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Isaiah 34-39
New King James Version
Isaiah 34-39
New King James Version
Judgment on the Nations
34 Come (A)near, you nations, to hear;
And heed, you people!
(B)Let the earth hear, and all that is in it,
The world and all things that come forth from it.
2 For the indignation of the Lord is against all nations,
And His fury against all their armies;
He has utterly destroyed them,
He has given them over to the (C)slaughter.
3 Also their slain shall be thrown out;
(D)Their stench shall rise from their corpses,
And the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
4 (E)All the host of heaven shall be dissolved,
And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll;
(F)All their host shall fall down
As the leaf falls from the vine,
And as (G)fruit falling from a fig tree.
5 “For (H)My sword shall be bathed in heaven;
Indeed it (I)shall come down on Edom,
And on the people of My curse, for judgment.
6 The (J)sword of the Lord is filled with blood,
It is made [a]overflowing with fatness,
With the blood of lambs and goats,
With the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For (K)the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah,
And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
7 The wild oxen shall come down with them,
And the young bulls with the mighty bulls;
Their land shall be soaked with blood,
And their dust [b]saturated with fatness.”
8 For it is the day of the Lord’s (L)vengeance,
The year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
9 (M)Its streams shall be turned into pitch,
And its dust into brimstone;
Its land shall become burning pitch.
10 It shall not be quenched night or day;
(N)Its smoke shall ascend forever.
(O)From generation to generation it shall lie waste;
No one shall pass through it forever and ever.
11 (P)But the [c]pelican and the [d]porcupine shall possess it,
Also the owl and the raven shall dwell in it.
And (Q)He shall stretch out over it
The line of confusion and the stones of emptiness.
12 They shall call its nobles to the kingdom,
But none shall be there, and all its princes shall be nothing.
13 And (R)thorns shall come up in its palaces,
Nettles and brambles in its fortresses;
(S)It shall be a habitation of jackals,
A courtyard for ostriches.
14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the [e]jackals,
And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion;
Also [f]the night creature shall rest there,
And find for herself a place of rest.
15 There the arrow snake shall make her nest and lay eggs
And hatch, and gather them under her shadow;
There also shall the hawks be gathered,
Every one with her mate.
16 “Search from (T)the book of the Lord, and read:
Not one of these shall fail;
Not one shall lack her mate.
For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them.
17 He has cast the lot for them,
And His hand has divided it among them with a measuring line.
They shall possess it forever;
From generation to generation they shall dwell in it.”
The Future Glory of Zion
35 The (U)wilderness and the [g]wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the (V)desert[h] shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
2 (W)It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the (X)glory of the Lord,
The excellency of our God.
3 (Y)Strengthen the [i]weak hands,
And make firm the [j]feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with (Z)vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and (AA)save you.”
5 Then the (AB)eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And (AC)the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then the (AD)lame shall leap like a deer,
And the (AE)tongue of the dumb sing.
For (AF)waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
7 The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water;
In (AG)the habitation of jackals, where each lay,
There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 A (AH)highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.
(AI)The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray.
9 (AJ)No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.
But the redeemed shall walk there,
10 And the (AK)ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And (AL)sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord(AM)
36 Now (AN)it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 2 Then the king of Assyria sent the [k]Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. 3 And (AO)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, (AP)Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him.
4 (AQ)Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: “What confidence is this in which you trust? 5 I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are [l]mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 6 Look! You are trusting in the (AR)staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who (AS)trust in him.
7 “But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?” ’ 8 Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 9 How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 10 Have I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’ ”
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in [m]Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
12 But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?”
13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ’ 16 Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; (AT)and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern; 17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any one of the (AU)gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered (AV)Samaria from my hand? 20 Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ ”
21 But they [n]held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
Isaiah Assures Deliverance(AW)
37 And (AX)so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of (AY)trouble and rebuke and [o]blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 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 (AZ)reproach 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 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ”
Sennacherib’s Threat and Hezekiah’s Prayer(BA)
8 Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9 And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “He has come out to make war with you.” So when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 12 Have the (BB)gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of (BC)Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’ ”
14 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 Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You (BD)alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 (BE)Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and (BF)hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 18 Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their (BG)lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were (BH)not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 20 Now therefore, O Lord our God, (BI)save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may (BJ)know that You are the Lord, You alone.”
The Word of the Lord Concerning Sennacherib(BK)
21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him:
“The virgin, the daughter of Zion,
Has despised you, laughed you to scorn;
The daughter of Jerusalem
Has shaken her head behind your back!
23 “Whom have you reproached and blasphemed?
Against whom have you raised your voice,
And lifted up your eyes on high?
Against the Holy One of Israel.
24 By your servants you have reproached the Lord,
And said, ‘By the multitude of my chariots
I have come up to the height of the mountains,
To the limits of Lebanon;
I will cut down its tall cedars
And its choice cypress trees;
I will enter its farthest height,
To its fruitful forest.
25 I have dug and drunk water,
And with the soles of my feet I have dried up
All the brooks of [p]defense.’
26 “Did you not hear (BL)long ago
How I made it,
From ancient times that I formed it?
Now I have brought it to pass,
That you should be
For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins.
27 Therefore their inhabitants had little power;
They were dismayed and confounded;
They were as the grass of the field
And the green herb,
As the grass on the housetops
And grain blighted before it is grown.
28 “But I know your dwelling place,
Your going out and your coming in,
And your rage against Me.
29 Because your rage against Me and your tumult
Have come up to My ears,
Therefore (BM)I will put My hook in your nose
And My bridle in your lips,
And I will (BN)turn you back
By the way which you came.” ’
30 “This shall be a sign to you:
You shall eat this year such as grows of itself,
And the second year what springs from the same;
Also in the third year sow and reap,
Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.
31 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah
Shall again take root downward,
And bear fruit upward.
32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant,
And those who escape from Mount Zion.
The (BO)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,
Nor shoot an arrow there,
Nor come before it with shield,
Nor build a siege mound against it.
34 By the way that he came,
By the same shall he return;
And he shall not come into this city,’
Says the Lord.
35 ‘For I will (BP)defend this city, to save it
For My own sake and for My servant (BQ)David’s sake.’ ”
Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death(BR)
36 Then the (BS)angel[q] of the Lord went out, and [r]killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 38 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then (BT)Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
Hezekiah’s Life Extended(BU)
38 In (BV)those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: (BW)‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’ ”
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, (BX)“Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a [s]loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your (BY)sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. 6 I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and (BZ)I will defend this city.” ’ 7 And this is (CA)the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which He has spoken: 8 Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.
9 This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
10 I said,
“In the prime of my life
I shall go to the gates of Sheol;
I am deprived of the remainder of my years.”
11 I said,
“I shall not see [t]Yah,
The Lord (CB)in the land of the living;
I shall observe man no more [u]among the inhabitants of [v]the world.
12 (CC)My life span is gone,
Taken from me like a shepherd’s tent;
I have cut off my life like a weaver.
He cuts me off from the loom;
From day until night You make an end of me.
13 I have considered until morning—
Like a lion,
So He breaks all my bones;
From day until night You make an end of me.
14 Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered;
(CD)I mourned like a dove;
My eyes fail from looking upward.
O [w]Lord, I am oppressed;
[x]Undertake for me!
15 “What shall I say?
[y]He has both spoken to me,
And He Himself has done it.
I shall walk carefully all my years
(CE)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 You will restore me and make me live.
17 Indeed it was for my own peace
That I had great bitterness;
But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption,
For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
18 For (CF)Sheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.
19 The living, the living man, he shall praise You,
As I do this day;
(CG)The father shall make known Your truth to the children.
20 “The Lord was ready to save me;
Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments
All the days of our life, in the house of the Lord.”
21 Now (CH)Isaiah had said, “Let them take a lump of figs, and apply it as a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.”
22 And (CI)Hezekiah had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”
The Babylonian Envoys(CJ)
39 At (CK)that time [z]Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 (CL)And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?”
So Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a (CM)far country, from Babylon.”
4 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?”
So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming (CN)when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘And they shall take away some of your (CO)sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ”
8 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, (CP)“The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 34:6 Lit. fat
- Isaiah 34:7 Lit. made fat
- Isaiah 34:11 Or owl
- Isaiah 34:11 Or hedgehog
- Isaiah 34:14 Lit. howling creatures
- Isaiah 34:14 Heb. lilith
- Isaiah 35:1 desert
- Isaiah 35:1 Heb. arabah
- Isaiah 35:3 Lit. sinking
- Isaiah 35:3 tottering or stumbling
- Isaiah 36:2 A title, probably Chief of Staff or Governor
- Isaiah 36:5 Lit. a word of the lips
- Isaiah 36:11 Lit. Judean
- Isaiah 36:21 were silent
- Isaiah 37:3 contempt
- Isaiah 37:25 Or perhaps Egypt
- Isaiah 37:36 Or Angel
- Isaiah 37:36 Lit. struck
- Isaiah 38:3 whole or peaceful
- Isaiah 38:11 Heb. Yah, Yah
- Isaiah 38:11 LXX omits among the inhabitants of the world
- Isaiah 38:11 So with some Heb. mss.; MT, Vg. rest; Tg. land
- Isaiah 38:14 So with Bg.; MT, DSS Lord
- Isaiah 38:14 Be my surety
- Isaiah 38:15 So with MT, Vg.; DSS, Tg. And shall I say to Him; LXX omits first half of this verse
- Isaiah 39:1 Berodach-Baladan, 2 Kin. 20:12
Isaiah 34-39
New International Version
Isaiah 34-39
New International Version
Judgment Against the Nations
34 Come near, you nations, and listen;(A)
pay attention, you peoples!(B)
Let the earth(C) hear, and all that is in it,
the world, and all that comes out of it!(D)
2 The Lord is angry with all nations;
his wrath(E) is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy[a](F) them,
he will give them over to slaughter.(G)
3 Their slain(H) will be thrown out,
their dead bodies(I) will stink;(J)
the mountains will be soaked with their blood.(K)
4 All the stars in the sky will be dissolved(L)
and the heavens rolled up(M) like a scroll;
all the starry host will fall(N)
like withered(O) leaves from the vine,
like shriveled figs from the fig tree.
5 My sword(P) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
see, it descends in judgment on Edom,(Q)
the people I have totally destroyed.(R)
6 The sword(S) of the Lord is bathed in blood,
it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice(T) in Bozrah(U)
and a great slaughter(V) in the land of Edom.
7 And the wild oxen(W) will fall with them,
the bull calves and the great bulls.(X)
Their land will be drenched with blood,(Y)
and the dust will be soaked with fat.
8 For the Lord has a day(Z) of vengeance,(AA)
a year of retribution,(AB) to uphold Zion’s cause.
9 Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
her dust into burning sulfur;(AC)
her land will become blazing pitch!
10 It will not be quenched(AD) night or day;
its smoke will rise forever.(AE)
From generation to generation(AF) it will lie desolate;(AG)
no one will ever pass through it again.
11 The desert owl[b](AH) and screech owl[c] will possess it;
the great owl[d] and the raven(AI) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom(AJ)
the measuring line of chaos(AK)
and the plumb line(AL) of desolation.
12 Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
all her princes(AM) will vanish(AN) away.
13 Thorns(AO) will overrun her citadels,
nettles and brambles her strongholds.(AP)
She will become a haunt for jackals,(AQ)
a home for owls.(AR)
14 Desert creatures(AS) will meet with hyenas,(AT)
and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures(AU) will also lie down
and find for themselves places of rest.
15 The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
she will hatch them, and care for her young
under the shadow of her wings;(AV)
there also the falcons(AW) will gather,
each with its mate.
16 Look in the scroll(AX) of the Lord and read:
None of these will be missing,(AY)
not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth(AZ) that has given the order,(BA)
and his Spirit will gather them together.
17 He allots their portions;(BB)
his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
and dwell there from generation to generation.(BC)
Joy of the Redeemed
35 The desert(BD) and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.(BE)
Like the crocus,(BF) 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.(BG)
The glory of Lebanon(BH) will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel(BI) and Sharon;(BJ)
they will see the glory(BK) of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.(BL)
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees(BM) that give way;
4 say(BN) to those with fearful hearts,(BO)
“Be strong, do not fear;(BP)
your God will come,(BQ)
he will come with vengeance;(BR)
with divine retribution
he will come to save(BS) you.”
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened(BT)
and the ears of the deaf(BU) unstopped.
6 Then will the lame(BV) leap like a deer,(BW)
and the mute tongue(BX) shout for joy.(BY)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams(BZ) in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground(CA) bubbling springs.(CB)
In the haunts where jackals(CC) once lay,
grass and reeds(CD) and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway(CE) will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;(CF)
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean(CG) will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion(CH) will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;(CI)
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed(CJ) will walk there,
10 and those the Lord has rescued(CK) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(CL)
everlasting joy(CM) will crown their heads.
Gladness(CN) and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(CO)
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem(CP)
36 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s(CQ) reign, Sennacherib(CR) king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.(CS) 2 Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish(CT) to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,(CU) 3 Eliakim(CV) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator,(CW) Shebna(CX) the secretary,(CY) and Joah(CZ) son of Asaph the recorder(DA) went out to him.
4 The 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? 5 You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel(DB) against me? 6 Look, I know you are depending(DC) on Egypt,(DD) that splintered reed(DE) 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. 7 But if you say to me, “We are depending(DF) on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed,(DG) saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?(DH)
8 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses(DI)—if you can put riders on them! 9 How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt(DJ) for chariots(DK) and horsemen[e]?(DL) 10 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself told(DM) me to march against this country and destroy it.’”
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah(DN) said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(DO) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
12 But 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?(DP)”
13 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew,(DQ) “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!(DR) 14 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive(DS) you. He cannot deliver you! 15 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver(DT) us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’(DU)
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(DV) and drink water from your own cistern,(DW) 17 until I come and take you to a land like your own(DX)—a land of grain and new wine,(DY) 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? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad?(DZ) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?(EA) Have they rescued Samaria(EB) from my hand? 20 Who of all the gods(EC) of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”(ED)
21 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”(EE)
22 Then Eliakim(EF) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder(EG) went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,(EH) and told him what the field commander had said.
Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold(EI)
37 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes(EJ) and put on sackcloth(EK) and went into the temple(EL) of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakim(EM) the palace administrator, Shebna(EN) the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.(EO) 3 They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress(EP) and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth(EQ) and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 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(ER) the living God,(ES) and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard.(ET) Therefore pray(EU) for the remnant(EV) that still survives.”
5 When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid(EW) of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed(EX) me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report,(EY) I will make him want(EZ) to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down(FA) with the sword.’”
8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,(FB) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.(FC)
9 Now Sennacherib(FD) received a report(FE) that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,[f](FF) 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(FG) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’(FH) 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered?(FI) 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors(FJ) deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran,(FK) Rezeph and the people of Eden(FL) who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad?(FM) Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim,(FN) Hena and Ivvah?”(FO)
Hezekiah’s Prayer(FP)
14 Hezekiah received the letter(FQ) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple(FR) of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed(FS) to the Lord: 16 “Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned(FT) between the cherubim,(FU) you alone are God(FV) over all the kingdoms(FW) of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.(FX) 17 Give ear, Lord, and hear;(FY) open your eyes, Lord, and see;(FZ) listen to all the words Sennacherib(GA) has sent to ridicule(GB) the living God.(GC)
18 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.(GD) 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire(GE) and destroyed them,(GF) for they were not gods(GG) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.(GH) 20 Now, Lord our God, deliver(GI) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth(GJ) may know that you, Lord, are the only God.[g](GK)”
Sennacherib’s Fall(GL)
21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz(GM) 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(GN) Zion(GO)
despises and mocks you.
Daughter Jerusalem
tosses her head(GP) as you flee.
23 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?(GQ)
Against whom have you raised your voice(GR)
and lifted your eyes in pride?(GS)
Against the Holy One(GT) of Israel!
24 By your messengers
you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said,
‘With my many chariots(GU)
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
the utmost heights(GV) of Lebanon.(GW)
I have cut down its tallest cedars,
the choicest of its junipers.(GX)
I have reached its remotest heights,
the finest of its forests.
25 I have dug wells in foreign lands[h]
and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
I have dried up(GY) all the streams of Egypt.(GZ)’
26 “Have you not heard?
Long ago I ordained(HA) it.
In days of old I planned(HB) it;
now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
into piles of stone.(HC)
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(HD) sprouting on the roof,(HE)
scorched[i] before it grows up.
28 “But I know where you are
and when you come and go(HF)
and how you rage(HG) against me.
29 Because you rage against me
and because your insolence(HH) has reached my ears,
I will put my hook(HI) in your nose(HJ)
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
by the way you came.(HK)
30 “This will be the sign(HL) for you, Hezekiah:
“This year(HM) you will eat what grows by itself,
and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year(HN) sow and reap,
plant vineyards(HO) and eat their fruit.(HP)
31 Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah
will take root(HQ) below and bear fruit(HR) above.
32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,(HS)
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.(HT)
The zeal(HU) 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(HV)
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege ramp(HW) against it.
34 By the way that he came he will return;(HX)
he will not enter this city,”
declares the Lord.
35 “I will defend(HY) this city and save it,
for my sake(HZ) and for the sake of David(IA) my servant!”
36 Then the angel(IB) of the Lord went out and put to death(IC) a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian(ID) camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 37 So Sennacherib(IE) king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh(IF) and stayed there.
38 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple(IG) of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat.(IH) And Esarhaddon(II) his son succeeded him as king.(IJ)
Hezekiah’s Illness(IK)
38 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz(IL) went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order,(IM) because you are going to die; you will not recover.”(IN)
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked(IO) before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion(IP) and have done what is good in your eyes.(IQ)” And Hezekiah wept(IR) bitterly.
4 Then the word(IS) of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David,(IT) says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;(IU) I will add fifteen years(IV) to your life. 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend(IW) this city.
7 “‘This is the Lord’s sign(IX) 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.(IY)
9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
10 I said, “In the prime of my life(IZ)
must I go through the gates of death(JA)
and be robbed of the rest of my years?(JB)”
11 I said, “I will not again see the Lord himself(JC)
in the land of the living;(JD)
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(JE) my house
has been pulled down(JF) and taken from me.
Like a weaver I have rolled(JG) up my life,
and he has cut me off from the loom;(JH)
day and night(JI) you made an end of me.
13 I waited patiently(JJ) till dawn,
but like a lion he broke(JK) all my bones;(JL)
day and night(JM) you made an end of me.
14 I cried like a swift or thrush,
I moaned like a mourning dove.(JN)
My eyes grew weak(JO) as I looked to the heavens.
I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”(JP)
15 But what can I say?(JQ)
He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.(JR)
I will walk humbly(JS) all my years
because of this anguish of my soul.(JT)
16 Lord, by such things people live;
and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
and let me live.(JU)
17 Surely it was for my benefit(JV)
that I suffered such anguish.(JW)
In your love you kept me
from the pit(JX) of destruction;
you have put all my sins(JY)
behind your back.(JZ)
18 For the grave(KA) cannot praise you,
death cannot sing your praise;(KB)
those who go down to the pit(KC)
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living—they praise(KD) you,
as I am doing today;
parents tell their children(KE)
about your faithfulness.
20 The Lord will save me,
and we will sing(KF) with stringed instruments(KG)
all the days of our lives(KH)
in the temple(KI) 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(KJ) that I will go up to the temple of the Lord?”
Envoys From Babylon(KK)
39 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon(KL) sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. 2 Hezekiah received the envoys(KM) gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold,(KN) the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures.(KO) 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,(KP)” 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(KQ) 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.(KR) 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.(KS)”
8 “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,(KT)” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.(KU)”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 34:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 5.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
- Isaiah 36:9 Or charioteers
- Isaiah 37:9 That is, the upper Nile region
- 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
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.