Liberation and siege#
Pre-reading#
Idea/question/discussion point spreadsheet.
Read Isaiah, chapters 34-39
¹ Come near, nations, and listen;
be attentive, you peoples!
Let the earth and what fills it listen,
the world and all it produces.
² The Lord is angry with all the nations,
enraged against all their host;
He has placed them under the ban,
given them up to slaughter.
³ Their slain shall be cast out,
their corpses shall send up a stench;
the mountains shall run with their blood,
⁴ All the host of heaven shall rot;
the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll.
All their host shall wither away,
as the leaf wilts on the vine,
or as the fig withers on the tree.
⁵ When my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens,
it shall come down upon Edom for judgment,
upon a people under my ban.
⁶ The Lord has a sword sated with blood,
greasy with fat,
With the blood of lambs and goats,
with the fat of rams’ kidneys;
For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah,
a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
⁷ Wild oxen shall be struck down with fatlings,
and bullocks with bulls;
Their land shall be soaked with blood,
and their soil greasy with fat.
⁸ For the Lord has a day of vengeance,
a year of requital for the cause of Zion.
⁹ Edom’s streams shall be changed into pitch,
its soil into sulfur,
and its land shall become burning pitch;
¹⁰ Night and day it shall not be quenched,
its smoke shall rise forever.
From generation to generation it shall lie waste,
never again shall anyone pass through it.
¹¹ But the desert owl and hoot owl shall possess it,
the screech owl and raven shall dwell in it.
The Lord will stretch over it the measuring line of chaos,
the plumb line of confusion.
¹² Its nobles shall be no more,
nor shall kings be proclaimed there;
all its princes are gone.
¹³ Its castles shall be overgrown with thorns,
its fortresses with thistles and briers.
It shall become an abode for jackals,
a haunt for ostriches.
¹⁴ Wildcats shall meet with desert beasts,
satyrs shall call to one another;
There shall the lilith repose,
and find for herself a place to rest.
¹⁵ There the hoot owl shall nest and lay eggs,
hatch them out and gather them in her shadow;
There shall the kites assemble,
each with its mate.
¹⁶ Search through the book of the Lord and read:
not one of these shall be lacking,
For the mouth of the Lord has ordered it,
and his spirit gathers them there.
¹⁷ It is he who casts the lot for them;
his hand measures off their portions;
They shall possess it forever,
and dwell in it from generation to generation.
¹ The wilderness and the parched land will exult;
the Arabah will rejoice and bloom;
² Like the crocus it shall bloom abundantly,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
They will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
³ Strengthen hands that are feeble,
make firm knees that are weak,
⁴ Say to the fearful of heart:
Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
With divine recompense
he comes to save you.
⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall see,
and the ears of the deaf be opened;
⁶ Then the lame shall leap like a stag,
and the mute tongue sing for joy.
For waters will burst forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the Arabah.
⁷ The burning sands will become pools,
and the thirsty ground, springs of water;
The abode where jackals crouch
will be a marsh for the reed and papyrus.
⁸ A highway will be there,
called the holy way;
No one unclean may pass over it,
but it will be for his people;
no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray on it.
⁹ No lion shall be there,
nor any beast of prey approach,
nor be found.
But there the redeemed shall walk,
¹⁰ And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
They meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning flee away.
¹ In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, went up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. ² From Lachish the king of Assyria sent his commander with a great army to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. When he stopped at the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller’s field, ³ there came out to him the master of the palace, Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, and Shebna the scribe, and the chancellor, Joah, son of Asaph. ⁴ The commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you base this trust of yours? ⁵ Do you think mere words substitute for strategy and might in war? In whom, then, do you place your trust, that you rebel against me? ⁶ Do you trust in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it? That is what Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is to all who trust in him. ⁷ Or do you say to me: It is in the Lord, our God, we trust? Is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, commanding Judah and Jerusalem, ‘Worship before this altar’?
⁸ “Now, make a wager with my lord, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to put riders on them. ⁹ How then can you turn back even a captain, one of the least servants of my lord, trusting, as you do, in Egypt for chariots and horses? ¹⁰ Did I come up to destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself said to me, Go up and destroy that land!”
¹¹ Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to the commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic; we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within earshot of the people who are on the wall.”
¹² But the commander replied, “Was it to your lord and to you that my lord sent me to speak these words? Was it not rather to those sitting on the wall, who, with you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?” ¹³ Then the commander stepped forward and cried out in a loud voice in the language of Judah, “Listen to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. ¹⁴ Thus says the king: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he cannot rescue you. ¹⁵ And do not let Hezekiah induce you to trust in the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord will surely rescue us, and this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.’ ¹⁶ Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria:
Make peace with me
and surrender to me!
Eat, each of you, from your vine,
each from your own fig tree.
Drink water, each from your own well,
¹⁷ until I arrive and take you
to a land like your own,
A land of grain and wine,
a land of bread and vineyards.
¹⁸ Do not let Hezekiah seduce you by saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us.’ Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? ¹⁹ Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Where are the gods of Samaria? Have they saved Samaria from my power? ²⁰ Who among all the gods of these lands ever rescued their land from my power, that the Lord should save Jerusalem from my power?” ²¹ But they remained silent and did not answer at all, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.”
²² Then the master of the palace, Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, Shebna the scribe, and the chancellor Joah, son of Asaph, came to Hezekiah with their garments torn, and reported to him the words of the commander.
¹ When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his garments, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. ² He sent Eliakim, the master of the palace, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to tell the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz,
³ “Thus says Hezekiah:
A day of distress and rebuke,
a day of disgrace is this day!
Children are due to come forth,
but the strength to give birth is lacking.
⁴ Perhaps the Lord, your God, will hear the words of the commander, whom his lord, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke him for the words which the Lord, your God, has heard. So lift up a prayer for the remnant that is here.”
⁵ When the servants of King Hezekiah had come to Isaiah, ⁶ he said to them: “Tell this to your lord: Thus says the Lord: Do not be frightened by the words you have heard, by which the deputies of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
⁷ I am putting in him such a spirit
that when he hears a report
he will return to his land.
I will make him fall by the sword in his land.”
⁸ When the commander, on his return, heard that the king of Assyria had withdrawn from Lachish, he found him besieging Libnah. ⁹ The king of Assyria heard a report: “Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, has come out to fight against you.” Again he sent messengers to Hezekiah to say: ¹⁰ “Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah: Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, ‘Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.’ ¹¹ You, certainly, have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands: they put them under the ban! And are you to be delivered? ¹² Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed deliver them—Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the Edenites in Telassar? ¹³ Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, or a king of the cities Sepharvaim, Hena or Ivvah?”
¹⁴ Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; then he went up to the house of the Lord, and spreading it out before the Lord, ¹⁵ Hezekiah prayed to the Lord:
¹⁶ “Lord of hosts, God of Israel,
enthroned on the cherubim!
You alone are God
over all the kingdoms of the earth.
It is you who made
the heavens and the earth.
¹⁷ Incline your ear, Lord, and listen!
open your eyes, Lord, and see!
Hear all the words Sennacherib has sent
to taunt the living God.
¹⁸ Truly, O Lord,
the kings of Assyria have laid waste
the nations and their lands.
¹⁹ They gave their gods to the fire
—they were not gods at all,
but the work of human hands—
Wood and stone, they destroyed them.
²⁰ Therefore, Lord, our God,
save us from this man’s power,
That all the kingdoms of the earth may know
that you alone, Lord, are God.”
²¹ Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent this message to Hezekiah: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you have prayed concerning Sennacherib, king of Assyria: I have listened! ²² This is the word the Lord has spoken concerning him:
She despises you, laughs you to scorn,
the virgin daughter Zion;
Behind you she wags her head,
daughter Jerusalem.
²³ Whom have you insulted and blasphemed,
at whom have you raised your voice
And lifted up your eyes on high?
At the Holy One of Israel!
²⁴ Through the mouths of your messengers
you have insulted the Lord when you said:
‘With my many chariots I went up
to the tops of the peaks,
to the recesses of Lebanon,
To cut down its lofty cedars,
its choice cypresses;
I reached the farthest shelter,
the forest ranges.
²⁵ I myself dug wells
and drank foreign water;
Drying up all the rivers of Egypt
beneath the soles of my feet.’
²⁶ Have you not heard?
A long time ago I prepared it,
from days of old I planned it,
Now I have brought it about:
You are here to reduce
fortified cities to heaps of ruins,
²⁷ Their people powerless,
dismayed and distraught,
They are plants of the field,
green growth,
thatch on the rooftops,
Grain scorched by the east wind.
²⁸ I know when you stand or sit,
when you come or go,
and how you rage against me.
²⁹ Because you rage against me
and your smugness has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,
And make you leave by the way you came.
³⁰ This shall be a sign for you:
This year you shall eat the aftergrowth,
next year, what grows of itself;
But in the third year, sow and reap,
plant vineyards and eat their fruit!
³¹ The remaining survivors of the house of Judah
shall again strike root below
and bear fruit above.
³² For out of Jerusalem shall come a remnant,
and from Mount Zion, survivors.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.
³³ Therefore, thus says the Lord about the king of Assyria:
He shall not come as far as this city,
nor shoot there an arrow,
nor confront it with a shield,
Nor cast up a siege-work against it.
³⁴ By the way he came he shall leave,
never coming as far as this city,
oracle of the Lord.
³⁵ I will shield and save this city
for my own sake and the sake of David my servant.”
³⁶ Then the angel of the Lord went forth and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. Early the next morning, there they were, all those corpses, dead! ³⁷ So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, broke camp, departed, returned home, and stayed in Nineveh.
³⁸ When he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and fled into the land of Ararat. His son Esarhaddon reigned in his place.
¹ In those days, when Hezekiah was mortally ill, the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came and said to him: “Thus says the Lord: Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you shall not recover.” ² Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord:
³ “Ah, Lord, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedly I conducted myself in your presence, doing what was good in your sight!” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: ⁵ Go, tell Hezekiah: Thus says the Lord, the God of your father David: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Now I will add fifteen years to your life. ⁶ I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; I will be a shield to this city.
⁷ This will be the sign for you from the Lord that the Lord will carry out the word he has spoken: ⁸ See, I will make the shadow cast by the sun on the stairway to the terrace of Ahaz go back the ten steps it has advanced. So the sun came back the ten steps it had advanced.
⁹ The song of Hezekiah, king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his illness:
¹⁰ In the noontime of life I said,
I must depart!
To the gates of Sheol I have been consigned
for the rest of my years.
¹¹ I said, I shall see the Lord no more
in the land of the living.
Nor look on any mortals
among those who dwell in the world.
¹² My dwelling, like a shepherd’s tent,
is struck down and borne away from me;
You have folded up my life, like a weaver
who severs me from the last thread.
From morning to night you make an end of me;
¹³ I cry out even until the dawn.
Like a lion he breaks all my bones;
from morning to night you make an end of me.
¹⁴ Like a swallow I chirp;
I moan like a dove.
My eyes grow weary looking heavenward:
Lord, I am overwhelmed; go security for me!
¹⁵ What am I to say or tell him?
He is the one who has done it!
All my sleep has fled,
because of the bitterness of my soul.
¹⁶ Those live whom the Lord protects;
yours is the life of my spirit.
You have given me health and restored my life!
¹⁷ Peace in place of bitterness!
You have preserved my life
from the pit of destruction;
Behind your back
you cast all my sins.
¹⁸ For it is not Sheol that gives you thanks,
nor death that praises you;
Neither do those who go down into the pit
await your kindness.
¹⁹ The living, the living give you thanks,
as I do today.
Parents declare to their children,
O God, your faithfulness.
²⁰ The Lord is there to save us.
We shall play our music
In the house of the Lord
all the days of our life.
²¹ Then Isaiah said, “Bring a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil for his recovery.” ²² Hezekiah asked, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”
¹ At that time Merodach-baladan, son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and gifts to Hezekiah, when he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. ² Hezekiah was pleased at their coming, and then showed the messengers his treasury, the silver and gold, the spices and perfumed oil, his whole armory, and everything in his storerooms; there was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.
³ Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say to you? Where did they come from?” Hezekiah replied, “They came to me from a distant land, from Babylon.” ⁴ He asked, “What did they see in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They saw everything in my house. There is nothing in my storerooms that I did not show them.” ⁵ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: ⁶ The time is coming when all that is in your house, everything that your ancestors have stored up until this day, shall be carried off to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord. ⁷ Some of your own descendants, your progeny, shall be taken and made attendants in the palace of the king of Babylon.” ⁸ Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and stability in my lifetime.”
¹ Draw near, O nations, to hear,
and hearken, O peoples!
Let the earth listen, and all that fills it;
the world, and all that comes from it.
² For the Lord is enraged against all the nations,
and furious against all their host,
he has doomed them, has given them over for slaughter.
³ Their slain shall be cast out,
and the stench of their corpses shall rise;
the mountains shall flow with their blood.
⁴ All the host of heaven shall rot away,
and the skies roll up like a scroll.
All their host shall fall,
as leaves fall from the vine,
like leaves falling from the fig tree.
⁵ For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens;
behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom,
upon the people I have doomed.
⁶ The Lord has a sword; it is sated with blood,
it is gorged with fat,
with the blood of lambs and goats,
with the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah,
a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
⁷ Wild oxen shall fall with them,
and young steers with the mighty bulls.
Their land shall be soaked with blood,
and their soil made rich with fat.
⁸ For the Lord has a day of vengeance,
a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
⁹ And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch,
and her soil into brimstone;
her land shall become burning pitch.
¹⁰ Night and day it shall not be quenched;
its smoke shall go up for ever.
From generation to generation it shall lie waste;
none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
¹¹ But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it,
the owl and the raven shall dwell in it.
He shall stretch the line of confusion over it,
and the plummet of chaos over its nobles.
¹² They shall name it No Kingdom There,
and all its princes shall be nothing.
¹³ Thorns shall grow over its strongholds,
nettles and thistles in its fortresses.
It shall be the haunt of jackals,
an abode for ostriches.
¹⁴ And wild beasts shall meet with hyenas,
the satyr shall cry to his fellow;
yea, there shall the night hag alight,
and find for herself a resting place.
¹⁵ There shall the owl nest and lay
and hatch and gather her young in her shadow;
yea, there shall the kites be gathered,
each one with her mate.
¹⁶ Seek and read from the book of the Lord:
Not one of these shall be missing;
none shall be without her mate.
For the mouth of the Lord has commanded,
and his Spirit has gathered them.
¹⁷ He has cast the lot for them,
his hand has portioned it out to them with the line;
they shall possess it for ever,
from generation to generation they shall dwell in it.
¹ The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
² it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
³ Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
⁴ Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, fear not!
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 unstopped;
⁶ then shall the lame man leap like a hart,
and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
⁷ the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
⁸ And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not pass over it,
and fools shall not err therein.
⁹ No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they 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;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
¹ In the fourteenth year of King Hezeki′ah, Sennach′erib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. ² And the king of Assyria sent the Rab′shakeh from Lachish to King Hezeki′ah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. ³ And there came out to him Eli′akim the son of Hilki′ah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Jo′ah the son of Asaph, the recorder.
⁴ And the Rab′shakeh said to them, “Say to Hezeki′ah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this confidence of yours? ⁵ Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? On whom do you now rely, that you have rebelled against me? ⁶ Behold, you are relying on Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. ⁷ But if you say to me, “We rely on the Lord our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezeki′ah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem,“You shall worship before this altar”? ⁸ Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders upon them. ⁹ How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? ¹⁰ Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.’”
¹¹ Then Eli′akim, Shebna, and Jo′ah said to the Rab′shakeh, “Pray, speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” ¹² But the Rab′shakeh said, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”
¹³ Then the Rab′shakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! ¹⁴ Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezeki′ah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. ¹⁵ Do not let Hezeki′ah make you rely on the Lord by 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 Hezeki′ah; for thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every one of you will eat of his own vine, and every one of his own fig tree, and every one of you will drink the water of his own cistern; ¹⁷ until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. ¹⁸ Beware lest Hezeki′ah mislead you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹⁹ Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharva′im? Have they delivered Samar′ia out of my hand? ²⁰ Who among all the gods of these countries have delivered their countries out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”
²¹ But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.” ²² Then Eli′akim the son of Hilki′ah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Jo′ah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezeki′ah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of the Rab′shakeh.
¹ When King Hezeki′ah heard it, he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. ² And he sent Eli′akim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, clothed with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. ³ They said to him, “Thus says Hezeki′ah, ‘This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. ⁴ It may be that the Lord your God heard the words of the Rab′shakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock 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 When the servants of King Hezeki′ah came to Isaiah, ⁶ Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. ⁷ Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor, and return to his own land; and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’”
⁸ The Rab′shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah; for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. ⁹ Now the king heard concerning Tirha′kah king of Ethiopia, “He has set out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezeki′ah, saying, ¹⁰ “Thus shall you speak to Hezeki′ah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. ¹¹ Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, destroying them utterly. And shall you be delivered? ¹² Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations which my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telas′sar? ¹³ Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharva′im, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’”
¹⁴ Hezeki′ah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezeki′ah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. ¹⁵ And Hezeki′ah prayed to the Lord: ¹⁶ “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, who art enthroned above the cherubim, thou art the God, thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. ¹⁷ Incline thy ear, O Lord, and hear; open thy eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennach′erib, which he has sent to mock the living God. ¹⁸ Of a truth, O 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 no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone; therefore they were destroyed. ²⁰ So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou alone art the Lord.”
²¹ Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezeki′ah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennach′erib king of Assyria, ²² this is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:
‘She despises you, she scorns you—
the virgin daughter of Zion;
she wags her head behind you—
the daughter of Jerusalem.
²³ ‘Whom have you mocked and reviled?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and haughtily lifted your eyes?
Against the Holy One of Israel!
²⁴ By your servants you have mocked the Lord,
and you have said, With my many chariots
I have gone up the heights of the mountains,
to the far recesses of Lebanon;
I felled its tallest cedars,
its choicest cypresses;
I came to its remotest height,
its densest forest.
²⁵ I dug wells
and drank waters,
and I dried up with the sole of my foot
all the streams of Egypt.
²⁶ ‘Have you not heard
that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
what now I bring to pass,
that you should make fortified cities
crash into heaps of ruins,
²⁷ while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,
are dismayed and confounded,
and have become like plants of the field
and like tender grass,
like grass on the housetops,
blighted before it is grown.
²⁸ ‘I know your sitting down
and your going out and coming in,
and your raging against me.
²⁹ Because you have raged against me
and your arrogance has come to my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will turn you back on the way
by which you came.’
³⁰ “And this shall be the sign for you: this year eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs of the same; then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. ³¹ And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward; ³² for out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
³³ “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield, or cast up a siege mound against it. ³⁴ By the way that he came, by the same he shall 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 the sake of my servant David.”
³⁶ And the angel of the Lord went forth, and slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. ³⁷ Then Sennach′erib king of Assyria departed, and went home and dwelt at Nin′eveh. ³⁸ And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adram′melech and Share′zer, his sons, slew him with the sword, and escaped into the land of Ar′arat. And E′sar-had′don his son reigned in his stead.
¹ In those days Hezeki′ah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order; for you shall die, you shall not recover.” ² Then Hezeki′ah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, ³ and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in thy sight.” And Hezeki′ah wept bitterly. ⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: ⁵ “Go and say to Hezeki′ah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. ⁶ I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and defend this city.
⁷ “This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: ⁸ Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.
⁹ A writing of Hezeki′ah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
¹⁰ I said, In the noontide of my days
I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
for the rest of my years.
¹¹ I said, I shall not see the Lord
in the land of the living;
I shall look upon man no more
among the inhabitants of the world.
¹² My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
like a shepherd’s tent;
like a weaver I have rolled up my life;
he cuts me off from the loom;
from day to night thou dost bring me to an end;
¹³ I cry for help until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones;
from day to night thou dost bring me to an end.
¹⁴ Like a swallow or a crane I clamor,
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; be thou my security!
¹⁵ But what can I say? For he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
All my sleep has fled
because of the bitterness of my soul.
¹⁶ O Lord, by these things men live,
and in all these is the life of my spirit.
Oh, restore me to health and make me live!
¹⁷ Lo, it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
but thou hast held back my life
from the pit of destruction,
for thou hast cast all my sins
behind thy back.
¹⁸ For Sheol cannot thank thee,
death cannot praise thee;
those who go down to the pit cannot hope
for thy faithfulness.
¹⁹ The living, the living, he thanks thee,
as I do this day;
the father makes known to the children
thy faithfulness.
²⁰ The Lord will save me,
and we will sing to stringed instruments
all the days of our life,
at the house of the Lord.
²¹ Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs, and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” ²² Hezeki′ah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”
¹ At that time Mero′dach-bal′adan the son of Bal′adan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezeki′ah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. ² And Hezeki′ah welcomed them; and he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezeki′ah did not show them. ³ Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezeki′ah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And whence did they come to you?” Hezeki′ah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” ⁴ He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezeki′ah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
⁵ Then Isaiah said to Hezeki′ah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: ⁶ Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord. ⁷ And some of your own sons, who are born to you, shall be taken away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” ⁸ Then said Hezeki′ah to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”
Discussion points#
Destruction of Edom#
¹ Come near, nations, and listen;
be attentive, you peoples!
Let the earth and what fills it listen,
the world and all it produces.
² The Lord is angry with all the nations,
enraged against all their host;
He has placed them under the ban,
given them up to slaughter.
³ Their slain shall be cast out,
their corpses shall send up a stench;
the mountains shall run with their blood,
⁴ All the host of heaven shall rot;
the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll.
All their host shall wither away,
as the leaf wilts on the vine,
or as the fig withers on the tree.
⁵ When my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens,
it shall come down upon Edom for judgment,
upon a people under my ban.
¹ Draw near, O nations, to hear,
and hearken, O peoples!
Let the earth listen, and all that fills it;
the world, and all that comes from it.
² For the Lord is enraged against all the nations,
and furious against all their host,
he has doomed them, has given them over for slaughter.
³ Their slain shall be cast out,
and the stench of their corpses shall rise;
the mountains shall flow with their blood.
⁴ All the host of heaven shall rot away,
and the skies roll up like a scroll.
All their host shall fall,
as leaves fall from the vine,
like leaves falling from the fig tree.
⁵ For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens;
behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom,
upon the people I have doomed.
This apocolyptic imagery and specifically the destruction of the heavens is reminiscent of the imagery around the second coming and the last judgement:
²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will fall from the sky,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
³⁰ And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send out his angels with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
⁸ But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. ⁹ The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.
¹¹ Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought [you] to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. ¹³ But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
¹² Then I watched while he broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; the sun turned as black as dark sackcloth and the whole moon became like blood. ¹³ The stars in the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs shaken loose from the tree in a strong wind. ¹⁴ Then the sky was divided like a torn scroll curling up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; ³⁰ then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; ³¹ and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
⁸ But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.
¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire! ¹³ But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
¹² When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, ¹³ and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; ¹⁴ the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
The specific destruction of Edom is seeded in Genesis:
²³ and the Lord answered her:
Two nations are in your womb,
two peoples are separating while still within you;
But one will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.
²⁴ When the time of her delivery came, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ The first to emerge was reddish, and his whole body was like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. ²⁶ Next his brother came out, gripping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
²⁷ When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country; whereas Jacob was a simple man, who stayed among the tents. ²⁸ Isaac preferred Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah preferred Jacob. ²⁹ Once, when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. ³⁰ He said to Jacob, “Let me gulp down some of that red stuff; I am famished.” That is why he was called Edom. ³¹ But Jacob replied, “First sell me your right as firstborn.” ³² “Look,” said Esau, “I am on the point of dying. What good is the right as firstborn to me?” ³³ But Jacob said, “Swear to me first!” So he sold Jacob his right as firstborn under oath. ³⁴ Jacob then gave him some bread and the lentil stew; and Esau ate, drank, got up, and went his way. So Esau treated his right as firstborn with disdain.
⁶ The Lord has a sword sated with blood,
greasy with fat,
With the blood of lambs and goats,
with the fat of rams’ kidneys;
For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah,
a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
⁷ Wild oxen shall be struck down with fatlings,
and bullocks with bulls;
Their land shall be soaked with blood,
and their soil greasy with fat.
⁸ For the Lord has a day of vengeance,
a year of requital for the cause of Zion.
⁹ Edom’s streams shall be changed into pitch,
its soil into sulfur,
and its land shall become burning pitch;
²³ And the Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples, born of you, shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the elder shall serve the younger.”
²⁴ When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ The first came forth red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they called his name Esau. ²⁶ Afterward his brother came forth, and his hand had taken hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
²⁷ When the boys grew up, Esau was a skilful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. ²⁸ Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
²⁹ Once when Jacob was boiling pottage, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. ³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red pottage, for I am famished!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) ³¹ Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” ³² Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” ³³ Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
⁶ The Lord has a sword; it is sated with blood,
it is gorged with fat,
with the blood of lambs and goats,
with the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah,
a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
⁷ Wild oxen shall fall with them,
and young steers with the mighty bulls.
Their land shall be soaked with blood,
and their soil made rich with fat.
⁸ For the Lord has a day of vengeance,
a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
⁹ And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch,
and her soil into brimstone;
her land shall become burning pitch.
Israel’s deliverance#
Chapter 35 is short and worth reading in full:
¹ The wilderness and the parched land will exult;
the Arabah will rejoice and bloom;
² Like the crocus it shall bloom abundantly,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
They will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
³ Strengthen hands that are feeble,
make firm knees that are weak,
⁴ Say to the fearful of heart:
Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
With divine recompense
he comes to save you.
⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall see,
and the ears of the deaf be opened;
⁶ Then the lame shall leap like a stag,
and the mute tongue sing for joy.
For waters will burst forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the Arabah.
⁷ The burning sands will become pools,
and the thirsty ground, springs of water;
The abode where jackals crouch
will be a marsh for the reed and papyrus.
⁸ A highway will be there,
called the holy way;
No one unclean may pass over it,
but it will be for his people;
no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray on it.
⁹ No lion shall be there,
nor any beast of prey approach,
nor be found.
But there the redeemed shall walk,
¹⁰ And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
They meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning flee away.
¹ The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
² it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
³ Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
⁴ Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, fear not!
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 unstopped;
⁶ then shall the lame man leap like a hart,
and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
⁷ the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
⁸ And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not pass over it,
and fools shall not err therein.
⁹ No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they 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;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
These are reminiscent of all of the various references to the blind, lame, and weak we’ve seen the last several weeks, in addition to NT testimonies of Jesus:
¹ When Jesus finished giving these commands to his twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.
² When John heard in prison of the works of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to him ³ with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” ⁴ Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. ⁶ And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
⁵ Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
⁹ Besides this, we have had our earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not [then] submit all the more to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a short time as seemed right to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we may share his holiness. ¹¹ At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.
¹² So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees. ¹³ Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.
¹ And when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
² Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples ³ and said to him, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is he who takes no offense at me.”
⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. ⁷ If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him.”
⁹ Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. ¹¹ For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
¹² Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, ¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
We’ll get back around to the explicit reference to making the way of the Lord next week.
The coming of Assyria and Babylon#
As a note on chronology, the events of chapters 36-39 are likely presented not in chronological order, but in an order that topically transitions from the Assyrians to the Babylonians.
There is attestation of the siege of Jerusalem happening in 701 BC.
Hezekiah’s death is dated to 687 BC, which backing up fifteen years would date Hezekiah’s illness to 702 BC, e.g. some time right before Sennacherib’s siege.
Merodach-baladan ruled twice, once from 722-710 BC, then briefly from 703-702 BC, which aligns with Hezekiah’s illness in 702 BC.
Threefold repetition: Assyria’s taunts#
The first speech tries to separate Hezekiah from both human alliances and from divine help:
⁴ The commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you base this trust of yours? ⁵ Do you think mere words substitute for strategy and might in war? In whom, then, do you place your trust, that you rebel against me? ⁶ Do you trust in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it? That is what Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is to all who trust in him. ⁷ Or do you say to me: It is in the Lord, our God, we trust? Is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, commanding Judah and Jerusalem, ‘Worship before this altar’?
⁴ And the Rab′shakeh said to them, “Say to Hezeki′ah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this confidence of yours? ⁵ Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? On whom do you now rely, that you have rebelled against me? ⁶ Behold, you are relying on Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. ⁷ But if you say to me, “We rely on the Lord our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezeki′ah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem,“You shall worship before this altar”?
The second speech, spoken in Hebrew and addressed to the people, try to separate the people from Hezekiah
¹³ Then the commander stepped forward and cried out in a loud voice in the language of Judah, “Listen to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. ¹⁴ Thus says the king: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he cannot rescue you. ¹⁵ And do not let Hezekiah induce you to trust in the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord will surely rescue us, and this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.’ ¹⁶ Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria:
Make peace with me
and surrender to me!
Eat, each of you, from your vine,
each from your own fig tree.
Drink water, each from your own well,
¹⁷ until I arrive and take you
to a land like your own,
A land of grain and wine,
a land of bread and vineyards.
¹⁸ Do not let Hezekiah seduce you by saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us.’ Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? ¹⁹ Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Where are the gods of Samaria? Have they saved Samaria from my power? ²⁰ Who among all the gods of these lands ever rescued their land from my power, that the Lord should save Jerusalem from my power?”
¹³ Then the Rab′shakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! ¹⁴ Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezeki′ah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. ¹⁵ Do not let Hezeki′ah make you rely on the Lord by 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 Hezeki′ah; for thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every one of you will eat of his own vine, and every one of his own fig tree, and every one of you will drink the water of his own cistern; ¹⁷ until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. ¹⁸ Beware lest Hezeki′ah mislead you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ¹⁹ Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharva′im? Have they delivered Samar′ia out of my hand? ²⁰ Who among all the gods of these countries have delivered their countries out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”
The final letter from Sennacherib explicitly tries to shake Hezekiah’s faith:
¹⁰ “Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah: Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, ‘Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.’ ¹¹ You, certainly, have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands: they put them under the ban! And are you to be delivered? ¹² Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed deliver them—Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the Edenites in Telassar? ¹³ Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, or a king of the cities Sepharvaim, Hena or Ivvah?”
¹⁰ “Thus shall you speak to Hezeki′ah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. ¹¹ Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, destroying them utterly. And shall you be delivered? ¹² Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations which my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telas′sar? ¹³ Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharva′im, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’”
Threefold repetition: Isaiah’s oracles#
In response to the siege and the taunting speeches, Hezekiah turns to the Lord:
¹ When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his garments, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. ² He sent Eliakim, the master of the palace, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to tell the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz,
³ “Thus says Hezekiah:
A day of distress and rebuke,
a day of disgrace is this day!
Children are due to come forth,
but the strength to give birth is lacking.
⁴ Perhaps the Lord, your God, will hear the words of the commander, whom his lord, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke him for the words which the Lord, your God, has heard. So lift up a prayer for the remnant that is here.”
¹ When King Hezeki′ah heard it, he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. ² And he sent Eli′akim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, clothed with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. ³ They said to him, “Thus says Hezeki′ah, ‘This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. ⁴ It may be that the Lord your God heard the words of the Rab′shakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock 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.’”
The first oracle, coming right before the letter from Sennacherib, foreshadows the coming destruction of Sennacherib due to a spirit of arrogance? pride? that we see in the third taunt.
⁶ he said to them: “Tell this to your lord: Thus says the Lord: Do not be frightened by the words you have heard, by which the deputies of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
⁷ I am putting in him such a spirit
that when he hears a report
he will return to his land.
I will make him fall by the sword in his land.”
⁶ Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. ⁷ Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor, and return to his own land; and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’”
This intensifies in the second oracle,
²¹ Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent this message to Hezekiah: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you have prayed concerning Sennacherib, king of Assyria: I have listened! ²² This is the word the Lord has spoken concerning him:
She despises you, laughs you to scorn,
the virgin daughter Zion;
Behind you she wags her head,
daughter Jerusalem.
²³ Whom have you insulted and blasphemed,
at whom have you raised your voice
And lifted up your eyes on high?
At the Holy One of Israel!
²⁶ Have you not heard?
A long time ago I prepared it,
from days of old I planned it,
Now I have brought it about:
You are here to reduce
fortified cities to heaps of ruins,
²⁷ Their people powerless,
dismayed and distraught,
They are plants of the field,
green growth,
thatch on the rooftops,
Grain scorched by the east wind.
²⁸ I know when you stand or sit,
when you come or go,
and how you rage against me.
²⁹ Because you rage against me
and your smugness has reached my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,
And make you leave by the way you came.
²¹ Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezeki′ah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennach′erib king of Assyria, ²² this is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:
‘She despises you, she scorns you—
the virgin daughter of Zion;
she wags her head behind you—
the daughter of Jerusalem.
²³ ‘Whom have you mocked and reviled?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and haughtily lifted your eyes?
Against the Holy One of Israel!
²⁶ ‘Have you not heard
that I determined it long ago?
I planned from days of old
what now I bring to pass,
that you should make fortified cities
crash into heaps of ruins,
²⁷ while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,
are dismayed and confounded,
and have become like plants of the field
and like tender grass,
like grass on the housetops,
blighted before it is grown.
²⁸ ‘I know your sitting down
and your going out and coming in,
and your raging against me.
²⁹ Because you have raged against me
and your arrogance has come to my ears,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will turn you back on the way
by which you came.’
which is a fulfillment of the earlier oracle:
⁵ Ah! Assyria, the rod of my wrath,
the staff I wield in anger.
⁶ Against an impious nation I send him,
and against a people under my wrath I order him
To seize plunder, carry off loot,
and to trample them like the mud of the street.
¹⁵ Will the ax boast against the one who hews with it?
Will the saw exalt itself above the one who wields it?
As if a rod could sway the one who lifts it,
or a staff could lift the one who is not wood!
¹⁶ Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
will send leanness among his fat ones,
And under his glory there will be a kindling
like the kindling of fire.
⁵ Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger,
the staff of my fury!
⁶ Against a godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take spoil and seize plunder,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
¹⁵ Shall the axe vaunt itself over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
¹⁶ Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors,
and under his glory a burning will be kindled,
like the burning of fire.
This finally leads into the final oracle of the Lord:
³³ Therefore, thus says the Lord about the king of Assyria:
He shall not come as far as this city,
nor shoot there an arrow,
nor confront it with a shield,
Nor cast up a siege-work against it.
³⁴ By the way he came he shall leave,
never coming as far as this city,
oracle of the Lord.
³⁵ I will shield and save this city
for my own sake and the sake of David my servant.”
³⁶ Then the angel of the Lord went forth and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. Early the next morning, there they were, all those corpses, dead! ³⁷ So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, broke camp, departed, returned home, and stayed in Nineveh.
³⁸ When he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and fled into the land of Ararat. His son Esarhaddon reigned in his place.
³³ “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield, or cast up a siege mound against it. ³⁴ By the way that he came, by the same he shall 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 the sake of my servant David.”
³⁶ And the angel of the Lord went forth, and slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. ³⁷ Then Sennach′erib king of Assyria departed, and went home and dwelt at Nin′eveh. ³⁸ And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adram′melech and Share′zer, his sons, slew him with the sword, and escaped into the land of Ar′arat. And E′sar-had′don his son reigned in his stead.
The destruction of Sennacherib’s army is also attested. First, for a historical note, Sennacherib left for Egypt with much of the military force, leaving Rabshakek to siege Jerusalem:
It was now the fourteenth year of the government of Hezekiah, King of the two tribes; when the King of Assyria, whose name was Sennacherib, made an expedition against him, with a great army; and took all the cities of the tribe of Judah and Benjamin by force. And when he was ready to bring his army against Jerusalem, Hezekiah sent Ambassadors to him beforehand, and promised to submit, and pay what tribute he should appoint. Hereupon Sennacherib, when he heard of what offers the Ambassadors made, resolved not to proceed in the war, but to accept of the proposals that were made him: and if he might receive three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold, he promised that he would depart in a friendly manner: and he gave security upon oath to the Ambassadors that he would then do him no harm, but go away as he came.
So Hezekiah submitted; and emptied his treasures, and sent the money; as supposing he should be freed from his enemy, and from any farther distress about his Kingdom. Accordingly the Assyrian King took it, and yet had no regard to what he had promised: but while he himself went to the war against the Egyptians, and Ethiopians, he left his general Rabshakeh, and two other of his principal commanders, with great forces to destroy Jerusalem.
Then, we have the report of Herodotus, a Greek historian writing three hundred years later:
After this, Sanacharib king of the Arabians and of the Assyrians marched a great host against Egypt. Then the warriors of the Egyptians refused to come to the rescue, and the priest, being driven into a strait, entered into the sanctuary of the temple and bewailed to the image of the god the danger which was impending over him; and as he was thus lamenting, sleep came upon him, and it seemed to him in his vision that the god came and stood by him and encouraged him, saying that he should suffer no evil if he went forth to meet the army of the Arabians; for he himself would send him helpers. Trusting in these things seen in sleep, he took with him, they said, those of the Egyptians who were willing to follow him, and encamped in Pelusion, for by this way the invasion came: and not one of the warrior class followed him, but shop-keepers and artisans and men of the market. Then after they came, there swarmed by night upon their enemies mice of the fields, and ate up their quivers and their bows, and moreover the handles of their shields, so that on the next day they fled, and being without defence of arms great numbers fell.
Some have argued that this “swarmed by the mice of the fields” points towards a disease outbreak, which would also match Isaiah 10:16 (for the translations like RSVCE that use the “wasting” or “wasting disease” translation of the Hebrew word).
Illness and trust in the Lord#
⁹ The song of Hezekiah, king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his illness:
¹⁰ In the noontime of life I said,
I must depart!
To the gates of Sheol I have been consigned
for the rest of my years.
¹¹ I said, I shall see the Lord no more
in the land of the living.
Nor look on any mortals
among those who dwell in the world.
¹² My dwelling, like a shepherd’s tent,
is struck down and borne away from me;
You have folded up my life, like a weaver
who severs me from the last thread.
From morning to night you make an end of me;
¹³ I cry out even until the dawn.
Like a lion he breaks all my bones;
from morning to night you make an end of me.
¹⁴ Like a swallow I chirp;
I moan like a dove.
My eyes grow weary looking heavenward:
Lord, I am overwhelmed; go security for me!
¹⁵ What am I to say or tell him?
He is the one who has done it!
All my sleep has fled,
because of the bitterness of my soul.
¹⁶ Those live whom the Lord protects;
yours is the life of my spirit.
You have given me health and restored my life!
¹⁷ Peace in place of bitterness!
You have preserved my life
from the pit of destruction;
Behind your back
you cast all my sins.
¹⁸ For it is not Sheol that gives you thanks,
nor death that praises you;
Neither do those who go down into the pit
await your kindness.
¹⁹ The living, the living give you thanks,
as I do today.
Parents declare to their children,
O God, your faithfulness.
²⁰ The Lord is there to save us.
We shall play our music
In the house of the Lord
all the days of our life.
⁹ A writing of Hezeki′ah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
¹⁰ I said, In the noontide of my days
I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
for the rest of my years.
¹¹ I said, I shall not see the Lord
in the land of the living;
I shall look upon man no more
among the inhabitants of the world.
¹² My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
like a shepherd’s tent;
like a weaver I have rolled up my life;
he cuts me off from the loom;
from day to night thou dost bring me to an end;
¹³ I cry for help until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones;
from day to night thou dost bring me to an end.
¹⁴ Like a swallow or a crane I clamor,
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; be thou my security!
¹⁵ But what can I say? For he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
All my sleep has fled
because of the bitterness of my soul.
¹⁶ O Lord, by these things men live,
and in all these is the life of my spirit.
Oh, restore me to health and make me live!
¹⁷ Lo, it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
but thou hast held back my life
from the pit of destruction,
for thou hast cast all my sins
behind thy back.
¹⁸ For Sheol cannot thank thee,
death cannot praise thee;
those who go down to the pit cannot hope
for thy faithfulness.
¹⁹ The living, the living, he thanks thee,
as I do this day;
the father makes known to the children
thy faithfulness.
²⁰ The Lord will save me,
and we will sing to stringed instruments
all the days of our life,
at the house of the Lord.
Babylonian envoys#
We close the first half of Isaiah with Hezekiah seemingly trying to impress the Babylonian envoy:
¹ At that time Merodach-baladan, son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and gifts to Hezekiah, when he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. ² Hezekiah was pleased at their coming, and then showed the messengers his treasury, the silver and gold, the spices and perfumed oil, his whole armory, and everything in his storerooms; there was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.
³ Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say to you? Where did they come from?” Hezekiah replied, “They came to me from a distant land, from Babylon.” ⁴ He asked, “What did they see in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They saw everything in my house. There is nothing in my storerooms that I did not show them.” ⁵ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: ⁶ The time is coming when all that is in your house, everything that your ancestors have stored up until this day, shall be carried off to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord. ⁷ Some of your own descendants, your progeny, shall be taken and made attendants in the palace of the king of Babylon.” ⁸ Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and stability in my lifetime.”
¹ At that time Mero′dach-bal′adan the son of Bal′adan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezeki′ah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. ² And Hezeki′ah welcomed them; and he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezeki′ah did not show them. ³ Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezeki′ah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And whence did they come to you?” Hezeki′ah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” ⁴ He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezeki′ah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
⁵ Then Isaiah said to Hezeki′ah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: ⁶ Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord. ⁷ And some of your own sons, who are born to you, shall be taken away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” ⁸ Then said Hezeki′ah to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”