2 Kings 19

Isaiah Encourages Hezekiah

1 And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD.2 Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.3 They said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah, 'This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and rejection; for children have come to birth and there is no strength to deliver. 4 Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for 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, "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 hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land."'"

Sennacherib Defies God

8 Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish.9 When he heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, "Behold, he has come out to fight against you," he sent messengers again to Hezekiah saying,10 "Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah, '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 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be spared?12 Did the gods of those nations which my fathers destroyed deliver them, even Gozan and 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

14 Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.15 Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.16 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.17 Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.19 Now, O LORD our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God."

God's Answer through Isaiah

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah saying, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you. '21 This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him:
'She has despised you and mocked you,
The virgin daughter of Zion;
She has shaken her head behind you,
The daughter of Jerusalem!

22 'Whom have you reproached and blasphemed?
And against whom have you raised your voice,
And haughtily lifted up your eyes?
Against the Holy One of Israel!

23 'Through your messengers 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 Lebanon;
And I cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypresses.
And I entered its farthest lodging place, its thickest forest.

24 "I dug wells and drank foreign waters,
And with the sole of my feet I dried up
All the rivers of Egypt."

25 'Have you not heard?
Long ago I did it;
From ancient times I planned it.
Now I have brought it to pass,
That you should turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps.

26 'Therefore their inhabitants were short of strength,
They were dismayed and put to shame;
They were as the vegetation of the field and as the green herb,
As grass on the housetops is scorched before it is grown up.

27 'But I know your sitting down,
And your going out and your coming in,
And your raging against Me.

28 'Because of your raging against Me,
And because your arrogance has come up to My ears,
Therefore I will put My hook in your nose,
And My bridle in your lips,
And I will turn you back by the way which you came.

29 'Then this shall be the sign for you: you will eat this year what 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.30 The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward.31 For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion survivors. The zeal of tthe LORD will perform this.

32 '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 siege ramp against it.33 By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city,"' declares the LORD.34 'For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake.'"

35 Then it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead.36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh.37 It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.

2 Kings 19

1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple.2 He sent Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests,t clothed in sackcloth, with this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz:3 “This is what Hezekiah says:t ‘This is a day of distress, insults,t and humiliation,t as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through.t

4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God.t When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said.t So pray for this remnant that remains.’”t
5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah,6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard – these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me.t

7 Look, I will take control of his mind;t he will receivet a report and return to his own land. I will cut him downt with a sword in his own land.”’”
8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning.t9 The kingt heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him.t He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them:10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed overt to the king of Assyria.”11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands.t Do you really think you will be rescued?t12 Were the nations whom my ancestors destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods?t

13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of Lair,s Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
14 Hezekiah took the letters from the messengers and read it.s Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord.15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: “Lord God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubs!s You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the skyt and the earth.16 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to the message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God!t17 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands.18 They have burned the gods of the nations,t for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them.t

19 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, Lord, are the only God.”
20 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I have heard your prayer concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria.t

21 This is what the Lord says about him:t
“The virgin daughter Zions
despises you, she makes fun of you;
Daughter Jerusalem
shakes her head after you.s

22 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?
At whom have you shouted,t
and looked so arrogantly?t
At the Holy One of Israel!s

23 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master,t
‘With my many chariotss
I climbed up the high mountains,
the slopes of Lebanon.
I cut down its tall cedars,
and its best evergreens.
I invaded its most remote regions,t
its thickest woods.

24 I dug wells and drank
water in foreign lands.t
With the soles of my feet I dried up
all the rivers of Egypt.’

25 tCertainly you must have heard!t
Long ago I worked it out,
In ancient times I plannedt it;
and now I am bringing it to pass.
The plan is this:
Fortified cities will crash
into heaps of ruins.t

26 Their residents are powerless,t
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field,
or green vegetation.t
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftopst
when it is scorched by the east wind.s

27 I know where you live,
and everything you do.s

28 Because you rage against me,
and the uproar you create has reached my ears;s
I will put my hook in your nose,s
and my bridle between your lips,
and I will lead you back the way
you came.”
29 t This will be your confirmation that I have spoken the truth:t This year you will eat what grows wild,s and next yeart what grows on its own from that. But in the third year you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce.t

30 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit.t

31 For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the sovereign Lordt to his peoplet will accomplish this.

32 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
“He will not enter this city,
nor will he shoot an arrow here.t
He will not attack it with his shield-carrying warriors,t
nor will he build siege works against it.

33 He will go back the way he came.
He will not enter this city,” says the Lord.

34 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.’”t
35 That very night the Lord’s messenger went out and killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When theyt got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses.t36 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh.t

37 One day,s as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch,s his sonss Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword.s They escaped to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.