18:1 In the third year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Ahaz’s son Hezekiah became king over Judah. 18:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. 2 His mother 3 was Abi, 4 the daughter of Zechariah. 18:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. 5 18:4 He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole. 6 He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time 7 the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan. 8 18:5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in this regard there was none like him among the kings of Judah either before or after. 9 18:6 He was loyal to 10 the Lord and did not abandon him. 11 He obeyed the commandments which the Lord had given to 12 Moses. 18:7 The Lord was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors. 13 He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to submit to him. 14 18:8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from the watchtower to the city fortress. 15
18:9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah’s reign (it was the seventh year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea, son of Elah), King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched 16 up against Samaria 17 and besieged it. 18:10 After three years he captured it (in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign); in the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign over Israel Samaria was captured. 18:11 The king of Assyria deported the people of Israel 18 to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. 18:12 This happened because they did not obey 19 the Lord their God and broke his agreement with them. 20 They did not pay attention to and obey all that Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded. 21
18:13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 18:14 King Hezekiah of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria, who was at Lachish, “I have violated our treaty. 22 If you leave, I will do whatever you demand.” 23 So the king of Assyria demanded that King Hezekiah of Judah pay three hundred talents 24 of silver and thirty talents of gold. 18:15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver in 25 the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace. 18:16 At that time King Hezekiah of Judah stripped the metal overlays from the doors of the Lord’s temple and from the posts which he had plated 26 and gave them to the king of Assyria.
18:17 The king of Assyria sent his commanding general, the chief eunuch, and the chief adviser 27 from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, 28 along with a large army. They went up and arrived at Jerusalem. They went 29 and stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 30 18:18 They summoned the king, so Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet them.
18:19 The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence? 31 18:20 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. 32 In whom are you trusting that you would dare to rebel against me? 18:21 Now look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If a man leans for support on it, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him. 18:22 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem.’ 18:23 Now make a deal 33 with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 18:24 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 34 18:25 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this place to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March 35 up against this land and destroy it.’”’” 36
18:26 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic, 37 for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect 38 in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 18:27 But the chief adviser said to them, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. 39 His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you.” 40
18:28 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, 41 “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 18:29 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you from my hand! 42 18:30 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord when he says, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 18:31 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. 43 Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 18:32 until I come and take you to a land just like your own – a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Then you will live and not die. Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” 18:33 Have any of the gods of the nations actually rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 44 18:34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? 45 Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria 46 from my power? 47 18:35 Who among all the gods of the lands has rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” 48 18:36 The people were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”
18:37 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn 49 and reported to him what the chief adviser had said. 19:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple. 19:2 He sent Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, 50 clothed in sackcloth, with this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 19:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: 51 ‘This is a day of distress, insults, 52 and humiliation, 53 as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 54 19:4 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. 55 When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. 56 So pray for this remnant that remains.’” 57
19:5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah, 19:6 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. 58 19:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; 59 he will receive 60 a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down 61 with a sword in his own land.”’”
19:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. 62 19:9 The king 63 heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. 64 He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 19:10 “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 over 65 to the king of Assyria.” 19:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. 66 Do you really think you will be rescued? 67 19:12 Were the nations whom my ancestors destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? 68 19:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of Lair, 69 Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
19:14 Hezekiah took the letter 70 from the messengers and read it. 71 Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. 19:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: “Lord God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubs! 72 You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky 73 and the earth. 19:16 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to the message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! 74 19:17 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands. 19:18 They have burned the gods of the nations, 75 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. 76 19:19 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.”
19:20 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. 77 19:21 This is what the Lord says about him: 78
“The virgin daughter Zion 79
despises you, she makes fun of you;
Daughter Jerusalem
shakes her head after you. 80
19:22 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?
At whom have you shouted, 81
and looked so arrogantly? 82
At the Holy One of Israel! 83
19:23 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, 84
‘With my many chariots 85
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, 86
its thickest woods.
19:24 I dug wells and drank
water in foreign lands. 87
With the soles of my feet I dried up
all the rivers of Egypt.’
19:25 88 Certainly you must have heard! 89
Long ago I worked it out,
In ancient times I planned 90 it;
and now I am bringing it to pass.
The plan is this:
Fortified cities will crash
into heaps of ruins. 91
19:26 Their residents are powerless, 92
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field,
or green vegetation. 93
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops 94
when it is scorched by the east wind. 95
19:27 I know where you live,
and everything you do. 96
19:28 Because you rage against me,
and the uproar you create has reached my ears; 97
I will put my hook in your nose, 98
and my bridle between your lips,
and I will lead you back the way
you came.”
19:29 99 This will be your confirmation that I have spoken the truth: 100 This year you will eat what grows wild, 101 and next year 102 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. 103 19:30 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. 104
19:31 For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the sovereign Lord 105 to his people 106 will accomplish this.
19:32 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. 107
He will not attack it with his shield-carrying warriors, 108
nor will he build siege works against it.
19:33 He will go back the way he came.
He will not enter this city,” says the Lord.
19:34 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.’” 109
19:35 That very night the Lord’s messenger went out and killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When they 110 got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses. 111 19:36 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. 112 19:37 One day, 113 as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, 114 his sons 115 Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. 116 They escaped to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.
20:1 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. 117 The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Give your household instructions, for you are about to die; you will not get well.’” 118 20:2 He turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 20:3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you 119 faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, 120 and how I have carried out your will.” 121 Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. 122
20:4 Isaiah was still in the middle courtyard when the Lord told him, 123 20:5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people: ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you. The day after tomorrow 124 you will go up to the Lord’s temple. 20:6 I will add fifteen years to your life and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”’” 125 20:7 Isaiah ordered, “Get a fig cake.” So they did as he ordered 126 and placed it on the ulcerated sore, and he recovered. 127
20:8 Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, “What is the confirming sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the Lord’s temple the day after tomorrow?” 20:9 Isaiah replied, “This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said. Do you want the shadow to move ahead ten steps or to go back ten steps?” 128 20:10 Hezekiah answered, “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps, but not for it 129 to go back ten steps.” 20:11 Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and the Lord 130 made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz. 131
20:12 At that time Merodach-Baladan 132 son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah was ill. 20:13 Hezekiah welcomed 133 them and showed them his whole storehouse, with its silver, gold, spices, and high quality olive oil, as well as his armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom. 134 20:14 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say? Where do they come from?” Hezekiah replied, “They come from the distant land of Babylon.” 20:15 Isaiah 135 asked, “What have they seen in your palace?” Hezekiah replied, “They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything 136 in my treasuries.” 20:16 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the word of the Lord, 20:17 ‘Look, a time is 137 coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 20:18 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father 138 will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 20:19 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate.” 139 Then he added, 140 “At least there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.” 141
20:20 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign and all his accomplishments, including how he built a pool and conduit to bring 142 water into the city, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 143 20:21 Hezekiah passed away 144 and his son Manasseh replaced him as king.
1:1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel. 145
1:1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel. 146 1:2 Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria 147 and was injured. He sent messengers with these orders, 148 “Go, ask 149 Baal Zebub, 150 the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury.”
1:3 But the Lord’s angelic messenger told Elijah the Tishbite, “Get up, go to meet the messengers from the king of Samaria. Say this to them: ‘You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub the god of Ekron. 151 1:4 Therefore this is what the Lord says, “You will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die!”’” So Elijah went on his way.
1:5 When the messengers returned to the king, 152 he asked them, “Why have you returned?” 1:6 They replied, 153 “A man came up to meet us. He told us, “Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. 154 Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.”’” 1:7 The king 155 asked them, “Describe the appearance 156 of this man who came up to meet you and told you these things.” 1:8 They replied, 157 “He was a hairy man 158 and had a leather belt 159 tied around his waist.” The king 160 said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”
1:9 The king 161 sent a captain and his fifty soldiers 162 to retrieve Elijah. 163 The captain 164 went up to him, while he was sitting on the top of a hill. 165 He told him, “Prophet, 166 the king says, ‘Come down!’” 1:10 Elijah replied to the captain, 167 “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire then came down 168 from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.
1:11 The king 169 sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He went up and told him, 170 “Prophet, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’” 171 1:12 Elijah replied to them, 172 “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire from God 173 came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.
1:13 The king 174 sent a third captain and his fifty soldiers. This third captain went up and fell 175 on his knees before Elijah. He begged for mercy, “Prophet, please have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours. 1:14 Indeed, 176 fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men. 177 So now, please have respect for my life.” 1:15 The Lord’s angelic messenger said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down 178 with him to the king.
1:16 Elijah 179 said to the king, 180 “This is what the Lord says, ‘You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle! 181 Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’” 182
1:17 He died just as the Lord had prophesied through Elijah. 183 In the second year of the reign of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat over Judah, Ahaziah’s brother Jehoram replaced him as king of Israel, because he had no son. 184 1:18 The rest of the events of Ahaziah’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 185
1:1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel. 186
36:1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, 187 King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser 188 from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, 189 along with a large army. The chief adviser 190 stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 191 36:3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet him.
36:4 The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence? 192 36:5 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. 193 In whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me? 36:6 Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him! 36:7 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar.’ 36:8 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 36:9 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 194 36:10 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this land to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March up against this land and destroy it!’”’” 195
36:11 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic, 196 for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect 197 in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 36:12 But the chief adviser said, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. 198 His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you!” 199
36:13 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, 200 “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 36:14 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you! 36:15 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 36:16 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. 201 Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 36:17 until I come and take you to a land just like your own – a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 36:18 Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 202 36:19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? 203 Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria 204 from my power? 205 36:20 Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” 206 36:21 They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”
36:22 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief 207 and reported to him what the chief adviser had said. 37:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, 208 he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple. 37:2 Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, 209 clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 37:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: 210 ‘This is a day of distress, insults, 211 and humiliation, 212 as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 213 37:4 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. 214 When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. 215 So pray for this remnant that remains.’” 216
37:5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah, 37:6 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. 217 37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; 218 he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down 219 with a sword in his own land.”’”
37:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. 220 37:9 The king 221 heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia 222 was marching out to fight him. 223 He again sent 224 messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 37:10 “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 over to the king of Assyria.” 37:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. 225 Do you really think you will be rescued? 226 37:12 Were the nations whom my predecessors 227 destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? 228 37:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair, 229 Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
37:14 Hezekiah took the letter 230 from the messengers and read it. 231 Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. 37:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: 37:16 “O Lord who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! 232 You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky 233 and the earth. 37:17 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! 234 37:18 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations 235 and their lands. 37:19 They have burned the gods of the nations, 236 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. 237 37:20 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” 238
37:21 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria, 239 37:22 this is what the Lord says about him: 240
“The virgin daughter Zion 241
despises you – she makes fun of you;
daughter Jerusalem
shakes her head after you. 242
37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?
At whom have you shouted
and looked so arrogantly? 243
At the Holy One of Israel! 244
37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, 245
‘With my many chariots 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, 246
its thickest woods.
37:25 I dug wells
and drank water. 247
With the soles of my feet I dried up
all the rivers of Egypt.’
37:26 248 Certainly you must have heard! 249
Long ago I worked it out,
in ancient times I planned 250 it,
and now I am bringing it to pass.
The plan is this:
Fortified cities will crash
into heaps of ruins. 251
37:27 Their residents are powerless; 252
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field
or green vegetation. 253
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops 254
when it is scorched by the east wind. 255
37:28 I know where you live
and everything you do
and how you rage against me. 256
37:29 Because you rage against me
and the uproar you create has reached my ears, 257
I will put my hook in your nose, 258
and my bridle between your lips,
and I will lead you back
the way you came.”
37:30 259 “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: 260 This year you will eat what grows wild, 261 and next year 262 what grows on its own. But the year after that 263 you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 264 37:31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. 265
37:32 “For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies 266 will accomplish this.
37:33 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. 267
He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, 268
nor will he build siege works against it.
37:34 He will go back the way he came –
he will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.
37:35 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”’” 269
37:36 The Lord’s messenger 270 went out and killed 185,000 troops 271 in the Assyrian camp. When they 272 got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses! 273 37:37 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. 274 37:38 One day, 275 as he was worshiping 276 in the temple of his god Nisroch, 277 his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. 278 They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.
38:1 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. 279 The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Give instructions to your household, for you are about to die; you will not get well.’” 38:2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 38:3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you 280 faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, 281 and how I have carried out your will.” 282 Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. 283
38:4 The Lord told Isaiah, 284 38:5 “Go and tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor 285 David says: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will add fifteen years to your life, 38:6 and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city.”’” 38:7 Isaiah replied, 286 “This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said: 38:8 Look, I will make the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz.” 287 And then the shadow went back ten steps. 288
38:9 This is the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah when he was sick and then recovered from his illness:
38:10 “I thought, 289
‘In the middle of my life 290 I must walk through the gates of Sheol,
I am deprived 291 of the rest of my years.’
38:11 “I thought,
‘I will no longer see the Lord 292 in the land of the living,
I will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world. 293
38:12 My dwelling place 294 is removed and taken away 295 from me
like a shepherd’s tent.
I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth; 296
from the loom he cuts me off. 297
You turn day into night and end my life. 298
38:13 I cry out 299 until morning;
like a lion he shatters all my bones;
you turn day into night and end my life. 300
38:14 Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp,
I coo 301 like a dove;
my eyes grow tired from looking up to the sky. 302
O sovereign master, 303 I am oppressed;
help me! 304
38:15 What can I say?
He has decreed and acted. 305
I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief. 306
38:16 O sovereign master, your decrees can give men life;
may years of life be restored to me. 307
Restore my health 308 and preserve my life.’
38:17 “Look, the grief I experienced was for my benefit. 309
You delivered me 310 from the pit of oblivion. 311
For you removed all my sins from your sight. 312
38:18 Indeed 313 Sheol does not give you thanks;
death does not 314 praise you.
Those who descend into the pit do not anticipate your faithfulness.
38:19 The living person, the living person, he gives you thanks,
as I do today.
A father tells his sons about your faithfulness.
38:20 The Lord is about to deliver me, 315
and we will celebrate with music 316
for the rest of our lives in the Lord’s temple.” 317
38:21 318 Isaiah ordered, “Let them take a fig cake and apply it to the ulcerated sore and he will get well.” 38:22 Hezekiah said, “What is the confirming sign that I will go up to the Lord’s temple?”39:1 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been ill and had recovered. 39:2 Hezekiah welcomed 319 them and showed them his storehouse with its silver, gold, spices, and high-quality olive oil, as well as his whole armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom. 320 39:3 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say? Where do they come from?” Hezekiah replied, “They come from the distant land of Babylon.” 39:4 Isaiah 321 asked, “What have they seen in your palace?” Hezekiah replied, “They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything in my treasuries.” 39:5 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the word of the Lord who commands armies: 39:6 ‘Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors 322 have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 39:7 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father 323 will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 39:8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate.” 324 Then he thought, 325 “For 326 there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.”
1 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
2 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
3 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
4 tn The parallel passage in 2 Chr 29:1 has “Abijah.”
5 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
6 tn The term is singular in the MT but plural in the LXX and other ancient versions. It is also possible to regard the singular as a collective singular, especially in the context of other plural items.
7 tn Heb “until those days.”
8 tn In Hebrew the name sounds like the phrase נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת (nÿkhash hannÿkhoshet), “bronze serpent.”
9 tn Heb “and after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, and those who were before him.”
10 tn Heb “he hugged.”
11 tn Heb “and did not turn aside from after him.”
12 tn Heb “had commanded.”
13 tn Heb “in all which he went out [to do], he was successful.”
14 tn Heb “and did not serve him.”
15 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 17:9.
16 tn Heb “went” (also in v. 13).
17 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
18 tn The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” as the object of the verb.
19 tn Heb “listen to the voice of.”
20 tn Heb “his covenant.”
21 tn Heb “all that Moses, the
22 tn Or “I have done wrong.”
23 tn Heb “Return from upon me; what you place upon me, I will carry.”
24 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 22,500 pounds of silver and 2,250 pounds of gold.
25 tn Heb “that was found.”
26 tn Heb “At that time Hezekiah stripped the doors of the
27 sn For a discussion of these titles see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.
28 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
29 tn Heb “and they went up and came.”
30 tn Heb “the field of the washer.”
31 tn Heb “What is this object of trust in which you are trusting?”
32 tn Heb “you say only a word of lips, counsel and might for battle.” Sennacherib’s message appears to be in broken Hebrew at this point. The phrase “word of lips” refers to mere or empty talk in Prov 14:23.
33 tn Heb “exchange pledges.”
34 tn Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 23-24 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 21. His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”
35 tn Heb “Go.”
36 sn In v. 25 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 22. He claims that Hezekiah has offended the Lord and that the Lord has commissioned Assyria as his instrument of discipline and judgment.
37 sn Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the empire.
38 tn Or “Hebrew.”
39 tn Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
40 tn Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.”
41 tn The Hebrew text also has, “and he spoke and said.”
42 tc The MT has “his hand,” but this is due to graphic confusion of vav (ו) and yod (י). The translation reads “my hand,” along with many medieval Hebrew
43 tn Heb “make with me a blessing and come out to me.”
44 tn Heb “Have the gods of the nations really rescued, each his land, from the hand of the king of Assyria?” The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the main verb. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not!”
45 tn The parallel passage in Isa 36:19 omits “Hena and Ivvah.” The rhetorical questions in v. 34a suggest the answer, “Nowhere, they seem to have disappeared in the face of Assyria’s might.”
46 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
47 tn Heb “that they rescued Samaria from my hand?” But this gives the impression that the gods of Sepharvaim were responsible for protecting Samaria, which is obviously not the case. The implied subject of the plural verb “rescued” must be the generic “gods of the nations/lands” (vv. 33, 35).
48 tn Heb “that the
49 sn As a sign of grief and mourning.
50 tn Heb “elders of the priests.”
51 tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him.”
52 tn Or “rebuke,” “correction.”
53 tn Or “contempt.”
54 tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”
55 tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”
56 tn Heb “and rebuke the words which the
57 tn Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”
58 tn Heb “by which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me.”
59 tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh), “spirit,” is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the
60 tn Heb “hear.”
61 tn Heb “cause him to fall,” that is, “kill him.”
62 tn Heb “and the chief adviser returned and he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.”
63 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
64 tn Heb “heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, ‘Look, he has come out to fight with you.’”
65 tn Heb “will not be given.”
66 tn Heb “Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, annihilating them.”
67 tn Heb “and will you be rescued?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No, of course not!”
68 tn Heb “Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed rescue them – Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who are in Telassar?”
69 sn Lair is a city located in northeastern Babylon. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 235.
70 tc The MT has the plural, “letters,” but the final mem is probably dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular.
71 tc The MT has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”). The parallel passage in Isa 37:14 has the singular suffix.
72 sn This refers to the cherub images that were above the ark of the covenant.
73 tn Or “the heavens.”
74 tn Heb “Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”
75 tn Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”
76 tn Heb “so they destroyed them.”
77 tn Heb “That which you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” The verb “I have heard” does not appear in the parallel passage in Isa 37:21, where אֲשֶׁר (’asher) probably has a causal sense, “because.”
78 tn Heb “this is the word which the
79 sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.
80 sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.
81 tn Heb “have you raised a voice.”
82 tn Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?”
83 sn This divine title pictures the Lord as the sovereign king who rules over his covenant people and exercises moral authority over them.
84 tn The word is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai), “lord,” but some Hebrew
85 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has בְּרֶכֶב (bÿrekhev), but this must be dittographic (note the following רִכְבִּי [rikhbi], “my chariots”). The marginal reading (Qere) בְּרֹב (bÿrov), “with many,” is supported by many Hebrew
86 tn Heb “the lodging place of its extremity.”
87 tn Heb “I dug and drank foreign waters.”
88 tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.
89 tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.
90 tn Heb “formed.”
91 tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְּהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.
92 tn Heb “short of hand.”
93 tn Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8, 24.
94 tn Heb “[they are] grass on the rooftops.” See the preceding note.
95 tc The Hebrew text has “scorched before the standing grain” (perhaps meaning “before it reaches maturity”), but it is preferable to emend קָמָה (qamah), “standing grain,” to קָדִים (qadim), “east wind” (with the support of 1Q Isaa in Isa 37:27).
96 tc Heb “your going out and your coming in.” The MT also has here, “and how you have raged against me.” However, this line is probably dittographic (note the beginning of the next line).
97 tc Heb “and your complacency comes up into my ears.” The parallelism is improved if שַׁאֲנַנְךְ (sha’anankh), “your complacency,” is emended to שַׁאֲוַנְךְ (sha’avankh), “your uproar.” See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 237-38.
98 sn The word picture has a parallel in Assyrian sculpture. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 238.
99 tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 21-28) ends and the Lord again directly addresses Hezekiah and the people (see v. 20).
100 tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot), “sign,” is a future confirmation of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.
101 sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.
102 tn Heb “and in the second year.”
103 tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 29b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity. See IBHS 572 §34.4.c.
104 tn Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”
105 tn Traditionally “the
106 tn Heb “the zeal of the
107 tn Heb “there.”
108 tn Heb “[with] a shield.” By metonymy the “shield” stands for the soldier who carries it.
109 tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”
110 tn This refers to the Israelites and/or the rest of the Assyrian army.
111 tn Heb “look, all of them were dead bodies.”
112 tn Heb “and Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned and lived in Nineveh.”
113 sn The assassination probably took place in 681
114 sn No such Mesopotamian god is presently known. Perhaps the name is a corruption of Nusku.
115 tc Although “his sons” is absent in the Kethib, it is supported by the Qere, along with many medieval Hebrew
116 sn Extra-biblical sources also mention the assassination of Sennacherib, though they refer to only one assassin. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 239-40.
117 tn Heb “was sick to the point of dying.”
118 tn Heb “will not live.”
119 tn Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254.
120 tn Heb “and with a complete heart.”
121 tn Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.”
122 tn Heb “wept with great weeping.”
123 tc Heb “and Isaiah had not gone out of the middle courtyard, and the word of the
124 tn Heb “on the third day.”
125 tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”
126 tn Heb “and they got [a fig cake].”
127 tn Heb “and he lived.”
128 tn The Hebrew הָלַךְ (halakh, a perfect), “it has moved ahead,” should be emended to הֲיֵלֵךְ (hayelekh, an imperfect with interrogative he [ה] prefixed), “shall it move ahead.”
129 tn Heb “the shadow.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
130 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
131 tn Heb “on the steps which [the sun] had gone down, on the steps of Ahaz, back ten steps.”
132 tc The MT has “Berodach-Baladan,” but several Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin witnesses agree with the parallel passage in Isa 39:1 and read “Merodach-Baladan.”
133 tc Heb “listened to.” Some Hebrew
134 tn Heb “there was nothing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in all his kingdom.”
135 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
136 tn Heb “there was nothing I did not show them.”
137 tn Heb “days are.”
138 tn Heb “Some of your sons, who go out from you, whom you father.”
139 tn Heb “good.”
140 tn Heb “and he said.” Many English versions translate, “for he thought.” The verb אָמַר (’amar), “say,” is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself). Cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT.
141 tn Heb “Is it not [true] there will be peace and stability in my days?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, there will be peace and stability.”
142 tn Heb “and he brought.”
143 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Hezekiah, and all his strength, and how he made a pool and a conduit and brought water to the city, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
144 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
145 sn This statement may fit better with the final paragraph of 1 Kgs 22.
146 sn This statement may fit better with the final paragraph of 1 Kgs 22.
147 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
148 tn Heb “and he sent messengers and said to them.”
149 tn That is, “seek an oracle from.”
150 sn Apparently Baal Zebub refers to a local manifestation of the god Baal at the Philistine city of Ekron. The name appears to mean “Lord of the Flies,” but it may be a deliberate scribal corruption of Baal Zebul, “Baal, the Prince,” a title known from the Ugaritic texts. For further discussion and bibliography, see HALOT 261 s.v. זְבוּב בַּעַל and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 25.
151 tn Heb “Is it because there is no God in Israel [that] you are going to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?” The translation seeks to bring out the sarcastic tone of the rhetorical question.
152 tn Heb “to him.”
153 tn Heb “said to him.”
154 tn Heb “Is it because there is no God in Israel [that] you are sending to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?” The translation seeks to bring out the sarcastic tone of the rhetorical question. In v. 3 the messengers are addressed (in the phrase “you are on your way” the second person plural pronoun is used in Hebrew), but here the king is addressed (in the phrase “you are sending” the second person singular pronoun is used).
155 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
156 tn Heb “What was the manner…?”
157 tn Heb “said to him.”
158 tn Heb “an owner of hair.” This idiomatic expression indicates that Elijah was very hairy. For other examples where the idiom “owner of” is used to describe a characteristic of someone, see HALOT 143 s.v. בַּעַל. For example, an “owner of dreams” is one who frequently has dreams (Gen 37:19) and an “owner of anger” is a hot-tempered individual (Prov 22:24).
159 tn Heb “belt of skin” (i.e., one made from animal hide).
160 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
161 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
162 tn Heb “officer of fifty and his fifty.”
163 tn Heb “to him.”
164 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the captain) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
165 sn The prophet Elijah’s position on the top of the hill symbolizes his superiority to the king and his messengers.
166 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 10, 11, 12, 13).
167 tn Heb “answered and said to the officer of fifty.”
168 tn Wordplay contributes to the irony here. The king tells Elijah to “come down” (Hebrew יָרַד, yarad), but Elijah calls fire down (יָרַד) on the arrogant king’s officer.
169 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
170 tc The MT reads, “he answered and said to him.” The verb “he answered” (וַיַּעַן, vayya’an) is probably a corruption of “he went up” (וַיַּעַל, vayya’al). See v. 9.
171 sn In this second panel of the three-paneled narrative, the king and his captain are more arrogant than before. The captain uses a more official sounding introduction (“this is what the king says”) and the king adds “at once” to the command.
172 tc Two medieval Hebrew
173 tn Or “intense fire.” The divine name may be used idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the fire. Whether one translates אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) here as a proper name or idiomatically, this addition to the narrative (the name is omitted in the first panel, v. 10b) emphasizes the severity of the judgment and is appropriate given the more intense command delivered by the king to the prophet in this panel.
174 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
175 tn Heb “went up and approached and kneeled.”
176 tn Heb “look.”
177 tn Heb “their fifty.”
178 sn In this third panel the verb “come down” (יָרַד, yarad) occurs again, this time describing Elijah’s descent from the hill at the Lord’s command. The moral of the story seems clear: Those who act as if they have authority over God and his servants just may pay for their arrogance with their lives; those who, like the third commander, humble themselves and show the proper respect for God’s authority and for his servants will be spared and find God quite cooperative.
179 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
180 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
181 tn Heb “Because you sent messengers to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, is there no God in Israel to inquire of his word?”
182 sn For the third time in this chapter we read the Lord’s sarcastic question to king and the accompanying announcement of judgment. The repetition emphasizes one of the chapter’s main themes. Israel’s leaders should seek guidance from their own God, not a pagan deity, for Israel’s sovereign God is the one who controls life and death.
183 tn Heb “according to the word of the
184 tn Heb “Jehoram replaced him as king…because he had no son.” Some ancient textual witnesses add “his brother,” which was likely added on the basis of the statement later in the verse that Ahaziah had no son.
185 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not recorded in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
186 sn This statement may fit better with the final paragraph of 1 Kgs 22.
187 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
188 sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.
189 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
190 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
191 tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
192 tn Heb “What is this object of trust in which you are trusting?”
193 tn Heb “you say only a word of lips, counsel and might for battle.” Sennacherib’s message appears to be in broken Hebrew at this point. The phrase “word of lips” refers to mere or empty talk in Prov 14:23.
194 tn Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 8-9 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 6. His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”
195 sn In v. 10 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 7. He claims that Hezekiah has offended the Lord and that the Lord has commissioned Assyria as his instrument of discipline and judgment.
196 sn Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the Assyrian empire.
197 tn Or “in Hebrew” (NIV, NCV, NLT); NAB, NASB “in Judean.”
198 tn Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
199 tn Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.”
200 tn The Hebrew text includes “and he said.”
201 tn Heb “make with me a blessing and come out to me.”
202 tn Heb “Have the gods of the nations rescued, each his land, from the hand of the king of Assyria?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not!”
203 tn The rhetorical questions in v. 34a suggest the answer, “Nowhere, they seem to have disappeared in the face of Assyria’s might.”
204 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
205 tn Heb “that they rescued Samaria from my hand?” But this gives the impression that the gods of Sepharvaim were responsible for protecting Samaria, which is obviously not the case. The implied subject of the plural verb “rescued” must be the generic “gods of the nations/lands” (vv. 18, 20).
206 tn Heb “that the Lord might rescue Jerusalem from my hand?” The logic runs as follows: Since no god has ever been able to withstand the Assyrian onslaught, how can the people of Jerusalem possibly think the Lord will rescue them?
207 tn Heb “with their clothes torn”; the words “in grief” have been supplied in the translation to indicate that this was done as a sign of grief and mourning.
208 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
209 tn Heb “elders of the priests” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NCV “the older priests”; NRSV, TEV, CEV “the senior priests.”
210 tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him” (cf. NRSV).
211 tn Or “rebuke” (KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “correction.”
212 tn Or “contempt”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “disgrace.”
213 tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”
214 tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”
215 tn Heb “and rebuke the words which the Lord your God hears.”
216 tn Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”
217 tn Heb “by which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me.”
218 tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the Lord’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.
219 tn Heb “cause him to fall” (so KJV, ASV, NAB), that is, “kill him.”
220 tn Heb “and the chief adviser returned and he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.”
221 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
222 tn Heb “Cush” (so NASB); NIV, NCV “the Cushite king of Egypt.”
223 tn Heb “heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, ‘He has come out to fight with you.’”
224 tn The Hebrew text has, “and he heard and he sent,” but the parallel in 2 Kgs 19:9 has וַיָּשָׁב וַיִּשְׁלַח (vayyashav vayyishlakh, “and he returned and he sent”), i.e., “he again sent.”
225 tn Heb “Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, annihilating them.”
226 tn Heb “and will you be rescued?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No, of course not!”
227 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “forefathers”; NCV “ancestors.”
228 tn Heb “Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed rescue them – Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who are in Telassar?”
229 sn Lair was a city located in northeastern Babylon. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 235.
230 tc The Hebrew text has the plural, “letters.” The final mem (ם) may be dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular. If so, one still has to deal with the yod that is part of the plural ending. J. N. Oswalt refers to various commentators who have suggested ways to understand the plural form (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:652).
231 tn In the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:14 the verb has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”).
232 sn Cherubim (singular “cherub”) refers to the images of winged angelic creatures that were above the ark of the covenant.
233 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
234 tn Heb “Hear all the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”
235 tn The Hebrew text here has “all the lands,” but the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:17 has “the nations.”
236 tn Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”
237 tn Heb “so they destroyed them” (NASB similar).
238 tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:19 reads, “that you, Lord, are the only God.”
239 tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:20 reads, “That which you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” The verb “I have heard” does not appear in Isa 37:21, where אֲשֶׁר (’asher) probably has a causal sense: “because.”
240 tn Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”
241 sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.
242 sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.
243 tn Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?” Cf. NIV “lifted your eyes in pride”; NRSV “haughtily lifted your eyes.”
244 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
245 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
246 tn Heb “the height of its extremity”; ASV “its farthest height.”
247 tc The Hebrew text has simply, “I dug and drank water.” But the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:24 has “foreign waters.” זָרִים (zarim, “foreign”) may have accidentally dropped out of the Isaianic text by homoioteleuton (cf. NCV, NIV, NLT). Note that the preceding word, מַיִם (mayim, “water) also ends in mem (ם). The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has “foreign waters” for this line. However, in several other passages the 1QIsaa scroll harmonizes with 2 Kgs 19 against the MT (Isa 36:5; 37:9, 20). Since the addition of “foreign” to this text in Isaiah by a later scribe would be more likely than its deletion, the MT reading should be accepted.
248 tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.
249 tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.
250 tn Heb “formed” (so KJV, ASV).
251 tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.
252 tn Heb “short of hand”; KJV, ASV “of small power”; NASB “short of strength.”
253 tn Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8, 24.
254 tn Heb “[they are] grass on the rooftops.” See the preceding note.
255 tc The Hebrew text has “scorched before the standing grain” (perhaps meaning “before it reaches maturity”), but it is preferable to emend קָמָה (qamah, “standing grain”) to קָדִים (qadim, “east wind”) with the support of 1Q Isaa; cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:657, n. 8.
256 tc Heb “your going out and your coming in and how you have raged against me.” Several scholars have suggested that this line is probably dittographic (note the beginning of the next line). However, most English translations include the statement in question at the end of v. 28 and the beginning of v. 29. Interestingly, the LXX does not have this clause at the end of v. 28 and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa does not have it at the beginning of v. 29. In light of this ambiguous manuscript evidence, it appears best to retain the clause in both verses.
257 tc Heb “and your complacency comes up into my ears.” The parallelism is improved if שַׁאֲנַנְךָ (sha’anankha, “your complacency”) is emended to שְׁאוֹנְךָ (shÿ’onÿkha, “your uproar”). See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 237-38. However, the LXX seems to support the MT and Sennacherib’s cavalier dismissal of Yahweh depicts an arrogant complacency (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:658, n. 10).
258 sn The word-picture has a parallel in Assyrian sculpture. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 238.
259 tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 22-29) ends and the Lord again addresses Hezekiah and the people directly (see v. 21).
260 tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) is a future reminder of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.
261 sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.
262 tn Heb “and in the second year” (so ASV).
263 tn Heb “in the third year” (so KJV, NAB).
264 tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 30b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity.
265 tn Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”
266 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to protect and restore them.
267 tn Heb “there” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). In terms of English style “here” is expected in collocation with “this” in the previous line.
268 tn Heb “[with] a shield” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV).
269 tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”
270 tn Traditionally, “the angel of the Lord” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
271 tn The word “troops” is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.
272 tn This refers to the Israelites and/or the rest of the Assyrian army.
273 tn Heb “look, all of them were dead bodies”; NLT “they found corpses everywhere.”
274 tn Heb “and Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned and lived in Nineveh.”
275 sn The assassination of King Sennacherib probably took place in 681
276 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
277 sn No such Mesopotamian god is presently known. Perhaps the name Nisroch is a corruption of Nusku.
278 sn Extra-biblical sources also mention the assassination of Sennacherib, though they refer to only one assassin. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 239-40.
279 tn Heb “was sick to the point of dying”; NRSV “became sick and was at the point of death.”
280 tn Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254.
281 tn Heb “and with a complete heart”; KJV, ASV “with a perfect heart.”
282 tn Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.”
283 tn Heb “wept with great weeping”; NCV “cried loudly”; TEV “began to cry bitterly.”
284 tn Heb “and the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying.”
285 tn Heb “father” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).
286 tn The words “Isaiah replied” are supplied in the translation for clarification. In the present form of the Hebrew text v. 7 is joined directly to v. 6, but vv. 21-22, if original to Isaiah 38, must be inserted here. See 2 Kgs 20:7-8.
287 tn Heb “the shadow on the steps which [the sun] had gone down, on the steps of Ahaz, with the sun, back ten steps.”
288 tn Heb “and the sun returned ten steps on the steps which it had gone down.”
289 tn Or “I said” (KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
290 tn The precise meaning of the phrase בִּדְמִי יָמַי (bidmi yamay, “in the [?] of my days”) is uncertain. According to HALOT 226 s.v. דְּמִי this word is a hapax legomenon meaning “half.” Others derive the form from דַּמִי (dami, “quiet, rest, peacefulness”).
291 tn The precise meaning of the verb is uncertain. The Pual of of פָּקַד (paqad) occurs only here and in Exod 38:21, where it appears to mean “passed in review” or “mustered.” Perhaps the idea is, “I have been called away for the remainder of my years.” To bring out the sense more clearly, one can translate, “I am deprived of the rest of my years.”
292 tn The Hebrew text has יָהּ יָהּ (yah yah, the abbreviated form of יְהוָה [yÿhvah] repeated), but this is probably a corruption of יְהוָה.
293 tc The Hebrew text has חָדֶל (khadel), which appears to be derived from a verbal root meaning “to cease, refrain.” But the form has probably suffered an error of transmission; the original form (attested in a few medieval Hebrew
294 tn According to HALOT 217 s.v. דּוֹר this noun is a hapax legomenon meaning “dwelling place,” derived from a verbal root meaning “live” (see Ps 84:10). For an interpretation that understands the form as the well-attested noun meaning “generation,” see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:679, n. 4.
295 tn The verb form appears to be a Niphal from גָּלָה (galah), which normally means “uncovered, revealed” in the Niphal. Because of the following reference to a shepherd’s tent, some prefer to emend the form to וְנָגַל, a Niphal from גָלָל (galal, “roll”) and translate “is rolled [or “folded”] up.”
296 tn Heb “I rolled up, like a weaver, my life” (so ASV).
297 sn For a discussion of the imagery employed here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:684.
298 tn Heb “from day to night you bring me to an end.”
299 tn The verb form in the Hebrew text is a Piel from שָׁוַה (shavah). There are two homonyms שָׁוַה, one meaning in the Piel “level, smooth out,” the other “set, place.” Neither fits in v. 13. It is likely that the original reading was שִׁוַּעְתִּי (shivva’ti, “I cry out”) from the verbal root שָׁוַע (shava’), which occurs exclusively in the Piel.
300 tn Heb “from day to night you bring me to an end.”
301 tn Or “moan” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); KJV, CEV “mourn.”
302 tn Heb “my eyes become weak, toward the height.”
303 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in v. 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
304 tn Heb “stand surety for me.” Hezekiah seems to be picturing himself as a debtor who is being exploited; he asks that the Lord might relieve his debt and deliver him from the oppressive creditor.
305 tn Heb “and he has spoken and he has acted.”
306 tn Heb “because of the bitterness of my soul.”
307 tn The translation offered here is purely speculative. The text as it stands is meaningless and probably corrupt. It reads literally, “O lord, on account of them [the suffix is masculine plural], they live, and to all in them [the suffix is feminine plural], life of my spirit.”
308 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as indicative, “you restore my health,” but the following imperatival form suggests it be understood as an imperfect of request.
309 tn Heb “Look, for peace bitterness was to me bitter”; NAB “thus is my bitterness transformed into peace.”
310 tc The Hebrew text reads, “you loved my soul,” but this does not fit syntactically with the following prepositional phrase. חָשַׁקְתָּ (khashaqta, “you loved”), may reflect an aural error; most emend the form to חָשַׂכְת, (khasakht, “you held back”).
311 tn בְּלִי (bÿli) most often appears as a negation, meaning “without,” suggesting the meaning “nothingness, oblivion,” here. Some translate “decay” or “destruction.”
312 tn Heb “for you threw behind your back all my sins.”
313 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
314 tn The negative particle is understood by ellipsis in this line. See GKC 483 §152.z.
315 tn The infinitive construct is used here to indicate that an action is imminent. See GKC 348-49 §114.i, and IBHS 610 §36.2.3g.
316 tn Heb “and music [or perhaps, “stringed instruments”] we will play.”
317 tn Heb “all the days of our lives in the house of the Lord.”
318 tc If original to Isaiah 38, vv. 21-22 have obviously been misplaced in the course of the text’s transmission, and would most naturally be placed here, between Isa 38:6 and 38:7. See 2 Kgs 20:7-8, where these verses are placed at this point in the narrative, not at the end. Another possibility is that these verses were not in the original account, and a scribe, familiar with the 2 Kgs version of the story, appended vv. 21-22 to the end of the account in Isaiah 38.
319 tn Heb “was happy with”; NAB, NASB “was pleased”; NIV “received the envoys gladly.”
320 tn Heb “there was nothing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in all his kingdom.”
321 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
322 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV).
323 tn Heb “Some of your sons, who go out from you, whom you father.”
324 tn Heb “good” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “favorable.”
325 tn Heb “and he said.” The verb אָמַר (’amar, “say”) is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself).
326 tn Or “surely”; cf. CEV “At least.”