Old/New Testament
Hezekiah Asks God to Help(A)
37 When King Hezekiah heard the message, he tore his clothes [C a sign of mourning or distress; 36:22] and put on ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth; C also a sign of mourning]. Then he went into the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 2 Hezekiah sent Eliakim [22:20], ·the palace manager [L who was over the house], and Shebna [22:15], the ·royal secretary [scribe], and the ·older [or senior; leading; L elders of the] priests to Isaiah. They were all wearing ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth] when they came to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 They told Isaiah, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of ·sorrow [distress; trouble] and ·punishment [insults; rebuke] and ·disgrace [rejection], as when a child ·should [is ready to] be born, but the mother is not strong enough to give birth to it. 4 The king of Assyria sent his ·field commander [chief advisor; or Rabshakeh] to ·make fun of [defy; ridicule; insult] the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will hear what the commander said and will ·punish [rebuke] him for it. So pray for the ·few of us who are left alive [remnant that is left].”
5 When Hezekiah’s ·officers [officials] came to Isaiah, 6 he said to them, “Tell your ·master [lord] this: ·The Lord says [T Thus says the Lord], ‘Don’t be afraid of what you have heard. Don’t be frightened by the words the ·servants [subordinates; young men] of the king of Assyria have ·spoken [used to blaspheme] against me. 7 ·Listen [Look; T Behold]! I am going to put a spirit [C either an evil spirit or an inclination] in the king of Assyria. He will hear a report that will make him return to his own country, and I will cause him to ·die [L fall] by the sword there.’”
8 The ·field commander [chief advisor; or Rabshakeh] heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish. When he went back, he found the king fighting against the city of Libnah.
9 The king received a report that Tirhakah, the ·Cushite king of Egypt [L king of Cush; C ruled 689–664 bc], was coming to attack him. When the king of Assyria heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Tell Hezekiah king of Judah: Don’t be ·fooled [deceived; deluded] by the god you trust. Don’t believe him when he says Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. 11 You ·have heard [know] what the kings of Assyria have done. They have completely defeated every country, so do ·not [L you…?] think you will be ·saved [rescued; T delivered]. 12 Did the gods of ·those people [the nations] ·save [rescue; T deliver] them? My ·ancestors [predecessors; fathers] destroyed them, defeating the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and the people of Eden living in Tel Assar [C cities in Mesopotamia]. 13 Where are the kings of Hamath and Arpad [10:9; 36:19]? Where are the kings of Sepharvaim [36:19], Hena, and Ivvah?”
Hezekiah Prays to the Lord
14 When Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. He spread the letter out before the Lord 15 and prayed ·to [before] the Lord: 16 “Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], you are the God of Israel, whose throne is ·between [above] the ·gold creatures with wings [L cherubim; Ex. 25:18–22; Ezek. 10:1], only you are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth [Gen. 1]. 17 ·Hear [L Extend/Incline your ear], Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Listen to all the words Sennacherib has said to ·insult [defy; ridicule; mock] the living God.
18 “It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have ·destroyed [devastated; laid waste to] all these ·countries [nations] and their lands. 19 They have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire, ·but [for] they were only wood and rock statues ·that people made [L the work of human hands]. So they have destroyed them. 20 Now, Lord our God, ·save [rescue; T deliver] us from the king’s ·power [L hand] so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, ·Lord, are the only God [L …alone are Lord; 2 Kin. 19:19].”
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.’”
The Angel of Death(B)
36 Then the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord went out and killed one hundred eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up early the next morning, they saw all the dead bodies. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria left and went back to Nineveh and stayed there.
38 One day as Sennacherib was worshiping in the ·temple [L house] of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with a sword. Then they escaped to the land of Ararat. So Sennacherib’s son Esarhaddon became king of Assyria.
Hezekiah’s Illness(C)
38 At that time Hezekiah became so sick he ·almost died [was about to die]. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and told him, “·This is what the Lord says [T Thus says the Lord]: ·Make arrangements [L Set your house in order], because you are going to die. You will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Lord, please remember that I have always ·obeyed [L walked before] you. I have ·given myself completely to you [served you wholeheartedly] and have done ·what you said was right [L right in the eyes/sight of the Lord].” Then Hezekiah ·cried loudly [wept bitterly].
4 Then the Lord spoke his word to Isaiah: 5 “Go to Hezekiah and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ·ancestor [father] David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. So I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will ·save [rescue] you and this city from [L the hand of] the king of Assyria; I will defend this city.
7 “‘The Lord will do what he ·says [promises]. This is the sign from the Lord to show you: 8 The sun has made a shadow go down the stairway of Ahaz, but I will make it go back ten steps.’” So the shadow made by the sun went back up the ten steps it had gone down.
9 After Hezekiah king of Judah got well, he wrote this ·song [or poem; L writing]:
10 I said, “I am in the ·middle [prime] of my life.
Do I have to go through the gates of ·death [or the grave; L Sheol]?
Will I have the rest of my life ·taken away [deprived; robbed] from me?”
11 I said, “I will not see ·the Lord [the Lord, the Lord; L Yah, Yah; 26:4]
in the land of the living again.
I will not again see ·the people [a human being]
who live on the earth.
12 Like a shepherd’s tent,
my home has been pulled down and taken from me.
I am like the cloth a weaver rolls up and cuts from the loom.
·In one day [L From day to night] you brought me to this end.
13 ·All night I cried loudly [or I waited patiently till morning].
Like a lion, he ·crushed [breaks] all my bones.
·In one day [L From day to night] you brought me to this end.
14 I ·cried [twitter; chatter] like a ·bird [L swallow or a crane]
and moaned like a dove.
My eyes ·became tired as I looked [grew weary from looking] to the ·heavens [heights].
Lord, I ·have troubles [am oppressed]. ·Please help me [Be my security].”
15 What can I say?
·The Lord told me what would happen and then made it happen [L He spoke to me and he did it].
I will ·be humble [wander about; shuffle along; walk slowly] all my ·life [years]
because of ·these troubles in [the bitterness of] my soul.
16 Lord, because of ·you [L these things], people live.
Because of ·you [L them], my spirit also lives;
you ·made me well [restored me] and let me live.
17 It was for my own ·good [welfare; peace; C Hebrew shalom]
that I had such ·troubles [anguish; bitterness].
Because you love me very much,
you ·did not let me die [delivered my soul from the pit of destruction/corruption]
but threw my sins
·far away [L behind your back].
18 ·People in the place of the dead [or For the grave; L For Sheol] cannot ·praise [thank] you;
·those who have died [L death] cannot ·sing praises [praise] to you;
those who ·die [L go down to the pit] ·don’t trust you
to help them [L cannot hope for your faithfulness].
19 ·The people who are alive [L The living, the living] are the ones who ·praise [thank] you.
They praise you as I praise you today.
A father should tell his children
·that you provide help [L about your faithfulness].
20 The Lord ·saved me [or will save; or is ready to save],
so we will play songs on stringed instruments
in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord
all the days of our lives.
21 Then Isaiah said, “·Make a paste from [or Take a cake of] figs and put it on Hezekiah’s boil. Then he will get well.” 22 Hezekiah ·then [or had] asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign? What will show that I will go up to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord?”
Your New Life in Christ
3 [L Therefore] Since you were ·raised from the dead [L raised] with Christ, ·aim at [aspire to; seek after; focus on] ·what is in heaven [L the things above], where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 2 ·Think only about [Set your minds on; Fix your thoughts on] the things ·in heaven [L above], not the things on earth. 3 [L For] ·Your old sinful self has [L You] died, and your new life is ·kept [hidden] with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, ·comes again [appears; L is revealed], you will ·share in his [L be revealed with him in] glory.
5 So put all ·evil [earthly; worldly] things ·out of your life [L to death]: sexual sinning, ·doing evil [impurity; defilement], ·letting evil thoughts control you [lust; passion], ·wanting things that are evil [selfish desires], and greed, which is ·serving a false god [idolatry]. 6 Because of these things, God’s ·judgment [anger; wrath] is coming.[b] 7 You also used to ·do these things [live/walk this way] when you were ·part of the world [L living among/in them].
8 But now also put these things out of your life: anger, ·bad temper [rage], ·hatred [malice; evil], ·saying things to hurt others [slander; blasphemy], and ·using evil words [abusive/filthy/obscene language] ·when you talk [L from your mouth]. 9 Do not lie to each other. You have ·left [taken/stripped off; or disarmed; 2:15] your old ·sinful life [self; person; man] and ·the things you did before [L its deeds/practices]. 10 You have ·begun to live the new life [L put on the new person/man], in which you are being ·made new [renewed] in ·the true knowledge of God [L knowledge] ·and are becoming like [L according to the image of] the One who created you [Gen. 1:26–27]. 11 In the new life there is no difference between Greeks and Jews, those who are circumcised and those who are not circumcised, or ·people who are foreigners [barbarians], or Scythians [C from the northern coast of the Black Sea, considered uncivilized and violent]. There is no difference between slaves and free people. But Christ is ·all that is important and is in all believers [L all and in all].
12 ·God loves you and has chosen you and made you his holy people. So [L As God’s chosen, holy and beloved ones; Ex. 19:6; 1 Pet. 2:9] you should always clothe yourselves with ·mercy [L a heart of compassion], kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 ·Bear with [Make allowances for; Be patient with] each other, and forgive each other. If someone ·does wrong to you [L has a grievance/complaint against someone], forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. 14 ·Even more than all this [Above all], clothe yourself in love, which ·holds you all together in perfect unity [or binds everything together; L is the bond of perfection/completeness]. 15 Let the peace ·that Christ gives [of Christ] ·control [rule; arbitrate] your ·thinking [hearts], because you were all called together in one body [C the church as the body of Christ] to have peace. Always be thankful. 16 Let the ·teaching [message; word] of Christ ·live in [or dwell among] you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and ·instruct [warn; admonish] each other by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with ·thankfulness [gratitude; grace] in your hearts to God. 17 Everything you do or say should be done ·to obey [or as a representative of; L in the name of] the Lord Jesus. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.
Your New Life with Other People
18 Wives, ·yield to the authority of [submit to] your husbands, because this is ·the right thing to do [appropriate; fitting] in the Lord [Eph. 5:22–24; 1 Pet. 3:1–6].
19 Husbands, love your wives and ·be gentle with [L don’t be harsh toward/embittered against] them [Eph. 5:25–33; 1 Pet. 3:7].
20 Children, obey your parents in all things, because this pleases the Lord [Eph. 6:1–3].
21 Fathers [or Parents; Heb. 11:23], do not ·nag [aggravate; exasperate; provoke] your children [Eph. 6:4]. If you are too hard to please, they may ·want to stop trying [become discouraged; lose heart].
22 ·Slaves [Bondservants], obey your ·human [earthly] masters in all things [Eph. 6:5–9; 1 Pet. 2:18–25]. Do not obey just ·when they are watching you [L with eye-service], ·to gain their favor [L as people-pleasers], but serve them ·honestly [with a sincere heart], because you ·respect [reverence; fear] the Lord [Prov. 1:7]. 23 In all the work you are doing, ·work the best you can [do it heart and soul; L from the soul]. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people. 24 ·Remember [L …knowing] that you will receive from the Lord the reward ·which he promised to his people [L of an inheritance]. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 But remember that anyone who does wrong will be ·punished [repaid] for that wrong, and ·the Lord treats everyone the same [L there is no favoritism/partiality].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.