2 Kings 19

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 the LORD. 2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to 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 blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.*19.3 blasphemy: or, provocation 4 It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.*19.4 left: Heb. found 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 the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

8 So Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. 9 And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto 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 delivered 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; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?

14 And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. 16 LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. 17 Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, 18 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.*19.18 cast: Heb. given 19 Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. 21 This is the word that the LORD 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. 22 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. 23 By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.*19.23 By: Heb. By the hand of*19.23 tall…: Heb. tallness, etc*19.23 of his Carmel: or, and his fruitful field 24 I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.*19.24 besieged: or, fenced 25 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 fenced cities into ruinous heaps.*19.25 long…: or, how I have made it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? should I now bring it to be laid waste, and fenced cities to be ruinous heaps? 26 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.*19.26 of small…: Heb. short of hand 27 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.*19.27 abode: or, sitting 28 Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will 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. 29 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, 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 fruits thereof. 30 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.*19.30 remnant…: Heb. escaping of the house of Judah that remaineth 31 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.*19.31 they…: Heb. the escaping 32 Therefore thus saith 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 cast a bank against it. 33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. 34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.

35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 37 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 Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.*19.37 Armenia: Heb. Ararat

希西家向以赛亚求救（赛37:1~5）

1 希西家王听见了，就把自己的衣服撕裂，披上麻布，来到耶和华的殿。2 王又派王宫总管以利亚敬、书记舍伯那和祭司中的长老披上麻布，到亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚先知那里。3 他们对他说："希西家这样说：‘今天是痛苦、责罚和侮辱的日子，好象婴儿的产期到了，却没有力量生产。4 或者耶和华你的　神听到拉伯沙基所说的话*他就是他的主亚述王派来辱骂永活的　神的人，就因着耶和华你的　神所听见的话责罚他。所以请为这里余剩的人献上祷告。’"5 希西家王的臣仆就来到以赛亚那里。

以赛亚安慰的话（赛37:6~7）

6 以赛亚对他们说："你们要这样告诉你们的主人：‘耶和华这样说：不要因你所听见亚述王的随从亵渎我的话而惊怕。7 看哪，我要使他的心惊颤*"使他的心惊颤"原文作"放一个灵在他里面"，他将听见消息，就退回自己的地方去；我要使他在自己的国土倒在刀下。’"

亚述王恐吓的话（赛37:8~13）

8 拉伯沙基回去，发觉亚述王正在攻打立拿，因为他曾听说亚述王已拔营离开拉吉。9 亚述王听见有关古实王特哈加的消息说："看哪，他出来要和你交战。"于是亚述王再派使者去见希西家说：10 "你们要对犹大王希西家说：‘不要让你所信靠的　神欺骗你说：耶路撒冷不会交在亚述王的手中。11 看哪，你听过亚述列王怎样对付列国，把它们完全毁灭，你会得着解救吗？12 我祖先所消灭的民族，就是歌散人、哈兰人、利色人和在提．拉撒的伊甸人，他们的神可曾解救他们吗？13 哈马王、亚珥拔王、西法瓦音城的王、希拿王和以瓦王在哪里呢？’"

希西家向 神祷告（赛37:14~20）

14 希西家从使者手中接过信件，念完了，就上耶和华的殿。希西家把信件在耶和华面前展开。15 希西家在耶和华面前祷告，说："耶和华以色列的　神，坐在二基路伯中间的啊，只有你是地上万国的　神，天地是你创造的。16 耶和华啊！求你侧耳聆听；耶和华啊！求你睁眼垂顾；听那派使者来侮辱永活的　神的西拿基立的话。17 耶和华啊！亚述列王真的曾毁坏列国和它们的领土，18 把它们的神丢进火里，但他们并不是神，不过是人手用木头、石头做成的，因此他们可以把他们除掉。19 现在，耶和华我们的　神啊，求你从他的手中把我们拯救出来，地上万国就可以知道只有你耶和华才是　神。"

以赛亚预言亚述必败（赛37:21~35）

20 于是亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚派人去见希西家，说："耶和华以色列的　神这样说：‘你向我祷告有关亚述王西拿基立的事，我已经听见了。’21 下面是耶和华所说关于他的话：

‘锡安的居民*"居民"原文作"处女"藐视你，嗤笑你；

耶路撒冷的居民在你背后摇头。

22 你辱骂了谁，亵渎了谁？

你扬声攻击谁呢？

你高举眼目是向谁傲慢呢？

就是攻击以色列的圣者。

23 你借着你的使者侮辱了我的主，

你说——

我要用大批的战车，

攀登众山的高峰，

到达黎巴嫩山的顶端，

砍伐高大的香柏树，佳美的松木；

我要进入极远的峰峦，最茂密的森林。

24 我掘井饮外地的水，

我用脚掌踏干埃及所有的河道。

25 你没有听过吗？

在远古我已决定，

在古时我已筹划，

现在我要实现，

就是你使设防城变成乱堆。

26 他们的居民没有能力，

惊惶、羞惭。

他们好象田野的嫩草，

青绿的蔬菜，

和房顶上的草，

还未长成就枯萎了。

27 你坐下，你出去，你进来，

以及你对我所发的烈怒，

我都知道。

28 因为你向我发了烈怒，

你狂傲的话进入我的耳中，

我要把我的钩子钩在你的鼻子上，

把嚼环套在你的嘴上，

使你在你来的路上转回去。

29 ‘这要给你作一个征兆：这一年要吃自然生长的，第二年也要吃自己长出来的，第三年要撒种、收割，栽种葡萄园，吃它们的果子。30 犹大家逃脱的余民，必再往下扎根，往上结果；31 因为将有剩余的人从耶路撒冷出来，将有逃脱的人从锡安山而来，耶和华的热心必成全这事。32 因此，耶和华论到亚述王这样说：他不会来到这城，不会在那里射箭，也不会拿着盾牌向城进攻，不会筑起土堆围攻它。33 他必循他来的路回去，他必不能来到这城，这是耶和华的宣告。34 为了我和我仆人大卫的缘故，我必保护这城，拯救这城。’"

神惩罚亚述王（代下32:20~21；赛37:36~38）

35 那天晚上，耶和华的使者出去，在亚述军营杀了十八万五千人。早上，他们起来的时候，看哪，到处都是死尸。36 于是亚述王西拿基立拔营离开，回去住在尼尼微。37 一日，他正在他的神亚斯洛的庙中叩拜的时候，亚得米勒和沙利色用刀刺杀了他，然后逃到亚拉腊地。他的儿子以撒哈顿接续他作王。