God Answers through Isaiah

21 Then (A)Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word that the Lord has spoken against him:

“She has shown contempt for you and derided you,
The (B)virgin (C)daughter of Zion;
The daughter of Jerusalem has (D)shaken her head behind you!
23 Whom have you (E)taunted and blasphemed?
And against whom have you raised your voice
And [a]haughtily (F)raised your eyes?
Against the (G)Holy One of Israel!
24 Through your servants you have taunted the Lord,
And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I came up to the heights of the mountains,
To the remotest parts of (H)Lebanon;
And I cut down its tall (I)cedars and its choice junipers.
And I will come to its [b]highest peak, its thickest (J)forest.
25 I dug wells and drank waters,
And (K)with the sole of my feet I dried up
All the canals of [c]Egypt.’
26 (L)Have you not heard?
Long ago I did it,
From ancient times I (M)planned it.
Now (N)I have brought it about
That (O)you would turn fortified cities into (P)ruined heaps.
27 Therefore their inhabitants were [d]powerless,
They were shattered and put to shame;
They were like the (Q)vegetation of the field and the green grass,
Like (R)grass on the housetops [e]that is scorched before it has grown.
28 But I (S)know your sitting down,
Your going out, your coming in,
And your raging against Me.
29 Because of your raging against Me
And because your (T)complacency has come up to My ears,
I will put My (U)hook in your nose
And My (V)bridle in your lips,
And I will turn you back (W)by the way that you came.

30 “Then this shall be the sign for you: [f]you will eat this year what (X)grows of itself, in the second year what grows from the same, and in the third year sow, harvest, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 The (Y)survivors that are (Z)left of the house of Judah will again (AA)take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem a (AB)remnant will go, and out of Mount Zion survivors. The (AC)zeal of the Lord of armies will perform this.”’

33 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not come to this city nor shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield, nor heap up an (AD)assault ramp against it. 34 (AE)By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he will not come to this city,’ declares the Lord. 35 ‘For I will (AF)protect this city to save it (AG)for My own sake, and for My servant David’s sake.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 37:23 Lit on high
  2. Isaiah 37:24 Lit farthest height
  3. Isaiah 37:25 Or the besieged place
  4. Isaiah 37:27 Lit short of hand
  5. Isaiah 37:27 As in DSS and 2 Kin 19:26; MT and as a terraced field
  6. Isaiah 37:30 Lit eating

21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word which Jehovah hath spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head [a]at thee. 23 Whom hast thou defied 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 defied the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice [b]fir-trees thereof; and I will enter into its farthest height, the forest of its fruitful field; 25 I have digged and drunk water, and with the sole of my feet will I dry up all the rivers of [c]Egypt.

26 Hast thou not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? now have I brought it to pass, that it should be thine to lay waste fortified 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 [d]a field of grain before it is grown up. 28 But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy raging against me. 29 Because of thy raging against me, and because [e]thine arrogancy 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 the sign unto thee: ye shall eat this year that which groweth of itself, and in 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 [f]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 out of mount Zion they that shall escape. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.

33 Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith Jehovah. 35 For I will defend this city to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 37:22 Hebrew after.
  2. Isaiah 37:24 Or, cypress-trees
  3. Isaiah 37:25 Or, defence. Hebrew Mazor.
  4. Isaiah 37:27 In 2 Kin. 19:26, grain blasted.
  5. Isaiah 37:29 Or, thy careless ease
  6. Isaiah 37:31 Hebrew the escaped of the house of Judah that remain.