Sennacherib Defies God

Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against (A)Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left (B)Lachish. When he heard them say about Tirhakah king of [a]Cush, “Behold, he has come out to fight you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “This is what you shall say to Hezekiah king of [b]Judah: ‘Do not (C)let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, “(D)Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 11 Behold, you yourself have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be saved? 12 (E)Did the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed save them: (F)Gozan, (G)Haran, Rezeph, and (H)the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 (I)Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer

14 Then (J)Hezekiah took the [c]letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and [d]spread it out before the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, “Lord, God of Israel, [e](K)enthroned above the cherubim, (L)You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 (M)Incline Your ear, Lord, and hear; (N)open Your eyes, Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent (O)to taunt the living God. 17 It is true, Lord; the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have [f]hurled their gods into the fire; (P)for they were not gods, but only the work of human hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. 19 But now, Lord our God, please, save us from his hand, (Q)so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, (R)Lord, are God.”

God’s Answer through Isaiah

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, (S)I have heard you.’

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 19:9 Or Ethiopia
  2. 2 Kings 19:10 Lit Judah, saying,
  3. 2 Kings 19:14 Lit letters...read them
  4. 2 Kings 19:14 Lit Hezekiah spread
  5. 2 Kings 19:15 Lit sitting
  6. 2 Kings 19:18 Lit given

32 ‘Therefore this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: “(A)He will not come to this city nor shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield nor heap up an assault ramp against it. 33 (B)By the way that he came, by [a]the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city,”’ declares the Lord. 34 (C)For I will protect this city to save it for My own sake, and (D)for My servant David’s sake.’”

35 (E)Then it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when the rest got up early in the morning, behold, all of [b]the 185,000 were [c]dead. 36 So (F)Sennacherib the king of Assyria departed and [d]returned home, and lived at (G)Nineveh. 37 Then it came about, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that [e](H)Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped to (I)the land of Ararat. And his son (J)Esarhaddon became king in his place.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 19:33 Lit it
  2. 2 Kings 19:35 Lit them
  3. 2 Kings 19:35 Lit dead bodies
  4. 2 Kings 19:36 Lit went and returned
  5. 2 Kings 19:37 Some ancient mss his sons Adrammelech

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