3. Isaiah Chapters 1-5: The Kingdom of God
4. Isaiah Chapters 6-10: God with us
5. Isaiah Chapters 11-26: The Rod of Jesse
6. Isaiah Chapters 27-32 The Righteous King
7. Isaiah Chapters 33-39 The Righteous King
8. Isaiah Chapters 40-43 The Servant of the Lord
9. Isaiah Chapters 44-45 The Servant of the Lord
10. Isaiah Chapters 46-48 The Redeemer and Savior
11. Isaiah Chapters 49-52: The Suffering Servant
7. Isaiah Chapters 33 to 39, A King Will Reign in Righteousness
Isaiah Chapters 33 to Isaiah Chapter 39 A King Will Reign in Righteousness
Where is this world headed? This is a question many people ask, when the see the threats now facing the earth. We are constantly reminded of these threats to our existence by such things, as Global Warming, natural disasters, war and disease. Does God have a plan in the midst of this chaos? For those not familiar with the Bible, the world might seem like it is spinning out of control. Its not, God knew before the universe was even made, what was going to happen. God allowed the events in the past and will allow the events in the future to proceed, because God has a plan of redemption working its way through “fallen humanity”.
In this portion of Isaiah, we learn more about the “King” who “will reign in righteousness” (Isaiah 32:1) and how his Kingdom is established. The King is the Messiah, who is the Lord, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel. This King of Righteousness is the rejected Messiah of Isaiah who returns with great glory and power at the Second Coming. The establishment of His Kingdom in a fallen world is tribulation that will come upon the earth.
There are two destinies for humanity, either with the Lord or without the Lord, there is no middle ground. Our life, and the life of any “son or daughter of Adam” who has ever breathed has an eternal destiny. Our life on earth becomes our testimony of who we are, and why we end up where we do. The two roads of humanity is clearly illustrated in these chapters.
Then Isaiah illustrates the path of righteousness, through the living example of Hezekiah and Sennecarib (Isaiah 36-39). The kingdom of David versus the kingdom of Assyria, Jerusalem is surrounded by the mocking armies of Assyria, there is no human way for Jerusalem to be saved. Finally, after all human effort is exhausted, Hezekiah falls before the Lord to plead his case. In response to the prayers of Hezekiah, son of David, the Angel of the Lord destroys the armies of Assyria.
As in the past, it will be in the future. Judah’s only hope was the Lord, not in their alliance with Egypt or their military strength. Today Israel looks to alliances from the nations, and their own military might as their hope. This was the same in Hezekiah’s day, it was only after the nations mocked Hezekiah did he cry out to the Lord. In the last days, the nations will mock Jerusalem and Israel, only when their human strength is broken, and they turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, we the nation be saved.
God sets the model for the nation, when all human hope is cut off, turn to the Lord. Fall on your face, repent of your human effort and cry out in repentance to the Lord. God responds to Hezekiah’s prayer saying “Because you prayed”. God in the past and the future works through the prayers of His people, so will it be in the last days.
Chapter 33 The Two Destinies of Man
There are two destinations for humanity, one with the Lord, the other away
from the Lord. The pagan kingdom of Assyria, opposed to the
nation
of Judah, the kingdom of David sets the model. Zion is the future throne of
King of righteousness, who will reign over the nations. His rule is in
opposition to the kingdoms of the world, just as Assyria is overthrown by
the Angel of the Lord, the nations of the world will be vanquished and
judged by the Lord.
1 Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered; And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you! When you cease plundering, You will be plundered; When you make an end of dealing treacherously, They will deal treacherously with you.
2 O Lord, be gracious to us; We have waited for You. Be their arm every morning, Our salvation also in the time of trouble.
3 At the noise of the tumult the people shall flee; When You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered;
4 And Your plunder shall be gathered Like the gathering of the caterpillar; As the running to and fro of locusts, He shall run upon them.
5 The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure.
7 Surely their valiant ones shall cry outside, The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
8 The highways lie waste, The traveling man ceases. He has broken the covenant, He has despised the cities, He regards no man.
9 The earth mourns and languishes, Lebanon is shamed and shriveled; Sharon
is like a wilderness, And Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.
Woe to you: A day of judgment is coming upon the world. The Assyrians plundered the nations, they were a treacherous nation, who were known for their cruel methods. They manifested the fallen nature of sinful man. They represent the fallen aspect of humanity, the one road of destruction.
O Lord: The second group of humanity is represented by those who turn to the Lord. Represented by the righteous in Zion, are the “We” who wait for the Lord.
the nations: The coming confrontations of these two groups, is the coming of the Messiah who will judge the nations in power in and glory. The conflict in the last days is the nations opposition to Zion, when Israel calls out for their Messiah, Jesus Christ. The nations are pictured as caterpillars being gathered and locusts being scattered when the Lord lifts “Yourself up”.
The Lord: The glory of the Lord will be exalted in that day. Then Zion (Jerusalem) will rule over the nations in justice and righteousness as the King of Jerusalem, The Lord Himself will be present. This will be realized at the Second Coming when Israel turns to Messiah.
The earth:
The world is in a “fallen state”, but at the coming of the Lord, the world
will be in distress. The judgments upon the earth are best described in
Revelation chapters
The Lord Arises
10 "Now I will rise," says the Lord; "Now I will be exalted, Now I will lift Myself up.
11 You shall conceive chaff, You shall bring forth stubble; Your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
12 And the people shall be like the burnings of lime; Like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.
13 Hear, you who are afar off, what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might."
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:
"Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell
with everlasting burnings?"
Now I will: At this point of earth mourning and languishing, the Lord prepares to enter the frey. When Jesus Christ returns in glory and power he will be exalted.
the people shall: The plans of people who are opposed to the Lord are pictured as “conceiving chaff” the part of the plant good for nothing, only to be burned. This is the fallen group of humanity, who will be eternally separated from the Lord. They are pictured here as burning of “lime” and “thons cut up”. The pictures of eternal judgment in the “Lake of Fire” is the eternal destiny of those who oppose the Lord.
14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Acknowledge My might: The hope for the world is to come to the Lord, to acknowledge Him. In our fallen nature we elevate our human power and effort. The Assyrians are the backdrop to illustrate this fallen nature. Hezekiah, finally realizes his own weakness in the face of Assyrian might, God calls to the nations to acknowledge His might. God extends His mercy to the fallen world; this is the purpose of the tribulation. Through the tribulation, many will come to know Jesus Christ as Messiah, and acknowledge His might.
the sinners: Hypocrites and sinners are fearful of God’s judgment, both inside Zion and outside Zion. Those in Judah, who turned to Egypt rather then the Lord, will be held accountable.
The Lord is our King
15 He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, He who despises the gain of oppressions, Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:
16 He will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, His water will be sure.
17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see the land that is very far off.
18 Your heart will meditate on terror: "Where is the scribe? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the towers?"
19 You will not see a fierce people, A people of obscure speech, beyond perception, Of a stammering tongue that you cannot understand.
20 Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, A tabernacle that will not be taken down; Not one of its stakes will ever be removed, Nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 But there the majestic Lord will be for us A place of broad rivers and streams, In which no galley with oars will sail, Nor majestic ships pass by
22 (For the Lord is our Judge, The Lord is our Lawgiver, The Lord is our King; He will save us);
23 Your tackle is loosed, They could not strengthen their mast, They could not spread the sail. Then the prey of great plunder is divided; The lame take the prey.
24 And the inhabitant will not say, "I am sick"; The people who dwell in it
will be forgiven their iniquity.
He who walks: The destiny for the saved and redeemed is to look upon the King in His beauty. This is opposition to those who will “dwell with everlasting burnings” (vs. 14). The nature and characteristics of those who will dwell in the presence of the Lord are listed. This is not salvation by works, but fruits of the Spirit.
He will dwell on high: His residence will be with the King, who will provide his bread and water. This is referring to our eternal salvation.
Your eyes:
The saved will have a physical presence, with a resurrected body, they will
behold the Lord with their physical eyes. This is what Job declares in
The King:
The saved will dwell with the King for eternity. They will be in his
presence as declared in
Look upon Zion: Jerusalem is the eternal home of the saved. Its the destination of all saved but inside and outside of ethnic Israel. This is the picture and the contrast put forward in Isaiah chapter 33.
The majestic Lord: In Jerusalem the saved will see the God, in His majestic glory.
Forgiven their iniquity: The saved are forgiven of their sin with the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross, sin and sickness will be a thing of the past in the age to come.
Chapter 34 The Judgment of the Nations
The
conflict between the nations and Israel is the conflict between the kingdoms
of the world and the kingdom of God. The Messiah, the son of David, comes
from Heaven to judge the nations who armies are gathered against Israel in
the last-days. Revelation gives us the same images as Isaiah, describing
the gathering place as Armageddon.
The finality of God’ judgment is not
only against the nations but the host of heaven, pictured here as the stars
and the heavens will one day be rolled up like a scroll. In the coming age
of a new heavens and a new earth (Revelation 21), the first heavens and
first earth, the current one will cease to exist. This is what
1 Come near, you nations, to hear; And heed, you people! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, The world and all things that come forth from it.
2 For the indignation of the Lord is against all nations, And His fury against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to the slaughter.
3 Also their slain shall be thrown out; Their stench shall rise from their corpses, And the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
4 All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down As the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree.
5 "For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed it shall come down on Edom, And on the people of My curse, for judgment.
6 The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, It is made overflowing with fatness, With the blood of lambs and goats, With the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
7 The wild oxen shall come down with them, And the young bulls with the mighty bulls; Their land shall be soaked with blood, And their dust saturated with fatness."
8 For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, The year of recompense for the
cause of Zion.
Come near: The Lord challenges the nations, and the earth to judgment. God is calling the fallen world forward.
Nations: The gentile nations, in Hebrew ywg Gowy. God calls forth all of humanity in this verse for judgment. It includes the things of this world, this referring to the aspects of our fallen age, which includes the nations and peoples of the world. Zion in opposition to the kingdoms of this world, is at the heart of the Kingdom of God and the age to come.
Indignation: The Hebrew word, @cq Qetseph, means the wrath of God. God’s wrath is against this fallen age and its sins.
host of heaven:
The physical host or army of the skies, this could refer to the angelic
beings or could refer to the heavenly bodies This is quoted in
10 And:
"You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the
heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but You remain; And
they will all grow old like a garment;
12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are
the same, And Your years will not fail."
My sword: The sword of God’s judgment. God will judge the nations who will come against Zion (Jerusalem).
Sacrifice in Bozrah...Edom:
The armies of the world gather against Israel in the last days, toward
Bozrah in Edom. The Glory of the Lord, Jesus Christ descends from Heaven at
the Second Coming, east of Israel. (Revelation 19,
1 Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?-"I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."
2 Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?
3 "I have trodden the winepress alone, And from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes.
4 For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help, And I wondered That there was no
one to uphold; Therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me; And My own
fury, it sustained Me.
The day: This refers to the day of the Lord, specifically when the nations are amassed against Israel in the last day. The nations are judged, in the day of vengeance for the sins of the world.
Recompense: Hebrew ~wllX Shilluwm, means reward or requital. The day when the nations are paid what they are due. The received the reward for their actions. Zion is also receives it reward for its trusting in the Lord. Jesus promised he would not return, until they confessed Him as Messiah, like Hezekiah they finally turn from their human effort and cry out to Jesus Christ. At this point Christ returns in glory and power. The nations are rewarded with vengeance, and Zion is rewarded with the Glory of the Lord.
Chapter 35: The Coming of the glory of the Lord
When
the nations of the earth are gathered together against Israel in the last
days, with no hope left, they turn to Jesus Christ. The “Glory of the Lord”
led the children of Israel out of Egypt in cloud by day and a fire by nigh,
He was the very presence of God in the midst of the nation.
16 Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
17 The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on
the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.
When the nation turned away from the Lord before the destruction of the Temple in 586 B.C., the Glory of the Lord appeared to Ezekiel in human form. Ezekiel was commissioned by the Lord as a witness and prophet against a disobedient people. The Glory of the Lord appeared to Ezekiel in the form of man, sitting on His throne above the Cherubim angels. In the Kingdom of God, the Glory of the Lord will reign as the King of the earth, from Jerusalem in the temple of God, because He is God (Ezekiel 43:5).
25 A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings.
26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.
27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around.
28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the
appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the
likeness of the glory of the Lord. So when I saw it, I fell on my
face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
The Glory of the Lord, was born into human flesh and crucified for the sins of the world in the New Testament. At the Second coming the world will see the Glory of the Lord as he descends at the Second Coming.
1 The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
2 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, The excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, The excellency of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you."
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.
7 The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there,
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And
sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
The wilderness: When the Glory of the Lord reigns, the wilderness will be transformed, along with the wasteland and the desert. The very presence of God, in the Kingdom of God will transform the world from its fallen state (Romans 8:19-21).
Glory of the Lord: When Jesus came the first time, His glory was concealed in human flesh, when He comes the second time, the world will behold His glory, the world will behold his excellency.
Behold..., your God: The coming of the Lord will be at a fearful time, as it was in the days of Assyria. The nation will be surrounded and all hope cut off, until the nation decides to turn to the Lord. When the nation turns to the God of Israel, He returns with the armies of Heaven in great glory and power, bring vengeance on the nations.
Eyes of the blind:
Signs associated with the Messiah, are the physical healing of the blind.
Jesus healed the blind as a witness to his
nature.
John the Baptist sent messengers to Jesus, Jesus responded by testifying to
His miracles. (Matthew 15:30-31)
22 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.
23 "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."
When the nation failed to
see the signs and miracles of Jesus Christ, they testified against
themselves. By doing these signs, the nation was given the evidence of just
who Jesus was, they responded by killing Him on the cross. At the Second
Coming, these same miraculous events will take place on the earth. The blind
will see, the lame leap and the mute sing, along with this will be the
resurrection of the dead (Isaiah 26:19,
Parched ground: The physical earth will be transformed with the dry land having water and desert blooming.
Ransomed of the Lord: The fall of Adam put all humanity was under the curse of sin. Our sin was a debt that no one could pay. The death of Jesus on the cross, paid our debt, His death ransomed us from our sins. In the Kingdom of God, the saved, those redeemed by the death of Christ will rejoice with gladness and singing in the presence of the Lord.
Everlasting joy: The joy is everlasting, there never be an end to our redemption. We will have an eternal covenant and relationship with the Lord.
20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead,
that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant,
Chapter 36
The conflict between the kingdom of Judah, the son of David, and the kingdom of nations, Assyria is template of the conflict to come in the last days. The nations will challenge and mock Israel, asking them where is their God? Only when the nation of Israel, confesses their sins and repents will they see the Glory of God.
Here the “Angel of the Lord” saves Judah and Jerusalem from the armies of Assyria. The “angel of the Lord” is another term used for the Glory of the Lord. The “angel of the Lord” appeared to Moses in the burning bush; He stopped the hand of Abraham from killing Isaac (Genesis 22:7).
2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the
midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire,
but the bush was not consumed.
At
the end of the age, He saves the inhabitants of Jerusalem again (Zechariah
12:10), as the nations come against Jerusalem.
Isaiah 36
1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
2 Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller's Field.
3 And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him.
4 Then the Rabshakeh said to them, "Say now to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: "What confidence is this in which you trust?
5 "I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?
6 "Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
7 "But if you say to me, 'We trust in the Lord our God,' is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, 'You shall worship before this altar'?" '
8 "Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses-if you are able on your part to put riders on them!
9 "How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
10 "Have I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, 'Go up against this land, and destroy it.' "
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, "Please speak to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall."
12 But the Rabshakeh said, "Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?"
13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and said, "Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!
14 "Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you;
15 'nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, "The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." '
16 "Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: 'Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern;
17 'until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
18 'Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, "The Lord will deliver us." Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
19 'Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
20 'Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?' "
21 But they held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king's commandment was, "Do not answer him."
22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
Chapter
37
1 And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.
3 And they said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah: 'This day is a day of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth.
4 'It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.' "
5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6 And Isaiah said to them, "Thus shall you say to your master, 'Thus says the Lord: "Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.
7 "Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land." ' "
8 Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.
9 And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, "He has come out to make war with you." So when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10 "Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: 'Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, "Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria."
11 'Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered?
12 'Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?
13 'Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, 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 to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.
15 Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying:
16 "O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
17 "Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.
18 "Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands,
19 "and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands-wood and stone. Therefore they have destroyed them.
20 "Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone."
21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel, 'Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,
22 'this is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him: "The virgin, the daughter of Zion, Has despised you, laughed you to scorn; The daughter of Jerusalem Has shaken her head behind your back!
23 "Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, And lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel.
24 By your servants you have reproached the Lord, And said, 'By the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, To the limits of Lebanon; I will cut down its tall cedars And its choice cypress trees; I will enter its farthest height, To its fruitful forest.
25 I have dug and drunk water, And with the soles of my feet I have dried up All the brooks of defense.'
26 "Did you not hear long ago How I made it, From ancient times that I formed it? Now I have brought it to pass, That you should be For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins.
27 Therefore their inhabitants had little power; They were dismayed and confounded; They were as the grass of the field And the green herb, As the grass on the housetops And grain blighted before it is grown.
28 "But I know your dwelling place, Your going out and your coming in, And your rage against Me.
29 Because your rage against Me and your tumult Have come up to My ears, Therefore I will put My hook in your nose And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back By the way which you came." '
30 "This shall be a sign to you: You shall eat this year such as grows of itself, And the second year what springs from the same; Also in the third year sow and reap, Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.
31 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward.
32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, And those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
33 "Therefore thus says 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 build a siege mound against it.
34 By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,' Says the Lord.
35 'For I will defend this city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David's sake.' "
36 Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses-all dead.
37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh.
38 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
Chapter 38
1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, "Thus says the Lord: 'Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.' "
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord,
3 and said, "Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying,
5 "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years.
6 "I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city." '
7 "And this is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which He has spoken:
8 "Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward." So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.
9 This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
10 I said, "In the prime of my life I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my years."
11 I said, "I shall not see Yah, The Lord in the land of the living; I shall observe man no more among the inhabitants of the world.
12 My life span is gone, Taken from me like a shepherd's tent; I have cut off my life like a weaver. He cuts me off from the loom; From day until night You make an end of me.
13 I have considered until morning-Like a lion, So He breaks all my bones; From day until night You make an end of me.
14 Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered; I mourned like a dove; My eyes fail from looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; Undertake for me!
15 "What shall I say? He has both spoken to me, And He Himself has done it. I shall walk carefully all my years In the bitterness of my soul.
16 O Lord, by these things men live; And in all these things is the life of my spirit; So You will restore me and make me live.
17 Indeed it was for my own peace That I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
18 For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.
19 The living, the living man, he shall praise You, As I do this day; The father shall make known Your truth to the children.
20 "The Lord was ready to save me; Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments All the days of our life, in the house of the Lord."
21 Now Isaiah had said, "Let them take a lump of figs, and apply it as a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover."
22 And Hezekiah had said, "What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?"
Chapter 39
Isaiah 39
1 At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered.
2 And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures-the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory-all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, "What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?" So Hezekiah said, "They came to me from a far country, from Babylon."
4 And he said, "What have they seen in your house?" So Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them."
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the Lord of hosts:
6 'Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,' says the Lord.
7 'And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.' "
8 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!" For he said, "At least there will be peace and truth in my days."
