Isaiah 37:21-35

21,22 I went to Hezekiah and told him that the Lord God of Israel had said:

Hezekiah, you prayed to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria.*37.21,22 Hezekiah, you prayed … Assyria: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. Now this is what I say to that king:

The people of Jerusalem

hate and make fun of you;

they laugh behind your back.

23 Sennacherib, you cursed,

shouted and sneered at me,

the holy One of Israel.

24 You let your officials

insult me, the Lord.

And here is what you

have said about yourself,

"I led my chariots

to the highest heights

of Lebanon’s mountains.

I went deep into its forest,

cutting down the best cedar

and cypress trees.

25 I dried up every stream

in the land of Egypt,

and I drank water

from wells I had dug."

26 Sennacherib, now listen

to me, the Lord.

I planned all of this long ago.

And you don’t even know

that I alone am the one

who decided that you

would do these things.

I let you make ruins

of fortified cities.

27 Their people became weak,

terribly confused.

They were like wild flowers

or like tender young grass

growing on a flat roof

or like a field of grain

before it matures.*37.27 tender young grass … matures: The Standard Hebrew Text; the Dead Sea Scrolls and some Hebrew manuscripts "tender young grass, growing on a flat roof and scorched by the heat." Many of the houses had roofs made of packed earth. Grass would sometimes grow on the roof, but would die quickly because of the sun and hot winds.

28 I know all about you,

even how fiercely angry

you are with me.

29 I have seen your pride

and the tremendous hatred

you have for me.

Now I will put a hook

in your nose,

a bit in your mouth,*37.29 I will put … your mouth: This is how the Assyrians treated their prisoners, and now the Lord will treat Sennacherib the same way.

then I will send you back

to where you came from.

30 Hezekiah, I will tell you what’s going to happen. This year you will eat crops that grow on their own, and the next year you will eat whatever springs up where those crops grew. But the third year, you will plant grain and vineyards, and you will eat what you harvest. 31 Those who survive in Judah will be like a vine that puts down deep roots and bears fruit. 32 I, the Lord All-Powerful, will see to it that some who live in Jerusalem will survive.

33 I promise that the king of Assyria won’t get into Jerusalem, or shoot an arrow into the city, or even surround it and prepare to attack. 34 As surely as I am the Lord, he will return by the way he came and will never enter Jerusalem. 35 I will protect it for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.

The Death of King Sennacherib

2 Kings 19:35-37