1And when KingHezekiahheard[it], he torehis clothes,coveredhimself with sackclothand enteredthe houseof the LORD.2Then he sentEliakimwhowas overthe householdwith Shebnathe scribeand the eldersof the priests,coveredwith sackcloth,to Isaiahthe prophetthe sonof Amoz.3They saidto him, "ThussaysHezekiah,'Thisdayis a dayof distress,rebuke,and rejection;for childrenhave cometo birthand thereis nostrengthto [deliver].4Perhapsthe LORDyour Godwill hearallthe wordsof Rabshakeh,whomhis masterthe kingof Assyriahas sentto reproachthe livingGod,and will rebukethe wordswhichthe LORDyour Godhas heard.Therefore, offera prayerfor the remnantthat is left.'"5So the servantsof KingHezekiahcameto Isaiah.6Isaiahsaidto them, "Thusyou shall sayto your master,'Thussaysthe LORD,"Do not be afraidbecauseof the wordsthat you have heard,with whichthe servantsof the kingof Assyriahave blasphemedMe.7"Behold,I will puta spiritin him so that he will heara rumorand returnto his own land.And I will make him fallby the swordin his own land."'"
8Then Rabshakehreturnedand foundthe kingof AssyriafightingagainstLibnah,for he had heardthat the king had leftLachish.9When he heard[them] sayconcerningTirhakahkingof Cush,"Behold,he has comeout to fightagainstyou," he sentmessengersagainto Hezekiahsaying,10"Thusyou shall sayto Hezekiahkingof Judah,Do not let your Godin whomyou trustdeceiveyou saying,"Jerusalemwill not be giveninto the handof the kingof Assyria."11Behold,you have heardwhatthe kingsof Assyriahave doneto allthe lands,destroyingthem completely.So will you be spared?12Did the godsof those nationswhichmy fathersdestroyeddeliverthem, [even] Gozanand Haranand Rezephand the sonsof Edenwho[were] in Telassar?13Whereis the kingof Hamath,the kingof Arpad,the kingof the cityof Sepharvaim,and [of] Henaand Ivvah?'"
14Then Hezekiahtookthe letterfrom the handof the messengersand readit, and he wentup to the houseof the LORDand spreadit out beforethe LORD.15Hezekiahprayedbeforethe LORDand said,"O LORD,the Godof Israel,who are enthroned[above] the cherubim,You are the God,You alone,of allthe kingdomsof the earth.You have madeheavenand earth.16"InclineYour ear,O LORD,and hear;openYour eyes,O LORD,and see;and listento the wordsof Sennacherib,whichhe has sentto reproachthe livingGod.17"Truly,O LORD,the kingsof Assyriahave devastatedthe nationsand their lands18and have casttheir godsinto the fire,for they were not godsbut the workof men'shands,woodand stone.So they have destroyedthem.19"Now,O LORDour God,I pray,deliverus from his handthat allthe kingdomsof the earthmay knowthat You alone,O LORD,are God."
20Then Isaiahthe sonof Amozsentto Hezekiahsaying,"Thussaysthe LORD,the Godof Israel,'Becauseyou have prayedto Me aboutSennacheribkingof Assyria,I have heard[you].'
21"Thisis the wordthat the LORDhas spokenagainsthim: 'She has despisedyou and mockedyou, The virgindaughterof Zion;She has shaken[her] headbehindyou, The daughterof Jerusalem!
22Whomhave you reproachedand blasphemed?And againstwhomhave you raised[your] voice,And haughtilyliftedup your eyes?Againstthe HolyOneof Israel!
23Throughyour messengersyou have reproachedthe Lord,And you have said,"With my manychariotsI cameup to the heightsof the mountains,To the remotestpartsof Lebanon;And I cutdownits tallcedars[and] its choicecypresses.And I enteredits farthestlodgingplace,its thickestforest.
24"I dug[wells] and drankforeignwaters,And with the soleof my feetI driedup Allthe riversof Egypt."
25Have you not heard?LongagoI didit; From ancienttimesI plannedit. NowI have broughtit to pass,That you should turnfortifiedcitiesinto ruinousheaps.
26Therefore their inhabitantswere shortof strength,They were dismayedand putto shame;They were as the vegetationof the fieldand as the greenherb,As grasson the housetopsis scorchedbeforeit is grownup.
27But I knowyour sittingdown,And your goingout and your comingin, And your ragingagainstMe.
28Becauseof your ragingagainstMe, And because your arrogancehas comeup to My ears,Therefore I will putMy hookin your nose,And My bridlein your lips,And I will turnyou backby the waywhichyou came.
29Then thisshall be the signfor you: you will eatthis yearwhatgrowsof itself, in the secondyearwhatspringsfrom the same, and in the thirdyearsow,reap,plantvineyards,and eattheir fruit.30The survivingremnantof the houseof Judahwill againtake rootdownwardand bearfruitupward.31For out of Jerusalemwill gofortha remnant,and out of MountZionsurvivors.The zealof the LORDwill performthis.
32Thereforethussaysthe LORDconcerningthe kingof Assyria,"He will not cometo thiscityor shootan arrowthere;and he will not comebeforeit with a shieldorthrowup a siegerampagainstit.33"By the waythat he came,by the same he will return,and he shall not cometo thiscity,"' declaresthe LORD.34For I will defendthiscityto saveit for My own sakeand for My servantDavid'ssake.'"
35Then it happenedthat nightthat the angelof the LORDwentout and struck185000in the campof the Assyrians;and when men roseearlyin the morning,behold,allof them were dead.36So Sennacheribkingof Assyriadepartedand returned[home], and livedat Nineveh.37It cameabout as he was worshipingin the houseof Nisrochhis god,that Adrammelechand Sharezerkilledhim with the sword;and they escapedinto the landof Ararat.And Esarhaddonhis sonbecamekingin his place.
