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Isaiah 37-40
New American Standard Bible 1995

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Help

37 And (A)when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent (B)Eliakim who was over the household with (C)Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to (D)Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a (E)day of distress, rebuke and rejection; for (F)children have come to birth, and there is no strength to [a]deliver. 4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to (G)reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for (H)the remnant that is left.’”

5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord, “(I)Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will (J)hear a rumor and (K)return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”’”

8 Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against (L)Libnah, for he had heard that [b]the king had left (M)Lachish. 9 When he (N)heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of [c](O)Cush, “He has come out to fight against you,” and when he heard it he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of [d]Judah, ‘(P)Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 (Q)Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be [e]spared? 12 Did the gods of [f]those nations which my fathers have destroyed deliver them, even (R)Gozan and (S)Haran and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer in the Temple

14 Then Hezekiah took the [g]letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and [h]spread it out before the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed to the Lord saying, 16 “O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, (T)who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the (U)God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. (V)You have made heaven and earth. 17 (W)Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and (X)listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to (Y)reproach the living God. 18 Truly, O Lord, the (Z)kings of Assyria have devastated all the countries and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the (AA)work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have (AB)destroyed them. 20 Now, O Lord our God, (AC)deliver us from his hand that (AD)all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, [i]are God.”

God Answers through Isaiah

21 Then (AE)Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word that the Lord has spoken against him:

“She has despised you and mocked you,
The (AF)virgin (AG)daughter of Zion;
She has (AH)shaken her head behind you,
The daughter of Jerusalem!
23 “Whom have you (AI)reproached and blasphemed?
And against whom have you raised your voice
And [j]haughtily (AJ)lifted up your eyes?
Against the (AK)Holy One of Israel!
24 “Through your servants you have reproached the Lord,
And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I came up to the heights of the mountains,
To the remotest parts of (AL)Lebanon;
And I cut down its tall (AM)cedars and its choice cypresses.
And I will go to its [k]highest peak, its thickest (AN)forest.
25 ‘I dug wells and drank waters,
And (AO)with the sole of my feet I dried up
All the rivers of [l]Egypt.’
26 “(AP)Have you not heard?
Long ago I did it,
From ancient times I (AQ)planned it.
Now (AR)I have brought it to pass,
That (AS)you should turn fortified cities into (AT)ruinous heaps.
27 “Therefore their inhabitants were short of strength,
They were dismayed and put to shame;
They were as the (AU)vegetation of the field and as the green herb,
As (AV)grass on the housetops [m]is scorched before it is grown up.
28 “But I (AW)know your sitting down
And your going out and your coming in
And your raging against Me.
29 “Because of your raging against Me
And because your [n](AX)arrogance has come up to My ears,
Therefore I will put My (AY)hook in your nose
And My (AZ)bridle in your lips,
And I will turn you back (BA)by the way which you came.

30 “Then this shall be the sign for you: [o]you will eat this year what (BB)grows of itself, in the second year what springs from the same, and in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 31 The (BC)surviving (BD)remnant of the house of Judah will again (BE)take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem will go forth a (BF)remnant and out of Mount Zion [p]survivors. The (BG)zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”’

33 “Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield, or throw up a (BH)siege ramp against it. 34 (BI)By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he will not come to this city,’ declares the Lord. 35 ‘For I will (BJ)defend this city to save it (BK)for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’”

Assyrians Destroyed

36 Then the (BL)angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when [q]men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were [r]dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and [s]returned home and lived at (BM)Nineveh. 38 It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of (BN)Ararat. And (BO)Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.

Hezekiah Healed

38 (BP)In those days Hezekiah became [t]mortally ill. And (BQ)Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘(BR)Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “(BS)Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have (BT)walked before You in truth and with a (BU)whole heart, and (BV)have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah (BW)wept [u]bitterly.

4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add (BX)fifteen years to your [v]life. 6 I will (BY)deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city.”’

7 “This shall be the (BZ)sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that He has spoken: 8 Behold, I will (CA)cause the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, to go back ten steps.” So the (CB)sun’s shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.

9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and [w]recovery:

10 I said, “(CC)In the middle of my [x]life
I am to enter the (CD)gates of Sheol;
I am to be (CE)deprived of the rest of my years.”
11 I said, “I will not see the Lord,
The Lord (CF)in the land of the living;
I will look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.
12 “Like a shepherd’s (CG)tent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me;
As a (CH)weaver I (CI)rolled up my life.
He (CJ)cuts me off from the loom;
From (CK)day until night You make an end of me.
13 “I composed my soul until morning.
(CL)Like a lion—so He (CM)breaks all my bones,
From (CN)day until night You make an end of me.
14 “(CO)Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter;
I (CP)moan like a dove;
My (CQ)eyes look wistfully to the heights;
O Lord, I am oppressed, be my (CR)security.

15 “(CS)What shall I say?
[y]For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it;
I will (CT)wander about all my years because of the (CU)bitterness of my soul.
16 “O Lord, (CV)by these things men live,
And in all these is the life of my spirit;
[z](CW)O restore me to health and (CX)let me live!
17 “Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness;
It is You who has [aa](CY)kept my soul from the pit of [ab]nothingness,
For You have (CZ)cast all my sins behind Your back.
18 “For (DA)Sheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down (DB)to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
19 “It is the (DC)living who give thanks to You, as I do today;
A (DD)father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.
20 “The Lord will surely save me;
So we will (DE)play my songs on stringed instruments
(DF)All the days of our life (DG)at the house of the Lord.”

21 Now (DH)Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” 22 Then Hezekiah had said, “What is the (DI)sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”

Hezekiah Shows His Treasures

39 (DJ)At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 Hezekiah [ac]was (DK)pleased, and showed them all his treasure house, the (DL)silver and the gold and the spices and the precious oil and his whole armory and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the (DM)prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far (DN)country, from Babylon.” 4 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah [ad]answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.”

5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the (DO)word of the Lord of hosts, 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming when (DP)all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, (DQ)will be taken away, and (DR)they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 8 (DS)Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.” For he [ae]thought, “For there will be peace and truth (DT)in my days.”

The Greatness of God

40 “(DU)Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
2 “(DV)Speak [af]kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her [ag](DW)warfare has ended,
That her [ah](DX)iniquity has been removed,
That she has received of the Lord’s hand
(DY)Double for all her sins.”

3 (DZ)A voice [ai]is calling,
“(EA)Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
4 “Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 [aj]Then the (EB)glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And (EC)all flesh will see it together;
For the (ED)mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Call out.”
Then [ak]he answered, “What shall I call out?”
(EE)All flesh is grass, and all its [al]loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The (EF)grass withers, the flower fades,
[am]When the (EG)breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But (EH)the word of our God stands forever.

9 Get yourself up on a (EI)high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of (EJ)good news,
Lift up your voice mightily,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Lift it up, do not fear.
Say to the (EK)cities of Judah,
“(EL)Here is your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord [an]God will come (EM)with might,
With His (EN)arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His (EO)reward is with Him
And His recompense before Him.
11 Like a shepherd He will (EP)tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

12 Who has (EQ)measured the [ao]waters in the hollow of His hand,
And marked off the heavens by the [ap]span,
And [aq]calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?
13 (ER)Who has [ar]directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His (ES)counselor has informed Him?
14 (ET)With whom did He consult and who (EU)gave Him understanding?
And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge
And informed Him of the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the (EV)nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of (EW)dust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up the [as]islands like fine dust.
16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
Nor its (EX)beasts enough for a burnt offering.
17 (EY)All the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and [at]meaningless.

18 (EZ)To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
19 As for the [au](FA)idol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith (FB)plates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a (FC)tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To [av]prepare [aw]an idol that (FD)will not totter.

21 (FE)Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood (FF)from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who [ax]sits above the [ay](FG)circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like (FH)grasshoppers,
Who (FI)stretches out the heavens like a (FJ)curtain
And spreads them out like a (FK)tent to dwell in.
23 He it is who reduces (FL)rulers to nothing,
Who (FM)makes the judges of the earth [az]meaningless.
24 [ba]Scarcely have they been planted,
[bb]Scarcely have they been sown,
[bc]Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the (FN)storm carries them away like stubble.
25 “(FO)To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 (FP)Lift up your eyes on high
And see (FQ)who has created these stars,
The (FR)One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the (FS)greatness of His might and the [bd]strength of His power,
(FT)Not one of them is missing.

27 (FU)Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is (FV)hidden from the Lord,
And the (FW)justice due me [be]escapes the notice of (FX)my God”?
28 (FY)Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The (FZ)Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is (GA)inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the (GB)weary,
And to him who lacks might He (GC)increases power.
30 Though (GD)youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous (GE)young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who [bf]wait for the Lord
Will (GF)gain new strength;
They will [bg](GG)mount up with [bh]wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 37:3 Lit give birth
  2. Isaiah 37:8 Lit he
  3. Isaiah 37:9 Or Ethiopia
  4. Isaiah 37:10 Lit Judah, saying
  5. Isaiah 37:11 Lit delivered
  6. Isaiah 37:12 Lit the
  7. Isaiah 37:14 Lit letters
  8. Isaiah 37:14 Lit Hezekiah spread
  9. Isaiah 37:20 So DSS and 2 Kin 19:19; M.T. omits God
  10. Isaiah 37:23 Lit on high
  11. Isaiah 37:24 Lit farthest height
  12. Isaiah 37:25 Or the besieged place
  13. Isaiah 37:27 So DSS and 2 Kin 19:26; M.T. as a plowed field
  14. Isaiah 37:29 Lit complacency
  15. Isaiah 37:30 Lit eating
  16. Isaiah 37:32 Lit those who escape
  17. Isaiah 37:36 Lit they
  18. Isaiah 37:36 Lit dead bodies
  19. Isaiah 37:37 Lit went and returned
  20. Isaiah 38:1 Lit sick to the point of death
  21. Isaiah 38:3 Lit great weeping
  22. Isaiah 38:5 Lit days
  23. Isaiah 38:9 Lit he lived after his illness
  24. Isaiah 38:10 Lit days
  25. Isaiah 38:15 Targum and DSS read And what shall I say for He
  26. Isaiah 38:16 Lit You will
  27. Isaiah 38:17 So some versions; Heb loved
  28. Isaiah 38:17 Or destruction
  29. Isaiah 39:2 Lit rejoiced over them
  30. Isaiah 39:4 Lit said
  31. Isaiah 39:8 Lit said
  32. Isaiah 40:2 Lit to the heart of
  33. Isaiah 40:2 Or hard service
  34. Isaiah 40:2 Or penalty of iniquity accepted as paid off
  35. Isaiah 40:3 Or of one calling out
  36. Isaiah 40:5 Or In order that the
  37. Isaiah 40:6 Another reading is I said
  38. Isaiah 40:6 Or constancy
  39. Isaiah 40:7 Or Because
  40. Isaiah 40:10 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  41. Isaiah 40:12 DSS reads waters of the sea
  42. Isaiah 40:12 Or half cubit; i.e. 9 in.
  43. Isaiah 40:12 Lit contained or comprehended
  44. Isaiah 40:13 Or measured, marked off
  45. Isaiah 40:15 Or coastlands
  46. Isaiah 40:17 Or void
  47. Isaiah 40:19 Or graven image
  48. Isaiah 40:20 Or set up
  49. Isaiah 40:20 Or a graven image
  50. Isaiah 40:22 Or is enthroned
  51. Isaiah 40:22 Or vault
  52. Isaiah 40:23 Or void
  53. Isaiah 40:24 Or Not even
  54. Isaiah 40:24 Or Not even
  55. Isaiah 40:24 Or Not even
  56. Isaiah 40:26 So DSS and ancient versions; M.T. strong
  57. Isaiah 40:27 Lit passes by my God
  58. Isaiah 40:31 Or hope in
  59. Isaiah 40:31 Or sprout wings
  60. Isaiah 40:31 Or pinions
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New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

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