Bible in 90 Days
Jerusalem Is Warned
29 Woe, O [a]Ariel, [b]Ariel the city where David once (A)camped!
Add year to year, [c](B)observe your feasts on schedule.
2 I will bring distress to Ariel,
And she will be a city of lamenting and (C)mourning;
And she will be like an Ariel to me.
3 I will (D)camp against you [d]encircling you,
And I will set siegeworks against you,
And I will raise up battle towers against you.
4 Then you will (E)be brought low;
From the earth you will speak,
And from the dust where you are prostrate
Your words will come.
Your voice will also be like that of a [e]spirit from the ground,
And your speech will whisper from the dust.
5 But the multitude of your [f]enemies will become like fine (F)dust,
And the multitude of the (G)ruthless ones like the chaff which [g]blows away;
And it will happen (H)instantly, suddenly.
6 From the Lord of hosts you will be (I)punished with (J)thunder and earthquake and loud noise,
With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.
7 And the (K)multitude of all the nations who wage war against [h]Ariel,
Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,
Will be like a dream, a (L)vision of the night.
8 It will be as when a hungry man dreams—
And behold, he is eating;
But when he awakens, his [i]hunger is not satisfied,
Or as when a thirsty man dreams—
And behold, he is drinking,
But when he awakens, behold, he is faint
And his [j]thirst is not quenched.
(M)Thus the multitude of all the nations will be
Who wage war against Mount Zion.
9 (N)Be delayed and wait,
Blind yourselves and be blind;
They (O)become drunk, but not with wine,
They stagger, but not with strong drink.
10 For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep (P)sleep,
He has (Q)shut your eyes, the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, the seers.
11 The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed [k](R)book, which when they give it to the one who [l]is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12 Then the [m]book will be given to the one who [n]is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I [o]cannot read.”
13 Then the Lord said,
“Because (S)this people draw near with their [p]words
And honor Me with their [q]lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their [r]reverence for Me [s]consists of [t]tradition learned by rote,
14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal (T)marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And (U)the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.”
15 Woe to those who deeply (V)hide their [u]plans from the Lord,
And whose (W)deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, “(X)Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
16 You turn things around!
Shall the potter be considered [v]as equal with the clay,
That (Y)what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
Blessing after Discipline
17 Is it not yet just a little while
[w]Before Lebanon will be turned into a (Z)fertile field,
And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?
18 On that day the (AA)deaf will hear (AB)words of a book,
And out of their gloom and darkness the (AC)eyes of the blind will see.
19 The (AD)afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord,
And the (AE)needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the (AF)ruthless will come to an end and the (AG)scorner will be finished,
Indeed (AH)all who [x]are intent on doing evil will be cut off;
21 Who [y]cause a person to be indicted by a word,
And (AI)ensnare him who adjudicates at the gate,
And [z](AJ)defraud the one in the right with [aa]meaningless arguments.
22 Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed (AK)Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob (AL)shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now turn pale;
23 But when [ab]he sees his (AM)children, the (AN)work of My hands, in his midst,
They will sanctify My name;
Indeed, they will (AO)sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 “Those who (AP)err in [ac]mind will (AQ)know [ad]the truth,
And those who [ae]criticize will [af](AR)accept instruction.
Judah Warned against Egyptian Alliance
30 “Woe to the (AS)rebellious children,” declares the Lord,
“Who (AT)execute a plan, but not Mine,
And [ag](AU)make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin;
2 Who (AV)proceed down to Egypt
Without (AW)consulting [ah]Me,
(AX)To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh
And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 “Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be (AY)your shame
And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
4 “For (AZ)their princes are at Zoan
And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.
5 “Everyone will be (BA)ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them,
Who are (BB)not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach.”
6 The [ai]oracle concerning the (BC)beasts of the (BD)Negev.
Through a land of (BE)distress and anguish,
From [aj]where come lioness and lion, viper and (BF)flying serpent,
They (BG)carry their riches on the [ak]backs of young donkeys
And their treasures on (BH)camels’ humps,
To a people who cannot profit them;
7 Even Egypt, whose (BI)help is vain and empty.
Therefore, I have called [al]her
“[am](BJ)Rahab who has been exterminated.”
8 Now go, (BK)write it on a tablet before them
And inscribe it on a scroll,
That it may [an]serve in the time to come
[ao]As a witness forever.
9 For this is a (BL)rebellious people, (BM)false sons,
Sons who [ap]refuse to (BN)listen
To the [aq]instruction of the Lord;
10 Who say to the (BO)seers, “You must not see visions”;
And to the prophets, “You must not (BP)prophesy to us what is right,
(BQ)Speak to us [ar]pleasant words,
Prophesy illusions.
11 “Get out of the way, (BR)turn aside from the path,
[as](BS)Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel,
“(BT)Since you have rejected this word
And have put your trust in (BU)oppression and guile, and have relied on them,
13 Therefore this (BV)iniquity will be to you
Like a (BW)breach about to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose collapse comes (BX)suddenly in an instant,
14 Whose collapse is like the smashing of a (BY)potter’s jar,
[at]So ruthlessly shattered
That a sherd will not be found among its pieces
To [au]take fire from a hearth
Or to scoop water from a cistern.”
15 For thus the Lord [av]God, the Holy One of Israel, has said,
“In [aw]repentance and (BZ)rest you will be saved,
In (CA)quietness and trust is your strength.”
But you were not willing,
16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on (CB)horses,”
Therefore you shall flee!
“And we will ride on swift horses,”
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 (CC)One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left as a [ax]flag on a mountain top
And as a signal on a hill.
God Is Gracious and Just
18 Therefore the Lord [ay](CD)longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He [az]waits on (CE)high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a (CF)God of justice;
How blessed are all those who [ba](CG)long for Him.
19 [bb]O people in Zion, (CH)inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will (CI)weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will (CJ)answer you. 20 Although the Lord has given you (CK)bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer (CL)hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. 21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, “[bc]This is the (CM)way, walk in it,” whenever you (CN)turn to the right or to the left. 22 And you will defile your graven (CO)images overlaid with silver, and your molten (CP)images plated with gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to [bd]them, “(CQ)Be gone!”
23 Then He will (CR)give you rain for [be]the seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be [bf]rich and [bg]plenteous; on that day (CS)your livestock will graze in a roomy pasture. 24 Also the oxen and the donkeys which work the ground will eat salted fodder, which [bh]has been (CT)winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 On every lofty mountain and on (CU)every high hill there will be [bi]streams running with water on the day of the great (CV)slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 (CW)The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day (CX)the Lord binds up the (CY)fracture of His people and (CZ)heals the bruise [bj]He has inflicted.
27 Behold, (DA)the name of the Lord comes from a [bk]remote place;
(DB)Burning is His anger and [bl]dense is His [bm]smoke;
His lips are filled with (DC)indignation
And His tongue is like a (DD)consuming fire;
28 His (DE)breath is like an overflowing torrent,
Which (DF)reaches to the neck,
To (DG)shake the nations back and forth in a [bn]sieve,
And to put in the jaws of the peoples (DH)the bridle which [bo]leads to ruin.
29 You will have [bp]songs as in the night when you keep the festival,
And gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute,
To go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.
30 And the Lord will cause [bq]His voice of authority to be heard,
And the [br]descending of His arm to be seen in fierce anger,
And in the flame of a consuming fire
In cloudburst, downpour and hailstones.
31 For (DI)at the voice of the Lord (DJ)Assyria will be terrified,
When He strikes with the (DK)rod.
32 And every [bs]blow of the [bt](DL)rod of punishment,
Which the Lord will lay on him,
Will be with the music of (DM)tambourines and lyres;
And in battles, (DN)brandishing weapons, He will fight them.
33 For [bu](DO)Topheth has long been ready,
Indeed, it has been prepared for the king.
He has made it deep and large,
[bv]A pyre of fire with plenty of wood;
The (DP)breath of the Lord, like a torrent of (DQ)brimstone, sets it afire.
Help Not in Egypt but in God
31 Woe to those who go down to (DR)Egypt for help
And (DS)rely on horses,
And trust in chariots because they are many
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But they do not (DT)look to the (DU)Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!
2 Yet He also is (DV)wise and will (DW)bring disaster
And does (DX)not retract His words,
But will arise against the house of (DY)evildoers
And against the help of the (DZ)workers of iniquity.
3 Now the Egyptians are (EA)men and not God,
And their (EB)horses are flesh and not spirit;
So the Lord will (EC)stretch out His hand,
And (ED)he who helps will stumble
And he who is helped will fall,
And all of them will come to an end together.
4 For thus says the Lord to me,
“As the (EE)lion or the young lion growls over his prey,
Against which a band of shepherds is called out,
And he will not be terrified at their voice nor disturbed at their noise,
So will the Lord of hosts come down to wage (EF)war on Mount Zion and on its hill.”
5 Like [bw]flying (EG)birds so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem.
He will (EH)protect and deliver it;
He will pass over and rescue it.
6 (EI)Return to Him from whom [bx]you have (EJ)deeply defected, O sons of Israel. 7 For in that day every man will (EK)cast away his silver idols and his gold idols, which your (EL)sinful hands have made for you as (EM)a sin.
8 And the (EN)Assyrian will fall by a sword not of man,
And a (EO)sword not of man will devour him.
So he will [by](EP)not escape the sword,
And his young men will become (EQ)forced laborers.
9 “His (ER)rock will pass away because of panic,
And his princes will be terrified at the (ES)standard,”
Declares the Lord, whose (ET)fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
The Glorious Future
32 Behold, a (EU)king will reign righteously
And princes will rule justly.
2 Each will be like a (EV)refuge from the wind
And a shelter from the storm,
Like [bz](EW)streams of water in a dry country,
Like the (EX)shade of a [ca]huge rock in [cb]a parched land.
3 Then (EY)the eyes of those who see will not be [cc]blinded,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 The [cd]mind of the (EZ)hasty will discern the [ce]truth,
And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.
5 No longer will the (FA)fool be called noble,
Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.
6 For a fool speaks nonsense,
And his heart [cf](FB)inclines toward wickedness:
To practice (FC)ungodliness and to speak error against the Lord,
To [cg](FD)keep the hungry person unsatisfied
And [ch]to withhold drink from the thirsty.
7 As for a rogue, his weapons are evil;
He (FE)devises wicked schemes
To (FF)destroy the afflicted with [ci]slander,
(FG)Even though the needy one speaks [cj]what is right.
8 But (FH)the noble man devises noble plans;
And by noble plans he stands.
9 Rise up, you (FI)women who are at ease,
And hear my voice;
(FJ)Give ear to my word,
You complacent daughters.
10 Within a year and a few days
You will be troubled, O complacent daughters;
(FK)For the vintage is ended,
And the fruit gathering will not come.
11 Tremble, you women who are at ease;
(FL)Be troubled, you complacent daughters;
(FM)Strip, undress and put sackcloth on your waist,
12 (FN)Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine,
13 (FO)For the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up;
Yea, for all the joyful houses and for the (FP)jubilant city.
14 Because (FQ)the palace has been abandoned, the [ck]populated (FR)city forsaken.
[cl]Hill and watch-tower have become (FS)caves forever,
A delight for (FT)wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks;
15 Until the (FU)Spirit is poured out upon us from on high,
And the wilderness becomes a (FV)fertile field,
And the fertile field is considered as a forest.
16 Then (FW)justice will dwell in the wilderness
And righteousness will abide in the fertile field.
17 And the (FX)work of righteousness will be peace,
And the service of righteousness, (FY)quietness and [cm]confidence forever.
18 Then my people will live in a (FZ)peaceful habitation,
And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed (GA)resting places;
19 And it will (GB)hail when the (GC)forest comes down,
And (GD)the city will be utterly laid low.
20 How (GE)blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters,
Who [cn]let out freely the ox and the donkey.
The Judgment of God
33 Woe (GF)to you, O destroyer,
While you were not destroyed;
And he (GG)who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him.
As soon as you finish destroying, (GH)you will be destroyed;
As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will (GI)deal treacherously with you.
2 O Lord, (GJ)be gracious to us; we have (GK)waited for You.
Be [co]their [cp](GL)strength every morning,
Our salvation also in the (GM)time of distress.
3 At the sound of the tumult (GN)peoples flee;
At the (GO)lifting up of Yourself nations disperse.
4 Your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
As locusts rushing about men rush about on it.
5 The Lord is (GP)exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has (GQ)filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 And He will be the [cq](GR)stability of your times,
A (GS)wealth of salvation, wisdom and (GT)knowledge;
The (GU)fear of the Lord is his treasure.
7 Behold, their brave men cry in [cr]the streets,
The [cs](GV)ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are desolate, [ct]the (GW)traveler has ceased,
He has (GX)broken the covenant, he has despised the cities,
He has no regard for man.
9 (GY)The land mourns and pines away,
(GZ)Lebanon is shamed and withers;
(HA)Sharon is like a desert plain,
And Bashan and Carmel [cu]lose their foliage.
10 “Now (HB)I will arise,” says the Lord,
“Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up.
11 “You have (HC)conceived [cv]chaff, you will give birth to stubble;
[cw]My (HD)breath will consume you like a fire.
12 “The peoples will be burned to lime,
(HE)Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.
13 “You who are far away, (HF)hear what I have done;
And you who are near, [cx]acknowledge My might.”
14 (HG)Sinners in Zion are terrified;
(HH)Trembling has seized the godless.
“Who among us can live with (HI)the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with [cy]continual (HJ)burning?”
15 He who (HK)walks righteously and speaks with sincerity,
He who rejects [cz]unjust gain
And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;
He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed
And (HL)shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;
16 He will dwell on the heights,
(HM)His refuge will be the [da]impregnable rock;
(HN)His bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.
17 Your eyes will see (HO)the King in His beauty;
They will behold (HP)a far-distant land.
18 Your heart will meditate on (HQ)terror:
“Where is (HR)he who counts?
Where is he who weighs?
Where is he who counts the towers?”
19 You will no longer see a fierce people,
A people of [db](HS)unintelligible speech [dc]which no one comprehends,
Of a stammering tongue [dd]which no one understands.
20 (HT)Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an (HU)undisturbed habitation,
(HV)A tent which will not be folded;
Its stakes will never be pulled up,
Nor any of its cords be torn apart.
21 But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us
A place of (HW)rivers and wide canals
On which no boat with oars will go,
And on which no mighty ship will pass—
22 For the Lord is our (HX)judge,
The Lord is (HY)our lawgiver,
The Lord is (HZ)our king;
(IA)He will save us—
23 Your tackle hangs slack;
It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly,
Nor spread out the sail.
Then the (IB)prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;
(IC)The lame will take the plunder.
24 And no resident will say, “I am (ID)sick”;
The people who dwell [de]there will be (IE)forgiven their iniquity.
God’s Wrath against Nations
34 Draw near, (IF)O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples!
(IG)Let the earth and [df]all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it.
2 For the Lord’s (IH)indignation is against all the nations,
And His wrath against all their armies;
He has [dg](II)utterly destroyed them,
He has given them over to (IJ)slaughter.
3 So their slain will be (IK)thrown out,
And their corpses [dh]will give off their (IL)stench,
And the mountains will [di]be drenched with their (IM)blood.
4 And (IN)all the host of heaven will [dj]wear away,
And the (IO)sky will be rolled up like a scroll;
All their hosts will also wither away
As a leaf withers from the vine,
Or as one withers from the fig tree.
5 For (IP)My sword is satiated in heaven,
Behold it shall descend for judgment upon (IQ)Edom
And upon the people whom I have (IR)devoted to destruction.
6 The sword of the Lord is filled with blood,
It is [dk]sated with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats,
With the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice in (IS)Bozrah
And a great slaughter in the land of (IT)Edom.
7 (IU)Wild oxen will also [dl]fall with them
And (IV)young bulls with strong ones;
Thus their land will be (IW)soaked with blood,
And their dust [dm]become greasy with fat.
8 For the Lord has a day of (IX)vengeance,
A year of recompense for the [dn]cause of Zion.
9 [do]Its streams will be turned into pitch,
And its loose earth into (IY)brimstone,
And its land will become burning pitch.
10 It will (IZ)not be quenched night or day;
Its (JA)smoke will go up forever.
From (JB)generation to generation it will be desolate;
(JC)None will pass through it forever and ever.
11 But [dp](JD)pelican and hedgehog will possess it,
And [dq]owl and raven will dwell in it;
And He will stretch over it the (JE)line of [dr]desolation
And the [ds]plumb line of emptiness.
12 Its nobles—there is (JF)no one there
Whom they may proclaim king—
And all its princes will be (JG)nothing.
13 Thorns will come up in its (JH)fortified towers,
Nettles and thistles in its fortified cities;
It will also be a haunt of (JI)jackals
And an abode of ostriches.
14 The desert (JJ)creatures will meet with the [dt]wolves,
The [du](JK)hairy goat also will cry to its kind;
Yes, the [dv]night monster will settle there
And will find herself a resting place.
15 The tree snake will make its nest and lay eggs there,
And it will hatch and gather them under its [dw]protection.
Yes, (JL)the [dx]hawks will be gathered there,
Every one with its kind.
16 Seek from the (JM)book of the Lord, and read:
Not one of these will be missing;
None will lack its mate.
For [dy](JN)His mouth has commanded,
And His Spirit has gathered them.
17 He has cast the (JO)lot for them,
And His hand has divided it to them by (JP)line.
They shall possess it forever;
From (JQ)generation to generation they will dwell in it.
Zion’s Happy Future
35 The (JR)wilderness and the desert will be glad,
And the [dz](JS)Arabah will rejoice and blossom;
Like the crocus
2 It will (JT)blossom profusely
And (JU)rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy.
The (JV)glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
The majesty of (JW)Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the (JX)glory of the Lord,
The majesty of our God.
3 (JY)Encourage the [ea]exhausted, and strengthen the [eb]feeble.
4 Say to those with (JZ)anxious heart,
“Take courage, fear not.
Behold, your God will come with (KA)vengeance;
The (KB)recompense of God will come,
But He will (KC)save you.”
5 Then the (KD)eyes of the blind will be opened
And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
6 Then the (KE)lame will leap like a deer,
And the (KF)tongue of the mute will shout for joy.
For waters will break forth in the (KG)wilderness
And streams in the [ec]Arabah.
7 The [ed]scorched land will become a pool
And the thirsty ground (KH)springs of water;
In the (KI)haunt of jackals, its resting place,
Grass becomes reeds and rushes.
8 (KJ)A highway will be there, (KK)a roadway,
And it will be called the Highway of (KL)Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it,
But it will be for him who walks that way,
And (KM)fools will not wander on it.
9 No (KN)lion will be there,
Nor will any vicious beast go up on it;
[ee]These will not be found there.
But (KO)the redeemed will walk there,
10 And (KP)the ransomed of the Lord will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting joy upon their heads.
They will [ef]find gladness and joy,
And (KQ)sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Sennacherib Invades Judah
36 (KR)Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, (KS)Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 2 And the (KT)king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. And he stood by the (KU)conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the [eg]fuller’s field. 3 Then (KV)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and (KW)Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him.
4 Then (KX)Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “What is this confidence that you [eh]have? 5 I say, ‘Your counsel and strength for the war are only [ei]empty words.’ Now on whom do you rely, that (KY)you have rebelled against me? 6 Behold, you rely on the (KZ)staff of this crushed reed, even on Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his [ej]hand and pierce it. (LA)So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. 7 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He (LB)whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’? 8 Now therefore, [ek]come make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 9 How then can you [el]repulse one [em]official of the least of my master’s servants and [en](LC)rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 10 Have I now come up [eo]without the Lord’s approval against this land to destroy it? (LD)The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”
11 Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in (LE)Aramaic, for we [ep]understand it; and do not speak with us in [eq](LF)Judean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 12 But Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”
13 Then Rabshakeh stood and (LG)cried with a loud voice in Judean and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14 Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah (LH)deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15 nor let Hezekiah make you (LI)trust in the Lord, saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us, this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 16 Do not listen to Hezekiah,’ for thus says the king of Assyria, ‘[er]Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his (LJ)vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the (LK)waters of his own cistern, 17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you, saying, “(LL)The Lord will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of (LM)Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of (LN)Sepharvaim? And when have they (LO)delivered Samaria from my hand? 20 Who among all the (LP)gods of these lands have delivered their land from my hand, that the (LQ)Lord would deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’”
21 But they were silent and (LR)answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 22 Then (LS)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and (LT)Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Help
37 And (LU)when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent (LV)Eliakim who was over the household with (LW)Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to (LX)Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a (LY)day of distress, rebuke and rejection; for (LZ)children have come to birth, and there is no strength to [es]deliver. 4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to (MA)reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for (MB)the remnant that is left.’”
5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord, “(MC)Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will (MD)hear a rumor and (ME)return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”
8 Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against (MF)Libnah, for he had heard that [et]the king had left (MG)Lachish. 9 When he (MH)heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of [eu](MI)Cush, “He has come out to fight against you,” and when he heard it he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of [ev]Judah, ‘(MJ)Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 (MK)Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be [ew]spared? 12 Did the gods of [ex]those nations which my fathers have destroyed deliver them, even (ML)Gozan and (MM)Haran and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”
Hezekiah’s Prayer in the Temple
14 Then Hezekiah took the [ey]letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and [ez]spread it out before the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed to the Lord saying, 16 “O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, (MN)who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the (MO)God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. (MP)You have made heaven and earth. 17 (MQ)Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and (MR)listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to (MS)reproach the living God. 18 Truly, O Lord, the (MT)kings of Assyria have devastated all the countries and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the (MU)work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have (MV)destroyed them. 20 Now, O Lord our God, (MW)deliver us from his hand that (MX)all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, [fa]are God.”
God Answers through Isaiah
21 Then (MY)Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘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 despised you and mocked you,
The (MZ)virgin (NA)daughter of Zion;
She has (NB)shaken her head behind you,
The daughter of Jerusalem!
23 “Whom have you (NC)reproached and blasphemed?
And against whom have you raised your voice
And [fb]haughtily (ND)lifted up your eyes?
Against the (NE)Holy One of Israel!
24 “Through your servants you have reproached the Lord,
And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I came up to the heights of the mountains,
To the remotest parts of (NF)Lebanon;
And I cut down its tall (NG)cedars and its choice cypresses.
And I will go to its [fc]highest peak, its thickest (NH)forest.
25 ‘I dug wells and drank waters,
And (NI)with the sole of my feet I dried up
All the rivers of [fd]Egypt.’
26 “(NJ)Have you not heard?
Long ago I did it,
From ancient times I (NK)planned it.
Now (NL)I have brought it to pass,
That (NM)you should turn fortified cities into (NN)ruinous heaps.
27 “Therefore their inhabitants were short of strength,
They were dismayed and put to shame;
They were as the (NO)vegetation of the field and as the green herb,
As (NP)grass on the housetops [fe]is scorched before it is grown up.
28 “But I (NQ)know your sitting down
And your going out and your coming in
And your raging against Me.
29 “Because of your raging against Me
And because your [ff](NR)arrogance has come up to My ears,
Therefore I will put My (NS)hook in your nose
And My (NT)bridle in your lips,
And I will turn you back (NU)by the way which you came.
30 “Then this shall be the sign for you: [fg]you will eat this year what (NV)grows of itself, in the second year what springs from the same, and in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 31 The (NW)surviving (NX)remnant of the house of Judah will again (NY)take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem will go forth a (NZ)remnant and out of Mount Zion [fh]survivors. The (OA)zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”’
33 “Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield, or throw up a (OB)siege ramp against it. 34 (OC)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 (OD)defend this city to save it (OE)for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’”
Assyrians Destroyed
36 Then the (OF)angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when [fi]men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were [fj]dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and [fk]returned home and lived at (OG)Nineveh. 38 It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of (OH)Ararat. And (OI)Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.
Hezekiah Healed
38 (OJ)In those days Hezekiah became [fl]mortally ill. And (OK)Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘(OL)Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “(OM)Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have (ON)walked before You in truth and with a (OO)whole heart, and (OP)have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah (OQ)wept [fm]bitterly.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add (OR)fifteen years to your [fn]life. 6 I will (OS)deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city.”’
7 “This shall be the (OT)sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that He has spoken: 8 Behold, I will (OU)cause the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, to go back ten steps.” So the (OV)sun’s shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.
9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and [fo]recovery:
10 I said, “(OW)In the middle of my [fp]life
I am to enter the (OX)gates of Sheol;
I am to be (OY)deprived of the rest of my years.”
11 I said, “I will not see the Lord,
The Lord (OZ)in the land of the living;
I will look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.
12 “Like a shepherd’s (PA)tent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me;
As a (PB)weaver I (PC)rolled up my life.
He (PD)cuts me off from the loom;
From (PE)day until night You make an end of me.
13 “I composed my soul until morning.
(PF)Like a lion—so He (PG)breaks all my bones,
From (PH)day until night You make an end of me.
14 “(PI)Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter;
I (PJ)moan like a dove;
My (PK)eyes look wistfully to the heights;
O Lord, I am oppressed, be my (PL)security.
15 “(PM)What shall I say?
[fq]For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it;
I will (PN)wander about all my years because of the (PO)bitterness of my soul.
16 “O Lord, (PP)by these things men live,
And in all these is the life of my spirit;
[fr](PQ)O restore me to health and (PR)let me live!
17 “Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness;
It is You who has [fs](PS)kept my soul from the pit of [ft]nothingness,
For You have (PT)cast all my sins behind Your back.
18 “For (PU)Sheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down (PV)to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
19 “It is the (PW)living who give thanks to You, as I do today;
A (PX)father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.
20 “The Lord will surely save me;
So we will (PY)play my songs on stringed instruments
(PZ)All the days of our life (QA)at the house of the Lord.”
21 Now (QB)Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” 22 Then Hezekiah had said, “What is the (QC)sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”
Hezekiah Shows His Treasures
39 (QD)At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 Hezekiah [fu]was (QE)pleased, and showed them all his treasure house, the (QF)silver and the gold and the spices and the precious oil and his whole armory and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the (QG)prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far (QH)country, from Babylon.” 4 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah [fv]answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the (QI)word of the Lord of hosts, 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming when (QJ)all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, (QK)will be taken away, and (QL)they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 8 (QM)Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.” For he [fw]thought, “For there will be peace and truth (QN)in my days.”
The Greatness of God
40 “(QO)Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
2 “(QP)Speak [fx]kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her [fy](QQ)warfare has ended,
That her [fz](QR)iniquity has been removed,
That she has received of the Lord’s hand
(QS)Double for all her sins.”
3 (QT)A voice [ga]is calling,
“(QU)Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
4 “Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 [gb]Then the (QV)glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And (QW)all flesh will see it together;
For the (QX)mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Call out.”
Then [gc]he answered, “What shall I call out?”
(QY)All flesh is grass, and all its [gd]loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The (QZ)grass withers, the flower fades,
[ge]When the (RA)breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But (RB)the word of our God stands forever.
9 Get yourself up on a (RC)high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of (RD)good news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the (RE)cities of Judah,
“(RF)Here is your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord [gf]God will come (RG)with might,
With His (RH)arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His (RI)reward is with Him
And His recompense before Him.
11 Like a shepherd He will (RJ)tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
12 Who has (RK)measured the [gg]waters in the hollow of His hand,
And marked off the heavens by the [gh]span,
And [gi]calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?
13 (RL)Who has [gj]directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His (RM)counselor has informed Him?
14 (RN)With whom did He consult and who (RO)gave Him understanding?
And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge
And informed Him of the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the (RP)nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of (RQ)dust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up the [gk]islands like fine dust.
16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
Nor its (RR)beasts enough for a burnt offering.
17 (RS)All the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and [gl]meaningless.
18 (RT)To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
19 As for the [gm](RU)idol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith (RV)plates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a (RW)tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To [gn]prepare [go]an idol that (RX)will not totter.
21 (RY)Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood (RZ)from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who [gp]sits above the [gq](SA)circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like (SB)grasshoppers,
Who (SC)stretches out the heavens like a (SD)curtain
And spreads them out like a (SE)tent to dwell in.
23 He it is who reduces (SF)rulers to nothing,
Who (SG)makes the judges of the earth [gr]meaningless.
24 [gs]Scarcely have they been planted,
[gt]Scarcely have they been sown,
[gu]Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the (SH)storm carries them away like stubble.
25 “(SI)To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 (SJ)Lift up your eyes on high
And see (SK)who has created these stars,
The (SL)One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the (SM)greatness of His might and the [gv]strength of His power,
(SN)Not one of them is missing.
27 (SO)Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is (SP)hidden from the Lord,
And the (SQ)justice due me [gw]escapes the notice of (SR)my God”?
28 (SS)Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The (ST)Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is (SU)inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the (SV)weary,
And to him who lacks might He (SW)increases power.
30 Though (SX)youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous (SY)young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who [gx]wait for the Lord
Will (SZ)gain new strength;
They will [gy](TA)mount up with [gz]wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
Israel Encouraged
41 “(TB)Coastlands, listen to Me (TC)in silence,
And let the peoples (TD)gain new strength;
(TE)Let them come forward, then let them speak;
(TF)Let us come together for judgment.
2 “(TG)Who has aroused one from the east
Whom He (TH)calls in righteousness to His [ha]feet?
He (TI)delivers up nations before him
And subdues kings.
He makes them like (TJ)dust with his sword,
As the wind-driven (TK)chaff with his bow.
3 “He pursues them, passing on in safety,
By a way he had not been [hb]traversing with his feet.
4 “(TL)Who has performed and accomplished it,
Calling forth the generations from the beginning?
‘(TM)I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. (TN)I am He.’”
5 The (TO)coastlands have seen and are afraid;
The (TP)ends of the earth tremble;
They have drawn near and have come.
6 Each one helps his neighbor
And says to his brother, “Be strong!”
7 So the (TQ)craftsman encourages the (TR)smelter,
And he who smooths metal with the hammer encourages him who beats the anvil,
Saying of the soldering, “It is good”;
And he fastens it with nails,
(TS)So that it will not totter.
8 “But you, Israel, (TT)My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
Descendant of (TU)Abraham My (TV)friend,
9 You whom I have [hc](TW)taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its (TX)remotest parts
And said to you, ‘You are (TY)My servant,
I have (TZ)chosen you and not rejected you.
10 ‘Do not (UA)fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely (UB)I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous (UC)right hand.’
11 “Behold, (UD)all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;
(UE)Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
12 “(UF)You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,
Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.
13 “For I am the Lord your God, (UG)who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you, ‘(UH)Do not fear, I will help you.’
14 “Do not fear, you (UI)worm Jacob, you men of Israel;
I will help you,” declares the Lord, “[hd]and (UJ)your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges;
(UK)You will thresh the (UL)mountains and pulverize them,
And will make the hills like chaff.
16 “You will (UM)winnow them, and the wind will carry them away,
And the storm will scatter them;
But you will (UN)rejoice in the Lord,
You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 “The [he]afflicted and needy are seeking (UO)water, but there is none,
And their tongue is parched with thirst;
I, the Lord, (UP)will answer them Myself,
As the God of Israel I (UQ)will not forsake them.
18 “I will open (UR)rivers on the bare heights
And springs in the midst of the valleys;
I will make (US)the wilderness a pool of water
And the dry land fountains of water.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.