    and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
    and let me live.^(AK)
¹⁷Surely it was for my benefit^(AL)
    that I suffered such anguish.^(AM)
In your love you kept me
    from the pit^(AN) of destruction;
you have put all my sins^(AO)
    behind your back.^(AP)
¹⁸For the grave^(AQ) cannot praise you,
    death cannot sing your praise;^(AR)
those who go down to the pit^(AS)
    cannot hope for your faithfulness.
¹⁹The living, the living—they praise^(AT) you,
    as I am doing today;
parents tell their children^(AU)
    about your faithfulness.