Isaiah 37
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Hezekiah Consults Isaiah
37 When King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord.(A) 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.(B) 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth.(C) 4 It may be that the Lord your God heard the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.”(D)
[[5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master: Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me.(E) 7 I myself will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.”]][a](F)
8 The Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. 9 Now the king[b] heard concerning King Tirhakah of Cush, “He has set out to fight against you.” When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,(G) 10 “Thus shall you speak to King Hezekiah of Judah: Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.(H) 11 See, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, destroying them utterly. Shall you be delivered?(I) 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my predecessors destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?(J) 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of Laar, Sepharvaim, Hena, or Ivvah?”
Hezekiah’s Prayer
14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; then Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, you are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.(K) 17 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.(L) 18 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands(M) 19 and have hurled their gods into the fire, though they were no gods but the work of human hands—wood and stone—and so they were destroyed.(N) 20 So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.”(O)
21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria,(P) 22 this is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:
She despises you; she scorns you—
virgin daughter Zion;
she tosses her head—behind your back,
daughter Jerusalem.(Q)
23 “Whom have you mocked and reviled?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and haughtily lifted your eyes?
Against the Holy One of Israel!(R)
24 By your servants you have mocked the Lord,
and you have said, ‘With my many chariots
I have gone up the heights of the mountains,
to the far recesses of Lebanon;
I felled its tallest cedars,
its choicest cypresses;
I came to its remotest height,
its densest forest.(S)
25 I dug wells
and drank waters;
I dried up with the sole of my foot
all the streams of Egypt.’
26 “Have you not heard
that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
what now I bring to pass,
that you should make fortified cities
crash into heaps of ruins,(T)
27 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,
are dismayed and confounded;
they have become like plants of the field
and like tender grass,
like grass on the housetops
that is scorched before the east wind.[c](U)
28 “I know your rising up[d] and your sitting down,
your going out and coming in
and your raging against me.(V)
29 Because you have raged against me
and your arrogance has come to my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth;
I will turn you back on the way
by which you came.(W)
30 “And this shall be the sign for you: This year eat what grows of itself and in the second year what springs from that; then in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 The surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward,(X) 32 for from Jerusalem a remnant shall go out and from Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.(Y)
33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, shoot an arrow there, come before it with a shield, or cast up a siege ramp against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return; he shall not come into this city, says the Lord. 35 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”(Z)
Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death
36 Then the angel of the Lord set out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; when morning dawned, they were all dead bodies.(AA) 37 Then King Sennacherib of Assyria left, went home, and lived at Nineveh. 38 As he was worshiping in the house of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped into the land of Ararat. His son Esar-haddon succeeded him.(AB)
Isaiah 37
International Standard Version
Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Counsel
37 As soon as Hezekiah the king[a] heard this, he tore his clothes, dressed himself in sackcloth, and went into the Lord’s Temple. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, all wearing sackcloth, to Amoz’s son, the prophet Isaiah. 3 “Here is what Hezekiah says,” they told him. “This day is a day of trouble, rebuke, and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no energy to deliver them. 4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to mock the living God, and perhaps he will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard. So lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives in this city.”[b] 5 That’s why King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah.
Isaiah Responds to Hezekiah
6 “Here is what to tell your master,” Isaiah told them. “This is what the Lord says: ‘Don’t be afraid of the words you’ve heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have insulted me. 7 Watch this! I’m going to place an attitude[c] within him,[d] so that when he hears a certain report, he’ll return to his own country. Then I’ll have him cut down by the sword in his own land.”[e]
Sennacherib Retreats
8 So the field commander returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, since he had heard that the king of Assyria[f] had left Lachish. 9 Now King Sennacherib[g] had received this report concerning King Tirhakah of Cush: “He has marched out to fight against you.”
When he heard it, he returned and[h] sent messengers to Hezekiah: 10 “Say this to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Don’t let your God on whom you depend deceive you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all countries, dooming them to destruction. So do you think you will be saved? 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my ancestors save them—the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden, who were in Tel-assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sephar-vaim, or of Hena, or of Ivvah, or of Samaria?’”[i]
Hezekiah Prays
14 Hezekiah received the letters from the messengers, and read them.[j] Then he[k] went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread the letters[l] in front of the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed to the Lord:
16 “O Lord of the Heavenly Armies, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you alone are the God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made heaven and earth. 17 Extend your ear, Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, Lord, and look! Listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to mock the living God. 18 It is true, Lord, that Assyrian kings have devastated all these countries,[m] 19 and have thrown their gods into the fire—but they are not gods, but rather the products[n] of human hands, mere wood and stone. So the Assyrians[o] destroyed them. 20 So now, Lord our God, save us from his oppressive[p] hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God.”[q]
God’s Answer
21 Then Amoz’s son Isaiah sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, to whom you prayed[r] concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. 22 This is the message that the Lord has spoken in opposition to him:
“‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion
despises and mocks you;
the Daughter of Jerusalem—
she tosses her head behind you as you flee.
23 Whom have you insulted and reviled?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes in pride?
Against the Holy One of Israel!
24 By your messengers[s] you have insulted the Lord,
and you have said,
“With my many chariots
I have climbed the heights of mountains,
the utmost heights of Lebanon.
I cut down its tallest cedars,
the choicest of its pines;
I reached its remotest heights,
the most verdant of its forests.
25 I myself dug wells[t]
and drank foreign[u] waters;
with the soles of my feet
I dried up all the streams of Egypt.”
26 “‘Didn’t you hear
how in the distant past I decided to do it,
how[v] I planned from days of old?
Now I’ve made it happen—
that fortified cities become devastated, besieged heaps.[w]
27 Their inhabitants are devoid of power,
and are terrified and put to shame.
They’ve become like plants in the field,
like[x] green shoots,
like grass on rooftops,
scorched by the east wind.[y]
28 “‘I know when you rise up
and[z] when you sit down,
your comings and goings—
and how you’ve become enraged at me.
29 Your insolence[aa] has reached my ears,
so I’ll put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,[ab]
and I’ll make you turn back on the road
by which you came.
30 “And this will be your sign, Hezekiah:[ac] Eat this year what grows on its own, and in the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 Then the ones belonging to the house of Judah who have escaped will gather,[ad] and those who are found[ae] will take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 For a remnant will come out of Zion,[af] and a band of survivors from Jerusalem.[ag] The zeal of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies will accomplish this.
33 “Therefore this what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He won’t enter this city, build up a siege ramp against it, shoot an arrow here, or threaten it with a shield.[ah] 34 By the same way that he came, he will return; he won’t enter this city,’ declares the Lord, 35 ‘because I will defend this city and deliver[ai] it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David!’”
Sennacherib is Defeated
36 After this, the angel of the Lord went out and put to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When Hezekiah’s army[aj] awakened in the morning—there were all the dead bodies!
37 King Sennacherib broke camp, retreated, returned home to Nineveh, and remained there. 38 Later, while he was worshiping in[ak] the house of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with swords and escaped to the land of Ararat. Then Sennacherib’s[al] son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 37:1 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read the king Hezekiah
- Isaiah 37:4 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack in this city
- Isaiah 37:7 Or to put a spirit
- Isaiah 37:7 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read put a spirit in him
- Isaiah 37:7 So MT LXX 1QIsaa corrector; 1QIsaa lacks vss. 5-7
- Isaiah 37:8 Lit. that he
- Isaiah 37:9 Lit. Now he
- Isaiah 37:9 So 1QIsaa LXX; cf. 2Kgs 19:9 MT; the Heb. lacks returned and
- Isaiah 37:13 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack or of Samaria
- Isaiah 37:14 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read it
- Isaiah 37:14 Lit. Hezekiah
- Isaiah 37:14 Lit. it
- Isaiah 37:18 So 1QIsaa; MT reads countries and their land; some MTmss read nations and their land
- Isaiah 37:19 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads work
- Isaiah 37:19 Lit. So they
- Isaiah 37:20 1QIsaa LXX MT lack oppressive
- Isaiah 37:20 So 1QIsaa; MT reads alone are Lord; LXX reads alone are God
- Isaiah 37:21 So 1QIsaa; MT reads because you prayed to me; cf. LXX
- Isaiah 37:24 Lit. servants
- Isaiah 37:25 So 1QIsaa; MT reads dug; LXX reads appointed
- Isaiah 37:25 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack foreign
- Isaiah 37:26 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and how
- Isaiah 37:26 So 1QIsaa; MT reads you should make fortified cities crash into ruined heaps
- Isaiah 37:27 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and like
- Isaiah 37:27 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and a field before the standing grain
- Isaiah 37:28 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack when you rise up and
- Isaiah 37:29 So 1QIsaa; MT reads because your raging against me and your insolence; cf. LXX
- Isaiah 37:29 Lit. lips; so 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads lip
- Isaiah 37:30 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks Hezekiah
- Isaiah 37:31 So 1QIsaa; MT reads be increased
- Isaiah 37:31 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and the remainder; cf. LXX
- Isaiah 37:32 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT LXX read Jerusalem
- Isaiah 37:32 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT LXX read Mount Zion
- Isaiah 37:33 So 1QIsaa; MT reads or shoot an arrow here, or threaten it with a shield, or build up a siege ramp against it
- Isaiah 37:35 Or save
- Isaiah 37:36 Lit. When the people
- Isaiah 37:38 So 1QIsaa LXX; the Heb. lacks in
- Isaiah 37:38 Lit. his
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