2 Kings 19:1-13

New American Standard Bible 1995

Isaiah Encourages Hezekiah

19 ^(A)And when King Hezekiah heard it, he ^(B)tore his clothes, ^(C)covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the Lord. ² Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, ^(D)covered with sackcloth, to ^(E)Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. ³ They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and rejection; for children have come to birth and there is no strength to deliver. ^4 (F)Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent ^(G)to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for ^(H)the remnant that is left.’” ⁵ So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. ⁶ Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the ^(I)servants of the king of Assyria ^(J)have blasphemed Me. ⁷ Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that ^(K)he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And ^(L)I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

Sennacherib Defies God

⁸ Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against ^(M)Libnah, for he had heard that ^[a]the king had left ^(N)Lachish. ⁹ When he heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of ^[b]Cush, “Behold, he has come out to fight against you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah saying, ¹⁰ “Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of ^[c]Judah, ‘Do not ^(O)let your God in whom you trust deceive you saying, “^(P)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 the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be ^[d]spared? ^12 (Q)Did the gods of ^[e]those nations which my fathers destroyed deliver them, even ^(R)Gozan and ^(S)Haran and Rezeph and ^(T)the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? ^13 (U)Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”