Chapter 37

And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard² [it], that he rent⁴ his clothes, and covered¹⁰¹ himself with sackcloth, and went⁴ into the house of the LORD.

And he sent⁴ Eliakim, who [was] over the household, and Shebna the scribe,⁶ and the elders of the priests covered¹⁰² with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

And they said⁴ unto him, Thus saith¹ Hezekiah, This day [is] a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come¹ to the birth, and [there is] not strength to bring forth.²

It may be the LORD thy God will hear⁴ the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent¹ to reproach¹⁵ the living God, and will reprove⁵² the words which the LORD thy God hath heard:¹ wherefore lift up¹ [thy] prayer for the remnant that is left.¹²

So the servants of king Hezekiah came⁴ to Isaiah.

And Isaiah said⁴ unto them, Thus shall ye say⁴ unto your master, Thus saith¹ the LORD, Be not afraid⁴ of the words that thou hast heard,¹ wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed¹⁴ me.

Behold, I will send⁶ a blast upon him, and he shall hear¹ a rumour, and return¹ to his own land; and I will cause him to fall⁵² by the sword in his own land.

So Rabshakeh returned,⁴ and found⁴ the king of Assyria warring¹² against Libnah: for he had heard¹ that he was departed¹ from Lachish.

And he heard⁴ say² concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth¹ to make war⁹ with thee. And when he heard⁴ [it], he sent⁴ messengers to Hezekiah, saying,²

Thus shall ye speak⁴ to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying,² Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest,⁶ deceive⁵⁵ thee, saying,² Jerusalem shall not be given¹¹ into the hand of the king of Assyria.

Behold, thou hast heard¹ what the kings of Assyria have done¹ to all lands by destroying them utterly;⁵³ and shalt thou be delivered?¹¹

Have the gods of the nations delivered⁵² them which my fathers have destroyed,⁵² [as] Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which [were] in Telassar?

Where [is] the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?

And Hezekiah received⁴ the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read⁴ it: and Hezekiah went up⁴ unto the house of the LORD, and spread⁴ it before the LORD.

And Hezekiah prayed¹⁰¹ unto the LORD, saying,²

O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest⁶ [between] the cherubims, thou [art] the God, [even] thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made¹ heaven and earth.

Incline⁵⁴ thine ear, O LORD, and hear;³ open³ thine eyes, O LORD, and see:³ and hear³ all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent¹ to reproach¹⁵ the living God.

Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste⁵² all the nations, and their countries,

And have cast² their gods into the fire: for they [were] no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed¹⁷ them.

Now therefore, O LORD our God, save⁵⁴ us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know⁴ that thou [art] the LORD, [even] thou only.

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent⁴ unto Hezekiah, saying,² Thus saith¹ the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed⁹⁸ to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:

This [is] the word which the LORD hath spoken¹⁴ concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised¹ thee, [and] laughed thee to scorn;¹ the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken⁵² her head at thee.

Whom hast thou reproached¹⁴ and blasphemed?¹⁴ and against whom hast thou exalted⁵² [thy] voice, and lifted up⁴ thine eyes on high? [even] against the Holy One of Israel.

By thy servants hast thou reproached¹⁴ the Lord, and hast said,⁴ By the multitude of my chariots am I come up¹ to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down⁴ the tall cedars thereof, [and] the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter⁴ into the height of his border, [and] the forest of his Carmel. ³⁷⁵⁹

I have digged,¹ and drunk¹ water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up⁵⁵ all the rivers of the besieged places. ⁴⁶⁹²

Hast thou not heard¹ long ago, [how] I have done¹ it; [and] of ancient times, that I have formed¹ it? now have I brought it to pass,⁵² that thou shouldest be to lay waste⁵³ defenced⁷ cities [into] ruinous¹² heaps.

Therefore their inhabitants⁶ [were] of small power, they were dismayed¹ and confounded:¹ they were [as] the grass of the field, and [as] the green herb, [as] the grass on the housetops, and [as corn] blasted before it be grown up.

But I know¹ thy abode,² and thy going out,² and thy coming in,² and thy rage⁹⁹ against me.

Because thy rage⁹⁹ against me, and thy tumult, is come up¹ into mine ears, therefore will I put¹ my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back⁵² by the way by which thou camest.¹

And this [shall be] a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat² [this] year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow³ ye, and reap,³ and plant³ vineyards, and eat³ the fruit thereof.

And the remnant¹² that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again¹ take root downward, and bear¹ fruit upward:

For out of Jerusalem shall go forth⁴ a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do⁴ this.

Therefore thus saith¹ the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come⁴ into this city, nor shoot⁵⁵ an arrow there, nor come before¹⁷ it with shields, nor cast⁴ a bank against it.

By the way that he came,¹ by the same shall he return,⁴ and shall not come⁴ into this city, saith⁷ the LORD.

For I will defend¹ this city to save⁵³ it for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

Then the angel of the LORD went forth,⁴ and smote⁵⁵ in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early⁵⁵ in the morning, behold, they [were] all dead⁵ corpses.

So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed,⁴ and went⁴ and returned,⁴ and dwelt⁴ at Nineveh.

And it came to pass, as he was worshipping¹⁰² in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote⁵² him with the sword; and they escaped⁸ into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned⁴ in his stead.