Yesha 'yahu (Isa) 37
37
1On hearing it, King Hizkiyahu tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of Adonai. 2He sent Elyakim, who was in charge of the household, Shevnah the general secretary and the leading cohanim, covered with sackcloth, to Yesha‘yahu the prophet, the son of Amotz. 3They said to him, “This is what Hizkiyahu says: ‘Today is a day of trouble, rebuke and disgrace. Children are ready to be born, but there is no strength to bring them to birth. 4Maybe Adonai your God will hear the words of Rav-Shakeh, whom his master the king of Ashur has sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke the message which Adonai your God has heard. So pray for the remnant that is left.’”
5When King Hizkiyahu’s servants came to Yesha‘yahu, 6he said to them, “Tell your master that this is what Adonai says: ‘Don’t be afraid of the words you heard the servants of the king of Ashur use to insult me. 7I will put a spirit in him that will make him hear a rumor and return to his own land; then I will cause him to die by the sword in his own land.’”
8Rav-Shakeh returned and, having heard that the king of Ashur had left Lakhish, found him making war with Livnah. 9Then he heard it said that Tirhakah king of Ethiopia was on his way to fight him. On hearing this, the king of Ashur sent messengers to Hizkiyahu, after ordering them, 10“This is what you are to say to Hizkiyahu king of Y’hudah: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, “Yerushalayim will not be handed over to the power of the king of Ashur.” 11You have heard what the kings of Ashur have done to all lands — they have completely destroyed them. So how will you be delivered? 12Have the gods of the nations delivered them? No, my ancestors destroyed them — Gozan, Haran, Retzef and the people of ‘Eden who were in Tel’asar. 13Where is the king of Hamat? the king of Arpad? the king of the city of S’farvayim, of Hena and ‘Ivah?’” 14Hizkiyahu took the letter from the messengers’ hands and read it. Then Hizkiyahu went up to the house of Adonai and spread it out before Adonai. 15This is the prayer that Hizkiyahu prayed to Adonai: 16“Adonai-Tzva’ot, God of Isra’el, who dwells above the k’ruvim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms on earth. You made heaven and earth. 17Turn your ear, Adonai, and hear! Open your eyes, Adonai, and see! Hear all the words that Sancheriv sent to taunt the living God. 18It is true that the kings of Ashur have laid waste all the countries and their lands 19and have thrown their gods into the fire. For those were non-gods, merely the products of people’s hands, wood and stone; this is why they could destroy them. 20Now therefore, Adonai our God, save us from his power — so that all the kingdoms on earth will know that you are Adonai — you only.”
21Then Yesha‘yahu the son of Amotz sent this message to Hizkiyahu: “Adonai the God of Isra’el says: ‘You prayed to me against Sancheriv king of Ashur.’ 22Here is Adonai’s answer concerning him:
“ ‘The virgin daughter of Tziyon
despises you; she laughs you to scorn.
The daughter of Yerushalayim
shakes her head at you.
23Whom have you taunted and insulted?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and haughtily lifted your eyes?
The Holy One of Isra’el!
24“ ‘Through your servants you taunted Adonai.
You said, “With my many chariots
I have ascended the mountain heights
even in the far reaches of the L’vanon.
I cut down its tall cedars
and its best cypress trees.
I reached its remotest heights
and its best forests.
25I dug [wells] and drank the water.
The soles of my [soldiers’] feet
dried up all the rivers of Egypt.”
26“ ‘Haven’t you heard? Long ago I made it;
in antiquity I produced it;
and now I am making it happen:
you are turning fortified cities
into heaps of ruins,
27while their inhabitants, shorn of power,
are disheartened and ashamed,
weak as grass, frail as plants,
like grass on the rooftops
or grain scorched by the east wind.
28“ ‘But I know when you sit, when you leave,
when you enter — and when you rage against me.
29And because of your rage against me,
because of your pride that has reached my ears,
I am putting my hook in your nose
and my bridle on your lips;
and I will make you return
by the way on which you came.
30“ ‘This will be the sign for you [people of Isra’el]: this year, you will eat the grain that grows of itself; the second year, you will eat what grows from that; but in the third year, you will sow, reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
31“ ‘Meanwhile, the remnant
of the house of Y’hudah that has escaped
will again take root downward
and bear fruit upward;
32for a remnant will go out from Yerushalayim,
those escaping will go out from Mount Tziyon.
The zeal of Adonai-Tzva’ot
will accomplish this.’
33“Therefore this is what Adonai says concerning the king of Ashur:
“ ‘He will not come to this city
or even shoot an arrow there;
he will not confront it with a shield
or erect earthworks against it.
34“ ‘By the way he came he will return;
he will not come to this city,’
says Adonai. 35‘For I will defend this city and save it, both for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.’ ”
36Then the angel of Adonai went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of Ashur. Early the next morning, there they were, all of them, corpses — dead. 37So Sancheriv king of Ashur left, went and returned to live in Ninveh.
38One day, as he was worshipping in the temple of Nisrokh his god, his sons Adramelekh and Shar’etzer struck him with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. So his son Esar-Hadon took his place as king.
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Yesha 'yahu (Isa) 37: CJB
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Learn More About Complete Jewish BibleIsaiah 37
37
Hezekiah Consults Isaiah
1And this happened: When King Hezekiah heard, he tore his garments, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the temple#Or “house” of Yahweh. 2And he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of#Literally “over” the palace,#Or “house” and Shebna the secretary, and the elders of the priests covered#Literally “covering themselves” with sackcloth to Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet. 3And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace, for children have come to the cervical opening, and there is no strength to give birth. 4Maybe Yahweh your God heard the words of Rabshakeh whom the king of Assyria, his master, has sent to taunt the living God, and he will rebuke the words that Yahweh your God hears. And you must lift up a prayer for the benefit of the remnant that is found.’ ”
5When#Or “And” the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6Isaiah said to them, “You must say this to your master: ‘Thus says Yahweh: “You must not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7Look! I am about to put#Literally “give” a spirit in him so that#Or “and” he shall hear a rumor and he shall return to his land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his land.” ’ ”
8And Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that he had left from Lachish. 9Now#Or “And” he#That is, the king heard concerning Tirhakah the king of Cush, saying, “He has set out to fight against#Or “with” you.”
When#Or “And” he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10“You shall say this to Hezekiah, king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust in him deceive you by saying, “Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11Look! you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands to destroy them, and you—shall you be delivered? 12Did the gods of the nations that my predecessors#Literally “fathers” destroyed deliver them—Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, or#Or “and” Ivvah?’ ”
Hezekiah’s Prayer
14And Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers, and he read#Or “called” it. Then#Or “And” he went up to the temple#Or “house” of Yahweh, and Hezekiah spread it out before the presence#Literally “face” of Yahweh. 15And Hezekiah prayed to Yahweh, saying, 16“Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel who is enthroned on#Literally “sitting” the cherubim, you are the one, God by yourself, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you are the one who made the heavens and the earth. 17Yahweh, extend your ear and hear! Yahweh, open your eyes and see, and hear all the words of Sennacherib that he has sent to taunt the living God! 18Truly, Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the lands#The parallel text in 2 Kings has “nations” and their land, 19to set#Literally “give” their gods in the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of human hands, wood and stone, and they destroyed them. 20So#Or “And” now, Yahweh, our God, save us from his hand so that#Or “and” all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are Yahweh, you alone!”
God’s Answer
21And Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: ‘Because you have prayed to me concerning#Literally “to” Sennacherib, king of Assyria, 22this is the word that Yahweh has spoken concerning him:
She shows contempt for you; she derides you, virgin daughter of Zion;
she shakes her head behind you, daughter of Jerusalem.
23Whom have you taunted and blasphemed,
and against whom have you raised up your voice and lifted your eyes upward?
To the holy one of Israel!
24By the hand of your servants you have taunted the Lord,
and you have said, “With my many chariots,#Hebrew “chariot”
I myself have gone up the height of the mountains,
to the remote areas of Lebanon.
And I cut off its tall cedars,#Literally “the height of its cedars”
the choicest of its junipers.
And I came to the height of its limit,
the forest of its orchard.#Or “Carmel”
25I myself dug and drank waters,
and I caused all the streams of Egypt to dry up by the sole of my feet.”
26Have you not heard from a long time ago?#Literally “distant” I have made it
from days of primeval time, and I formed it.
Now I have brought it about,
and it is for fortified cities to collapse into heaps of destroyed stones.
27And their inhabitants are weak;#Literally “short of hand”
they are dismayed, and they are ashamed;
they have become like plants#Hebrew “plant” of the field,
and like greens of grass,
like grass on#Or “of” the roofs
and a cultivated field before#Literally “before the face of” the standing grain.
28And I know your sitting down and your going out,
and your coming in, and your raging against#Literally “to” me.
29Because you were enraged against#Literally “to” me,
and your noise#Or “complacency” has come up to#Literally “in” my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bridle on your lips,
and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.
30And this shall be the sign for you: the eating of volunteer plants#Hebrew “plant” this#Literally “the” year, and in the second year self-seeded plants,#Hebrew “plant” and in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31And the remnant of the house of Judah that remain shall grow#Literally “add” roots#Hebrew “root” downwards and make fruit upwards.
32For a remnant shall go out from Jerusalem
and survivors#Hebrew “survivor” from mountain Zion.
The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.’
33Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning#Or “to” the king of Assyria:
‘He shall not come to this city,
and he shall not shoot an arrow there,
and he shall not meet it with a shield,
and he shall not heap a siege ramp up against her.
34He shall return by the way that he came,
and he shall not come to this city,’
declares#Literally “declaration of” Yahweh.
35‘And I will defend this city, to save it for my sake and for the sake of David, my servant.’ ”
Sennacherib’s Defeat
36And the angel of Yahweh set out and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When#Or “And” they rose in the morning, look! All of them were dead corpses. 37Then#Or “And” Sennacherib king of Assyria left, went, and returned and lived at Nineveh. 38And this happened: he was bowing in worship in the house of Nisroch his god, and Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him with the sword. And they themselves escaped to the land of Ararat, and Esar-haddon his son reigned as king in his place.
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