Isaiah 37

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah's Help

1 And a so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah: 'This day is a day of b trouble and rebuke and 1 blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 'It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to c reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.' "

5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, "Thus you shall say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD: "Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 "Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land." ' "

8 Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9 And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, "He has come out to make war with you." So when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 "Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: 'Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, "Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." 11 'Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 12 'Have the d gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 'Where is the king of e Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?' "

Hezekiah's Prayer for Deliverance

14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, saying: 16 "O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You f alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 g "Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and h hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 18 "Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their i lands, 19 "and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were j not gods, but the work of men's hands - wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 20 "Now therefore, O LORD our God, k save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may l know that You are the LORD, You alone."

Sennacherib's Fall

21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,

22 'this is the word which the LORD has spoken concerning him:
"The virgin, the daughter of Zion,
Has despised you, laughed you to scorn;
The daughter of Jerusalem
Has shaken her head behind your back!

23 "Whom have you reproached and blasphemed?
Against whom have you raised your voice,
And lifted up your eyes on high?
Against the Holy One of Israel. 24 By your servants you have reproached the Lord,
And said, 'By the multitude of my chariots
I have come up to the height of the mountains,
To the limits of Lebanon;
I will cut down its tall cedars
And its choice cypress trees;
I will enter its farthest height,
To its fruitful forest. 25 I have dug and drunk water,
And with the soles of my feet I have dried up
All the brooks of 2 defense.'

26 "Did you not hear m long ago
How I made it,
From ancient times that I formed it?
Now I have brought it to pass,
That you should be
For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins. 27 Therefore their inhabitants had little power;
They were dismayed and confounded;
They were as the grass of the field
And the green herb,
As the grass on the housetops
And grain blighted before it is grown.

28 "But I know your dwelling place,
Your going out and your coming in,
And your rage against Me. 29 Because your rage against Me and your tumult
Have come up to My ears,
Therefore n I will put My hook in your nose
And My bridle in your lips,
And I will o turn you back
By the way which you came." '

30 "This shall be a sign to you:
You shall eat this year such as grows of itself,
And the second year what springs from the same;
Also in the third year sow and reap,
Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. 31 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah
Shall again take root downward,
And bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant,
And those who escape from Mount Zion.
The p zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

33 "Therefore thus says 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 build a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came,
By the same shall he return;
And he shall not come into this city,'
Says the LORD. 35 'For I will q defend this city, to save it
For My own sake and for My servant r David's sake.' "

36 Then the s angel 3 3 of the LORD went out, and 5 killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses - all dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 38 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then t Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

  1. Cross References
    2 Kings 19:1 - 37
    And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.
    Isaiah 37:1 - 38
    And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.
  2. Cross References
    Isaiah 22:5
    For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity By the Lord GOD of hosts In the Valley of Vision - Breaking down the walls And of crying to the mountain.
    Isaiah 26:16
    LORD, in trouble they have visited You, They poured out a prayer when Your chastening was upon them.
    Isaiah 33:2
    O LORD, be gracious to us; We have waited for You. Be their arm every morning, Our salvation also in the time of trouble.
  3. Cross References
    Isaiah 36:15
    'nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, "The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria."'
    Isaiah 36:18
    Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, "The LORD will deliver us." Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
    Isaiah 36:20
    'Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?'"
  4. Cross References
    Isaiah 36:18
    Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, "The LORD will deliver us." Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
    Isaiah 36:19
    Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
  5. Cross References
    Isaiah 49:23
    Kings shall be your foster fathers, And their queens your nursing mothers; They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, And lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD, For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.
  6. Cross References
    Isaiah 43:10
    You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me.
    Isaiah 43:11
    I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior.
  7. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 6:40
    Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place.
    Psalms 17:6
    I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
    Daniel 9:18
    O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies.
  8. Cross References
    Psalms 74:22
    Arise, O God, plead Your own cause; Remember how the foolish man reproaches You daily.
  9. Cross References
    2 Kings 15:29
    In the days of Pekah king of Israel, TiglathPile'ser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.
    2 Kings 16:9
    So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it, carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.
    2 Kings 17:6
    In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
    2 Kings 17:24
    Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities.
    1 Chronicles 5:26
    So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, that is, TiglathPile'ser king of Assyria. He carried the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan to this day.
  10. Cross References
    Isaiah 40:19
    The workman molds an image, The goldsmith overspreads it with gold, And the silversmith casts silver chains.
    Isaiah 40:20
    Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks for himself a skillful workman To prepare a carved image that will not totter.
  11. Cross References
    Isaiah 33:22
    (For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us).
  12. Cross References
    Psalms 83:18
    That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth.
  13. Cross References
    Isaiah 25:1
    O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
    Isaiah 40:21
    Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
    Isaiah 45:21
    Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me.
  14. Cross References
    2 Kings 19:35 - 37
    And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses - all dead.
    2 Chronicles 32:21
    Then the LORD sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned shamefaced to his own land. And when he had gone into the temple of his god, some of his own offspring struck him down with the sword there.
    Isaiah 30:28
    His breath is like an overflowing stream, Which reaches up to the neck, To sift the nations with the sieve of futility; And there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, Causing them to err.
    Ezekiel 38:4
    I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.
  15. Cross References
    Ezekiel 38:4
    I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.
    Ezekiel 39:2
    And I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.
  16. Cross References
    2 Kings 19:31
    For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, And those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
    Isaiah 9:7
    Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
    Isaiah 59:17
    For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak.
    Joel 2:18
    Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people.
    Zechariah 1:14
    So the angel who spoke with me said to me, "Proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "I am zealous for Jerusalem And for Zion with great zeal.
  17. Cross References
    2 Kings 20:6
    "And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David." '"
    Isaiah 31:5
    Like birds flying about, So will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending, He will also deliver it; Passing over, He will preserve it.
    Isaiah 38:6
    "I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city."'
  18. Cross References
    1 Kings 11:13
    "However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."
  19. Cross References
    2 Kings 19:35
    And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses - all dead.
    Isaiah 10:12
    Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.
    Isaiah 10:33
    Behold, the Lord, The LORD of hosts, Will lop off the bough with terror; Those of high stature will be hewn down, And the haughty will be humbled.
    Isaiah 10:34
    He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.
  20. Cross References
    Ezra 4:2
    They came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers' houses, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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