37:1 And it came to pass, when king Ezekias
heard [it, that] he rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth, and went up to
the house of Yehovah.
37:2 And he sent Heliakim the steward, and Somnas the scribe, and the elders
of the priests clothed with sackcloth, to Esaias the son of Amos, the
prophet. And they said to him, Thus says Ezekias,
37:3 To-day is a day of affliction, and reproach, and rebuke, and anger: for
the pangs are come upon the travailing [woman], but she has not strength to
bring forth.
37:4 May Yehovah thy Elohim hear the words of Rabsaces, which the king of the
Assyrians has sent, to reproach the living Elohim, even to reproach with the
words which Yehovah thy Elohim has heard: therefore thou shalt pray to thy
Lord for these that are left.
37:5 So the servants of king Ezekias came to Esaias.
37:6 And Esaias said to them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith
Yehovah, Be not thou afraid at the words which thou hast heard, wherewith
the ambassadors of the king of the Assyrians have reproached me,
37:7 Behold, I [will] send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a report, and
return to his own country, and he shall fall by the sword in his own land.
37:8 So Rabsaces returned, and found the king of the Assyrians besieging
Lobna: for he had heard that he had departed from Lachis.
37:9 And Tharaca king of the Ethiopians went forth to attack him. And when
he heard it, he turned aside, and sent messengers to Ezekias, saying,
37:10 Thus shall ye say to Ezekias king of Judea, Let not thy Elohim, in whom
thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into
the hand of the king of the Assyrians.
37:11 Hast thou not heard what the kings of the Assyrians have done, how
they have destroyed the whole earth? and shalt thou be delivered?
37:12 Have the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed delivered
them, both Gozan, and Charrhan, and Raphth, which are in the land of
Theemath?
37:13 Where are the kings of Emath? and where [is the king of] Arphath? and
where [is the king] of the city of Eppharuaim, [and of] Anagugana?
37:14 And Ezekias received the letter from the messengers, and read it, and
went up to the house of Yehovah, and opened it before Yehovah.
37:15 And Ezekias prayed to Yehovah, saying,
37:16 O Lord of hosts, Elohim of Israel, who sittest upon the cherubs, thou
alone art the Elohim of every kingdom of the world: thou hast made heaven and
earth.
37:17 Incline thine ear, O Lord, hearken, O Lord; open thine eyes, O Lord,
look, O Lord: and behold the words of Sennacherim, which he has sent to
reproach the living Elohim.
37:18 For of a truth, Lord, the kings of the Assyrians have laid waste the
whole world, and the countries thereof,
37:19 and have cast their idols into the fire: for, they were no gods, but
the work of men's hands, wood and stone; and they have cast them away.
37:20 But now, O Lord our Elohim, deliver us from his hands, that every kingdom
of the earth may know that thou art Elohim alone.
37:21 And Esaias the son of Amos was sent to Ezekias, and said to him, Thus
saith Yehovah, the Elohim of Israel, I have heard thy prayer to me concerning
Sennacherim king of the Assyrians.
37:22 This is the word which Elohim has spoken concerning him; The virgin
daughter of Zion has despised thee, and mocked thee; the daughter of
Jerusalem has shaken her head at thee.
37:23 Whom hast thou reproached and provoked? and against whom hast thou
lifted up thy voice? and hast thou not lifted up thine eyes on high against
the Holy One of Israel?
37:24 For thou hast reproached Yehovah by messengers; for thou hast said,
With the multitude of chariots have I ascended to the height of mountains,
and to the sides of Libanus; and I have cropped the height of his cedars and
the beauty of his cypresses; and I entered into the height of the forest
region:
37:25 and I have made a bridge, and dried up the waters, and every pool of
water.
37:26 Hast thou not heard of these tings which I did of old? I appointed
[them] from ancient times; but now have I manifested [my purpose] of
desolating nations in [their] strong holds, and them that dwell in strong
cities.
37:27 I weakened [their] hands, and they withered; and they became as dry
grass on the house-tops, and as grass.
37:28 But now I know thy rest, and thy going out, and thy coming in.
37:29 And thy wrath wherewith thou hast been enraged, and thy rancour has
come up to me; therefore I will put a hook in thy nose, and a bit in thy
lips, and will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
37:30 And this shall be a sign to thee, Eat this year what thou hast sown;
and the second year that which is left: and the third year sow, and reap,
and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
37:31 And they that are left in Judea shall take root downward, and bear
fruit upward:
37:32 for out of Jerusalem there shall be a remnant, and the saved ones out
of mount Zion: the zeal of Yehovah of hosts shall perform this.
37:33 Therefore thus saith Yehovah concerning the king of the Assyrians, He
shall not enter into this city, nor cast a weapon against it, nor bring a
shield against it, nor make a rampart round it.
37:34 But by the way by which he came, by it shall he return, and shall not
enter into this city: thus saith Yehovah.
37:35 I will protect this city to save it for my own sake, and for my
servant David's sake.
37:36 And the Messenger of Yehovah went forth, and slew out of the camp of the
Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand: and they arose in the morning
and found all [these] bodies dead.
37:37 And Sennacherim king of the Assyrians turned and departed, and dwelt
in Nineve.
37:38 And while he was worshipping Nasarach his country's god in the house,
Adramelech and Sarasar his sons smote him with swords; and they escaped into
Armenia: and Asordan his son reigned in his stead. |
37:1 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 Yehovah.
37:2 And 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.
37:3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of
trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the
birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
37:4 It may be Yehovah thy Elohim will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the
king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living Elohim, and will
reprove the words which Yehovah thy Elohim hath heard: wherefore lift up thy
prayer for the remnant that is left.
37:5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
37:6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus
saith Yehovah, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith
the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
37:7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and
return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own
land.
37:8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against
Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
37:9 And he 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,
37:10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy
Elohim, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be
given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
37:11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all
lands by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?
37:12 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 Telassar?
37:13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of
the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?
37:14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and
read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of Yehovah, and spread it
before Yehovah.
37:15 And Hezekiah prayed unto Yehovah, saying,
37:16 O Yehovah of hosts, Elohim of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims,
thou art the Elohim, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou
hast made heaven and earth.
37:17 Incline thine ear, O Yehovah, and hear; open thine eyes, O Yehovah, and see:
and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the
living Elohim.
37:18 Of a truth, Yehovah, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the
nations, and their countries,
37:19 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.
37:20 Now therefore, O Yehovah our Elohim, save us from his hand, that all the
kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art Yehovah, even thou only.
37:21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the
Yehovah Elohim of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king
of Assyria:
37:22 This is the word which Yehovah 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.
37:23 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.
37:24 By thy servants hast thou reproached Yehovah, and hast said, By the
multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the
sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the
choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border,
and the forest of his Carmel.
37:25 I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I
dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.
37:26 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 defenced cities into ruinous heaps.
37:27 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 housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.
37:28 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy
rage against me.
37:29 Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, 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.
37:30 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as
groweth of itself; and 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.
37:31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take
root downward, and bear fruit upward:
37:32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape
out of mount Zion: the zeal of Yehovah of hosts shall do this.
37:33 Therefore thus saith Yehovah concerning the king of Assyria, He shall
not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with
shields, nor cast a bank against it.
37:34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not
come into this city, saith Yehovah.
37:35 For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my
servant David's sake.
37:36 Then the Messenger of Yehovah went forth, and smote in the camp of the
Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose
early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
37:37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and
dwelt at Nineveh.
37:38 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. |