Isaiah 37:21-35
Expanded Bible
The Lord Answers Hezekiah
21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah that said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘You prayed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria [C from 704–681 bc]. 22 So this is what the Lord has said against Sennacherib:
The ·people of Jerusalem [L virgin daughter of Zion]
·hate you [despise] and ·make fun of [mock; scorn] you;
the ·people [L daughter] of Jerusalem
·laugh at you [L tosses her head] ·as you run away [as you flee; or behind your back].
23 ·You have insulted me and spoken against me [L Whom have you defied/ridiculed/mocked?];
·you have raised your voice against me [L against whom have you raised your voice?].
·You have a proud look on your face [L …and arrogantly lifted your eyes/gaze…?],
which is against me, the Holy One of Israel [1:4]!
24 You have sent your messengers to ·insult [defy; ridicule; mock] the Lord.
You have said, “With my many chariots
I have gone to the tops of the mountains,
to the ·highest [or remotest] mountains of Lebanon.
I have cut down its tallest cedars
and its best ·pine [cypress] trees.
I have gone to its greatest heights
and its ·best [densest] forests.
25 I have dug wells in foreign ·countries [lands]
and drunk water there.
By the soles of my feet,
I have ·dried [stopped] up all the rivers of Egypt.”
26 “‘King of Assyria, ·surely you have [L have you not…?] heard.
Long ago I, the Lord, ·planned [determined; ordained] these things.
·Long ago [In ancient times/days of old] I ·designed them [planned it],
and now I have ·made them happen [brought them to pass].
I allowed you to turn those ·strong, walled [fortified] cities
into piles of ·rocks [rubble; ruins].
27 The people in those cities were ·weak [powerless; drained of strength];
they were ·frightened [dismayed] and ·put to shame [confused; confounded].
They were like grass in the field,
like tender, young ·grass [shoots],
like grass on the housetop
that is ·burned [scorched] by the wind before it can grow.
28 “‘I know ·when you rest [when you stand or sit; or where you are],
when you come and go,
and how you ·rage [rave] against me.
29 Because you ·rage [rave] against me,
and because I have heard your ·proud [arrogant] words,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth.
Then I will ·force you to leave my country [turn you back; make you retreat]
the ·same way [road] you came.’
30 “Then the Lord said, ‘Hezekiah, I will give you this sign:
This year you will eat the grain that grows ·wild [L of itself],
and the second year you will eat what ·grows [springs] from that.
But in the third year, ·plant grain [sow] and ·harvest it [reap].
Plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
31 ·Some of the people in [A remnant of] the ·family [L house] of Judah
will ·escape [survive].
·Like plants that take root [They will put down roots below],
·they will grow strong and have many children [and will bear fruit above].
32 A ·few people will come out of Jerusalem alive [remnant will spread out from Jerusalem];
·a few from Mount Zion will live […and survivors out from Mount Zion].
The ·strong love [zeal] of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]
will ·make this happen [accomplish this].’
33 “So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
‘He will not enter this city
or even shoot an arrow here.
He will not fight against it with shields
or build a ramp to ·attack the city walls [lay siege to it].
34 He will ·return to his country [retreat] the same ·way [road] he came,
and he will not enter this city,’
says the Lord.
35 ‘I will defend and ·save [rescue; T deliver] this city
for my sake and for David, my servant.’”
Isaiah 37:21-35
New American Standard Bible
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.’”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Isaiah 37:23 Lit on high
- Isaiah 37:24 Lit farthest height
- Isaiah 37:25 Or the besieged place
- Isaiah 37:27 Lit short of hand
- Isaiah 37:27 As in DSS and 2 Kin 19:26; MT and as a terraced field
- Isaiah 37:30 Lit eating
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New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
