Bible in 90 Days
Woe to Jerusalem
29 “Woe (A)to [a]Ariel, to Ariel, the city (B)where David dwelt!
Add year to year;
Let feasts come around.
2 Yet I will distress Ariel;
There shall be heaviness and sorrow,
And it shall be to Me as Ariel.
3 I will encamp against you all around,
I will lay siege against you with a mound,
And I will raise siegeworks against you.
4 You shall be brought down,
You shall speak out of the ground;
Your speech shall be low, out of the dust;
Your voice shall be like a medium’s, (C)out of the ground;
And your speech shall whisper out of the dust.
5 “Moreover the multitude of your (D)foes
Shall be like fine dust,
And the multitude of the terrible ones
Like (E)chaff that passes away;
Yes, it shall be (F)in an instant, suddenly.
6 (G)You will be punished by the Lord of hosts
With thunder and (H)earthquake and great noise,
With storm and tempest
And the flame of devouring fire.
7 (I)The multitude of all the nations who fight against [b]Ariel,
Even all who fight against her and her fortress,
And distress her,
Shall be (J)as a dream of a night vision.
8 (K)It shall even be as when a hungry man dreams,
And look—he eats;
But he awakes, and his soul is still empty;
Or as when a thirsty man dreams,
And look—he drinks;
But he awakes, and indeed he is faint,
And his soul still craves:
So the multitude of all the nations shall be,
Who fight against Mount Zion.”
The Blindness of Disobedience
9 Pause and wonder!
Blind yourselves and be blind!
(L)They are drunk, (M)but not with wine;
They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
10 For (N)the Lord has poured out on you
The spirit of deep sleep,
And has (O)closed your eyes, namely, the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, namely, (P)the seers.
11 The whole vision has become to you like the words of a [c]book (Q)that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.”
(R)And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”
12 Then the book is delivered to one who [d]is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.”
And he says, “I am not literate.”
13 Therefore the Lord said:
(S)“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me (T)with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
14 (U)Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work
Among this people,
A marvelous work and a wonder;
(V)For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”
15 (W)Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord,
And their works are in the dark;
(X)They say, “Who sees us?” and, “Who knows us?”
16 Surely you have things turned around!
Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay;
For shall the (Y)thing made say of him who made it,
“He did not make me”?
Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”?
Future Recovery of Wisdom
17 Is it not yet a very little while
Till (Z)Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
And the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest?
18 (AA)In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book,
And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
19 (AB)The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord,
And (AC)the poor among men shall rejoice
In the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the [e]terrible one is brought to nothing,
(AD)The scornful one is consumed,
And all who (AE)watch for iniquity are cut off—
21 Who make a man an offender by a word,
And (AF)lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate,
And turn aside the just (AG)by empty words.
22 Therefore thus says the Lord, (AH)who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob shall not now be (AI)ashamed,
Nor shall his face now grow pale;
23 But when he sees his children,
(AJ)The work of My hands, in his midst,
They will hallow My name,
And hallow the Holy One of Jacob,
And fear the God of Israel.
24 These also (AK)who erred in spirit will come to understanding,
And those who complained will learn doctrine.”
Futile Confidence in Egypt
30 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord,
(AL)“Who take counsel, but not of Me,
And who [f]devise plans, but not of My Spirit,
(AM)That they may add sin to sin;
2 (AN)Who walk to go down to Egypt,
And (AO)have not asked My advice,
To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh,
And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
3 (AP)Therefore the strength of Pharaoh
Shall be your shame,
And trust in the shadow of Egypt
Shall be your humiliation.
4 For his princes were at (AQ)Zoan,
And his ambassadors came to Hanes.
5 (AR)They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them,
Or be help or benefit,
But a shame and also a reproach.”
6 (AS)The [g]burden against the beasts of the South.
Through a land of trouble and anguish,
From which came the lioness and lion,
(AT)The viper and fiery flying serpent,
They will carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys,
And their treasures on the humps of camels,
To a people who shall not profit;
7 (AU)For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose.
Therefore I have called her
[h]Rahab-Hem-Shebeth.
A Rebellious People
8 Now go, (AV)write it before them on a tablet,
And note it on a scroll,
That it may be for time to come,
Forever and ever:
9 That (AW)this is a rebellious people,
Lying children,
Children who will not hear the law of the Lord;
10 (AX)Who say to the seers, “Do not see,”
And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things;
(AY)Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.
11 Get out of the way,
Turn aside from the path,
Cause the Holy One of Israel
To cease from before us.”
12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:
“Because you (AZ)despise this word,
And trust in oppression and perversity,
And rely on them,
13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you
(BA)Like a breach ready to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose breaking (BB)comes suddenly, in an instant.
14 And (BC)He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel,
Which is broken in pieces;
He shall not spare.
So there shall not be found among its fragments
[i]A shard to take fire from the hearth,
Or to take water from the cistern.”
15 For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
(BD)“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
(BE)But you would not,
16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses”—
Therefore you shall flee!
And, “We will ride on swift horses”—
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!
17 (BF)One thousand shall flee at the threat of one,
At the threat of five you shall flee,
Till you are left as a [j]pole on top of a mountain
And as a banner on a hill.
God Will Be Gracious
18 Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be (BG)gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
(BH)Blessed are all those who (BI)wait for Him.
19 For the people (BJ)shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem;
You shall (BK)weep no more.
He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry;
When He hears it, He will (BL)answer you.
20 And though the Lord gives you
(BM)The bread of adversity and the water of [k]affliction,
Yet (BN)your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore,
But your eyes shall see your teachers.
21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it,”
Whenever you (BO)turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left.
22 (BP)You will also defile the covering of your images of silver,
And the ornament of your molded images of gold.
You will throw them away as an unclean thing;
(BQ)You will say to them, “Get away!”
23 (BR)Then He will give the rain for your seed
With which you sow the ground,
And bread of the increase of the earth;
It will be [l]fat and plentiful.
In that day your cattle will feed
In large pastures.
24 Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that work the ground
Will eat cured fodder,
Which has been winnowed with the shovel and fan.
25 There will be (BS)on every high mountain
And on every high hill
Rivers and streams of waters,
In the day of the (BT)great slaughter,
When the towers fall.
26 Moreover (BU)the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun,
And the light of the sun will be sevenfold,
As the light of seven days,
In the day that the Lord binds up the bruise of His people
And heals the stroke of their wound.
Judgment on Assyria
27 Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar,
Burning with His anger,
And His burden is heavy;
His lips are full of indignation,
And His tongue like a devouring fire.
28 (BV)His breath is like an overflowing stream,
(BW)Which reaches up to the neck,
To sift the nations with the sieve of futility;
And there shall be (BX)a bridle in the jaws of the people,
Causing them to err.
29 You shall have a song
As in the night when a holy festival is kept,
And gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute,
To come into (BY)the mountain of the Lord,
To [m]the Mighty One of Israel.
30 (BZ)The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard,
And show the descent of His arm,
With the indignation of His anger
And the flame of a devouring fire,
With scattering, tempest, (CA)and hailstones.
31 For (CB)through the voice of the Lord
Assyria will be [n]beaten down,
As He strikes with the (CC)rod.
32 And in every place where the staff of punishment passes,
Which the Lord lays on him,
It will be with tambourines and harps;
And in battles of (CD)brandishing He will fight with it.
33 (CE)For Tophet was established of old,
Yes, for the king it is prepared.
He has made it deep and large;
Its pyre is fire with much wood;
The breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone,
Kindles it.
The Folly of Not Trusting God
31 Woe to those (CF)who go down to Egypt for help,
And (CG)rely on horses,
Who trust in chariots because they are many,
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
(CH)Nor seek the Lord!
2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster,
And (CI)will not [o]call back His words,
But will arise against the house of evildoers,
And against the help of those who work iniquity.
3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God;
And their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out His hand,
Both he who helps will fall,
And he who is helped will fall down;
They all will perish (CJ)together.
God Will Deliver Jerusalem
4 For thus the Lord has spoken to me:
(CK)“As a lion roars,
And a young lion over his prey
(When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him,
He will not be afraid of their voice
Nor be disturbed by their noise),
So the Lord of hosts will come down
To fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.
5 (CL)Like birds flying about,
So will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem.
Defending, He will also deliver it;
Passing over, He will preserve it.”
6 Return to Him against whom the children of Israel have (CM)deeply revolted. 7 For in that day every man shall (CN)throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold—(CO)sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.
8 “Then Assyria shall (CP)fall by a sword not of man,
And a sword not of mankind shall (CQ)devour him.
But he shall flee from the sword,
And his young men shall become forced labor.
9 (CR)He shall cross over to his stronghold for fear,
And his princes shall be afraid of the banner,”
Says the Lord,
Whose fire is in Zion
And whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
A Reign of Righteousness
32 Behold, (CS)a king will reign in righteousness,
And princes will rule with justice.
2 A man will be as a hiding place from the wind,
And (CT)a [p]cover from the tempest,
As rivers of water in a dry place,
As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
3 (CU)The eyes of those who see will not be dim,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 Also the heart of the [q]rash will (CV)understand knowledge,
And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.
5 The foolish person will no longer be called [r]generous,
Nor the miser said to be bountiful;
6 For the foolish person will speak foolishness,
And his heart will work (CW)iniquity:
To practice ungodliness,
To utter error against the Lord,
To keep the hungry unsatisfied,
And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.
7 Also the schemes of the schemer are evil;
He devises wicked plans
To destroy the poor with (CX)lying words,
Even when the needy speaks justice.
8 But a [s]generous man devises generous things,
And by generosity he shall stand.
Consequences of Complacency
9 Rise up, you women (CY)who are at ease,
Hear my voice;
You complacent daughters,
Give ear to my speech.
10 In a year and some days
You will be troubled, you complacent women;
For the vintage will fail,
The gathering will not come.
11 Tremble, you women who are at ease;
Be troubled, you complacent ones;
Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare,
And gird sackcloth on your waists.
12 People shall mourn upon their breasts
For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.
13 (CZ)On the land of my people will come up thorns and briers,
Yes, on all the happy homes in (DA)the joyous city;
14 (DB)Because the palaces will be forsaken,
The bustling city will be deserted.
The forts and towers will become lairs forever,
A joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks—
15 Until (DC)the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
And (DD)the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.
The Peace of God’s Reign
16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
And righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
17 (DE)The work of righteousness will be peace,
And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.
18 My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation,
In secure dwellings, and in quiet (DF)resting places,
19 (DG)Though hail comes down (DH)on the forest,
And the city is brought low in humiliation.
20 Blessed are you who sow beside all waters,
Who send out freely the feet of (DI)the ox and the donkey.
A Prayer in Deep Distress
33 Woe to you (DJ)who plunder, though you have not been plundered;
And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you!
(DK)When you cease plundering,
You will be (DL)plundered;
When you make an end of dealing treacherously,
They will deal treacherously with you.
2 O Lord, be gracious to us;
(DM)We have waited for You.
Be [t]their arm every morning,
Our salvation also in the time of trouble.
3 At the noise of the tumult the people (DN)shall flee;
When You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered;
4 And Your plunder shall be gathered
Like the gathering of the caterpillar;
As the running to and fro of locusts,
He shall run upon them.
5 (DO)The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,
And the strength of salvation;
The fear of the Lord is His treasure.
7 Surely their valiant ones shall cry outside,
(DP)The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
8 (DQ)The highways lie waste,
The traveling man ceases.
(DR)He has broken the covenant,
[u]He has despised the [v]cities,
He regards no man.
9 (DS)The earth mourns and languishes,
Lebanon is shamed and shriveled;
Sharon is like a wilderness,
And Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.
Impending Judgment on Zion
10 “Now(DT) I will rise,” says the Lord;
“Now I will be exalted,
Now I will lift Myself up.
11 (DU)You shall conceive chaff,
You shall bring forth stubble;
Your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
12 And the people shall be like the burnings of lime;
(DV)Like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.
13 Hear, (DW)you who are afar off, what I have done;
And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:
“Who among us shall dwell with the devouring (DX)fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”
15 He who (DY)walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
He who despises the gain of oppressions,
Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes,
Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
And (DZ)shuts his eyes from seeing evil:
16 He will dwell on [w]high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;
Bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.
The Land of the Majestic King
17 Your eyes will see the King in His (EA)beauty;
They will see the land that is very far off.
18 Your heart will meditate on terror:
(EB)“Where is the scribe?
Where is he who weighs?
Where is he who counts the towers?”
19 (EC)You will not see a fierce people,
(ED)A people of obscure speech, beyond perception,
Of a [x]stammering tongue that you cannot understand.
20 (EE)Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see (EF)Jerusalem, a quiet home,
A tabernacle that will not be taken down;
(EG)Not one of (EH)its stakes will ever be removed,
Nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 But there the majestic Lord will be for us
A place of broad rivers and streams,
In which no [y]galley with oars will sail,
Nor majestic ships pass by
22 (For the Lord is our (EI)Judge,
The Lord is our (EJ)Lawgiver,
(EK)The Lord is our King;
He will save us);
23 Your tackle is loosed,
They could not strengthen their mast,
They could not spread the sail.
Then the prey of great plunder is divided;
The lame take the prey.
24 And the inhabitant will not say, “I am sick”;
(EL)The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.
Judgment on the Nations
34 Come (EM)near, you nations, to hear;
And heed, you people!
(EN)Let the earth hear, and all that is in it,
The world and all things that come forth from it.
2 For the indignation of the Lord is against all nations,
And His fury against all their armies;
He has utterly destroyed them,
He has given them over to the (EO)slaughter.
3 Also their slain shall be thrown out;
(EP)Their stench shall rise from their corpses,
And the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
4 (EQ)All the host of heaven shall be dissolved,
And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll;
(ER)All their host shall fall down
As the leaf falls from the vine,
And as (ES)fruit falling from a fig tree.
5 “For (ET)My sword shall be bathed in heaven;
Indeed it (EU)shall come down on Edom,
And on the people of My curse, for judgment.
6 The (EV)sword of the Lord is filled with blood,
It is made [z]overflowing with fatness,
With the blood of lambs and goats,
With the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For (EW)the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah,
And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
7 The wild oxen shall come down with them,
And the young bulls with the mighty bulls;
Their land shall be soaked with blood,
And their dust [aa]saturated with fatness.”
8 For it is the day of the Lord’s (EX)vengeance,
The year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
9 (EY)Its streams shall be turned into pitch,
And its dust into brimstone;
Its land shall become burning pitch.
10 It shall not be quenched night or day;
(EZ)Its smoke shall ascend forever.
(FA)From generation to generation it shall lie waste;
No one shall pass through it forever and ever.
11 (FB)But the [ab]pelican and the [ac]porcupine shall possess it,
Also the owl and the raven shall dwell in it.
And (FC)He shall stretch out over it
The line of confusion and the stones of emptiness.
12 They shall call its nobles to the kingdom,
But none shall be there, and all its princes shall be nothing.
13 And (FD)thorns shall come up in its palaces,
Nettles and brambles in its fortresses;
(FE)It shall be a habitation of jackals,
A courtyard for ostriches.
14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the [ad]jackals,
And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion;
Also [ae]the night creature shall rest there,
And find for herself a place of rest.
15 There the arrow snake shall make her nest and lay eggs
And hatch, and gather them under her shadow;
There also shall the hawks be gathered,
Every one with her mate.
16 “Search from (FF)the book of the Lord, and read:
Not one of these shall fail;
Not one shall lack her mate.
For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them.
17 He has cast the lot for them,
And His hand has divided it among them with a measuring line.
They shall possess it forever;
From generation to generation they shall dwell in it.”
The Future Glory of Zion
35 The (FG)wilderness and the [af]wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the (FH)desert[ag] shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
2 (FI)It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the (FJ)glory of the Lord,
The excellency of our God.
3 (FK)Strengthen the [ah]weak hands,
And make firm the [ai]feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with (FL)vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and (FM)save you.”
5 Then the (FN)eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And (FO)the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then the (FP)lame shall leap like a deer,
And the (FQ)tongue of the dumb sing.
For (FR)waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
7 The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water;
In (FS)the habitation of jackals, where each lay,
There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 A (FT)highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.
(FU)The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray.
9 (FV)No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.
But the redeemed shall walk there,
10 And the (FW)ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And (FX)sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord(FY)
36 Now (FZ)it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 2 Then the king of Assyria sent the [aj]Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. 3 And (GA)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, (GB)Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him.
4 (GC)Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: “What confidence is this in which you trust? 5 I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are [ak]mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 6 Look! You are trusting in the (GD)staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who (GE)trust in him.
7 “But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?” ’ 8 Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 9 How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 10 Have I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’ ”
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in [al]Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
12 But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?”
13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15 nor let Hezekiah make you 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: ‘Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; (GF)and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the 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 lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any one of the (GG)gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered (GH)Samaria from my hand? 20 Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ ”
21 But they [am]held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
Isaiah Assures Deliverance(GI)
37 And (GJ)so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of (GK)trouble and rebuke and [an]blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 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 (GL)reproach 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 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ”
Sennacherib’s Threat and Hezekiah’s Prayer(GM)
8 Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9 And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “He has come out to make war with you.” So when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 12 Have the (GN)gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of (GO)Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’ ”
14 And 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 Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You (GP)alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 (GQ)Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and (GR)hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 18 Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their (GS)lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were (GT)not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 20 Now therefore, O Lord our God, (GU)save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may (GV)know that You are the Lord, You alone.”
The Word of the Lord Concerning Sennacherib(GW)
21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him:
“The virgin, the daughter of Zion,
Has despised you, laughed you to scorn;
The daughter of Jerusalem
Has shaken her head behind your back!
23 “Whom have you reproached and blasphemed?
Against whom have you raised your voice,
And lifted up your eyes on high?
Against the Holy One of Israel.
24 By your servants you have reproached the Lord,
And said, ‘By the multitude of my chariots
I have come up to the height of the mountains,
To the limits of Lebanon;
I will cut down its tall cedars
And its choice cypress trees;
I will enter its farthest height,
To its fruitful forest.
25 I have dug and drunk water,
And with the soles of my feet I have dried up
All the brooks of [ao]defense.’
26 “Did you not hear (GX)long ago
How I made it,
From ancient times that I formed it?
Now I have brought it to pass,
That you should be
For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins.
27 Therefore their inhabitants had little power;
They were dismayed and confounded;
They were as the grass of the field
And the green herb,
As the grass on the housetops
And grain blighted before it is grown.
28 “But I know your dwelling place,
Your going out and your coming in,
And your rage against Me.
29 Because your rage against Me and your tumult
Have come up to My ears,
Therefore (GY)I will put My hook in your nose
And My bridle in your lips,
And I will (GZ)turn you back
By the way which you came.” ’
30 “This shall be a sign to you:
You shall eat this year such as grows of itself,
And the second year what springs from the same;
Also in the third year sow and reap,
Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.
31 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah
Shall again take root downward,
And bear fruit upward.
32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant,
And those who escape from Mount Zion.
The (HA)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,
Nor shoot an arrow there,
Nor come before it with shield,
Nor build a siege mound against it.
34 By the way that he came,
By the same shall he return;
And he shall not come into this city,’
Says the Lord.
35 ‘For I will (HB)defend this city, to save it
For My own sake and for My servant (HC)David’s sake.’ ”
Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death(HD)
36 Then the (HE)angel[ap] of the Lord went out, and [aq]killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 38 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then (HF)Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
Hezekiah’s Life Extended(HG)
38 In (HH)those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: (HI)‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’ ”
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, (HJ)“Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a [ar]loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your (HK)sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. 6 I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and (HL)I will defend this city.” ’ 7 And this is (HM)the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which He has spoken: 8 Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.
9 This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
10 I said,
“In the prime of my life
I shall go to the gates of Sheol;
I am deprived of the remainder of my years.”
11 I said,
“I shall not see [as]Yah,
The Lord (HN)in the land of the living;
I shall observe man no more [at]among the inhabitants of [au]the world.
12 (HO)My life span is gone,
Taken from me like a shepherd’s tent;
I have cut off my life like a weaver.
He cuts me off from the loom;
From day until night You make an end of me.
13 I have considered until morning—
Like a lion,
So He breaks all my bones;
From day until night You make an end of me.
14 Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered;
(HP)I mourned like a dove;
My eyes fail from looking upward.
O [av]Lord, I am oppressed;
[aw]Undertake for me!
15 “What shall I say?
[ax]He has both spoken to me,
And He Himself has done it.
I shall walk carefully all my years
(HQ)In the bitterness of my soul.
16 O Lord, by these things men live;
And in all these things is the life of my spirit;
So You will restore me and make me live.
17 Indeed it was for my own peace
That I had great bitterness;
But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption,
For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
18 For (HR)Sheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.
19 The living, the living man, he shall praise You,
As I do this day;
(HS)The father shall make known Your truth to the children.
20 “The Lord was ready to save me;
Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments
All the days of our life, in the house of the Lord.”
21 Now (HT)Isaiah had said, “Let them take a lump of figs, and apply it as a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.”
22 And (HU)Hezekiah had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”
The Babylonian Envoys(HV)
39 At (HW)that time [ay]Merodach-Baladan the 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 (HX)And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?”
So Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a (HY)far country, from Babylon.”
4 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?”
So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming (HZ)when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘And they shall take away some of your (IA)sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ”
8 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, (IB)“The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days.”
God’s People Are Comforted(IC)
40 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
2 “Speak [az]comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
(ID)For she has received from the Lord’s hand
Double for all her sins.”
3 (IE)The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(IF)“Prepare the way of the Lord;
(IG)Make straight [ba]in the desert
A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
(IH)The crooked places shall be made [bb]straight
And the rough places smooth;
5 The (II)glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 The voice said, “Cry out!”
And [bc]he said, “What shall I cry?”
(IJ)“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But (IK)the word of our God stands forever.”
9 O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God shall come [bd]with a strong hand,
And (IL)His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, (IM)His reward is with Him,
And His [be]work before Him.
11 He will (IN)feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
12 (IO)Who has measured the [bf]waters in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a [bg]span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
13 (IP)Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has taught Him?
14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,
And (IQ)taught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,
Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before Him are as (IR)nothing,
And (IS)they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.
18 To whom then will you (IT)liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare to Him?
19 (IU)The workman molds an image,
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,
And the silversmith casts silver chains.
20 Whoever is too impoverished for such [bh]a contribution
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman
(IV)To prepare a carved image that will not totter.
21 (IW)Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who (IX)stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a (IY)tent to dwell in.
23 He [bi]brings the (IZ)princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless.
24 Scarcely shall they be planted,
Scarcely shall they be sown,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,
When He will also blow on them,
And they will wither,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.
25 “To(JA) whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
(JB)He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
27 (JC)Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
(JD)His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who (JE)wait on the Lord
(JF)Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Israel Assured of God’s Help
41 “Keep (JG)silence before Me, O coastlands,
And let the people renew their strength!
Let them come near, then let them speak;
Let us (JH)come near together for judgment.
2 “Who raised up one (JI)from the east?
Who in righteousness called him to His feet?
Who (JJ)gave the nations before him,
And made him rule over kings?
Who gave them as the dust to his sword,
As driven stubble to his bow?
3 Who pursued them, and passed [bj]safely
By the way that he had not gone with his feet?
4 (JK)Who has performed and done it,
Calling the generations from the beginning?
‘I, the Lord, am (JL)the first;
And with the last I am (JM)He.’ ”
5 The coastlands saw it and feared,
The ends of the earth were afraid;
They drew near and came.
6 (JN)Everyone helped his neighbor,
And said to his brother,
[bk]“Be of good courage!”
7 (JO)So the craftsman encouraged the (JP)goldsmith;[bl]
He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil,
Saying, [bm]“It is ready for the soldering”;
Then he fastened it with pegs,
(JQ)That it might not totter.
8 “But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have (JR)chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My (JS)friend.
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 (JT)Fear not, (JU)for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be (JV)ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.
12 You shall seek them and not find them—
[bn]Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you
Shall be as nothing,
As a nonexistent thing.
13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’
14 “Fear not, you (JW)worm Jacob,
You men of Israel!
I will help you,” says the Lord
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Behold, (JX)I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth;
You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small,
And make the hills like chaff.
16 You shall (JY)winnow them, the wind shall carry them away,
And the whirlwind shall scatter them;
You shall rejoice in the Lord,
And (JZ)glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none,
Their tongues fail for thirst.
I, the Lord, will hear them;
I, the God of Israel, will not (KA)forsake them.
18 I will open (KB)rivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the (KC)wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.