16 The plans of the heart belong to man,
    but (A)the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
(B)All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
    but the Lord (C)weighs the spirit.[a]
(D)Commit your work to the Lord,
    and your plans will be established.
(E)The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
    even (F)the wicked for the day of trouble.
Everyone who is arrogant in heart is (G)an abomination to the Lord;
    (H)be assured, he will not go unpunished.
By (I)steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
    and by (J)the fear of the Lord one (K)turns away from evil.
When a man's ways please the Lord,
    (L)he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
(M)Better is a little with righteousness
    than great revenues with injustice.
(N)The heart of man plans his way,
    but (O)the Lord establishes his steps.
10 (P)An oracle is on the lips of a king;
    his mouth does not sin in judgment.
11 (Q)A just balance and scales are the Lord's;
    all the weights in the bag are his work.
12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil,
    for (R)the throne is established by righteousness.
13 (S)Righteous lips are the delight of a king,
    and he loves him who speaks what is right.
14 (T)A king's wrath is a messenger of death,
    and a wise man will (U)appease it.
15 (V)In the light of a king's face there is life,
    and his (W)favor is like (X)the clouds that bring the spring rain.
16 (Y)How much better to get wisdom than (Z)gold!
    To get understanding is to be chosen rather than (AA)silver.
17 The highway of the upright (AB)turns aside from evil;
    whoever guards his way preserves his life.
18 (AC)Pride goes before destruction,
    and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 (AD)It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
    than to (AE)divide the spoil with the proud.
20 Whoever gives thought to the word[b] (AF)will discover good,
    and blessed is he (AG)who trusts in the Lord.
21 The wise of heart is called discerning,
    and sweetness of speech (AH)increases persuasiveness.
22 Good sense is (AI)a fountain of life to him who has it,
    but the instruction of fools is folly.
23 (AJ)The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
    and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24 (AK)Gracious words are like (AL)a honeycomb,
    sweetness to the soul and (AM)health to the body.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.[c]
26 A worker's appetite works for him;
    his (AN)mouth urges him on.
27 (AO)A worthless man plots evil,
    and his speech[d] is like (AP)a scorching fire.
28 (AQ)A dishonest man spreads strife,
    and (AR)a whisperer (AS)separates close friends.
29 A man of violence (AT)entices his neighbor
    and leads him in a way that is not good.
30 Whoever winks his eyes plans[e] (AU)dishonest things;
    he who (AV)purses his lips brings evil to pass.
31 (AW)Gray hair is (AX)a crown of glory;
    it (AY)is gained in a righteous life.
32 (AZ)Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
    and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 (BA)The lot is cast into the lap,
    but its every decision is (BB)from the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:2 Or spirits
  2. Proverbs 16:20 Or to a matter
  3. Proverbs 16:25 Hebrew ways of death
  4. Proverbs 16:27 Hebrew what is on his lips
  5. Proverbs 16:30 Hebrew to plan

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah's Help

37 (A)As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet (B)Isaiah the son of Amoz. They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a (C)day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; (D)children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. (E)It may be that the Lord your God will hear 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 (F)the remnant that is left.’”

When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 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 young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, (G)I will put a spirit in him, so that (H)he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and (I)I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’”

The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against (J)Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left (K)Lachish. Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of (L)Cush,[a] “He has set out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: (M)‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? 12 (N)Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, (O)Gozan, (P)Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 (Q)Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah's Prayer for Deliverance

14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, (R)enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; (S)you have made heaven and earth. 17 (T)Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear (U)all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 18 Truly, O Lord, (V)the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 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 were destroyed. 20 So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.”

Sennacherib's Fall

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

“‘She despises you, she scorns you—
    (W)the virgin daughter of Zion;
she wags her head behind you—
    the daughter of Jerusalem.

23 “‘Whom have you mocked and reviled?
    Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes to the heights?
    Against (X)the Holy One of Israel!
24 By your servants you have mocked the Lord,
    and you have said, (Y)With my many chariots
I have gone up the heights of the mountains,
    to the far recesses of Lebanon,
(Z)to cut down its tallest cedars,
    its choicest cypresses,
to come to its remotest height,
    its most fruitful forest.
25 I dug wells
    and drank waters,
to dry up with the sole of my foot
    all (AA)the streams (AB)of Egypt.

26 (AC)“‘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,
27 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,
    are dismayed and confounded,
and have become like plants of the field
    and like tender grass,
like grass on the housetops,
    blighted[b] before it is grown.

28 “‘I know your sitting down
    and your going out and coming in,
    and your raging against me.
29 (AD)Because you have raged against me
    and your complacency has come to my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
    and my bit in your mouth,
and (AE)I will turn you back on the way
    by which you came.’

30 “And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah (AF)shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 (AG)For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. (AH)The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or (AI)cast up a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 35 (AJ)For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for (AK)the sake of my servant David.”

36 (AL)And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 37 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at (AM)Nineveh. 38 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of (AN)Ararat, (AO)Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

Hezekiah's Sickness and Recovery

38 (AP)In those days Hezekiah became (AQ)sick and was at the point of death. And (AR)Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.”[c] Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how (AS)I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add (AT)fifteen years to your life.[d] (AU)I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.

“This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: (AV)Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.[e]

A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:

10 I said, (AW)In the middle[f] of my days
    I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
    for the rest of my years.
11 I said, I shall not see the Lord,
    the Lord (AX)in the land of the living;
I shall look on man no more
    among the inhabitants of the world.
12 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
    (AY)like a shepherd's tent;
(AZ)like a weaver (BA)I have rolled up my life;
    (BB)he cuts me off from the loom;
(BC)from day to night you bring me to an end;
13     (BD)I calmed myself[g] until morning;
like a lion (BE)he breaks all my bones;
    from day to night you bring me to an end.

14 Like (BF)a swallow or a crane I chirp;
    (BG)I moan like a dove.
(BH)My eyes are weary with looking upward.
    O Lord, I am oppressed; (BI)be my pledge of safety!
15 What shall I say? For he has spoken to me,
    and he himself has done it.
(BJ)I walk slowly all my years
    because of the bitterness of my soul.

16 (BK)O Lord, by these things men live,
    and in all these is the life of my spirit.
    Oh restore me to health and make me live!
17 (BL)Behold, it was for my welfare
    that I had great bitterness;
(BM)but in love you have delivered my life
    from the pit of destruction,
(BN)for you have cast all my sins
    behind your back.
18 (BO)For Sheol does not thank you;
    death does not praise you;
those who go down to the pit do not hope
    for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living, he thanks you,
    as I do this day;
(BP)the father makes known to the children
    your faithfulness.

20 The Lord will save me,
    and we will play my music on stringed instruments
all the days of our lives,
    (BQ)at the house of the Lord.

21 (BR)Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” 22 Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”

Envoys from Babylon

39 (BS)At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, (BT)sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, (BU)the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. (BV)There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: (BW)Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. (BX)And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, (BY)“There will be peace and security in my days.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 37:9 Probably Nubia
  2. Isaiah 37:27 Some Hebrew manuscripts and 2 Kings 19:26; most Hebrew manuscripts a field
  3. Isaiah 38:1 Or live; also verses 9, 21
  4. Isaiah 38:5 Hebrew to your days
  5. Isaiah 38:8 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
  6. Isaiah 38:10 Or In the quiet
  7. Isaiah 38:13 Or (with Targum) I cried for help

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and (A)sin which clings so closely, and (B)let us run (C)with endurance the race that is (D)set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, (E)who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising (F)the shame, and (G)is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Do Not Grow Weary

(H)Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or (I)fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

(J)“My son, (K)do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
    nor be weary when reproved by him.
For (L)the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and chastises every son whom he receives.”

It is for discipline that you have to endure. (M)God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, (N)in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to (O)the Father of spirits (P)and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, (Q)that we may share his holiness. 11 (R)For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields (S)the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore (T)lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and (U)make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint (V)but rather be healed. 14 (W)Strive for peace with everyone, and for the (X)holiness (Y)without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one (Z)fails to obtain the grace of God; that no (AA)“root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is (AB)sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that (AC)afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken

18 For you have not come to (AD)what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and (AE)the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words (AF)made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, (AG)“If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, (AH)so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to (AI)Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, (AJ)the heavenly Jerusalem, and to (AK)innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to (AL)the assembly[a] of the firstborn who are (AM)enrolled in heaven, and to (AN)God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, (AO)the mediator of a new covenant, and to (AP)the sprinkled blood (AQ)that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For (AR)if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time (AS)his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, (AT)“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates (AU)the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving (AV)a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus (AW)let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our (AX)God is a consuming fire.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 12:23 Or church

Bible Gateway Recommends

ESV Student Study Bible, Trutone, Chestnut
ESV Student Study Bible, Trutone, Chestnut
Retail: $44.99
Our Price: $28.99
Save: $16.00 (36%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
ESV Economy Bible, Softcover
ESV Economy Bible, Softcover
Retail: $4.99
Our Price: $2.69
Save: $2.30 (46%)
4.0 of 5.0 stars
Psalms, ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal
Psalms, ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal
Retail: $15.99
Our Price: $10.99
Save: $5.00 (31%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars
ESV Study Bible, Burgundy Genuine Leather
ESV Study Bible, Burgundy Genuine Leather
Retail: $114.99
Our Price: $59.99
Save: $55.00 (48%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
ESV Large-Print Study Bible--genuine leather, black (indexed)
ESV Large-Print Study Bible--genuine leather, black (indexed)
Retail: $139.99
Our Price: $87.99
Save: $52.00 (37%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars