10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.

11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?

12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar?

13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, 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 unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.

15 And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying,

16 O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.

17 Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open thine eyes, O Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.

18 Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,

19 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.

20 Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou only.

21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:

22 This is the word which the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

23 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.

24 By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.

25 I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.

26 Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.

27 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.

28 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.

29 Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

30 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.

31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:

32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.

33 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.

34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.

35 For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

36 Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.

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10 “Say this to Hezekiah king of Judah: Don’t be fooled by the god you trust. Don’t believe him when he says Jerusalem will not be defeated by the king of Assyria. 11 You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done. They have completely defeated every country. Do not think you will be saved. 12 The gods of those people did not save them. My ancestors destroyed them. My ancestors defeated the cities of Gozan, Haran and Rezeph. They defeated the people of Eden living in Tel Assar. 13 Where are the kings of Hamath and Arpad? Where is the king of the city of Sepharvaim? Where are the kings of Hena and Ivvah?”

Hezekiah Prays to the Lord

14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the Temple of the Lord. Hezekiah spread the letter out before the Lord. 15 And he prayed to the Lord: 16 “Lord of heaven’s armies, you are the God of Israel. Your throne is between the gold creatures with wings. Only you are the God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. 17 Hear, Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Listen to all the words Sennacherib has said to insult the living God.

18 “It is true, Lord. The kings of Assyria have destroyed all these countries and their lands. 19 These kings have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire. But they were only wood and rock statues that men made. So the kings have destroyed them. 20 Now, Lord our God, save us from the king’s power. Then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, Lord, are the only God.”

God Answers Hezekiah

21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah. Isaiah said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says this: ‘You prayed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria. 22 So this is what the Lord has said against Sennacherib:

The people of Jerusalem
    hate you and make fun of you.
The people of Jerusalem
    laugh at you as you run away.
23 You have insulted me and spoken against me.
    You have raised your voice against me.
You have a proud look on your face.
    You disobey me, the Holy One of Israel!
24 You have used your messengers to insult the Lord.
    You have said, “I have many chariots.
With them I have gone to the tops of the mountains.
    I have climbed the highest mountains of Lebanon.
I have cut down its tallest cedars.
    I have cut down its best pine trees.
I have gone to its greatest heights.
    I have gone to its best forests.
25 I have dug wells in foreign countries.
    I have drunk water there.
By the soles of my feet,
    I have dried up all the rivers of Egypt.”

26 “‘King of Assyria, surely you have heard.
    Long ago I, the Lord, planned these things.
Long ago I planned them.
    Now I have made them happen.
I allowed you to turn those strong, walled cities
    into piles of rocks.
27 The people living in those cities were weak.
    They were frightened and put to shame.
They were like grass in the field.
    They were like tender, young grass.
They were like grass that grows on the housetop.
    It is burned by the wind before it can grow.

28 “‘I know when you rest and when you come and go.
    I know how you speak against me.
29 You speak strongly against me.
    And I have heard your proud words.
So I will put my hook in your nose.
    And I will put my bit in your mouth.
Then I will force you to leave my country
    the same way that you came.’

30 “Then the Lord said, ‘Hezekiah, I will give you this sign:

This year you will eat the grain that grows wild.
    And the second year you will eat what grows wild from that.
But in the third year, plant grain and harvest it.
    Plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
31 The people left alive in the family of Judah
    will be saved.
Like plants that take root,
    they will grow strong and have many children.
32 A few people will come out of Jerusalem alive.
    There will be a few from Mount Zion who will live.
The strong love of the Lord of heaven’s armies
    will cause this to happen.’

33 “So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:

‘He will not enter this city.
    He will not even shoot an arrow here.
He will not fight against it with shields.
    He will not build a ramp to attack the city walls.
34 He will return to his country the same way he came.
    He will not enter this city,’
    says the Lord.
35 The Lord says, ‘I will defend and save this city.
    I will do this for myself and for David, my servant.’”

36 Then the angel of the Lord went out. He killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up early the next morning, they saw all the dead bodies! 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria left. He went back to Nineveh and stayed there.

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