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37 When King Hezekiah heard the message, he tore his clothes in grief, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the Lord’s temple. Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the scribe, and the leaders of the priests, clothed in sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz.

They said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day filled with misery, punishment, and disgrace. We are like a woman who is about to give birth but doesn’t have the strength to do it. The Lord your God may have heard the words of the field commander. His master, the king of Assyria, sent him to defy the living God. The Lord your God may punish him because of the message that the Lord your God heard. Pray for the few people who are left.”

So King Hezekiah’s men went to Isaiah. Isaiah answered them, “Say this to your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Don’t be afraid of the message that you heard when the Assyrian king’s assistants slandered me. I’m going to put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own country. I’ll have him assassinated in his own country.’ ”

The field commander returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah. He had heard that the king left Lachish. Now, Sennacherib heard that King Tirhakah of Sudan was coming to fight him.

When he heard this, he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah, ‘Don’t let the god whom you trust deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be put under the control of the king of Assyria. 11 You heard what the kings of Assyria did to all countries, how they totally destroyed them. Will you be rescued? 12 Did the gods of the nations which my ancestors destroyed rescue Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the cities of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’ ”

14 Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers, read it, and went to the Lord’s temple. He spread it out in front of the Lord 15 and prayed to the Lord, 16 Lord of Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned over the angels.[a] You alone are God of the kingdoms of the world. You made heaven and earth. 17 Turn your ear toward me, Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Listen to the entire message that Sennacherib sent to defy the living God. 18 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have leveled every country.[b] 19 They have thrown the gods from these countries into fires because these gods aren’t real gods. They’re only wooden and stone statues made by human hands. So the Assyrians have destroyed them. 20 Now, Lord our God, rescue us from Assyria’s control so that all the kingdoms on earth will know that you alone are the Lord.”

Isaiah’s Prophecy against King Sennacherib of Assyria(A)

21 Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent a message to Hezekiah, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: You prayed to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria. 22 This is the message that the Lord speaks to him,

‘My dear people in Zion despise you and laugh at you.
My people in Jerusalem shake their heads behind your back.
23 Whom are you defying and slandering?
Against whom are you shouting?
Who are you looking at so arrogantly?
It is the Holy One of Israel!
24 Through your servants you defy the Lord and say,
“With my many chariots I’ll ride up the high mountains,
up the slopes of Lebanon.
I’ll cut down its tallest cedars and its finest cypresses.
I’ll come to its most distant heights
and its most fertile forests.
25 I’ll dig wells and drink water.
I’ll dry up all the streams of Egypt
with the trampling of my feet.”

26 “ ‘Haven’t you heard? I did this long ago.
I planned it in the distant past.
Now I make it happen so that you will turn fortified cities
into piles of rubble.
27 Those who live in these cities are weak, discouraged, and ashamed.
They will be like plants in the field,
like fresh, green grass on the roofs,
dried up by the east wind.
28 I know when you ⌞get up⌟ and sit down,
when you go out and come in,
and how you rage against me.
29 Since you rage against me and your boasting has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bridle in your mouth.
I will make you go back the way you came.

30 “ ‘And this will be a sign for you, Hezekiah: You will eat what grows by itself this year, and the next year you will eat what comes up by itself. But in the third year you will plant and harvest, plant vineyards, and eat what is produced. 31 Those few people from the nation of Judah who escape will again take root and produce crops. 32 Those few people will go out from Jerusalem, and those who escape will go out from Mount Zion. The Lord of Armies is determined to do this.’

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

He will never come into this city,
shoot an arrow here,
hold a shield in front of it,
or put up dirt ramps to attack it.
34 He will go back the way he came,
and he won’t come into this city,”
declares the Lord of Armies.
35 “I will shield this city to rescue it for my sake
and for the sake of my servant David.”

36 The Lord’s angel went out and killed 185,000 ⌞soldiers⌟ in the Assyrian camp. When the Judeans got up early in the morning, they saw all the corpses.

37 Then King Sennacherib of Assyria left. He went home to Nineveh and stayed there. 38 While he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, assassinated him and escaped to the land of Ararat. His son Esarhaddon succeeded him as king.

Footnotes

  1. 37:16 Or “cherubim.”
  2. 37:18 Dead Sea Scrolls, Greek; Masoretic Text “every country and their country.”

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold(A)

37 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes(B) and put on sackcloth(C) and went into the temple(D) of the Lord. He sent Eliakim(E) the palace administrator, Shebna(F) the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.(G) They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress(H) and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth(I) and there is no strength to deliver them. 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(J) the living God,(K) and that he will rebuke him for the words the Lord your God has heard.(L) Therefore pray(M) for the remnant(N) that still survives.”

When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid(O) of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed(P) me. Listen! When he hears a certain report,(Q) I will make him want(R) to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down(S) with the sword.’”

When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,(T) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.(U)

Now Sennacherib(V) received a report(W) that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,[a](X) 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(Y) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’(Z) 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered?(AA) 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors(AB) deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran,(AC) Rezeph and the people of Eden(AD) who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad?(AE) Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim,(AF) Hena and Ivvah?”(AG)

Hezekiah’s Prayer(AH)

14 Hezekiah received the letter(AI) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple(AJ) of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed(AK) to the Lord: 16 Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned(AL) between the cherubim,(AM) you alone are God(AN) over all the kingdoms(AO) of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.(AP) 17 Give ear, Lord, and hear;(AQ) open your eyes, Lord, and see;(AR) listen to all the words Sennacherib(AS) has sent to ridicule(AT) the living God.(AU)

18 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.(AV) 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire(AW) and destroyed them,(AX) for they were not gods(AY) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.(AZ) 20 Now, Lord our God, deliver(BA) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth(BB) may know that you, Lord, are the only God.[b](BC)

Sennacherib’s Fall(BD)

21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz(BE) 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(BF) Zion(BG)
    despises and mocks you.
Daughter Jerusalem
    tosses her head(BH) as you flee.
23 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?(BI)
    Against whom have you raised your voice(BJ)
and lifted your eyes in pride?(BK)
    Against the Holy One(BL) of Israel!
24 By your messengers
    you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said,
    ‘With my many chariots(BM)
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
    the utmost heights(BN) of Lebanon.(BO)
I have cut down its tallest cedars,
    the choicest of its junipers.(BP)
I have reached its remotest heights,
    the finest of its forests.
25 I have dug wells in foreign lands[c]
    and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
    I have dried up(BQ) all the streams of Egypt.(BR)

26 “Have you not heard?
    Long ago I ordained(BS) it.
In days of old I planned(BT) it;
    now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
    into piles of stone.(BU)
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(BV) sprouting on the roof,(BW)
    scorched[d] before it grows up.

28 “But I know where you are
    and when you come and go(BX)
    and how you rage(BY) against me.
29 Because you rage against me
    and because your insolence(BZ) has reached my ears,
I will put my hook(CA) in your nose(CB)
    and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
    by the way you came.(CC)

30 “This will be the sign(CD) for you, Hezekiah:

“This year(CE) you will eat what grows by itself,
    and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third year(CF) sow and reap,
    plant vineyards(CG) and eat their fruit.(CH)
31 Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah
    will take root(CI) below and bear fruit(CJ) above.
32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,(CK)
    and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.(CL)
The zeal(CM) 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(CN)
    or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
    or build a siege ramp(CO) against it.
34 By the way that he came he will return;(CP)
    he will not enter this city,”
declares the Lord.
35 “I will defend(CQ) this city and save it,
    for my sake(CR) and for the sake of David(CS) my servant!”

36 Then the angel(CT) of the Lord went out and put to death(CU) a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian(CV) camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 37 So Sennacherib(CW) king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh(CX) and stayed there.

38 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple(CY) of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat.(CZ) And Esarhaddon(DA) his son succeeded him as king.(DB)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 37:9 That is, the upper Nile region
  2. Isaiah 37:20 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also 2 Kings 19:19); Masoretic Text you alone are the Lord
  3. Isaiah 37:25 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also 2 Kings 19:24); Masoretic Text does not have in foreign lands.
  4. 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

Se profetiza la liberación de Jerusalén(A)

37 Cuando el rey Ezequías escuchó esto, se rasgó las vestiduras, se vistió de luto y fue al templo del Señor. Además, envió a Eliaquín, administrador del palacio, al cronista Sebna y a los sacerdotes más ancianos, todos vestidos de luto, para hablar con el profeta Isaías hijo de Amoz. Y le dijeron: «Así dice Ezequías: “Hoy es un día de angustia, castigo y deshonra, como cuando los hijos están a punto de nacer y no se tienen fuerzas para darlos a luz. Tal vez el Señor tu Dios oiga las palabras del comandante en jefe, a quien su señor, el rey de Asiria, envió para insultar al Dios viviente. ¡Que el Señor tu Dios lo castigue por las palabras que ha oído! Eleva, pues, una oración por el remanente del pueblo que aún sobrevive”».

Cuando los funcionarios del rey Ezequías fueron a ver a Isaías, este les dijo: «Decid a vuestro señor que así dice el Señor: “No temas por las blasfemias que has oído, y que han pronunciado contra mí los siervos del rey de Asiria. ¡Mira! Voy a poner un espíritu en él, de manera que cuando oiga cierto rumor regrese a su propio país. ¡Allí haré que lo maten a filo de espada!”»

Cuando el comandante en jefe se enteró de que el rey de Asiria había salido de Laquis, se retiró y encontró al rey luchando contra Libná.

Luego Senaquerib recibió el informe de que Tiracá, rey de Cus, había salido para luchar contra él. Al enterarse de esto, envió mensajeros a Ezequías 10 para que le dijeran: «Tú, Ezequías, rey de Judá: No dejes que tu Dios, en quien confías, te engañe cuando dice: “No caerá Jerusalén en manos del rey de Asiria”. 11 Sin duda te habrás enterado de lo que han hecho los reyes de Asiria en todos los países, destruyéndolos por completo. ¿Y acaso vas tú a librarte? 12 ¿Libraron sus dioses a las naciones que mis antepasados han destruido: Gozán, Jarán, Résef y la gente de Edén que vivía en Telasar? 13 ¿Dónde están el rey de Jamat, el rey de Arfad, el rey de la ciudad de Sefarvayin, o de Hená o Ivá?»

Oración de Ezequías(B)

14 Ezequías tomó la carta de mano de los mensajeros, y la leyó. Luego subió al templo del Señor, la desplegó delante del Señor, 15 y oró así: 16 «Señor Todopoderoso, Dios de Israel, entronizado sobre los querubines: solo tú eres el Dios de todos los reinos de la tierra. Tú has hecho los cielos y la tierra. 17 Presta atención, Señor, y escucha; abre tus ojos, Señor, y mira; escucha todas las palabras que Senaquerib ha mandado a decir para insultar al Dios viviente.

18 »Es verdad, Señor, que los reyes asirios han asolado todas estas naciones y sus tierras. 19 Han arrojado al fuego sus dioses, y los han destruido, porque no eran dioses, sino solo madera y piedra, obra de manos humanas. 20 Ahora, pues, Señor y Dios nuestro, sálvanos de su mano, para que todos los reinos de la tierra sepan que solo tú, Señor, eres Dios».[a]

Muerte de Senaquerib(C)

21 Entonces Isaías hijo de Amoz envió este mensaje a Ezequías: «Así dice el Señor, Dios de Israel: “Por cuanto me has rogado respecto a Senaquerib, rey de Asiria, 22 esta es la palabra que yo, el Señor, he pronunciado contra él:

»”La virginal hija de Sión
    te desprecia y se burla de ti.
La hija de Jerusalén
    menea la cabeza al verte huir.
23 ¿A quién has insultado?
    ¿Contra quién has blasfemado?
¿Contra quién has alzado la voz
    y levantado los ojos con orgullo?
    ¡Contra el Santo de Israel!
24 Has enviado a tus siervos
    a insultar al Señor, diciendo:
‘Con mis numerosos carros de combate
    escalé las cumbres de las montañas,
    ¡las laderas del Líbano!
Talé sus cedros más altos,
    sus cipreses más selectos.
Alcancé sus cumbres más lejanas,
    y sus bosques más frondosos.
25 Cavé pozos en tierras extranjeras,[b]
    y en esas aguas apagué mi sed.
Con las plantas de mis pies
    sequé todos los ríos de Egipto’.

26 »”¿No te has dado cuenta?
    ¡Hace mucho tiempo que lo he preparado!
Desde tiempo atrás lo vengo planeando,
    y ahora lo he llevado a cabo;
por eso tú has dejado en ruinas
    a las ciudades fortificadas.
27 Sus habitantes, impotentes,
    están desalentados y avergonzados.
Son como plantas en el campo,
    como tiernos pastos verdes,
como hierba que brota sobre el techo
    y que se quema[c] antes de crecer.

28 »”Yo sé bien cuándo te sientas,
    cuándo sales, cuándo entras,
    y cuánto ruges contra mí.
29 Porque has rugido contra mí
    y tu insolencia ha llegado a mis oídos,
te pondré una argolla en la nariz
    y un freno en la boca,
y por el mismo camino por donde viniste
    te haré regresar.

30 »”Esta será la señal para ti, Ezequías:

»”Este año comeréis lo que crezca por sí solo,
    y el segundo año lo que de allí brote.
Pero al tercer año sembraréis y cosecharéis,
    plantaréis viñas y comeréis su fruto.
31 Una vez más los sobrevivientes de la tribu de Judá
    echarán raíces abajo, y arriba darán fruto.
32 Porque de Jerusalén saldrá un remanente,
    del monte Sión un grupo de sobrevivientes.
Esto lo hará mi celo,
    celo del Señor Todopoderoso.

33 »”Yo, el Señor, declaro esto acerca del rey de Asiria:

»”No entrará en esta ciudad,
    ni lanzará contra ella una sola flecha.
No se enfrentará a ella con escudos,
    ni construirá contra ella una rampa de asalto.
34 Volverá por el mismo camino que vino;
    ¡en esta ciudad no entrará!
    Yo, el Señor, lo afirmo.
35 Por mi causa, y por consideración a David mi siervo,
    defenderé esta ciudad y la salvaré”».

36 Entonces el ángel del Señor salió y mató a ciento ochenta y cinco mil hombres del campamento asirio. A la mañana siguiente, cuando los demás se levantaron, ¡allí estaban tendidos todos los cadáveres! 37 Así que Senaquerib, rey de Asiria, levantó el campamento y se retiró. Volvió a Nínive y permaneció allí. 38 Pero un día, mientras adoraba en el templo de su dios Nisroc, sus hijos Adramélec y Sarézer lo mataron a espada y escaparon a la tierra de Ararat. Y su hijo Esarjadón lo sucedió en el trono.

Footnotes

  1. 37:20 solo tú, Señor, eres Dios (Qumrán y LXX; véase también 2R 19:19); solo tú eres el Señor (TM).
  2. 37:25 en tierras extranjeras (Qumrán; véase también 2R 19:24); TM no incluye esta frase.
  3. 37:27 y que se quema (mss. hebreos; véanse Qumrán y 2R 19:26); y como un campo (TM).