2 Kings 19:1-13

Expanded Bible

Jerusalem Will Be Saved^(A)

19 When King Hezekiah heard the message, he tore his clothes [^Ca sign of mourning or distress] and put on ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap; ^Calso a sign of mourning]. Then he went into the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord. ² Hezekiah sent Eliakim, the ·palace [^Lking’s house] manager, and Shebna, the royal secretary, and the ·older [or elders of the] priests to Isaiah. They were all wearing ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap] when they came to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. ³ They told Isaiah, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of ·sorrow [distress; trouble] and ·punishment [insults, rebuke] and ·disgrace [rejection], as when a child ·should [is ready to] be born, but the mother is not strong enough to give birth to it. ⁴ The king of Assyria sent his field commander to ·make fun of [defy; ridicule; insult] the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will hear what the commander said and will ·punish [rebuke] him for it. So pray for the ·few of us who are left alive [remnant that is left].”

⁵ When Hezekiah’s ·officers [officials] came to Isaiah, ⁶ he said to them, “Tell your ·master [lord] this: ·The Lord says [^TThus says the Lord], ‘Don’t be afraid of what you have heard. Don’t be frightened by the words the servants of the king of Assyria have ·spoken [used to blaspheme] against me. ⁷ Listen! I am going to put a spirit in the king of Assyria. He will hear a ·report [rumor; message] that will make him return to his own country, and I will cause him to ·die [^Lfall] by the sword there.’”

⁸ The field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish. When he went back, he found the king fighting against the city of Libnah.

⁹ The king received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of ·Egypt [^LCush; ^Cpresent-day Ethiopia], was coming to attack him. When the king of Assyria heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, ¹⁰ “Tell Hezekiah king of Judah: Don’t be ·fooled [deceived; deluded] by the god you trust. Don’t believe him when he says Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. ¹¹ You ·have heard [know] what the kings of Assyria have done. They have completely defeated every country, so do ·not [^Lyou…?] think you will be ·saved [rescued; ^Tdelivered]. ¹² Did the gods of those ·people [nations] ·save [rescue; ^Tdeliver] them? My ·ancestors [fathers] destroyed them, defeating the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and the people of Eden living in Tel Assar. ¹³ Where are the kings of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?”