Self-interpreting Bible

« back to list of books

« back to list of chapters

Isaiah 37

1Hezekiah in deep affliction sendeth to desire Isaiah's prayers. 6Isaiah returneth an answer of comfort. 8Sennacherib, being called away to oppose the king of Ethiopia, sendeth a blasphemous letter to Hezekiah. 14Hezekiah's prayer upon the receipt of it. 21Isaiah's prophecy concerning the pride and overthrow of Sennacherib, and the prosperity of Zion. 36An angel destroyeth the Assyrian army: 37Sennacherib is slain at Nineveh by his own sons.

1 AND ait came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and bwent into the house of the LORD.

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

3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is ea day of trouble, and of f1rebuke, and of 2blasphemy: gfor the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.

4 hIt may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rab-shakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will ireprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore jlift up thy prayer for kthe remnant that is 3left.

5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

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

    7 Behold, mI will 4send a blast upon him, and nhe shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

    8 ¶oSo Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.

    9 And phe heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

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

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

    12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as tGozan, and uHaran, and Rezeph, and the children of vEden which were in Telassar?

    13 Where is the king of wHamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of xSepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?

    14 ¶And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah ywent up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

    15 And Hezekiah zprayed unto the LORD, saying,

    16 O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that adwellest between the cherubims, bthou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: cthou hast made heaven and earth.

    17 dIncline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; eopen thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.

    18 Of a truth, LORD, fthe kings of Assyria have laid waste all the 5nations, and their countries,

    19 And have 6cast their gods into the fire: gfor they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.

    20 Now therefore, hO LORD our God, save us from his hand, ithat all the kingdoms of the earth jmay know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.

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

    22 This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The lvirgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and mlaughed thee to scorn; nthe daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

    23 oWhom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the pHoly One of Israel.

    24 7By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, qBy the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of rLebanon; and I will cut down 8the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and 9the forest of his Carmel.

    25 sI have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the 10besieged places.

    26 11Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste defenced cities into ruinous heaps.

    • 11: Or, Hast thou not heard how I have made it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? should I now bring it to be laid waste, and defenced cities to be ruinous heaps? ch. 10.5,6; 45.7. Am. 3.6. , Is. 10:5 , Is. 10:6 , Is. 45:7 , Am. 3:6

    27 Therefore their inhabitants were 12of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, tas the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.

    28 uBut I know thy 13abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.

    29 Because vthy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore wwill 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.

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

    31 And 14the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:

    32 For aout of Jerusalem shall go forth ba remnant, and 15they that escape out of mount Zion: the czeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.

    33 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, dHe shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor ecast a *bank against it.

    34 fBy the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.

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

    36 Then the hangel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and iwhen they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

    37 ¶So Sennacherib king of Assyria jdeparted, and kwent and returned, and dwelt at lNineveh.

    38 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer mhis sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of 16Armenia: and Esarhaddon nhis son reigned in his *stead.