<t /><p class="bodytext">In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness.<n id="1" /> The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;Give instructions to your household, for you are about to die; you will not get well.&#8217;&#8221;

<p class="poetry">In the future<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the mountain of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple will endure<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">as the most important of mountains,p> <p class="poetry">and will be the most prominent of hills.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">All the nations will stream to it,p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">At that time<n id="1" /> a root from Jesse<n id="2" /> will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance,<n id="3" /> and his residence will be majestic.

Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet him.p>

<p class="poetry">With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol;p> <p class="poetry">he bows down to it and worships it.p> <p class="poetry">He prays to it, saying,p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Rescue me, for you are my god!&#8217;p>

<p class="poetry">They put it on their shoulder and carry it;p> <p class="poetry">they put it in its place and it just stands there;p> <p class="poetry">it does not<n id="1" /> move from its place.p> <p class="poetry">Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;p> <p class="poetry">it does not deliver him from his distress.p>

Tell him, &#8216;Make sure you stay calm!<n id="1" /> Don&#8217;t be afraid! Don&#8217;t be intimidated<n id="2" /> by these two stubs of smoking logs,<n id="3" /> or by the raging anger of Rezin, Syria, and the son of Remaliah.

The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies is planning to do to them.<n id="1" />p>

&#8220;This is what Hezekiah says:<n id="1" /> &#8216;This is a day of distress, insults,<n id="2" /> and humiliation,<n id="3" /> as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through.<n id="4" />

Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, &#8220;What did these men say? Where do they come from?&#8221; Hezekiah replied, &#8220;They come from the distant land of Babylon.&#8221;

<p class="poetry">So now the <sc>Lordsc> says,p> <p class="poetry">the one who formed me from birth<n id="1" /> to be his servant &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">he did this<n id="2" /> to restore Jacob to himself,p> <p class="poetry">so that Israel might be gathered to him;p> <p class="poetry">and I will be honored<n id="3" /> in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s sight,p> <p class="poetry">for my God is my source of strength<n id="4" /> &#8211;p>