Hezekiah

21Then 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:

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah. He said, "The LORD, the God of Israel, says this. You prayed to me about Sennacherib, the king of Assyria.

22This 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.

So here is what the LORD says about him. The city of Zion is like a young woman. She looks down on you and laughs at you. Jerusalem shakes her head at you as you go.

23Whom 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.

Who is it you made fun of? Who did you say bad things about? Who did you shout at and look at so proudly? You did all this to the Holy One of Israel.

24By 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.

You sent your servants to make fun of the Lord. You said, 'With my many chariots I climbed the high mountains. I reached the far peaks of Lebanon. I cut down its tallest cedar trees and its best fir trees. I went into its highest parts and its thickest forest.

25I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.

I dug wells and drank the water. With the soles of my feet I dried up every stream in Egypt.'

26Hast 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.

Have you not heard? I decided all this long ago. I planned it in days long past. Now I have made it happen. That is why you can smash strong cities into piles of stones.

27Therefore 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.

The people in those cities had no strength. They were afraid and ashamed. They were like plants in a field, like soft green shoots. They were like grass on a roof, burned up before it grows.

28But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.

But I know when you sit down. I know when you go out and come in. I know how angry you are with me.

29Because 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.

Your anger and your loud noise have reached my ears. So I will put my hook in your nose. I will put my bit in your mouth. I will turn you around and send you back the way you came.

30And 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.

"Here is a sign for you, Hezekiah. This year you will eat food that grows by itself. Next year you will eat what grows from that. But in the third year you will plant seeds and gather the crop. You will plant grapevines and eat their fruit.

31And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:

The people of Judah who are left will be like a plant again. They will grow roots down and fruit up.

32For 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.

A few people will come out of Jerusalem. Some will get away safe from Mount Zion. The strong care of the LORD of armies will do this.

33Therefore 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.

So the LORD says this about the king of Assyria. He will not come into this city. He will not shoot one arrow into it. He will not come at it with shields. He will not build a ramp of dirt against its wall.

34By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.

He will go back the same way he came. He will not come into this city, says the LORD.

35For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.

I will guard this city and save it. I will do it for my own sake, and for the sake of my servant David."

36Then 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.

Then the angel of the LORD went out. He struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the camp of Assyria. When people got up early the next morning, all those men lay dead.

37So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.

So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, left that place. He went back home and stayed in the city of Nineveh.

38And 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 Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

One day he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch. His sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him there with a sword. Then they ran away to the land of Armenia. His son Esarhaddon became king after him.

1In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.

Around that time King Hezekiah got very sick. He was going to die. Isaiah was a prophet, someone who told people what God said. He was the son of Amoz. Isaiah came and said, "The LORD says this. Get your house ready. You will die. You will not get well."

2Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,

Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall. He prayed to the LORD.

3And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

He said, "Please, LORD, remember me. I have lived the way you wanted me to live. I gave you my whole heart. I did what you call good." Then Hezekiah cried hard.

4Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,

Then the LORD gave Isaiah a message. He said,

5Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

"Go and tell Hezekiah this. The LORD, the God of your father David, says: I heard your prayer. I saw your tears. I will add fifteen more years to your life.

6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.

I will save you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will keep this city safe.

7And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;

Here is a sign for you from the LORD. It shows you that the LORD will do what he said.

8Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

Look at the shadow on the stairs that King Ahaz built. The sun makes it move down the steps. I will make that shadow go back ten steps." And the sunlight did go back ten steps.

9The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:

This is what Hezekiah, king of Judah, wrote after he was sick and got well.

10I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.

I said, "My life is being cut short. I must go through the gates of the place of the dead. The rest of my years are taken away from me."

11I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

I said, "I will never see the LORD again here among living people. I will not see anyone in this world again."

12Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd’s tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

My home was pulled up and carried away, like a shepherd folding his tent. I rolled up my life like cloth taken off a loom. God cuts me loose from it. From morning to night you are finishing me.

13I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

I tried to stay calm until morning came. But like a lion, he breaks all my bones. From morning to night you are finishing me.

14Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

I made thin little sounds, like a bird. I cried softly, like a dove. My eyes grew tired from looking up. LORD, I am hurting. Please help me.

15What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

What can I say? He told me this would happen, and he did it. I will walk slowly all my years, because my heart has been so sad.

16O LORD, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.

LORD, things like this keep people alive. My spirit stays alive because of them. You made me well again. You let me live.

17Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

It was for my own good that I hurt so much. You loved me and saved me from the deep pit. You threw all my sins behind your back.

18For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

The place of the dead cannot thank you. Death cannot praise you. People who go down to the pit cannot hope in your promises.

19The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

Living people, only living people, can thank you. I thank you today. Fathers will tell their children that you keep your word.

20The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.

The LORD will save me. So we will sing my songs with stringed instruments. We will do this all our lives, in the LORD's house.

21For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.

Isaiah had said, "Take a lump of squashed figs. Press it onto the sore. Then the king will get well."

22Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?

And Hezekiah had asked, "What sign will show me that I will go up to the LORD's house?"

1At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.

About that time, the king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah. That king was Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan. He sent them because he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick and had gotten well.

2And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.

Hezekiah was glad to see the men. He showed them the room where he kept his treasures. He showed them the silver and the gold. He showed them the spices and the fine, sweet-smelling oil. He also showed them the whole building where he kept his weapons. He showed them everything in his storerooms. There was nothing in his palace, or in all the land he ruled, that Hezekiah did not show them.

3Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.

Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah. A prophet is someone who tells people what God says. Isaiah asked, "What did those men say to you? Where did they come from?" Hezekiah said, "They came to me from a land far away. They came from Babylon."

4Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.

Then Isaiah asked, "What did they see in your palace?" Hezekiah answered, "They saw everything in my palace. There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them."

5Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts:

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Listen to what the LORD of hosts says.

6Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.

"The day is coming when everything in your palace will be carried away to Babylon. That includes everything your fathers stored up until now. Nothing will be left, says the LORD.

7And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

"Some of your own sons, the children born from your family, will be taken away too. They will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."

8Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.

Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good." He was thinking that there would be peace and safety while he was still alive.

17Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,

Then some of the older leaders of the land stood up. They spoke to the whole crowd of people.

18Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.

"Micah from Moresheth spoke for God when Hezekiah was king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah what the LORD of Hosts said. The LORD of Hosts is God, who leads armies. Micah said, 'Zion will be plowed up like a farm field. Jerusalem will become piles of broken stones. The temple hill will grow wild like a forest.'"

19Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.

"Did King Hezekiah and the people of Judah kill Micah? No. Hezekiah honored the LORD and begged him to be kind. And the LORD changed his mind about the trouble he had promised. But we are about to bring great harm on ourselves."