Isaiah 37

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, 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 blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.*37.3 blasphemy: or, provocation 4 It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, 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 is left.*37.4 left: Heb. found 5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the LORD, 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 send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.*37.7 send…: or, put a spirit into him

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 forth to make war with 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, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?

14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying, 16 O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, 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 LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. 18 Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,*37.18 nations: Heb. lands 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.*37.19 cast: Heb. given 20 Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.

21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria: 22 This is the word which 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. 23 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. 24 By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.*37.24 By thy…: Heb. By the hand of thy servants*37.24 the tall…: Heb. the tallness of the cedars thereof and the choice of the fir trees thereof*37.24 the forest…: or, the forest and his fruitful field 25 I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.*37.25 besieged: or, fenced and closed 26 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 defenced cities into ruinous heaps.*37.26 Hast…: or, Hast thou not heard how I have made it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? should I now bring it to be laid waste, and defenced cities to be 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 corn blasted before it be grown up.*37.27 of small…: Heb. short of hand 28 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.*37.28 abode: or, sitting 29 Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, 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 a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and 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:*37.31 the remnant…: Heb. the escaping of the house of Judah that remaineth 32 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.*37.32 they…: Heb. the escaping 33 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 shields, nor cast a bank against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. 35 For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. 36 Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

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 Armenia: and Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.*37.38 Armenia: Heb. Ararat

希西家向以赛亚求救（王下19:1~4）

1 希西家王听见了，就撕裂衣服，披上麻布，进了耶和华的殿。2 他差派管家以利亚敬、书记舍伯那和祭司中的长老，都披上麻布，去见亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚先知。3 他们对他说："希西家这样说：‘今日是急难、责罚和凌辱的日子，就像婴孩快要出生的时候，却没有气力生出来一样。4 也许耶和华你的　神听见拉伯沙基的话，就是他的主人亚述王派他来辱骂永活的　神的话；耶和华你的　神会因他所听见的话斥责他；因此，求你为余剩下来的人献上祷告。’"

以赛亚安慰的话（王下19:5~7）

5 希西家王的臣仆就去见以赛亚，6 以赛亚对他们说："要对你们的主人这样说：‘耶和华这样说：你不要因为听见亚述王的仆人亵渎我的话而害怕。7 看哪！我必使灵进入他里面，以致他听见风声就归回本地；我必使他在那里倒在刀下。’"

亚述王恐吓的话（王下19:8~13）

8 拉伯沙基回去的时候，正遇见亚述王攻打立拿；原来他早已听闻亚述王拔营离开了拉吉。9 亚述王听到关于古实王特哈加的报告说："他出来要与你争战"；亚述王听见了，就差派使者去见希西家，说：10 "你们要对犹大王希西家这样说：不要给你所倚靠的　神欺骗你说：耶路撒冷必不交在亚述王的手里。11 你必定听过亚述列王向列国所行的，就是把她们完全毁灭，难道你还有救吗？12 我列祖所毁灭的国，有歌撒、哈兰、利色和在提．拉撒的伊甸人，这些国的神曾拯救她们吗？13 哈马的王、亚珥拔的王、西法瓦音城的王、希拿和以瓦的王，现在都在哪里呢？"

希西家向 神祷告（王下19:14~19）

14 希西家从使者手里接过信卷，读完了，就上耶和华的殿，在耶和华面前把信卷展开。15 希西家向耶和华祷告说：16 "万军之耶和华，以色列的　神，坐在二基路伯中间的啊！唯独你是地上万国的　神；你创造了天地。17 耶和华啊，求你侧耳而听！耶和华啊，求你开眼察看！要听西拿基立的一切话，就是那差派使者来辱骂永活的　神的。18 耶和华啊！亚述列王果然使列国和他们的土地变成荒凉，19 又把列国的神都扔进火中；因为他们不是神，只是人手所做的，不过是木头和石头，所以他们就灭绝了他们。20 耶和华我们的　神啊！现在求你拯救我们脱离亚述王的手，使地上万国都知道唯有你耶和华是　神。"

以赛亚预言亚述必败（王下19:20~34）

21 亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚就派人去见希西家，说："耶和华以色列的　神这样说：‘因为你向我祷告关于亚述王西拿基立的事，22 耶和华就有以下的话攻击他，说：

锡安的处女

藐视你，嗤笑你；

耶路撒冷的女子

在你背后摇头。

23 你辱骂谁、亵渎谁？

你扬起声音，

又高举眼目，要攻击谁？

就是攻击以色列的圣者。

24 你借着你的臣仆辱骂主；

你又说：我率领我众多的战车上了群山的高峰，

到了黎巴嫩极深之处。

我砍伐其中高大的香柏树和佳美的松树；

我去到极高之处，进入肥田般的树林。

25 我挖井和喝水；

我用我的脚掌

踏干埃及的河流。’

26 耶和华说：‘难道你没有听见

古时我所安排，

往昔所计划的吗？

现在我才使它成就，

使坚固的城镇荒废，变作乱堆。

27 因此，其中的居民软弱无力，

惊惶羞愧，

像田间的蔬菜和青绿的草，

又像房顶上的草，还没有长起来，就干焦了。

28 你坐下，

你出，你入，

你向我发烈怒，我都知道。

29 因为你向我发烈怒，

又因你的狂傲达到我耳中，

我要把钩子放进你的鼻孔，

把嚼环放进你的嘴里，

使你从你来的路上回去。

30 希西家啊！这要作你的兆头：今年你们要吃自生的，明年还要吃自长的，后年你们就要撒种，要收割，要栽种葡萄园，吃园中的果子。31 犹大家所逃脱的余民，必再向下扎根，往上结果。32 因为余下的人必从耶路撒冷出来，逃脱的人必从锡安山出来。万军之耶和华的热心必作成这事。’33 所以耶和华这样论到亚述王，说：‘他必不会来到这城，也不会在这里射箭；不会拿着盾牌来到城前，也不会筑土垒攻城。34 他从哪条路来，也必从哪条路回去；他必不得进入这城；这是耶和华的宣告。35 因我为自己的缘故，又为我仆人大卫的缘故，必保护这城，拯救这城。’"

神惩罚亚述王（王下19:35~37；代下32:20~21）

36 于是耶和华的使者出去，在亚述营中击杀了十八万五千人；到了早晨，有人起来，所见的都是死尸。37 亚述王西拿基立就拔营离去，返回本地，住在尼尼微。38 他在自己的神尼斯洛庙里叩拜的时候，他的儿子亚得米勒和沙利色用刀杀了他，然后逃到亚拉腊地。他的儿子以撒哈顿接续他作王。