1 Tendo o rei Ezequias ouvido isto, rasgou as suas vestes, cobriu-se de pano de saco e entrou na Casa do Senhor. 2 Então, enviou a Eliaquim, o mordomo, a Sebna, o escrivão, e aos anciãos dos sacerdotes, com vestes de pano de saco, ao profeta Isaías, filho de Amoz, 3 os quais lhe dissessem: Assim diz Ezequias: Este dia é dia de angústia, de castigo e de opróbrio; porque filhos são chegados à hora de nascer, e não há força para dá-los à luz. 4 Porventura, o Senhor, teu Deus, terá ouvido as palavras de Rabsaqué, a quem o rei da Assíria, seu senhor, enviou para afrontar o Deus vivo, e repreenderá as palavras que o Senhor ouviu; faze, pois, tuas orações pelos que ainda subsistem. 5 Foram, pois, os servos do rei Ezequias ter com Isaías; 6 Isaías lhes disse: Dizei isto a vosso senhor: Assim diz o Senhor: Não temas por causa das palavras que ouviste, com as quais os servos do rei da Assíria blasfemaram contra mim. 7 Eis que meterei nele um espírito, e ele, ao ouvir certo rumor, voltará para a sua terra; e nela eu o farei cair morto à espada.

8 Voltou, pois, Rabsaqué e encontrou o rei da Assíria pelejando contra Libna; porque ouvira que o rei já se havia retirado de Laquis. 9 O rei ouviu que, a respeito de Tiraca, rei da Etiópia, se dizia: Saiu para guerrear contra ti. Assim que ouviu isto, enviou mensageiros a Ezequias, dizendo: 10 Assim falareis a Ezequias, rei de Judá: Não te engane o teu Deus, em quem confias, dizendo: Jerusalém não será entregue nas mãos do rei da Assíria. 11 Já tens ouvido o que fizeram os reis da Assíria a todas as terras, como as destruíram totalmente; e crês tu que te livrarias? 12 Porventura, os deuses das nações livraram os povos que meus pais destruíram: Gozã, Harã, Rezefe e os filhos de Éden, que estavam em Telassar? 13 Onde está o rei de Hamate, e o rei de Arpade, e o rei da cidade de Sefarvaim, de Hena e de Iva?

14 Tendo Ezequias recebido a carta das mãos dos mensageiros, leu-a; então, subiu à Casa do Senhor, estendeu-a perante o Senhor 15 e orou ao Senhor, dizendo: 16 Ó Senhor dos Exércitos, Deus de Israel, que estás entronizado acima dos querubins, tu somente és o Deus de todos os reinos da terra; tu fizeste os céus e a terra. 17 Inclina, ó Senhor, os ouvidos e ouve; abre, Senhor, os olhos e vê; ouve todas as palavras de Senaqueribe, as quais ele enviou para afrontar o Deus vivo. 18 Verdade é, Senhor, que os reis da Assíria assolaram todos os países e suas terras 19 e lançaram no fogo os deuses deles, porque deuses não eram, senão obra de mãos de homens, madeira e pedra; por isso, os destruíram. 20 Agora, pois, ó Senhor, nosso Deus, livra-nos das suas mãos, para que todos os reinos da terra saibam que só tu és o Senhor.

21 Então, Isaías, filho de Amoz, mandou dizer a Ezequias: Assim diz o Senhor, o Deus de Israel: Visto que me pediste acerca de Senaqueribe, rei da Assíria, 22 esta é a palavra que o Senhor falou a respeito dele: A virgem, filha de Sião, te despreza e zomba de ti; a filha de Jerusalém meneia a cabeça por detrás de ti. 23 A quem afrontaste e de quem blasfemaste? E contra quem alçaste a voz e arrogantemente ergueste os olhos? Contra o Santo de Israel. 24 Por meio dos teus servos, afrontaste o Senhor e disseste: Com a multidão dos meus carros, subi ao cimo dos montes, ao mais interior do Líbano; deitarei abaixo os seus altos cedros e os ciprestes escolhidos, chegarei ao seu mais alto cimo, ao seu denso e fértil pomar. 25 Cavei e bebi as águas e com a planta de meus pés sequei todos os rios do Egito. 26 Acaso, não ouviste que já há muito dispus eu estas coisas, já desde os dias remotos o tinha planejado? Agora, porém, as faço executar e eu quis que tu reduzisses a montões de ruínas as cidades fortificadas. 27 Por isso, os seus moradores, debilitados, andaram cheios de temor e envergonhados; tornaram-se como a erva do campo, e a erva verde, e o capim dos telhados, e o cereal queimado antes de amadurecer. 28 Mas eu conheço o teu assentar, e o teu sair, e o teu entrar, e o teu furor contra mim.

29 Por causa do teu furor contra mim, e porque a tua arrogância subiu até aos meus ouvidos, eis que porei o meu anzol no teu nariz, e o meu freio, na tua boca, e te farei voltar pelo caminho por onde vieste. 30 Isto te será por sinal: este ano se comerá o que espontaneamente nascer e no segundo ano o que daí proceder; no terceiro ano, porém, semeai e colhei, plantai vinhas e comei os seus frutos. 31 O que escapou da casa de Judá e ficou de resto tornará a lançar raízes para baixo e dará fruto por cima; 32 porque de Jerusalém sairá o restante, e do monte Sião, o que escapou. O zelo do Senhor dos Exércitos fará isto.

33 Pelo que assim diz o Senhor acerca do rei da Assíria: Não entrará nesta cidade, nem lançará nela flecha alguma, não virá perante ela com escudo, nem há de levantar tranqueiras contra ela. 34 Pelo caminho por onde vier, por esse voltará; mas nesta cidade não entrará, diz o Senhor. 35 Porque eu defenderei esta cidade, para a livrar, por amor de mim e por amor do meu servo Davi.

36 Então, saiu o Anjo do Senhor e feriu no arraial dos assírios a cento e oitenta e cinco mil; e, quando se levantaram os restantes pela manhã, eis que todos estes eram cadáveres. 37 Retirou-se, pois, Senaqueribe, rei da Assíria, e se foi; voltou e ficou em Nínive. 38 Sucedeu que, estando ele a adorar na casa de Nisroque, seu deus, Adrameleque e Sarezer, seus filhos, o feriram à espada e fugiram para a terra de Ararate; e Esar-Hadom, seu filho, reinou em seu lugar.

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 Jehovah. 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. 3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of contumely; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. 4 It may be Jehovah thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Jehovah thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.

5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith Jehovah, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear tidings, and shall return unto his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

8 So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. 9 And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come out to fight against thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden that were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?

14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of Jehovah, and spread it before Jehovah. 15 And Hezekiah prayed unto Jehovah, saying, 16 O Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, that sittest above the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. 17 Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open thine eyes, O Jehovah, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to defy the living God. 18 Of a truth, Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries, and their land, 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. 20 Now therefore, O Jehovah our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art Jehovah, even thou only.

21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word which Jehovah hath spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. 23 Whom hast thou defied and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. 24 By thy servants hast thou defied the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir-trees thereof; and I will enter into its farthest height, the forest of its fruitful field; 25 I have digged and drunk water, and with the sole of my feet will I dry up all the rivers of Egypt.

26 Hast thou not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? now have I brought it to pass, that it should be thine to lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps. 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 a field of grain before it is grown up. 28 But I know thy sitting down, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy raging against me. 29 Because of thy raging against me, and because thine arrogancy 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.

30 And this shall be the sign unto thee: ye shall eat this year that which groweth of itself, and in 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. 31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of mount Zion they that shall escape. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.

33 Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith Jehovah. 35 For I will defend this city to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. 36 And the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 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 Ararat. And Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.

1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD.

2 He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.

3 They told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.

4 It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives."

5 When King Hezekiah's officials came to Isaiah,

6 Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master, 'This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard —those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.

7 Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.'"

8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.

9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush, "was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word:

10 "Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, 'Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.'

11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered?

12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver them —the gods of Gozan, Harran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar?

13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?"

14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

15 And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD:

16 "LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

17 Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

18 "It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.

19 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.

20 Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, LORD, are the only God. ""

21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria,

22 this is the word the LORD has spoken against him: "Virgin Daughter Zion despises and mocks you. Daughter Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee.

23 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!

24 By your messengers you have ridiculed the Lord. And you have said, 'With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its junipers. I have reached its remotest heights, the finest of its forests.

25 I have dug wells in foreign lands "and drunk the water there. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.'

26 "Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone.

27 Their people, drained of power, are dismayed and put to shame. They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, like grass sprouting on the roof, scorched "before it grows up.

28 "But I know where you are and when you come and go and how you rage against me.

29 Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came.

30 "This will be the sign for you, Hezekiah: "This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

31 Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.

32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

33 "Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria: "He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it.

34 By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city," declares the LORD.

35 "I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!"

36 Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning —there were all the dead bodies!

37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

38 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.