Isaiah 37

1And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Jehovah.

1When King Hezekiah heard the report, he tore his clothes, put on rough burlap to show his grief, and went into the Temple of the LORD.

2And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

2He sent Eliakim, the palace administrator, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing burlap, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.

3And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of contumely; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.

3They told him, 'This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of trouble, insult, and disgrace. It is like when a baby is ready to be born, but the mother has no strength to deliver it.'

4It may be Jehovah thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Jehovah thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.

4'Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of the Assyrian chief of staff, whom the king of Assyria sent to defy the living God. Perhaps the LORD your God will punish him for the words he has heard. So pray for the few of us who are left.'

5So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

5When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah,

6And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith Jehovah, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.

6Isaiah said to them, 'Tell your master this: The LORD says, do not be afraid of the words you heard from the king of Assyria’s officers who have insulted me.'

7Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear tidings, and shall return unto his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

7'Listen! I am going to put a spirit in him so that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own land. There I will have him killed with a sword.'

8So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.

8The Assyrian chief of staff left and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish.

9And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come out to fight against thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

9The king of Assyria received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Ethiopia, was coming out to fight him. When he heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah again with this message:

10Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.

10'Say this to King Hezekiah of Judah: Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.'

11Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered?

11'You have certainly heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all other lands, destroying them completely. Do you really think you will be saved?'

12Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden that were in Telassar?

12'Did the gods of the nations my ancestors destroyed rescue them? What about Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?'

13Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?

13'Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or the kings of Hena and Ivvah?'

14And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of Jehovah, and spread it before Jehovah.

14Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the Temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

15And Hezekiah prayed unto Jehovah, saying,

15And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD:

16O Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, that sittest above the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

16'O LORD of Armies, God of Israel, who sits on your throne between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.'

17Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open thine eyes, O Jehovah, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to defy the living God.

17'Listen closely, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see. Listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.'

18Of a truth, Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries, and their land,

18'It is true, LORD, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations and their lands.'

19and have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them.

19'They have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But they were not gods at all, only statues of wood and stone made by human hands; that is why they could be destroyed.'

20Now therefore, O Jehovah our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art Jehovah, even thou only.

20'Now, O LORD our God, rescue us from his power, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, LORD, are God.'

21Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,

21Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Because you prayed to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria,'

22this is the word which Jehovah hath spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

22'this is the message the LORD has spoken against him: The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and laughs at you. The daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head at you as you run away.'

23Whom hast thou defied and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.

23'Whom have you insulted and mocked? Against whom have you raised your voice and looked so proudly? It is against the Holy One of Israel!'

24By thy servants hast thou defied the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir-trees thereof; and I will enter into its farthest height, the forest of its fruitful field;

24'Through your servants you have insulted the Lord. You said, "With my many chariots I have conquered the highest mountains and the deepest parts of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its finest cypress trees. I have reached its highest peaks and its thickest forests."'

25I have digged and drunk water, and with the sole of my feet will I dry up all the rivers of Egypt.

25'You claimed, "I have dug wells and drunk water in foreign lands. With the soles of my feet, I dried up all the streams of Egypt."'

26Hast thou not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? now have I brought it to pass, that it should be thine to lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps.

26'Have you not heard? I decided this long ago. In ancient times I planned it, and now I have made it happen. I used you to turn fortified cities into heaps of rubble.'

27Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as a field of grain before it is grown up.

27'That is why their people had no power; they were discouraged and ashamed. They were like grass in the field or tender green plants. They were like grass growing on a roof, scorched before it can grow tall.'

28But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy raging against me.

28'But I know everything about you—when you sit down, when you come and go, and how you rage against me.'

29Because of thy raging against me, and because thine arrogancy is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

29'Because you rage against me and because I have heard your local pride, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. I will make you return by the same road you came.'

30And this shall be the sign unto thee: ye shall eat this year that which groweth of itself, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.

30'And this will be the sign for you, Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and next year you will eat what grows from that. But in the third year, sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.'

31And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.

31'The people of Judah who escape and survive will again take root in the soil and grow fruit above.'

32For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.

32'For a remnant will go out from Jerusalem, and survivors will come from Mount Zion. The fierce passion of the LORD of Armies will make this happen.'

33Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it.

33'Therefore, this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: He will not enter this city or even shoot an arrow here. He will not march against it with a shield or build a siege ramp against its walls.'

34By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith Jehovah.

34'He will return by the same road he came, and he will not enter this city, says the LORD.'

35For I will defend this city to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.

35'I will defend this city and protect it for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.'

36And the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

36Then the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. When the people woke up the next morning, there were dead bodies everywhere.

37So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.

37So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and left. He returned home to Nineveh and stayed there.

38And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.

38One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. They escaped to the land of Ararat, and his son Esar-haddon became the next king.