2 Kings 19:30-34

19:30 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit.¹

19:31 For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;

survivors will come out of Mount Zion.

The intense devotion of the sovereign Lord² to his people³ 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.⁴

He will not attack it with his shield-carrying warriors,⁵

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.’”⁶

¹tn Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”

²tn Traditionally “the Lord of hosts.”

³tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord.” 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. The Qere, along with many medieval Hebrew mss and the ancient versions, has “the zeal of the LORD of hosts” rather than “the zeal of the LORD” (Kethib). The translation follows the Qere here.

³tn Heb “there.”

⁴tn Heb “[with] a shield.” By metonymy the “shield” stands for the soldier who carries it.

⁴tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”