2 Kings 19

And 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 the LORD.

Upon hearing the news, King Hezekiah was overwhelmed with grief. He tore his royal garments in despair, draped himself in humble sackcloth, and sought solace in the sanctuary of God's house.

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

He dispatched Eliakim, the household overseer, Shebna the writer, and the senior priests, all draped in humble sackcloth, to seek guidance from Isaiah, the prophet son of Amoz.

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

They told him, "Hezekiah says today is a day of hardship, criticism, and disrespect. It's like we're at the point of giving birth, but we lack the strength to deliver."

It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.

Perhaps your God will listen to the harsh words of Rabshakeh, sent by the Assyrian king to insult the living God, and will rebuke him for the words He has heard. So, pray fervently for those who remain.

So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

King Hezekiah's aides, filled with anxiety and anticipation, sought out Isaiah.

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

Isaiah instructed them, "Tell your leader, the Lord says, 'Don't be scared by the disrespectful words you've heard from the king of Assyria's servants against me.'"

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

Watch, I will put a spirit in him. He will hear a rumour and head back to his homeland. There, I will ensure he meets his end by the blade.

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

Rabshakeh came back, discovering the Assyrian king locked in battle with Libnah, having learned that he had left Lachish.

And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying,

When he heard that Tirhakah, the Ethiopian king, was setting out to fight against him, he sent messengers to Hezekiah again with this message:

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

Tell King Hezekiah of Judah, "Don't let the God you trust deceive you into thinking that Jerusalem won't fall into the hands of the Assyrian king."

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

You've heard about the Assyrian kings, how they've completely devastated all territories. Do you really think you can escape their wrath?

Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar?

Did the gods of other nations save them, the ones my ancestors defeated, like Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and Eden's children in Thelasar?

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

Where are the rulers of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?

And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers, his heart heavy as he read it. With a deep breath, he climbed to the Lord's house, laying the letter before Him, seeking guidance.

And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

Hezekiah poured his heart out to the Lord, saying, "O Lord, God of Israel, who resides among the angels, you are the one and only God of all nations on earth; you are the creator of the heavens and the earth."

LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.

Lord, please listen closely and see clearly. Hear the disrespectful words of Sennacherib, who dares to insult you, the living God.

Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,

Indeed, Lord, the Assyrian kings have heartlessly ravaged the nations and their beautiful lands.

And 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.

They threw these nations' gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were never gods at all, only wood and stone, made by human hands.

Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.

Please, our Lord God, rescue us from this danger. Let every nation on earth recognize that you alone are God.

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.

Isaiah, son of Amoz, relayed a message to Hezekiah from the Lord God of Israel. He said, "God has heard your prayers against King Sennacherib of Assyria."

This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

God has spoken about you; the pure and innocent daughter of Zion looks down on you and laughs. The daughter of Jerusalem dismisses you with a shake of her head.

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

Who have you insulted and mocked? Who have you shouted at and scorned? It's the Holy One of Israel you've disrespected.

By thy messengers thou hast reproached the LORD, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.

You've challenged God through your messengers, boasting about your vast army. You claim to have climbed the highest mountains, to the far reaches of Lebanon, to cut down its tallest cedars and finest firs, and to reach its farthest outposts and its lushest forest.

I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.

I've explored and tasted unfamiliar waters, and with my own steps, I've drained the life from all the rivers in troubled lands.

Hast 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 fenced cities into ruinous heaps.

Haven't you heard? Long ago I planned it; in days of old I shaped it. Now I've brought it to pass, that you should be the one to turn fortified cities into heaps of ruins.

Therefore 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 house tops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.

The people were weak and overwhelmed with fear; they were as vulnerable as field grass, as delicate as fresh herbs, as fragile as rooftop grass, and as doomed as crops destroyed before they could fully grow.

But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.

I'm aware of where you live, your departures, your arrivals, and your anger towards me.

Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will 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.

Because you've let your anger towards me reach my ears, I will guide you back from where you came, as if with a hook in your nose and a bridle on your lips.

And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, 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 fruits thereof.

Here's a sign for you: This year, you'll eat what nature freely provides. Next year, you'll feast on what sprouts from those. On the third year, it's time to sow, harvest, and plant vineyards. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

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

The survivors from Judah's house will find strength again, planting deep roots and flourishing with abundant fruit.

For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.

From Jerusalem, a few survivors will emerge, escaping from Mount Zion. This will be driven by the passionate determination of the Lord Almighty.

Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.

The Lord declares about the king of Assyria, he won't enter this city, not even to shoot an arrow, raise a shield, or build a siege ramp against it.

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

He will go back the same way he came; he won't enter this city, declares the LORD.

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

I promise to protect this city, to rescue it, not just for me, but also for my loyal servant David.

And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

That night, the Lord's angel descended, striking down 185,000 Assyrians in their camp. By dawn, all that remained were lifeless bodies.

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

And so, Sennacharib, the mighty king of Assyria, left with a heavy heart. He journeyed back and settled in his homeland, Nineveh.

And 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 Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

While he was deep in prayer to his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer betrayed him, striking him down with a sword. They fled to Armenia, leaving his throne to his other son, Esarhaddon.