Add parallel Print Page Options

21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Yahweh, the God of Israel says, ‘Because you have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word which Yahweh has spoken concerning him. The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and ridiculed you. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you. 23 Whom have you defied and blasphemed? Against whom have you exalted your voice and lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel. 24 By your servants, you have defied the Lord, and have said, “With the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon. I will cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypress trees. I will enter into its farthest height, the forest of its fruitful field. 25 I have dug and drunk water, and with the sole of my feet I will dry up all the rivers of Egypt.”

26 “‘Have you not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that it should be yours to destroy fortified cities, turning them into ruinous heaps. 27 Therefore their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were like the grass of the field, and like the green herb, like the grass on the housetops, and like a field before its crop has grown. 28 But I 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 arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.

30 “‘This shall be the sign to you. You will eat this year that which grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs from it; and in the third year sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 The remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah will again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem a remnant will go out, and survivors will escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this.’

33 “Therefore Yahweh says concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither will he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it. 34 He will return the way that he came, and he won’t come to this city,’ says Yahweh. 35 ‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’”

Read full chapter

God’s Answer

21 And Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: ‘Because you have prayed to me concerning[a] Sennacherib, king of Assyria, 22 this is the word that Yahweh has spoken concerning him:

She shows contempt for you; she derides you, virgin daughter of Zion;
    she shakes her head behind you, daughter of Jerusalem.
23 Whom have you taunted and blasphemed,
    and against whom have you raised up your voice and lifted your eyes upward?

To the holy one of Israel!

24 By the hand of your servants you have taunted the Lord,
    and you have said, “With my many chariots,[b]
I myself have gone up the height of the mountains,
    to the remote areas of Lebanon.
And I cut off its tall cedars,[c]
    the choicest of its junipers.
And I came to the height of its limit,
    the forest of its orchard.[d]
25 I myself dug and drank waters,
    and I caused all the streams of Egypt to dry up by the sole of my feet.”
26 Have you not heard from a long time ago?[e] I have made it
    from days of primeval time, and I formed it.
Now I have brought it about,
    and it is for fortified cities to collapse into heaps of destroyed stones.
27 And their inhabitants are weak;[f]
    they are dismayed, and they are ashamed;
they have become like plants[g] of the field,
    and like greens of grass,
like grass on[h] the roofs
    and a cultivated field before[i] the standing grain.
28 And I know your sitting down and your going out,
    and your coming in, and your raging against[j] me.
29 Because you were enraged against[k] me,
    and your noise[l] has come up to[m] my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
    and my bridle on your lips,
and I will turn you back
    on the way by which you came.

30 And this shall be the sign for you: the eating of volunteer plants[n] this[o] year, and in the second year self-seeded plants,[p] and in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 And the remnant of the house of Judah that remain shall grow[q] roots[r] downwards and make fruit upwards.

32 For a remnant shall go out from Jerusalem
    and survivors[s] from mountain Zion.

The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.’

33 Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning[t] the king of Assyria:

‘He shall not come to this city,
    and he shall not shoot an arrow there,
and he shall not meet it with a shield,
    and he shall not heap a siege ramp up against her.
34 He shall return by the way that he came,
    and he shall not come to this city,’

declares[u] Yahweh.

35 ‘And I will defend this city, to save it for my sake and for the sake of David, my servant.’”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 37:21 Literally “to”
  2. Isaiah 37:24 Hebrew “chariot”
  3. Isaiah 37:24 Literally “the height of its cedars”
  4. Isaiah 37:24 Or “Carmel”
  5. Isaiah 37:26 Literally “distant”
  6. Isaiah 37:27 Literally “short of hand”
  7. Isaiah 37:27 Hebrew “plant”
  8. Isaiah 37:27 Or “of”
  9. Isaiah 37:27 Literally “before the face of”
  10. Isaiah 37:28 Literally “to”
  11. Isaiah 37:29 Literally “to”
  12. Isaiah 37:29 Or “complacency”
  13. Isaiah 37:29 Literally “in”
  14. Isaiah 37:30 Hebrew “plant”
  15. Isaiah 37:30 Literally “the”
  16. Isaiah 37:30 Hebrew “plant”
  17. Isaiah 37:31 Literally “add”
  18. Isaiah 37:31 Hebrew “root”
  19. Isaiah 37:32 Hebrew “survivor”
  20. Isaiah 37:33 Or “to”
  21. Isaiah 37:34 Literally “declaration of”