Isaiah 37

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Help

1Now 1when King Hezekiah heard the report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of the Lord. 2Then he sent 2Eliakim, who was in charge of the household, with 3Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to 4Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3And they said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says: ‘This day is a 5day of distress, rebuke, and humiliation; for 6children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to 7deliver them. 4Perhaps the Lord your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to 8taunt the living God, and will avenge the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for 9the remnant that is left.’”

5So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6And Isaiah said to them, “This is what you shall say to your master: ‘This is what the Lord says: “10Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will 11hear news and 12return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

8Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against 13Libnah, for he had heard that 14the king had left 15Lachish. 9Now he 16heard them say regarding Tirhakah king of 1718Cush, “He has come out to fight against you,” and when he heard it he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10“This is what you shall say to Hezekiah king of 19Judah: ‘20Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 1121Behold, you yourself have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be saved? 12Did the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed save them: 22Gozan, 23Haran, Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13Where 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

14Then Hezekiah took the 24letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and 25spread it out before the Lord. 15Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying, 16“Lord of armies, God of Israel, 26who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the 27God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. 28You made heaven and earth. 1729Incline Your ear, Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, Lord, and see; and 30listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to 31taunt the living God. 18Truly, Lord, the 32kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries and their lands, 19and have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but only the 33work of human hands, wood and stone. So they have 34destroyed them. 20But now Lord, our God, 35save us from his hand, so that 36all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, 37Lord, are God.”

God Answers through Isaiah

21Then 38Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22this is the word that the Lord has spoken against him: “She has shown contempt for you and derided you, The 39virgin 40daughter of Zion; The daughter of Jerusalem has 41shaken her head behind you!23Whom have you 42taunted and blasphemed? And against whom have you raised your voice And 43haughtily 44raised your eyes? Against the 45Holy One of Israel!24Through your servants you have taunted the Lord, And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I came up to the heights of the mountains, To the remotest parts of 46Lebanon; And I cut down its tall 47cedars and its choice junipers. And I will come to its 48highest peak, its thickest 49forest.25I dug wells and drank waters, And 50with the sole of my feet I dried up All the canals of 51Egypt.’2652Have you not heard? Long ago I did it, From ancient times I 53planned it. Now 54I have brought it about That 55you would turn fortified cities into 56ruined heaps.27Therefore their inhabitants were 57powerless, They were shattered and put to shame; They were like the 58vegetation of the field and the green grass, Like 59grass on the housetops 60that is scorched before it has grown.28But I 61know your sitting down, Your going out, your coming in, And your raging against Me.29Because of your raging against Me And because your 62complacency has come up to My ears, I will put My 63hook in your nose And My 64bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back 65by the way that you came.

30“Then this shall be the sign for you: 66you will eat this year what 67grows of itself, in the second year what grows from the same, and in the third year sow, harvest, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31The 68survivors that are 69left of the house of Judah will again 70take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32For out of Jerusalem a 71remnant will go, and out of Mount Zion survivors. The 72zeal of the Lord of armies will perform this.”’

33“Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not come to this city nor shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield, nor heap up an 73assault ramp against it. 3474By 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 75protect this city to save it 76for My own sake, and for My servant David’s sake.’”

Assyrians Destroyed

36Then the 77angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when the rest got up early in the morning, behold, all of 78the 185,000 were 79dead. 37So Sennacherib the king of Assyria departed and 80returned home and lived in 81Nineveh. 38Then it came about, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped to the land of 82Ararat. And his son 83Esarhaddon became king in his place.