Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold

19:1–13pp—Isa 37:1–13

19 When King Hezekiah heard this, he torei his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakimj the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests,k all wearing sackcloth,l to the prophet Isaiahm 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 momentn of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridiculeo the living God, and that he will rebukep him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnantq 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 afraidr of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemeds me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report,t I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.u’ ”

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

9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,a was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you dependx on deceivey 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 deliverz them—the gods of Gozan,a Harran,b 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?”c

Hezekiah’s Prayer

19:14–19pp—Isa 37:14–20

14 Hezekiah received the letterd 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: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,e you alonef are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear,g Lord, and hear;h open your eyes,i Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not godsj but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.k 19 Now, Lord our God, deliverl us from his hand, so that all the kingdomsm of the earth may known that you alone, Lord, are God.”

Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall

19:20–37pp—Isa 37:21–38
19:35–37pp—2Ch 32:20–21

20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heardo your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken againstp him:

“ ‘Virgin Daughterq Zion

despisesr you and mockss you.

Daughter Jerusalem

tosses her headt as you flee.

22 Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?u

Against whom have you raised your voice

and lifted your eyes in pride?

Against the Holy Onev of Israel!

23 By your messengers

you have ridiculed the Lord.

And you have said,w

“With my many chariotsx

I have ascended the heights of the mountains,

the utmost heights of Lebanon.

I have cut downy its tallest cedars,

the choicest of its junipers.

I have reached its remotest parts,

the finest of its forests.

24 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.”

25 “ ‘Have you not heard?z

Long ago I ordained it.

In days of old I planneda it;

now I have brought it to pass,

that you have turned fortified cities

into piles of stone.b

26 Their people, drained of power,c

are dismayedd and put to shame.

They are like plants in the field,

like tender green shoots,e

like grass sprouting on the roof,

scorchedf before it grows up.

27 “ ‘But I knowg where you are

and when you come and go

and how you rage against me.

28 Because you rage against me

and because your insolence has reached my ears,

I will put my hookh in your nose

and my biti in your mouth,

and I will make you returnj

by the way you came.’

29 “This will be the signk for you, Hezekiah:

“This year you will eat what grows by itself,l

and the second year what springs from that.

But in the third year sow and reap,

plant vineyardsm and eat their fruit.

30 Once more a remnantn of the kingdom of Judah

will take rooto below and bear fruit above.

31 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,p

and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.q

“The zealr of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

32 “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.

33 By the way that he came he will return;s

he will not enter this city,

declares the Lord.

34 I will defendt this city and save it,

for my sake and for the sake of Davidu my servant.’ ”

35 That night the angel of the Lordv 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!w 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew.x He returned to Ninevehy and stayed there.

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

Hezekiah’s Illness

20:1–11pp—2Ch 32:24–26; Isa 38:1–8

20 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember,d Lord, how I have walkede before you faithfullyf and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heardg your prayer and seen your tears;h I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defendi this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’ ”

7 Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil,j and he recovered.

8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day from now?”

9 Isaiah answered, “This is the Lord’s signk to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?”

10 “It is a simplel matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.”

11 Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go backm the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

Envoys From Babylon

20:12–19pp—Isa 39:1–8
20:20–21pp—2Ch 32:32–33

12 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah’s illness. 13 Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine olive oil—his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

14 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

“From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came from Babylon.”

15 The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”

“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon.n Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 18 And some of your descendants,o your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”p

19 “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”

20 As for the other events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the poolq and the tunnelr by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 21 Hezekiah rested with his ancestors. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.

Manasseh King of Judah

21:1–10pp—2Ch 33:1–10
21:17–18pp—2Ch 33:18–20

21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.s 2 He did evilt in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practicesu of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high placesv his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baalw and made an Asherah pole,x as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hostsy and worshiped them. 4 He built altarsz in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.”a 5 In the two courtsb of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his own sonc in the fire, practiced divination,d sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists.e He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousingf his anger.

7 He took the carved Asherah poleg he had made and put it in the temple,h of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Namei forever. 8 I will not againj make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Mosesk gave them.” 9 But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evill than the nationsm the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.

10 The Lord said through his servants the prophets: 11 “Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more eviln than the Amoriteso who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols.p 12 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disasterq on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.r 13 I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb lines used against the house of Ahab. I will wipet out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 I will forsakeu the remnantv of my inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their enemies; 15 they have done evilw in my eyes and have arousedx my anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this day.”

16 Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent bloody that he filled Jerusalem from end to end—besides the sin that he had caused Judahz to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

17 As for the other events of Manasseh’s reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 18 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace garden,a the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.

Amon King of Judah

21:19–24pp—2Ch 33:21–25

19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. 20 He did evilb in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. 21 He followed completely the ways of his father, worshiping the idols his father had worshiped, and bowing down to them. 22 He forsookc the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walkd in obedience to him.

23 Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinatede the king in his palace. 24 Then the people of the land killedf all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiahg his son king in his place.

25 As for the other events of Amon’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 26 He was buried in his tomb in the gardenh of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king.

The Book of the Law Found

22:1–20pp—2Ch 34:1–2,8–28

22 Josiahi was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.j 2 He did what was rightk in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the rightl or to the left.

3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphanm son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: 4 “Go up to Hilkiahn the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collectedo from the people. 5 Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repairp the temple of the Lord—6 the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple.q 7 But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.”r

8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Laws in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 9 Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” 10 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.t

11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law,u he tore his robes. 12 He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikamv son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant:w 13 “Go and inquirex of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s angery that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”

14 Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophetz Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.

15 She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disastera on this place and its people, according to everything written in the bookb the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsakenc me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made,a my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ 18 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquired of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 19 Because your heart was responsive and you humblede yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curseb f and be laid wasteg—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 20 Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace.h Your eyesi will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’ ”

So they took her answer back to the king.