Hezekiah Consults Isaiah

37 When King Hezeki′ah heard it, he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. ² And he sent Eli′akim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, clothed with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. ³ They said to him, “Thus says Hezeki′ah, ‘This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. ⁴ It may be that the Lord your God heard the words of the Rab′shakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’”

⁵ When the servants of King Hezeki′ah came to Isaiah, ⁶ 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 servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. ⁷ Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor, and return to his own land; and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’”

⁸ The Rab′shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah; for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. ⁹ Now the king heard concerning Tirha′kah king of Ethiopia, “He has set out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezeki′ah, saying, ¹⁰ “Thus shall you speak to Hezeki′ah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God on whom you rely 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, destroying them utterly. And shall you be delivered? ¹² Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations which my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telas′sar? ¹³ Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharva′im, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer

¹⁴ Hezeki′ah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezeki′ah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. ¹⁵ And Hezeki′ah prayed to the Lord: ¹⁶ “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, who art enthroned above the cherubim, thou art the God, thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. ¹⁷ Incline thy ear, O Lord, and hear; open thy eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennach′erib, which he has sent to mock the living God. ¹⁸ Of a truth, O Lord, 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 thou alone art the Lord.”

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

³⁰ “And this shall be the sign for you: this year eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs of the same; 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 shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward; ³² for out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish 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 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, says the Lord. ³⁵ For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”

Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death

³⁶ And the angel of the Lord went forth, and slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. ³⁷ Then Sennach′erib king of Assyria departed, and went home and dwelt at Nin′eveh. ³⁸ And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adram′melech and Share′zer, his sons, slew him with the sword, and escaped into the land of Ar′arat. And E′sar-had′don his son reigned in his stead.

Hezekiah’s Illness

38 In those days Hezeki′ah became sick and was at the point of death. And 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.” ² Then Hezeki′ah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, ³ and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in thy sight.” And Hezeki′ah wept bitterly. ⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: ⁵ “Go and say to Hezeki′ah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. ⁶ I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and defend this city.

⁷ “This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: ⁸ 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.^[b]

⁹ A writing of Hezeki′ah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:

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

The Letter of Jeremiah

6 A copy of a letter which Jeremiah sent to those who were to be taken to Babylon as captives by the king of the Babylonians, to give them the message which God had commanded him.

The People Face a Long Captivity

² Because of the sins which you have committed before God, you will be taken to Babylon as captives by Nebuchadnez′zar, king of the Babylonians. ³ Therefore when you have come to Babylon you will remain there for many years, for a long time, up to seven generations; after that I will bring you away from there in peace. ⁴ Now in Babylon you will see gods made of silver and gold and wood, which are carried on men’s shoulders and inspire fear in the heathen. ⁵ So take care not to become at all like the foreigners or to let fear for these gods^[a] possess you, when you see the multitude before and behind them worshiping them. ⁶ But say in your heart, “It is thou, O Lord, whom we must worship.” ⁷ For my angel is with you, and he is watching your lives.

The Helplessness of Idols

⁸ Their tongues are smoothed by the craftsman, and they themselves are overlaid with gold and silver; but they are false and cannot speak. ⁹ People^[b] take gold and make crowns for the heads of their gods, as they would for a girl who loves ornaments; ¹⁰ and sometimes the priests secretly take gold and silver from their gods and spend it upon themselves, ¹¹ and even give some of it to the harlots in the brothel. They deck their gods^[c] out with garments like men—these gods of silver and gold and wood, ¹² which cannot save themselves from rust and corrosion. When they have been dressed in purple robes, ¹³ their faces are wiped because of the dust from the temple, which is thick upon them. ¹⁴ Like a local ruler the god^[d] holds a scepter, though unable to destroy any one who offends it. ¹⁵ It has a dagger in its right hand, and has an axe; but it cannot save itself from war and robbers. ¹⁶ Therefore they evidently are not gods; so do not fear them.

¹⁷ For just as one’s dish is useless when it is broken, so are the gods of the heathen,^[e] when they have been set up in the temples. Their eyes are full of the dust raised by the feet of those who enter. ¹⁸ And just as the gates are shut on every side upon a man who has offended a king, as though he were sentenced to death, so the priests make their temples secure with doors and locks and bars, in order that they may not be plundered by robbers. ¹⁹ They light lamps, even more than they light for themselves, though their gods^[f] can see none of them. ²⁰ They are^[g] just like a beam of the temple, but men say their hearts have melted, when worms from the earth devour them and their robes. They do not notice ²¹ when their faces have been blackened by the smoke of the temple. ²² Bats, swallows, and birds light on their bodies and heads; and so do cats. ²³ From this you will know that they are not gods; so do not fear them.

²⁴ As for the gold which they wear for beauty—they will not shine unless some one wipes off the rust; for even when they were being cast, they had no feeling. ²⁵ They are bought at any cost, but there is no breath in them. ²⁶ Having no feet, they are carried on men’s shoulders, revealing to mankind their worthlessness. ²⁷ And those who serve them are ashamed because through them these gods^[h] are made to stand, lest they fall to the ground. If any one sets one of them upright, it cannot move itself; and if it is tipped over, it cannot straighten itself; but gifts are placed before them just as before the dead. ²⁸ The priests sell the sacrifices that are offered to these gods^[i] and use the money; and likewise their wives preserve some with salt, but give none to the poor or helpless. ²⁹ Sacrifices to them may be touched by women in menstruation or at childbirth. Since you know by these things that they are not gods, do not fear them.

³⁰ For why should they be called gods? Women serve meals for gods of silver and gold and wood; ³¹ and in their temples the priests sit with their clothes rent, their heads and beards shaved, and their heads uncovered. ³² They howl and shout before their gods as some do at a funeral feast for a man who has died. ³³ The priests take some of the clothing of their gods^[j] to clothe their wives and children. ³⁴ Whether one does evil to them or good, they will not be able to repay it. They cannot set up a king or depose one. ³⁵ Likewise they are not able to give either wealth or money; if one makes a vow to them and does not keep it, they will not require it. ³⁶ They cannot save a man from death or rescue the weak from the strong. ³⁷ They cannot restore sight to a blind man; they cannot rescue a man who is in distress. ³⁸ They cannot take pity on a widow or do good to an orphan. ³⁹ These things that are made of wood and overlaid with gold and silver are like stones from the mountain, and those who serve them will be put to shame. ⁴⁰ Why then must any one think that they are gods, or call them gods?

The Foolishness of Worshiping Idols

Besides, even the Chalde′ans themselves dishonor them; ⁴¹ for when they see a dumb man, who cannot speak, they bring him and pray Bel^[k] that the man may speak, as though Bel^[l] were able to understand. ⁴² Yet they themselves cannot perceive this and abandon them, for they have no sense. ⁴³ And the women, with cords about them, sit along the passageways, burning bran for incense; and when one of them is led off by one of the passers-by and is lain with, she derides the woman next to her, because she was not as attractive as herself and her cord was not broken. ⁴⁴ Whatever is done for them is false. Why then must any one think that they are gods, or call them gods?

⁴⁵ They are made by carpenters and goldsmiths; they can be nothing but what the craftsmen wish them to be. ⁴⁶ The men that make them will certainly not live very long themselves; how then can the things that are made by them be gods? ⁴⁷ They have left only lies and reproach for those who come after. ⁴⁸ For when war or calamity comes upon them, the priests consult together as to where they can hide themselves and their gods.^{[m] 49} How then can one fail to see that these are not gods, for they cannot save themselves from war or calamity? ⁵⁰ Since they are made of wood and overlaid with gold and silver, it will afterward be known that they are false. ⁵¹ It will be manifest to all the nations and kings that they are not gods but the work of men’s hands, and that there is no work of God in them. ⁵² Who then can fail to know that they are not gods?^[n]

⁵³ For they cannot set up a king over a country or give rain to men. ⁵⁴ They cannot judge their own cause or deliver one who is wronged, for they have no power; they are like crows between heaven and earth. ⁵⁵ When fire breaks out in a temple of wooden gods overlaid with gold or silver, their priests will flee and escape, but the gods^[o] will be burnt in two like beams. ⁵⁶ Besides, they can offer no resistance to a king or any enemies. Why then must any one admit or think that they are gods?

⁵⁷ Gods made of wood and overlaid with silver and gold are not able to save themselves from thieves and robbers. ⁵⁸ Strong men will strip them of their gold and silver and of the robes they wear, and go off with this booty, and they will not be able to help themselves. ⁵⁹ So it is better to be a king who shows his courage, or a household utensil that serves its owner’s need, than to be these false gods; better even the door of a house that protects its contents, than these false gods; better also a wooden pillar in a palace, than these false gods.

⁶⁰ For sun and moon and stars, shining and sent forth for service, are obedient. ⁶¹ So also the lightning, when it flashes, is widely seen; and the wind likewise blows in every land. ⁶² When God commands the clouds to go over the whole world, they carry out his command. ⁶³ And the fire sent from above to consume mountains and woods does what it is ordered. But these idols^[p] are not to be compared with them in appearance or power. ⁶⁴ Therefore one must not think that they are gods nor call them gods, for they are not able either to decide a case or to do good to men. ⁶⁵ Since you know then that they are not gods, do not fear them.

⁶⁶ For they can neither curse nor bless kings; ⁶⁷ they cannot show signs in the heavens and^[q] among the nations, or shine like the sun or give light like the moon. ⁶⁸ The wild beasts are better than they are, for they can flee to cover and help themselves. ⁶⁹ So we have no evidence whatever that they are gods; therefore do not fear them.

⁷⁰ Like a scarecrow in a cucumber bed, that guards nothing, so are their gods of wood, overlaid with gold and silver. ⁷¹ In the same way, their gods of wood, overlaid with gold and silver, are like a thorn bush in a garden, on which every bird sits; or like a dead body cast out in the darkness. ⁷² By the purple and linen^[r] that rot upon them you will know that they are not gods; and they will finally themselves be consumed, and be a reproach in the land. ⁷³ Better therefore is a just man who has no idols, for he will be far from reproach.