2 Kings 19 Cross References - NSB

¹ When King Hezekiah heard their report he tore his clothes in grief. He dressed in sackcloth and went to the Temple of Jehovah. ² He sent Eliakim the official in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary, and the senior priests to the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz. They also were dressed in sackcloth. ³ They said to him: »This is what Hezekiah says: ‘Today is a day filled with misery, punishment, and disgrace. We are like a woman who is about to give birth but does not have the strength to do it. ⁴ »‘The Assyrian emperor sent his chief official to insult the living God. May Jehovah your God hear these insults and punish those who spoke them. So pray to God for those of our people who survive.’« ⁵ King Hezekiah's men went to Isaiah. ⁶ Isaiah responded to them: »Tell this to your master: ‘This is what Jehovah says: »Do not be afraid of the message you heard when the Assyrian king's assistants slandered me. ⁷ »I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own country. I will have him assassinated in his own country.«’« ⁸ The field commander returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah. He had heard that the king left Lachish. ⁹ Sennacherib heard that King Tirhakah of Sudan was coming to fight him. Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying: ¹⁰ »Tell King Hezekiah of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be put under the control of the king of Assyria. ¹¹ »‘You heard what the kings of Assyria did to all countries. They totally destroyed them. Will you be rescued? ¹² »‘Did the gods of the nations that my ancestors destroyed rescue Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? ¹³ »‘Where is the king of Hamath? Where is the king of Arpad? And where is the king of the cities of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’« ¹⁴ Hezekiah read the letters from the messengers. Then he went to Jehovah’s Temple and shared them with Jehovah. ¹⁵ He prayed: »Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, you are enthroned above the angels. You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ »Turn your ear (listen) (pay attention) to me, O Jehovah, and listen. Open your eyes, Jehovah, and see. Listen to the message Sennacherib sent to defy the living God. ¹⁷ »It is true Jehovah. The kings of Assyria have devastated nations. ¹⁸ »They threw the gods from these countries into fires because these gods are not real gods. They are only wooden and stone statues made by human hands. So the Assyrians have destroyed them. ¹⁹ »Rescue us from Assyria's control, O Jehovah our God, so that all the kingdoms on earth will know that you alone are Jehovah God.« ²⁰ Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: »This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: ‘You prayed to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria. I have heard you. ²¹ »This is Jehovah’s message to Sennacherib: ‘My people, the virgin daughter of Zion, despise you and laugh at you. My people in Jerusalem shake their heads behind your back. ²² »‘Whom are you defying and slandering? Against whom are you shouting? Who are you looking at so arrogantly? It is the Holy One of Israel! ²³ »‘You defy Jehovah and through your servants you say: ‘With my many chariots I ride up the high mountains, up the slopes of Lebanon. I cut down its tallest cedars and its finest cypresses. I travel to its most distant borders and its most fertile forests. ²⁴ »‘I will dig wells and drink foreign water. I will dry up all the streams of Egypt with the soles of my feet.’« ²⁵ »Have you not heard? I did this long ago. I planned it in the past. Now I make it happen so that you will turn fortified cities into piles of rubble. ²⁶ »The inhabitants of these cities are weak, discouraged, and ashamed. They will be like plants in the field, like fresh green grass on the roofs, scorched before it grows up. ²⁷ »I know when you get up and sit down. I know when you go out and come in. I know how you rage against me. ²⁸ »Since you rage against me and you boast in my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your mouth. I will make you go back the way you came. ²⁹ »This will be a sign for you, Hezekiah: You will eat what grows by itself this year and next year. But in the third year you will plant and harvest, plant vineyards, and eat what is produced. ³⁰ »The remnant in Judah who survives will flourish like plants that send roots deep into the ground and produce fruit. ³¹ »There will be a remnant of people in Jerusalem and on Mount Zion who will survive. Jehovah is determined to make this happen. ³² »This is what Jehovah said about the Assyrian king: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot a single arrow against it. No soldiers with shields will come near the city. No siege mounds will be built around it.’ ³³ »He will go back by the same road he came. He will not enter the city. I, Jehovah, have spoken!« ³⁴ I will defend this city and protect it. It is for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David. ³⁵ It happened that night. Jehovah’s angel killed one hundred and eighty five thousand soldiers in the Assyrian camp. The next morning the Judeans saw all the corpses. ³⁶ King Sennacherib of Assyria returned to his home at Nineveh and stayed there. ³⁷ While he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, Adrammelech and Sharezer assassinated him. They escaped to the land of Ararat. His son Esarhaddon succeeded him as king.

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

⁴ This is the account of when Jehovah (YHWH) God created the heavens and the earth.

⁸ Now Jehovah God planted a garden in the east, in Eden. He put the man he had formed there.

⁴ On the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

¹¹ From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, ¹² and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.

³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.

¹⁴ Abraham named that place »Jehovah Will Provide.« It is still said today: »It will be provided on the mountain of Jehovah.«

⁴ Jacob asked the shepherds: »Where are you from?« They answered: »We are from Haran.«

²⁸ The man said: »Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel (He Struggles With God), because you have struggled with God and with men and you have won.«

²⁰ He set up an altar there and named it God, the God of Israel.

³⁴ Jacob tore his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. He mourned for his son a long time.

¹² God said: »I will be with you! This shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.«

² But Pharaoh responded: »Who is Jehovah, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I do not know Jehovah, and besides, I will not let Israel go.«

¹⁵ »He could already have sent a terrible disease and wiped you from the face of the earth. ¹⁶ »I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you my power and in order to proclaim my name through all the earth. ¹⁷ »Still you exalt yourself against my people by not letting them go.

²³ »Jehovah will pass through to strike the Egyptians. When he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, Jehovah will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to kill you.

²⁹ At midnight Jehovah killed every firstborn male in Egypt from the firstborn son of Pharaoh who ruled the land to the firstborn son of the prisoner in jail, and also every firstborn animal. ³⁰ Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the other Egyptians got up during the night. There was loud crying throughout Egypt because in every house someone had died.

¹³ But Moses said to the people: »Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of Jehovah. He will accomplish this for you today. The Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.

⁹ »The enemy said: ‘I will pursue them! I will catch them! I will divide the loot! I will take all I want! I will use my sword! I will take all they have!’«

²² »I will be above the throne of mercy between the angels whenever I meet with you. I will give you all my commandments for the Israelites.

⁴ »‘But the seventh year is to be a sabbath year of complete rest for the land. It is a year dedicated to Jehovah. Do not plant your fields or prune your vineyards. ⁵ »‘Do not even harvest the grain that grows by itself without being planted. Do not gather the grapes from your unpruned vines. It is a year of complete rest for the land.

²⁰ »‘»You may ask: »What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or bring in our crops?«’« ²¹ »‘I will give you my blessing in the sixth year so that the land will produce enough for three years. ²² »‘You will plant again in the eighth year but live on what the land already produced. You will eat it, even in the ninth year, until the land produces more.

⁸ »‘Five of you will be able to defeat a hundred, and a hundred will be able to defeat ten thousand.

²³ »Is there a limit to my power?« Jehovah answered. »You will soon see whether what I have said will happen or not!«

⁸ and from there to Hamath Pass. It will continue to Zedad

²¹ So they spied on the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, at Lebo-hamath.

⁹ »Do not rebel against Jehovah. Do not be afraid of the people who live there. We will conquer them easily. Jehovah is with us and has defeated the gods who protected them. Do not be afraid.«

¹ »When you go to war against your enemies, you may see horses, chariots, and armies larger than yours. Do not be afraid of them for Jehovah your God, who brought you out of Egypt, will be with you.

³ He should say: »Listen, Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not lose your courage! Do not be afraid. Do not tremble because of them. ⁴ »Jehovah your God is going with you. He will fight for you against your enemies and give you victory.

⁶ »Jehovah will make you successful in your daily work.

¹⁹ »Jehovah will curse everything you do!

²⁷ »I did not want their enemies to make me angry. I did not want their opponents to misunderstand and say: We won this victory! Jehovah did not do all this!

³¹ »Their rock is not like our rock! Their enemies know that their own gods are weak, not mighty like Israel's God.

³⁶ »Jehovah will bring his people justice. He will have compassion on his servants. He sees that their power is gone, and only the imprisoned and abandoned remain.

²⁹ Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel went with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah:

⁶ Jehovah said to Joshua: »Do not be afraid because of them! About this time tomorrow I will deliver them up all slain before Israel. You must hamstring their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.«

¹¹ The king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;

¹⁵ The king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;

¹² »‘Now therefore give me this mountain. This is where Jehovah spoke that day. You heard about the Anakims that day. Their cities were large and fortified and Jehovah helped me drive them out just as Jehovah said.«

³⁹ Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon,

⁴² Libnah, and Ether, and Ashan,

⁹ »For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear about it, and will surround us and cut our name off from the earth. What will you do for your great name?«

¹² A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran all the way from the battlefield to Shiloh and arrived there the same day. To show his grief he had torn his clothes and put dirt on his head.

³⁴ »‘Your two sons Hophni and Phinehas will both die on the same day. This will show you a sign that everything I have said will come true.

⁴ They sent men to Shiloh to bring back the Ark of the Covenant of Jehovah of Hosts who is enthroned over the angels. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas came along with God’s ark.

²¹ The Philistines left their idols there. David and his men carried them all away.

⁶ Jonathan said to the young man: »Let us cross over to the camp of those heathen Philistines. Maybe Jehovah will help us. If he does, nothing can keep him from giving us the victory no matter how few of us there are.«

⁴⁵ David answered: »You come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I come out to fight you in the name of Jehovah of Hosts. He is the Almighty God of Israel’s army. You have insulted him!

⁴⁵ David answered: »You come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I come out to fight you in the name of Jehovah of Hosts. He is the Almighty God of Israel’s army. You have insulted him! ⁴⁶ »Today Jehovah will help me defeat you. I will knock you down and cut off your head! I will feed the bodies of the other Philistine soldiers to the birds and wild animals. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a real God. ⁴⁷ »Everybody here will see that Jehovah does not need swords or spears to save his people. Jehovah always wins his battles. He will help us defeat you!«

²⁷ Just then a messenger arrived and said to Saul: »Come back at once! The Philistines are invading the country!«

¹⁸ David went into the tent he set up for the ark. Then he sat there and prayed: »Jehovah All-Powerful, my family and I do not deserve what you have already done for us. ¹⁹ »Yet this was insignificant in your eyes, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah for you have spoken also of your servant’s house in the distant future. And this is the law for man, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah. ²⁰ »What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah. ²¹ »For the sake of your Word and according to your will you have done this great thing. You have made it known to your servant! ²² »For this reason you are great, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah. There is none like you. There is no God besides you according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²³ »There is no other nation on earth like Israel. This is the nation you rescued from slavery in Egypt to be your own. You became famous by using great and wonderful miracles to force other nations and their gods out of your land, so your people could live here. ²⁴ »You chose Israel to be your people from generation to generation! You have become their God. ²⁵ »And now, Jehovah God, please do what you have promised. ²⁶ »You will be famous for a very long time! Everyone will say: »Jehovah of Hosts rules Israel. David’s descendants are his chosen kings. ²⁷ »Now therefore, may it please you to bless the house of your servant that it may continue a long time before you. You O Lord Jehovah have spoken. May the house of your servant be blessed from generation to generation. ²⁸ »Lord Jehovah, you are God. You have promised me some very good things, and you can be trusted to do what you promise.

³¹ Someone told David: »Ahithophel is helping Absalom conspire against you!« David said: »Please Jehovah keep Ahithophel’s plans from working!«

¹² »Perhaps Jehovah will acknowledge my misery and give me some blessings to take away this curse.«

¹⁵ Joab and his troops surrounded Abel, so no one could go in or come out. They made a dirt ramp (rampart) up to the town wall. Then they used a battering ram to knock the wall down.

¹³ »If he retreats into a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city and drag it into a valley. Not even a pebble will be found there.«

²³ Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed. He saddled his donkey and went back to his hometown. He arranged his affairs in order and he hanged himself. He was buried in the family grave.

¹⁶ When the angel stretched out his arm to destroy Jerusalem, Jehovah changed his mind about the disaster. »Enough!« He said to the angel who was destroying the people. »Put down your weapon.« The angel of Jehovah was at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

²³ and prayed: »Jehovah God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You keep your covenant with your people and show them your love when they live in wholehearted obedience to you.

²⁸ »Jehovah my God, I am your servant. Listen to my prayer. Grant the requests I make to you today. ²⁹ »Watch over this Temple day and night. For this is the place where you have chosen to be worshiped. Hear me when I face this Temple and pray.

²⁹ »Watch over this Temple day and night. For this is the place where you have chosen to be worshiped. Hear me when I face this Temple and pray. ³⁰ »Hear my prayers and the prayers of your people. In your home in heaven hear us and forgive us.

⁴³ »Listen to him and give him his desire. Let all the peoples of the earth know about your name. Let them worship you as your people Israel, and that they may see that this house which I have built is truly named by your name.

¹² »I will not do it in your lifetime, because of your father David, but I will take it from your son. ¹³ »Still I will not take the entire kingdom from him. I will give one tribe to your son, because of my servant David, and because of Jerusalem, the town of my selection.«

⁴ For David's sake Jehovah his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising Abijam a son to rule after him to keep Jerusalem secure.

³⁹ When the people saw it, they all went down on their faces. They said: »Jehovah is God! Jehovah is God!«

¹⁰ Benhadad sent Ahab the following message: »May the gods strike me dead if there will be enough dust left from Samaria to give a handful to each soldier who follows me.«

²⁸ A man of God came to the king of Israel. He said: »Jehovah says, ‘Because the Aramaeans have said, »Jehovah is a god of the hills and not of the valleys; I will give all this great army into your hands, and you will see that I am Jehovah.«’«

³⁶ Then at the time of the offering, Elijah the prophet came near and said, »Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be seen this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things by your order. ³⁷ »Give me an answer, O Jehovah. Give me an answer so that this people may see that you are God. That you have made their hearts come back again.«

²⁷ Elijah finished speaking. Ahab tore his clothes and took them off. He dressed in sackcloth. He refused food (fasted) and slept in the sackcloth. He was gloomy and depressed.

²⁹ »Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has done this, I will not bring disaster on him during his lifetime. It will be during his son's lifetime that I will bring disaster on Ahab's family.«

⁷ The king of Israel read the letter and tore his clothes and said: »How can the king of Syria expect me to cure this man? Does he think that I am God, with the power of life and death? It is plain that he is trying to start a quarrel with me!«

¹⁵ Naaman returned to Elisha with all his men and said: »Now I realize there is no god but the God of Israel. Please accept a gift from me.«

¹⁶ »Do not be afraid,« Elisha answered. »We have more on our side than they have on theirs.«

³⁰ Hearing this, the king tore his clothes. The people close to the wall could see that he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes.

⁶ Jehovah made the Syrians hear what sounded like the advance of a large army with horses and chariots. The Syrians thought that the king of Israel had hired Hittite and Egyptian kings and their armies to attack them.

²² Edom has been independent of Judah ever since. The city of Libnah also revolted at that time.

⁹ The king of Assyria, in answer to his request, went up against Damascus and captured it. He took its people away as prisoners to Kir, and put Rezin to death.

⁵ Then the king of Assyria invaded the land and advanced to Samaria. He besieged the city for three years.

⁵ Then the king of Assyria invaded the land and advanced to Samaria. He besieged the city for three years. ⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He led the Israelites away to Assyria. He stationed them in Halah and Habor on the Gozan River, and in the towns of the Medes.

⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He led the Israelites away to Assyria. He stationed them in Halah and Habor on the Gozan River, and in the towns of the Medes.

⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He led the Israelites away to Assyria. He stationed them in Halah and Habor on the Gozan River, and in the towns of the Medes. ⁷ The wrath (intense anger) of Jehovah came on Israel because they had done evil against Jehovah their God, who took them out of the land of Egypt from under the yoke of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. They worshipped other gods. ⁸ They lived by the rules of the nations whom Jehovah sent out from before the children of Israel. ⁹ The children of Israel secretly did things that were not right according to Jehovah their God. They built high places for themselves in all their towns, from the watchtower to the walled towns. ¹⁰ They erected pillars of stone and wood on every high hill and under every green tree. ¹¹ They burned their offerings in all the high places, as those nations did whom Jehovah sent away from them. They did evil things, moving Jehovah to anger.

²⁴ Then the king of Assyria took men from Babylon and from Cuthah and Avva and Hamath and Sepharvaim, and put them in the towns of Samaria in place of the children of Israel. They acquired Samaria for their heritage, living in its towns.

⁵ Hezekiah had faith in Jehovah, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah who were before him.

¹³ Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all the walled towns of Judah and took them. ¹⁴ Hezekiah sent a message to Sennacherib at Lachish: »I have done wrong. Stop your attack and I will pay whatever you demand.« The emperor's answer was that Hezekiah should send him ten tons of silver and one ton of gold.

¹⁷ The king of Assyria sent his commander-in-chief (Tartan), his quartermaster, and his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They stood at the channel for the Upper Pool on the road to the Laundryman's Field.

¹⁷ The king of Assyria sent his commander-in-chief (Tartan), his quartermaster, and his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They stood at the channel for the Upper Pool on the road to the Laundryman's Field. ¹⁸ They sent for the king, and Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them.

¹⁸ They sent for the king, and Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them. ¹⁹ The Rabshakeh said to them: »Say to Hezekiah: These are the words of the great king, the king of Assyria: »In what are you placing your hope? ²⁰ »You say you have counsel and [military] strength for war. These are only words. To whom are you looking for support that you rebel against me? ²¹ »You rely on Egypt that broken reed of a staff. If a man leans on it (relies on its power) his hand (strength) will be pierced (wounded) (diminished). So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who put their faith in him. ²² »If you say to me: We trust in Jehovah our God, is he not the one whose high places and altars have been taken away by Hezekiah. For he told Judah and Jerusalem that worship may only be given before this altar in Jerusalem?

²² »If you say to me: We trust in Jehovah our God, is he not the one whose high places and altars have been taken away by Hezekiah. For he told Judah and Jerusalem that worship may only be given before this altar in Jerusalem? ²³ »And now, make an agreement with my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to put horsemen on them.

²³ »And now, make an agreement with my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to put horsemen on them.

²³ »And now, make an agreement with my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to put horsemen on them. ²⁴ »How then can you put to shame the least of my master's servants? You put your hope in Egypt for chariots and horsemen:

²⁴ »How then can you put to shame the least of my master's servants? You put your hope in Egypt for chariots and horsemen: ²⁵ »Have I now come to destroy this place without Jehovah? It was Jehovah who said to me: ‘Go up against this land and make it waste.«’

²⁵ »Have I now come to destroy this place without Jehovah? It was Jehovah who said to me: ‘Go up against this land and make it waste.«’

¹³ »Go inquire of Jehovah on my behalf and for the people. This is concerning the words in this book that has been found. Jehovah’s fierce anger is directed towards us because our ancestors did not obey the things in this book or do everything written in it.« ¹⁴ So the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to talk to the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum, son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas. Shallum was in charge of the royal wardrobe. Huldah was living in the Second Part of Jerusalem.

²⁶ Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the Rabshakeh (the commander): »Will you kindly make use of the Aramaean language in talking to your servants. We are used to it. Do not use the Jews' language in the hearing of the people on the wall.« ²⁷ He replied: »Do you think you and the king are the only ones the king sent me to say these things? No, I am also talking to the people who are sitting on the wall. They will have to eat their excrement and drink their own urine, just as you will.« ²⁸ The official stood up and shouted in Hebrew: »Listen to what the king of Assyria is telling you! ²⁹ »He warns you: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. Hezekiah cannot save you.’

²⁹ »He warns you: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. Hezekiah cannot save you.’

²⁹ »He warns you: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. Hezekiah cannot save you.’ ³⁰ »Do not let Hezekiah convince you to rely on Jehovah. Do not think that Jehovah will save you or that he will stop our Assyrian army from capturing you.«

³⁰ »Do not let Hezekiah convince you to rely on Jehovah. Do not think that Jehovah will save you or that he will stop our Assyrian army from capturing you.«

³⁰ »Do not let Hezekiah convince you to rely on Jehovah. Do not think that Jehovah will save you or that he will stop our Assyrian army from capturing you.« ³¹ »Do not listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria commands you to come out of the city and surrender. Make peace with me and you will be allowed to eat grapes from your own vines and figs from your own trees, and to drink water from your own wells (cisterns). ³² »The king will resettle you in a country much like your own. There are vineyards to give wine and there is grain for making bread there. It is a land of olives, olive oil, and honey. Do what he commands and you will not die. Do not let Hezekiah fool you into thinking Jehovah will rescue you. ³³ »Did the gods of other nations save their countries from the king of Assyria?

³³ »Did the gods of other nations save their countries from the king of Assyria? ³⁴ »Where are they now? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did anyone save Samaria?

³⁴ »Where are they now? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did anyone save Samaria?

³⁴ »Where are they now? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did anyone save Samaria? ³⁵ »When did any of the gods of all these countries ever save their country from our king? What makes you think Jehovah can save Jerusalem?«

³⁵ »When did any of the gods of all these countries ever save their country from our king? What makes you think Jehovah can save Jerusalem?«

³⁷ Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tore their clothes in grief. They reported to the king what the Assyrian official had said.

⁴ »‘The Assyrian emperor sent his chief official to insult the living God. May Jehovah your God hear these insults and punish those who spoke them. So pray to God for those of our people who survive.’«

⁶ Isaiah responded to them: »Tell this to your master: ‘This is what Jehovah says: »Do not be afraid of the message you heard when the Assyrian king's assistants slandered me. ⁷ »I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own country. I will have him assassinated in his own country.«’«

¹⁰ »Tell King Hezekiah of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be put under the control of the king of Assyria.

¹⁵ He prayed: »Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, you are enthroned above the angels. You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made heaven and earth.

¹⁷ »It is true Jehovah. The kings of Assyria have devastated nations. ¹⁸ »They threw the gods from these countries into fires because these gods are not real gods. They are only wooden and stone statues made by human hands. So the Assyrians have destroyed them.

²¹ »This is Jehovah’s message to Sennacherib: ‘My people, the virgin daughter of Zion, despise you and laugh at you. My people in Jerusalem shake their heads behind your back. ²² »‘Whom are you defying and slandering? Against whom are you shouting? Who are you looking at so arrogantly? It is the Holy One of Israel!

²⁸ »Since you rage against me and you boast in my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your mouth. I will make you go back the way you came.

³¹ »There will be a remnant of people in Jerusalem and on Mount Zion who will survive. Jehovah is determined to make this happen. ³² »This is what Jehovah said about the Assyrian king: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot a single arrow against it. No soldiers with shields will come near the city. No siege mounds will be built around it.’ ³³ »He will go back by the same road he came. He will not enter the city. I, Jehovah, have spoken!«

³³ »He will go back by the same road he came. He will not enter the city. I, Jehovah, have spoken!« ³⁴ I will defend this city and protect it. It is for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David. ³⁵ It happened that night. Jehovah’s angel killed one hundred and eighty five thousand soldiers in the Assyrian camp. The next morning the Judeans saw all the corpses. ³⁶ King Sennacherib of Assyria returned to his home at Nineveh and stayed there.

³⁶ King Sennacherib of Assyria returned to his home at Nineveh and stayed there. ³⁷ While he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, Adrammelech and Sharezer assassinated him. They escaped to the land of Ararat. His son Esarhaddon succeeded him as king.

⁵ »Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people: ‘This is what Jehovah God of your ancestor David says: »I heard your prayer. I saw your tears. Now I will heal you. The day after tomorrow you will go to Jehovah’s Temple. ⁶ »I will add fifteen more years to your life. I will rescue you and defend this city from the control of the king of Assyria. I do this for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.«’«

⁸ King Hezekiah said to Isaiah: »What is the sign to prove that Jehovah will heal me and that three days later I will be able to go to the Temple?« ⁹ Isaiah replied: »Jehovah will give you a sign to prove that he will keep his promise. Would you prefer to have the shadow on the stairway go forward ten steps or go back ten steps?«

¹⁰ Jabez cried out to the God of Israel: Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain. And God granted his request.

²⁶ So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day.

¹² »Three years of famine? Three months of running away from the armies of your enemies? Or: three days in which Jehovah attacks you with his sword and sends an epidemic on your land. He will use his angel to bring death throughout Israel? What answer shall I give Jehovah?«

¹⁶ David saw the angel standing in midair, holding his sword in his hand, ready to destroy Jerusalem. Then David and the leaders of the people, all of whom were wearing sackcloth bowed low, with their faces touching the ground.

¹⁵ »My eyes will be open! My ears will pay attention to the prayers offered at this place. ¹⁶ »I have chosen and declared this Temple holy so that my name may be placed there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

⁷ The priests brought Jehovah’s Ark of the Covenant to its place in the inner room of the Temple, the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubim (angels). ⁸ The cherubim (angels) outstretched wings were over the place where the Ark rested so that the cherubim became a covering above the Ark and its poles.

⁴⁰ »Finally, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

¹¹ Asa prayed: »Jehovah, only you can help a powerless army defeat a stronger one. We depend on you to help us. We will fight against this powerful army to honor your name! We know that you will not be defeated. You are Jehovah our God. Do not let man prevail against you.«

⁶ He prayed aloud: »O Jehovah, God of our ancestors, you rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty. No one can oppose you.

¹⁵ Jahaziel said: »Pay attention to me, everyone from Judah, everyone living in Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what Jehovah says to you: ‘Do not be frightened or terrified by this large crowd. The battle is not yours. It is God’s.

¹⁷ »‘You will not have to fight this battle. Just take up your positions and wait. You will see Jehovah give you victory. People of Judah and Jerusalem, do not hesitate or be afraid.’ Go out to battle. Jehovah will be with you!

¹⁰ He also built fortified towers in the open country and dug many cisterns, because he had large herds of livestock in the western foothills and plains. Because he loved farming, he encouraged the people to plant vineyards in the hill country and to farm the fertile land.

²² Everything else about Uzziah is recorded by the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz.

⁵ Jehovah his God handed him over to the king of Aram, who defeated him, captured many prisoners, and brought them to Damascus. He also handed him over to the king of Israel, who decisively defeated him. ⁶ In one day Pekah, son of Remaliah, killed one hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah because they had abandoned Jehovah the God of their ancestors.

² They approached Zerubbabel and the heads of families and said: »Let us help you build for we are servants of your God, the same as you. We have been making offerings to him from the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who sent us here.«

¹³ »‘You have heard what my ancestors and I have done to other nations. Were the gods of those nations able to defend their land against us? ¹⁴ »‘None of those gods kept their people safe from the kings of Assyria. Do you really think your God can do any better?

¹⁴ »‘None of those gods kept their people safe from the kings of Assyria. Do you really think your God can do any better? ¹⁵ »‘Do not be fooled by Hezekiah! No god of any nation has been able to stand up to Assyria. Believe me, your God cannot keep you safe!’« ¹⁶ Sennacherib’s officers said more against Jehovah God and his servant Hezekiah. ¹⁷ Sennacherib wrote letters cursing Jehovah the God of Israel. These letters said: The gods of the nations in other countries could not rescue their people from me. Hezekiah’s God cannot rescue his people from me.

¹⁷ Sennacherib wrote letters cursing Jehovah the God of Israel. These letters said: The gods of the nations in other countries could not rescue their people from me. Hezekiah’s God cannot rescue his people from me. ¹⁸ Sennacherib’s officers shouted loudly in the Judean language to the troops who were on the wall of Jerusalem. They tried to frighten and terrify the troops so that they could capture the city. ¹⁹ They spoke against the God of Jerusalem as if he were one of the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of the hands of man.

¹⁹ They spoke against the God of Jerusalem as if he were one of the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of the hands of man. ²⁰ King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, prayed about this and called to heaven.

²⁰ King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, prayed about this and called to heaven.

²⁰ King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, prayed about this and called to heaven. ²¹ Jehovah sent an angel who exterminated all the soldiers, officials, and commanders in the Assyrian king’s camp. Sennacherib was humiliated and returned to his own country. When he went into the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him with a sword.

²¹ Jehovah sent an angel who exterminated all the soldiers, officials, and commanders in the Assyrian king’s camp. Sennacherib was humiliated and returned to his own country. When he went into the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him with a sword.

²¹ Jehovah sent an angel who exterminated all the soldiers, officials, and commanders in the Assyrian king’s camp. Sennacherib was humiliated and returned to his own country. When he went into the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him with a sword. ²² So Jehovah saved Hezekiah and the people living in Jerusalem from King Sennacherib of Assyria and from everyone else. Jehovah gave them peace with all their neighbors.

²² So Jehovah saved Hezekiah and the people living in Jerusalem from King Sennacherib of Assyria and from everyone else. Jehovah gave them peace with all their neighbors. ²³ Many people still went to Jerusalem to bring gifts to Jehovah and expensive presents to King Hezekiah of Judah. From that point in history he was considered important by all the nations.

³ Hearing this, with signs of grief and pulling out the hair of my head and my chin, I took my seat on the earth deeply troubled.

⁵ I humbled myself before God at the evening offering. I got up, with signs of grief, and fell on my knees with my hands stretched out to Jehovah my God,

¹ When Mordecai learned what had been done, he tore his clothes in anguish. Then he dressed in sackcloth, covered his head with ashes, and walked through the city, wailing loudly and bitterly, ² until he came to the entrance of the palace. He did not go in because no one wearing sackcloth was allowed inside. ³ Throughout all the provinces, wherever the king's proclamation was made known, there was loud mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, wailed, and most of them put on sackcloth and lay in ashes. ⁴ Esther's women and her servants came and gave her word of it. The queen’s grief was great indeed. She sent robes for Mordecai, so that his clothing of haircloth might be taken off; but he would not wear them.

²⁰ Then Job got up and tore his clothes in grief. He shaved his head and threw himself face down on the ground. ²¹ He said: »I was born with nothing (naked), and I will die with nothing. Jehovah gave, and now he has taken away. Blessed be the name of Jehovah!«

⁹ »God destroys them with his breath and kills them with a blast of his anger.

² »Truly I know it is so, but how can a man be righteous before God?

²¹ »Terrifying sounds fill his ears. When all seems well, marauders attack him.

⁴ »I too could speak like you, if I were in your place. I could compose words against you. And I would shake my head at you.

²⁷ »You will pray to him and he will hear you! You will pay your vows.

² »Can you catch Leviathan with a fishhook or tie his tongue down with a rope?

¹⁴ Let me stand before the people of Jerusalem and tell them all the things for which I praise you. I will rejoice because you saved me.

¹³ Why does the wicked person despise God? Why does he say in his heart: »God does not require it?« ¹⁴ You have seen trouble and grief and placed them under your control. The victim entrusts himself to you. You alone have been the helper of orphans.

⁶ He rains down fire and burning sulfur upon wicked people. He makes them drink from a cup filled with scorching wind.

¹ Why do the nations conspire together and rage? Why do the peoples plot in vain? ² The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against Jehovah and against his Anointed One. ³ They say: »Let us break their chains of control and throw off their oppressive rule.« ⁴ The One who dwells in heaven laughs. Jehovah scoffs at them. ⁵ Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his rage (fury). He says:

⁶ O Jehovah do rise up in your anger. Lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies. Awake O my God. You have pronounced judgment.

¹⁴ He shot his arrows and scattered them. He flashed streaks of lightning to agitate (disturb and trouble) them. ¹⁵ The ocean floor could be seen. The foundations of the earth were laid bare at your stern warning, O Jehovah, at the blast of the breath from your nostrils.

⁷ Some boast in chariots and others in horses, but we will boast in the name of Jehovah our God.

² Turn your ear toward me. Rescue me quickly. Be a rock of refuge for me, a stronghold fortress to save me.

⁹ »Do not be stubborn like a horse or mule. They need a bit and bridle in their mouth to restrain them, or they will not come near you.«

⁹ He spoke and it was done! He commanded and it stood fast.

¹¹ The counsel of Jehovah and the plans of his heart stand from generation to generation, forever.

⁷ All who see me laugh at me. Insults pour from their mouths. They shake their heads and say: ⁸ »Put yourself in Jehovah’s hands. Let Jehovah save him! Let God rescue him since he is pleased with him!«

⁵ Let them be like chaff blown by the wind as the angel of Jehovah chases them. ⁶ Let their path be dark and slippery as the angel of Jehovah pursues them.

¹³ But when they were sick, I wore sackcloth. I humbled myself with fasting. My prayer returned unanswered.

⁵ God is at the center of her and she will not be moved. God will help her when morning appears. ⁶ The nations made uproar and the kingdoms tumbled. He raised his voice and the earth dissolved.

⁶ The nations made uproar and the kingdoms tumbled. He raised his voice and the earth dissolved.

² His situation if beautiful. Mount Zion is the joy of the whole earth. The city of the great King is in the far reaches of the north. ³ God is in his citadel. He has made himself known. ⁴ Behold, the kings have assembled. And they passed by together.

⁴ Behold, the kings have assembled. And they passed by together. ⁵ They saw and then they were amazed. They were terrified and they fled in fear.

⁵ They saw and then they were amazed. They were terrified and they fled in fear. ⁶ Panic seized them there, Anguish, like a woman in childbirth.

⁶ Panic seized them there, Anguish, like a woman in childbirth. ⁷ You break the ships of Tarshish using the east wind.

⁷ You break the ships of Tarshish using the east wind. ⁸ In the city of Jehovah of Hosts we have seen as we have heard. God will establish the city of God forever.

³ Our God will come and will not keep silent. A devouring fire is in front of him and a raging storm is around him.

¹ May God be merciful to us and bless us. May he cause his face to shine on us. ² That your way may be known on earth, and your salvation among all nations:

²² I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God. I sing praises to you with the stringed instrument, Holy One of Israel.

⁹ They set their mouth in the heavens and their tongue parades through the earth.

⁴ Your adversaries have roared in the middle of your assembly. They have set up their standards as signs.

¹⁰ How long, God, will the adversary reproach? Will the enemy blaspheme your name forever? ¹¹ Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? Take it out of your pocket and consume them!

¹⁸ Remember this, that the enemy has mocked you, Jehovah. Foolish people have blasphemed your name.

²² Arise, O God! Plead your own cause. Remember how the foolish man treats you with contempt all day. ²³ Do not forget the voice of your adversaries. The tumult of those who rise up against you ascends continually.

²³ Do not forget the voice of your adversaries. The tumult of those who rise up against you ascends continually.

¹¹ »With stern reproof you discipline people for their iniquity. Like a moth you consume what is dear to them. Certainly, everyone is like a breath of air.

¹⁵ »Call on me in times of trouble. I will rescue you, and you will honor me.«

²¹ »When you did these things, I remained silent. That made you think I was like you. I will argue my point with you and lay it all out for you to see.

² All men will come to you O Hearer of prayer.

⁷ He stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples.

⁵ The strong and valiant were plundered, they sank into sleep. None of the warriors could use his hands. ⁶ At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse were cast into a dead sleep. ⁷ You, even you, are to be respected. Who may stand in your presence when once you are angry?

¹⁰ For the wrath of man shall praise you. You will fortify yourself with a remnant of wrath.

¹² Pay each one of our neighbors back with seven times the number of insults they used to insult you, O Jehovah.

¹ ([Psalm of Asaph]) Oh, give ear (listen), Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!

⁹ You cleared the ground for it so that it took root and filled the land.

¹ He who lives under the shelter of the Most High will remain in the shadow of the Almighty. ² I will say to Jehovah: »You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.«

⁷ Wicked people sprout like grass and all troublemakers flourish. Yet they will be destroyed forever.

³ The floods have lifted up, O Jehovah, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their pounding waves. ⁴ Jehovah on high is mightier than the noise of many waters. Yes he is mightier than the mighty waves of the sea.

⁸ Do not harden your hearts, as in the day of strife, as in the day of testing in the wilderness.

² For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads.

¹⁸ That they may know that you alone, whose name is Jehovah, are the Most High over all the earth.

¹ Jehovah reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He is enthroned above the cherubim. Let the earth shake!

¹¹ My days are like a lengthened shadow and I wither away like grass.

²⁵ »You founded the earth of old. The heavens are the work of your hands.

²⁵ I have become the victim of my enemies' insults. They look at me and shake their heads.

⁴ Their idols are made of silver and gold. Human hands made them. ⁵ They have mouths, but they cannot speak. They have eyes, but they cannot see. ⁶ They have ears, but they cannot hear. They have noses, but they cannot smell. ⁷ They have hands, but they cannot feel. They have feet, but they cannot walk. They cannot even make a sound with their throats. ⁸ Those who make idols end up like them. So does everyone who trusts them.

⁸ May Jehovah guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.

¹ To You I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! ² Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to Jehovah our God, until he is gracious to us. ³ Have mercy on us, O Jehovah, be gracious to us, for we are greatly filled with contempt. ⁴ We are filled with the scoffing of those who are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.

¹ ([Psalm of Solomon]) If Jehovah does not build the house, it is vain for the builders to work on it. If Jehovah does not protect a city, it is vain for the guard to stay alert.

⁶ Let them be like grass upon the housetops. It withers before it grows up. ⁷ The reaper does not fill his hand with it, or the binder of sheaves his bosom. ⁸ Nor do those who pass by say: »The blessing of Jehovah be upon you! We bless you in the name of Jehovah.«

⁶ He made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. He keeps truth (faith) forever!

⁸ You destructive people of Babylon, blessed is the one who pays you back with the same treatment you gave us.

¹ ([Psalm of David]) O Jehovah, you have searched me and you know me. ² You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You understand my thought from afar. ³ You inspect my path and my lying down. You are intimately acquainted with my ways. ⁴ Even before I speak words from my tongue, behold, O Jehovah, You know it all. ⁵ You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid your hand upon me. ⁶ Knowing this is too wonderful for me! It is too high, I cannot attain to it. ⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? ⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in the grave, behold, you are there. ⁹ If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, ¹⁰ Even there your hand will lead me. Your right hand will lay hold of me. ¹¹ If I say: »Certainly the darkness will overwhelm me!« Then the light around me will be night.

¹³ There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! Their eyelids are lifted up.

⁹ With my own ears I heard Jehovah of Hosts say: »Many houses will become empty. Large, beautiful houses will be without people to live in them.

²⁴ You will go up in flames like straw and hay! You have rejected the law of the holy God Jehovah the All-Powerful Holy One of Israel. Now your roots will rot, and your blossoms will turn to dust.

¹¹ »Ask Jehovah your God for a sign. Ask it in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.« ¹² But Ahaz said: »I will not ask. I will not put Jehovah to the test.« ¹³ Isaiah said: »Hear this you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?« ¹⁴ Therefore Jehovah will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God with us).

¹⁷ Jehovah will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria upon you. ¹⁸ »In that day Jehovah will whistle for the flies that are at the distant branches of the Nile River in Egypt and for the bees that are in Assyria.

⁷ »That is why Jehovah is going to bring against them the raging and powerful floodwaters of the Euphrates River, that is, the king of Assyria with all his power. It will overflow all its channels and go over all its banks.

⁷ »That is why Jehovah is going to bring against them the raging and powerful floodwaters of the Euphrates River, that is, the king of Assyria with all his power. It will overflow all its channels and go over all its banks. ⁸ »It will sweep through Judah. It will overflow and pass through. It will be neck-high. Its outspread wings will extend over your entire country, O Immanuel.«

⁸ »It will sweep through Judah. It will overflow and pass through. It will be neck-high. Its outspread wings will extend over your entire country, O Immanuel.« ⁹ Be broken, you people. Be terrified. Listen all you distant parts of the earth. Prepare for battle and be terrified. Prepare for battle and be terrified! ¹⁰ Make plans for battle, but they will never succeed. Give orders, but they will not be carried out, because God is with us!

¹¹ Then it will happen in that day that Jehovah will again recover the second time with his hand the remnant of his people. They will remain, from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

¹³ »‘You thought: ‘I will go up to heaven (Mount Zion) and set up my throne above God's stars (messengers). I will sit on the mountain of meeting far away in the north where the gods assemble. ¹⁴ »‘I will go above the top of the clouds. I will be like the Most High.’

⁶ The canals will stink. The streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up. The reeds and rushes will wither.

¹⁰ Travel through your country like the Nile, people of Tarshish. You no longer have a harbor.

¹² He said: »You will exult no more, O crushed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, pass over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.«

⁶ In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill the entire world with fruit.

¹¹ »‘Get out of our way! Stop blocking our path! Get the Holy One of Israel out of our sight.’« ¹² This is what the Holy One of Israel says: »You have rejected this warning, trusted oppression and deceit, and you leaned upon them for support.

¹⁵ The Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, says: »Return to me and be saved. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me.« But you do not want that!

²⁸ His breath is like an overflowing stream. It raises neck high and sifts the nations with a sieve of destruction. It places a bit in the mouths of the people to lead them astray.

³⁰ Jehovah will make his majestic voice heard. He will come with all his might, with furious anger, with firestorms, windstorms, rainstorms, and hailstones. ³¹ The people of Assyria will be shattered at the sound of Jehovah’s voice. He will strike them with his rod. ³² To the sound of tambourines and lyres, Jehovah will pound on them. He will fight them in battle, swinging his fists (displaying his power). ³³ Topheth was prepared long ago. It was made ready for the king. It was made deep and wide and piled high with plenty of burning logs. Jehovah’s breath will be like a flood of burning sulfur, setting it on fire.

⁵ »Jehovah of Hosts will defend Jerusalem like a hovering bird. He will defend it and rescue it. He will pass over it and protect it.«

¹ This is the vision seen by Isaiah the son of Amoz. It is about Judah and Jerusalem at the time of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

⁸ My people, the daughter of Zion is left like an empty hut in a vineyard. It is like a shack in a cucumber field, like a city under attack. ⁹ If Jehovah of Hosts had not left us a few survivors, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.

¹ The vision and prophetic message Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw about Judah and Jerusalem.

⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will accomplish this.

⁵ »How horrible it will be for Assyria! It is the rod of my anger. My fury is in the staff of the Assyrians' hands. ⁶ »I send him against a godless nation. I commission him against the people of my fury to capture booty and to seize plunder, and to trample them down like mud (clay) in the streets.

⁶ »I send him against a godless nation. I commission him against the people of my fury to capture booty and to seize plunder, and to trample them down like mud (clay) in the streets. ⁷ »But the Assyrian emperor has his own violent plans in mind. He is determined to destroy many nations. ⁸ »He boasts: ‘Every one of my commanders is a king! ⁹ »‘Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? ¹⁰ »‘As my hand took hold of the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose carved images were greater then those of Jerusalem and Samaria, ¹¹ »‘As I have done to Samaria and her idols, Shall I not also do to Jerusalem and her idols?’

¹⁴ »‘I found the riches of nations as one finds a nest. I gathered the whole world as one gathers abandoned eggs. Not one of them flapped a wing, opened its mouth, or peeped.’« ¹⁵ Can an ax attack the person who cuts with it? Can a saw make itself greater than the person who saws with it? A rod cannot move the person who lifts it. A wooden stick cannot pick up a person. ¹⁶ That is why the Almighty Jehovah of Hosts will send a degenerative disease against brave men. A flame will be turned into a raging fire under his power.

¹⁶ That is why the Almighty Jehovah of Hosts will send a degenerative disease against brave men. A flame will be turned into a raging fire under his power. ¹⁷ The Light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame. It will burn and consume his thorns and his briers in a single day!

¹⁷ The Light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame. It will burn and consume his thorns and his briers in a single day! ¹⁸ It will completely destroy the splendor of his forests and fertile fields, as when a sick man wastes away.

¹⁸ It will completely destroy the splendor of his forests and fertile fields, as when a sick man wastes away.

¹⁸ It will completely destroy the splendor of his forests and fertile fields, as when a sick man wastes away. ¹⁹ And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down. ²⁰ In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on the one who defeated them. They will truly rely on Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel.

²⁰ In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on the one who defeated them. They will truly rely on Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel. ²¹ A remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty (Powerful) God. Yes, a remnant will return! ²² Your people, O Israel, are like the sand of the sea. Yet only a remnant within them will return. Overwhelming and righteous destruction has been decreed.

²⁴ Therefore, this is what the Lord Jehovah of Hosts, declares: »O my people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians. They beat you with a rod and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did. ²⁵ »Very soon my anger against you will end and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.

²⁸ They enter Aiath and they pass through Migron. They store supplies at Micmash. ²⁹ They go over the pass and make Geba their camping place for the night. Ramah trembles and Gibeah of Saul flees. ³⁰ Cry out, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen and pay attention, O Laishah! Poor afflicted Anathoth! ³¹ Madmenah has fled; the people of Gebim take cover. ³² This day they will halt at Nob. They will shake their fist at the mount of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem. ³³ Behold, the Sovereign Lord Jehovah of Hosts will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be cut down! The tall ones will be brought low.

⁴ But with righteousness he will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth (power of his words), and with the spirit (breath) of his lips he will destroy the wicked.

¹⁷ Like a woman with child and about to give birth struggles and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, O Jehovah. ¹⁸ We were with child, we writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth. We have not given birth to people of the world.

¹ King Hezekiah heard it and he tore his clothes. He covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of Jehovah. ² Hezekiah sent Eliakim the palace administrator along with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.

² Hezekiah sent Eliakim the palace administrator along with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. ³ They said to him: »Hezekiah says: ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke and rejection. Children have come to birth, and there is no strength to deliver.

³ They said to him: »Hezekiah says: ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke and rejection. Children have come to birth, and there is no strength to deliver. ⁴ »‘Perhaps Jehovah your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh. His master the king of Assyria has sent him to reproach the living God! He will rebuke the words Jehovah your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that survives.’«

⁴ »‘Perhaps Jehovah your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh. His master the king of Assyria has sent him to reproach the living God! He will rebuke the words Jehovah your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that survives.’«

⁴ »‘Perhaps Jehovah your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh. His master the king of Assyria has sent him to reproach the living God! He will rebuke the words Jehovah your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that survives.’« ⁵ So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

⁵ So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. ⁶ Isaiah said to them: »Say to your master: ‘Jehovah says: »Do not be afraid because of the words you have heard from the servants of the king of Assyria. For they have blasphemed me.

⁶ Isaiah said to them: »Say to your master: ‘Jehovah says: »Do not be afraid because of the words you have heard from the servants of the king of Assyria. For they have blasphemed me. ⁷ »‘»Listen! I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.«’«

⁷ »‘»Listen! I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.«’« ⁸ Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah. He had heard a report that the king had left Lachish.

⁸ Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah. He had heard a report that the king had left Lachish. ⁹ He heard this concerning Tirhakah king of Cush: »He has come out to fight against you.« So he sent messengers to Hezekiah and said:

⁹ He heard this concerning Tirhakah king of Cush: »He has come out to fight against you.« So he sent messengers to Hezekiah and said:

⁹ He heard this concerning Tirhakah king of Cush: »He has come out to fight against you.« So he sent messengers to Hezekiah and said: ¹⁰ »Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you. He says to you: »Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.«

¹⁰ »Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you. He says to you: »Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.« ¹¹ »‘You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries. He destroyed them completely. And will you be delivered?

¹¹ »‘You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries. He destroyed them completely. And will you be delivered? ¹² »‘Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them? And what about the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar?

¹² »‘Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them? And what about the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar?

¹² »‘Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them? And what about the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? ¹³ »‘Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah?’«

¹³ »‘Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah?’«

¹³ »‘Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah?’« ¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. He went to the temple of Jehovah and spread it out before Jehovah.

¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. He went to the temple of Jehovah and spread it out before Jehovah.

¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. He went to the temple of Jehovah and spread it out before Jehovah.

¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. He went to the temple of Jehovah and spread it out before Jehovah. ¹⁵ Hezekiah prayed to Jehovah:

¹⁵ Hezekiah prayed to Jehovah: ¹⁶ »O Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

¹⁶ »O Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁷ »Give ear, O Jehovah, and hear! Open your eyes, O Jehovah, and see! Listen to all the words Sennacherib said to insult the living God.

¹⁷ »Give ear, O Jehovah, and hear! Open your eyes, O Jehovah, and see! Listen to all the words Sennacherib said to insult the living God.

¹⁷ »Give ear, O Jehovah, and hear! Open your eyes, O Jehovah, and see! Listen to all the words Sennacherib said to insult the living God. ¹⁸ »It is true, Jehovah, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.

¹⁸ »It is true, Jehovah, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.

¹⁸ »It is true, Jehovah, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. ¹⁹ »They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them. But they were not gods! They were only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.

¹⁹ »They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them. But they were not gods! They were only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.

¹⁹ »They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them. But they were not gods! They were only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. ²⁰ »Now, O Jehovah our God, deliver us from his hand. That way all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Jehovah, are God.

²⁰ »Now, O Jehovah our God, deliver us from his hand. That way all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Jehovah, are God. ²¹ Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: »This is what Jehovah, the God of Israel, says: ‘Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria,

²¹ Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: »This is what Jehovah, the God of Israel, says: ‘Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, ²² this is the word Jehovah spoke against him: »The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises and mocks you. The Daughter of Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee.

²² this is the word Jehovah spoke against him: »The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises and mocks you. The Daughter of Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee. ²³ »Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? It is against the Holy One of Israel!

²³ »Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? It is against the Holy One of Israel! ²⁴ »By your messengers you have heaped insults on Jehovah. You said: With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its pines. I reach its remotest heights, the finest of its forests.

²⁴ »By your messengers you have heaped insults on Jehovah. You said: With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its pines. I reach its remotest heights, the finest of its forests.

²⁴ »By your messengers you have heaped insults on Jehovah. You said: With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its pines. I reach its remotest heights, the finest of its forests. ²⁵ »I dug wells and drank the water there. With the bottom of my feet I dried up all the streams of Egypt.

²⁵ »I dug wells and drank the water there. With the bottom of my feet I dried up all the streams of Egypt.

²⁵ »I dug wells and drank the water there. With the bottom of my feet I dried up all the streams of Egypt. ²⁶ »Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it! And now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone.

²⁶ »Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it! And now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone.

²⁶ »Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it! And now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone. ²⁷ »Their people are drained of power. They are dismayed and put to shame. They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, like grass sprouting on the roof, parched before it grows.

²⁷ »Their people are drained of power. They are dismayed and put to shame. They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, like grass sprouting on the roof, parched before it grows.

²⁷ »Their people are drained of power. They are dismayed and put to shame. They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, like grass sprouting on the roof, parched before it grows. ²⁸ »I know where you stay and when you come and go and how you rage against me.

²⁸ »I know where you stay and when you come and go and how you rage against me.

²⁸ »I know where you stay and when you come and go and how you rage against me. ²⁹ »For the reason that you rage against me and because your insolence (arrogance) has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. I will make you return by the way you came.«

²⁹ »For the reason that you rage against me and because your insolence (arrogance) has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. I will make you return by the way you came.«

²⁹ »For the reason that you rage against me and because your insolence (arrogance) has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. I will make you return by the way you came.« ³⁰ »‘This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah: ‘This year you will eat what grows by itself. The second year you will eat what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

³⁰ »‘This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah: ‘This year you will eat what grows by itself. The second year you will eat what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

³⁰ »‘This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah: ‘This year you will eat what grows by itself. The second year you will eat what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. ³¹ »‘Again a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.

³¹ »‘Again a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.

³¹ »‘Again a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. ³² »‘Out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Jehovah will accomplish this.

³² »‘Out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Jehovah will accomplish this.

³² »‘Out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Jehovah will accomplish this. ³³ »‘Therefore this is what Jehovah says concerning the king of Assyria: »He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield, or build a siege ramp against it.

³³ »‘Therefore this is what Jehovah says concerning the king of Assyria: »He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield, or build a siege ramp against it. ³⁴ »‘He will return by the way that he came. He will not enter this city, declares Jehovah.

³⁴ »‘He will return by the way that he came. He will not enter this city, declares Jehovah. ³⁵ »‘I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!’«

³⁵ »‘I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!’« ³⁶ The angel of Jehovah put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. The people got up the next morning and saw all the dead bodies!

³⁶ The angel of Jehovah put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. The people got up the next morning and saw all the dead bodies! ³⁷ So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. ³⁸ One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword. They escaped to the land of Ararat. Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.

⁶ »I will rescue you and this city of Jerusalem from the king of Assyria, and I will continue to protect the city.«

¹⁰ »YOU ARE MY WITNESSES,« DECLARES JEHOVAH! »I have chosen you as my servant so that you can know and believe in me and understand that I am the one who did this. No god was formed before me, and there will be none after me.

²⁵ »I alone am the one who is going to wipe away your rebellious actions for my own sake. I will not remember your sins anymore.

⁶ »This is what Jehovah, Israel’s King and Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts says: ‘I AM THE FIRST AND I AM THE LAST-APART FROM ME THERE IS NO GOD!

⁸ »‘Do not tremble. Do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses! Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock. There is not one!’« ⁹ All who make idols are nothing. The things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind. They are shamefully ignorant. ¹⁰ Who shapes a god and casts a useless and good for nothing idol. ¹¹ He and his kind will be put to shame. Craftsmen are merely men. Let them all come together and take their stand for they will be brought down to terror and infamy. ¹² The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals. He shapes an idol with hammers; he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength. He drinks no water and grows faint. ¹³ The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a red chalk marker. He roughs it out with chisels and marks it with a compass. He shapes it in the form of man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. ¹⁴ He cut down cedars, or cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. ¹⁵ It is man’s fuel for burning so he takes some to warm himself. He kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it. Yes he makes an idol and bows down to it. ¹⁶ Half of the wood they burn in the fire. Over this half they roast meat that they can eat until they are full. They also warm themselves and say: We are warm. We can see the fire! ¹⁷ But the rest of the wood they make into gods, carved statues. They bow to them and worship them. They pray to them and say: »Rescue us, because you are our gods.« ¹⁸ They do not know or understand anything. Their eyes are plastered shut and cannot see. Their minds are closed and therefore they cannot understand. ¹⁹ No one stops to think. No one has enough knowledge or understanding to say: »I burned half of the wood in the fire. I also baked bread over its coals. I roasted meat and ate it. Now I am making the rest of the wood into a disgusting thing and bowing to a block of wood.« ²⁰ They eat ashes because they are deceived. Their own misguided minds lead them astray. They cannot rescue themselves or ask themselves: »Is what I hold in my right hand a false god?«

⁷ »Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts. Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults.

¹² »I, even I, am the one who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men? The sons of men are like grass! ¹³ »You forget Jehovah your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. Will you live in constant terror of the human oppressor, who is bent on your destruction? Will you fear your enemies from morning until night?

¹⁶ »I created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. I also created the destroyer who will work havoc.

⁶ A voice shouts: »Cry out!« And I said: »What shall I cry?« The voice shouts: »All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. ⁷ »The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of Jehovah blows on them. Surely the people are grass. ⁸ »The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.«

¹⁰ »‘Do not fear for I am with you! Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ ¹¹ »All who rage against you will be ashamed and disgraced. Those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. ¹² »Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. ¹³ »I AM JEHOVAH, YOUR GOD! I take hold of your right hand and say to you: Do not fear; I will help you. ¹⁴ »Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I will help you. This is the declaration of Jehovah, your Redeemer, and the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁷ »The poor and needy search for water, but there is none! Their tongues are parched with thirst. But I Jehovah will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

⁷ »I make light and create darkness. I make blessings and create disasters. I, Jehovah, do all these things.

²² »Turn to me and be saved! Turn to me all who live at the ends of the earth for I am God, and there is no other.

¹ Bel bows down and Nebo stoops low. Their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome. They are a burden for the weary. ² They stoop and bow down together. They are unable to rescue the burden and they go off into captivity.

¹⁰ »I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ ¹¹ I summon a bird of prey from the east. I summon a man to fulfill my purpose from a far off land. What I have said I will bring about. What I have determined (purposed) I will do.

¹ »Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you will no longer be called tender and delicate.

⁵ »Sit silently and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans. You will no longer be called the queen of kingdoms.

⁹ »For my name's sake I will be patient. For my glory's sake I will hold my anger back from you, and not destroy you.

¹¹ »I did it for myself and because of my name. I will not let my name be shamed (profaned). I will not give my glory to another.

⁹ »‘Then you will call, and Jehovah will answer! You will cry and he will say: ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,

¹⁷ He puts on righteousness like a coat of armor and a helmet of salvation on his head. He wears clothes of vengeance. He wraps himself with zeal as a coat.

²⁴ »Before they call I will answer! While they are still speaking I will hear.

⁹ »Do I bring a mother to the moment of birth and not let her deliver?« Asks Jehovah. »Do I cause a mother to deliver and then make her unable to have children?« Asks your God.

³ The people’s customs are erroneous and empty. It is wood cut from the forest. It is the work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. ⁴ »They decorate it with silver and with gold. They fasten it with nails and with hammers so that it will not tip over. ⁵ »They are like scarecrows in cucumber fields. They cannot speak. They must be carried, for they cannot walk! Do not fear them! For they can do no harm and they can do no good.« ⁶ There is none like you, O Jehovah. You are great and your name is powerful. ⁷ Who would not respect you, O King of the nations? It is your right! There is none like you among all the wise men of the nations. ⁸ They are very stupid and foolish. They teach vanity to a tree. Their idol is wood! ⁹ Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz. It is the work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith. Violet and purple are their clothing. They are all the work of skilled men. ¹⁰ Jehovah is the true (faithful) (right) God! He is the living God and the everlasting king. The earth quakes at his wrath. The nations cannot endure his indignation. ¹¹ You will say to the idolaters: »The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.« ¹² He who made the earth by his power, and established the world by his wisdom; also stretched out the heavens by his understanding.

¹⁴ Every man is stupid lacking knowledge. Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. His molten images are deceitful. There is no breath in them. ¹⁵ They are worthless, a work of mockery. In the time of their punishment they will perish. ¹⁶ Jacob’s share is not like this. For he made everything! Israel is the tribe of his inheritance. Jehovah of Hosts is his name.

¹⁵ Look down and see from heaven, from your holy and beautiful dwelling. Where is your determination (zeal) and might? Where is the longing of your heart and your compassion? Do not hold back.

¹⁷ »Say this to them: ‘My eyes flow with tears day and night without stopping because my dear people will suffer massive destruction. It will be a very serious blow.

¹³ »This is what Jehovah says: ‘Ask among the nations if anyone has ever heard anything like this. The people of Israel have done a very horrible thing.

²³ »I am a God who is near,« declares Jehovah. »I am not a God far off!« ²⁴ »Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?« asks Jehovah. »Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?« Declares Jehovah.

⁵ Jehovah said: »We hear cries of fear. We hear cries of panic. But we do not hear cries of peace. ⁶ »Ask now and see: Can a man give birth to a child? Why, then, do I see every strong man holding his stomach in pain like a woman giving birth to a child? Why has every face turned pale? ⁷ »How terrible that day will be! There will be no other day like it. It will be a time of calamity for the descendants of Jacob, but they will be rescued from it.«

⁴ »I will build you and you will be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You will take up your tambourines and go to the dances of the merrymakers.

³ ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I will tell you grand and impressive things, things you do not know.’«

²¹ then my covenant may also be broken with David my servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, with the Levitical priests as my ministers.

²⁶ then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant. And I would not take from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I will restore their prosperity and will show them love and compassion.’«

⁵ »The days are coming,« declares Jehovah, »when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch. He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ »In His days Judah will be saved. Israel will dwell securely. This is his name by which he will be called, Jehovah Is Our Righteousness.

¹⁵ »But if you put me to death, you and everyone else in Jerusalem will be guilty of murdering an innocent man. This is because everything I spoke came from Jehovah.«

²⁴ The king and all his attendants did not show any fear or tear their clothes in fear when they heard everything being read.

¹⁰ »Even if you would defeat the entire Babylonian army so that they had only a few badly wounded men left in their tents, they would get up and burn down this city!«’«

⁵ But the Babylonian army pursued them and captured Zedekiah in the plains near Jericho. Then they took him to King Nebuchadnezzar, who was in the city of Riblah in the territory of Hamath, and there Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him.

¹¹ Go to Gilead, and get medicine, dear people of Egypt. You have used many medicines without results and cannot be cured.

³⁶ »A sword will kill the false prophets. They will become fools. A sword will kill their soldiers and defeat them. ³⁷ »A sword will kill their horses, their chariots, and all the foreigners within their ranks. They will become women. A sword will destroy their treasures, and they will be looted.

¹ Jehovah says: »I am bringing a destructive wind against Babylon and its people.

⁵ I, the Lord Jehovah, have not abandoned Israel and Judah, even though they have sinned against me, the Holy One of Israel.

²⁷ Raise your battle flag throughout the world. Blow the ram's horn among the nations. Prepare nations to attack Babylon. Tell the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz to attack it. Appoint a commander to lead the attack. Bring up horses like a swarm of locusts.

³⁰ The warriors of Babylon have stopped fighting. They stay in their fortified cities. Their strength has failed. They have become women. Their buildings are set on fire. The bars across their gates are broken.

³² The river crossings have been taken. The enemy has burned its marshes, and its soldiers are terrified.

⁴⁶ »Do not lose courage or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land. One rumor comes one year; another rumor comes the next year. Rumors of violence are in the land. Rumors that one ruler will fight against another are in the land.

¹⁴ »None of the people of Judah who are left and have come to Egypt to live will escape or survive. Not one of them will return to Judah, where they long to live once again. No one will return except a few refugees.’«

¹⁴ I heard a message from Jehovah. A messenger was sent among the nations to say: »Assemble and attack Edom. Get ready for battle.«

²³ This is what Jehovah said about Damascus: The people in the cities of Hamath and Arpad are worried and troubled because they have heard bad news. Anxiety rolls over them like a sea, and they cannot rest.

¹⁵ »Jehovah makes fun of my men of war. He gathers men against me to send destruction on my young men. The virgin daughter of Judah has been crushed like grapes under the feet of Jehovah.

¹³ What example am I to give you? What comparison am I to make for you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What am I to make equal to you, so that I may give you comfort, O virgin daughter of Zion? Your destruction is great like the sea. Who is able to make you well?

¹⁵ All who go by make a noise with their hands at you. They make hisses, shaking their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem. They say: »Is this the town that was the crown of everything beautiful, the joy of all the earth?«

²¹ Have joy and be glad, O daughter of Edom, living in the land of Uz. The cup will be given to you in your turn, and you will be overcome with wine and your shame will be seen.

¹³ ‘»I will unleash my anger. I will use my fury against you, and I will get revenge. When my fury is unleashed against you, you will know that I, Jehovah, spoke to you with all my zeal.

⁹ ‘»With hooks they pulled him into a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him in prison. Therefore his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel.

⁹ »‘»But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name. In the presence of the people among whom they were living I had announced to Israel that I was going to lead them out of Egypt.

²² »The divination (omens) will indicate that he should go to the right, to Jerusalem. So he will set up his battering rams there, and give the order to kill. He will raise a battle cry and aim the battering rams against the city gates. He will put up ramps and set up blockades (siege walls).

⁴ »I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your rivers cling to your scales. I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers. All the fish of your rivers will cling to your scales.

³ »‘Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches and forest shade, and very high, and its top was among the clouds. ⁴ »‘The waters made it grow, the deep made it high. With its rivers it continually extended all around its planting place, and sent out its channels to all the trees of the field. ⁵ Therefore its height was loftier than all the trees of the field. ‘«Its boughs became many and its branches long because of many waters as it spread them out. ⁶ »‘All the birds of the heavens nested in its boughs. Under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth and all great nations lived under its shade. ⁷ »‘So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its roots extended to many waters. ⁸ »‘The cedars in God's garden could not match it. The cypresses could not compare with its boughs. The plane trees could not match its branches. No tree in God's garden could compare with it in its beauty.

²² »So tell the people of Israel, ‘the Lord Jehovah says: »I am about to do something, people of Israel. I will not do this for your sake but for the sake of my holy name, which you have dishonored among the nations wherever you have gone.«’

³⁷ »This is what the Lord Jehovah says: ‘I will also let the people of Israel ask me to make them as numerous as sheep.

⁴ »I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws. I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords.

²³ »‘»Haran, Canneh, Eden, the traders of Sheba, Asshur and Chilmad traded with you.

² »Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre: ‘This is what the Lord Jehovah says: »‘»In your arrogance you say, ‘I am a god (strong deity). I sit on God's throne in the sea.’ But you are only human and not a god, although you think you are a god. (2 Thes 2:4) ³ ‘»You think that you are wiser than Daniel and that no secret can be hidden from you. ⁴ ‘»Because you are wise and understanding, you have made yourself rich. You saved gold and silver in your treasuries. ⁵ ‘»Because of your great skill in trading, you have made yourself very wealthy. You have become arrogant because of your wealth.’« ⁶ ‘»Therefore the Lord Jehovah says: Because you have made your heart like (consider yourself to be like) the heart of God, ⁷ ‘»I will bring strangers, ruthless nations, upon you. They will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor. ⁸ ‘»They will throw you into a pit. You will die a violent death in the sea. ⁹ ‘»You will no longer say that you are a god when you face those who kill you. You will be a human, not a god, in the hands of those who kill you.«’

⁹ »‘I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches. All the trees of Eden in the garden of God were jealous of it.’ ¹⁰ »The Lord Jehovah says: ‘Because it is high in stature and has set its top among the clouds, and its heart is haughty in its loftiness, ¹¹ »‘I will give it into the hand of a despot of the nations. He will thoroughly deal with it. According to its wickedness I have driven it away. ¹² »‘Alien tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen and its boughs have been broken in all the ravines of the land. All the peoples of the earth have gone down from its shade and left it. ¹³ »‘On its ruin all the birds of the heavens will dwell. All the beasts of the field will be on its fallen branches ¹⁴ so that all the trees by the waters may not be exalted in their stature, nor set their top among the clouds, nor their well-watered mighty ones stand erect in their height. For they have all been given over to death, to the earth beneath, among the sons of men, with those who go down to the pit.’ ¹⁵ »The Lord Jehovah says: ‘On the day when it went down to the grave I caused cries of sorrow. I closed the deep over it and held back its rivers. Its many waters were stopped up, and I made Lebanon mourn for it. All the trees of the field wilted away on account of it. ¹⁶ »‘I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall when I made it go down to the grave with those who go down to the pit. All the well-watered trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, were comforted in the earth beneath. ¹⁷ »‘They also went down with it to the grave to those who were slain by the sword. Those who were its strength lived under its shade among the nations.’ ¹⁸ »‘Which of the trees of Eden are you equal to in glory and greatness? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth beneath. You will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those who were slain by the sword. So is Pharaoh and all his hordes!’ Declares the Lord Jehovah.«’

⁴⁷ The king spoke to Daniel: »It is true, your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing you were able to reveal this secret.«

³⁰ The king spoke: »Is this not great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling-place, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?«

³⁴ »At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven and my understanding returned to me. I blessed the Most High and I praised and honored the one who lives forever. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation.

³⁴ »At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven and my understanding returned to me. I blessed the Most High and I praised and honored the one who lives forever. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation. ³⁵ All the inhabitants of the earth are considered as nothing. He does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth. None can stop him, or say to him: ‘What do you do?’

³⁵ All the inhabitants of the earth are considered as nothing. He does according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth. None can stop him, or say to him: ‘What do you do?’ ³⁶ »My understanding returned to me at that time. The glory of my kingdom, my majesty and brightness returned to me. My counselors and my lords came to me. I was established in my kingdom with excellent greatness. ³⁷ »Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, extol and honor the King of heaven. All his works are truth, and his ways justice. He is able to abase (humble) (subdue) those who walk in pride.«

²⁰ »But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened with pride he dealt proudly. He was deposed from his kingly throne and they took his glory from him: ²¹ »He was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts. His dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven until he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and that he sets up over it whomever he will. ²² »You his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you know all this. ²³ »You lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of his house before you and your lords, wives and concubines. They drank wine from them. You praise the gods of silver and gold, of copper, iron, wood, and stone, which you do not see, nor hear, nor know. You have not glorified the God whose hand holds your breath and life.

³⁰ In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean King was slain.

⁷ »However I will have mercy (compassion) (love) on the house of Judah. I will not save them by bow, or by sword. I will not save them by battle, not by horses, nor by horsemen. However, I will save them by Jehovah their God.«

¹⁵ »I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek me. They will seek me earnestly in their affliction.«

² »The Lord Jehovah has sworn by his holiness that the day will come when they will take you away with meat hooks, and those who remain with fish-hooks.

² The virgin of Israel has fallen. She will not rise again. She has been thrown down upon her own land. There is none to raise her up.

¹ The vision of Obadiah. The Sovereign Lord Jehovah (YHWH) spoke concerning Edom: »We have heard news from Jehovah. An ambassador is sent to the nations, saying, we must stand up against her (Edom) in battle.«

³ I looked to Jehovah God to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ And I prayed to Jehovah my God, and made confession, and said, »Oh, Jehovah, the great and fear-inspiring (awesome) God, who keeps his covenant and loving kindness for those who love him and keep his commandments.

¹⁸ »O my God, incline your ear, and hear! Open your eyes, and behold our desolations and the city that is called by your name. We do not present our supplications before you because of our righteous merits, but according to your many mercies.

²⁰ While I was speaking, in prayer, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my God; ²¹ While I was speaking in prayer, the spirit person [who looked like a man] Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, was inspired to come quickly and touch me. It was about the time of the evening offering. ²² He instructed me: »O Daniel,« he said, »I have now come to give you wisdom (insight) and understanding. ²³ »At the beginning of your supplications the commandment went forth. I came to report to you for you are greatly loved. Consider the matter, and understand the vision.

¹³ »They have the opportunity to live again, but they are not smart enough to take it. They are like a baby who is about to be born but will not come out of its mother's womb.

² »Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim against her that Jehovah has seen their terrible wickedness.«

² »Arise and go to the great city, Nineveh. Proclaim to it the proclamation I give you.« ³ So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of Jehovah. Nineveh was a very important and large city, a three days' walk [from one side to the other]. ⁴ Jonah began to enter into the city, a day's journey walking, and he shouted: »Nineveh will be overthrown in Forty days.« ⁵ The people of Nineveh believed God and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. ⁶ The news reached the king of Nineveh. He left his throne, and took off his robe and covered himself with sackcloth. Then he sat in ashes. ⁷ He made proclamation and published it in Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying: »Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not eat, nor drink water. ⁸ »Let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast. Let them sincerely call on God! Let them turn away each one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands.

⁸ »Let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast. Let them sincerely call on God! Let them turn away each one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹ »Who knows whether God will turn back and change his mind, and turn away from his fierce anger that we will not perish?« ¹⁰ God saw their works! That they turned from their evil way. God turned back from the deed that he said he would do to them. He did not do it.

¹³ »Bind the chariot to the swift steed, O lady inhabitant of Lachish! You were the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion. The transgressions of Israel were found in you.

⁸ »You, O tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, it will come to you. The former dominion will come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

¹ The oracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite:

⁸ Nineveh has been from of old like a pool of water: yet they flee away. »Stand, stand,« they cry; but none looks back.

¹⁴ The angel said: »Call out, say, this is what Jehovah of Hosts has said: ‘I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with intense ardor.

² »Hamath and all that borders on it, including Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.

⁹ »Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes to you! He is righteous having salvation. He is humble, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the son of a she ass.

⁴¹ »The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it. After all, they repented at the preaching of Jonah. Yet someone greater than Jonah is here.

¹⁴ Thus the prophecy revealed to Isaiah would be fulfilled:

²¹ »Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon that were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

³³ Those on the boat loved him intensely, saying: »Truly, you are the Son of God!«

³⁹ People passing by spoke evil abuse to him. They wagged their heads

⁶⁵ Then the high priest ripped his robes apart and said: »He has said evil against God! Why do we need more witnesses? You have heard his words of blasphemy!«

¹² »This is the sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.«

⁴ This was according to the words of Isaiah the prophet: »The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make ready the way of Jehovah. Make his paths straight.

¹¹ They were all very angry and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

⁴³ »The time is coming when your enemies will surround you and blockade you with a rampart (wall) on all sides. They will close in on you. ⁴⁴ »They will knock you and your children down to the ground. They will not leave one stone upon another. What’s more you do not know when this visit will take place.«

⁵⁹ Another hour passed. Someone else said: »It is true this man was with him for he is a Galilean.«

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was like God (God-like). ² The same was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him and without him not one thing was made.

¹⁷ His disciples remembered what was written. ‘Zeal for your house shall eat me up.’ (Psalm 69:9)

¹⁸ »If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.

²³ »He who hates me hates my Father also. ²⁴ »If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would have no sin. They have seen and hated both my Father and me.

⁴² »I knew that you always hear me. But because of the crowd that stands here I said it, that they may believe that you did send me.«

²⁷ Truly both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the people of the nations and the people of Israel, were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you have anointed.

²⁷ Truly both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the people of the nations and the people of Israel, were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you have anointed. ²⁸ »They were there to do the things your hand and council foreordained to occur.

⁵¹ »You obstinate men who are uncircumcised in heart and ears. You always resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did.

⁴ He looked at him and was afraid. »What is it, Lord?« He replied. The angel said: »God hears your prayers and sees your gifts of mercy.

⁴ »He went out of the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. After his father died, God moved him to this land, where you now dwell.

³¹ »He said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer is heard and your gifts of mercy are noticed in the sight of God.

²⁹ »Being then the offspring of God, we should not think that the divine being is like gold, or silver, or stone, a device made by man’s design or skill.

²³ Immediately the angel of God killed him, because he did not give God the glory. He was eaten by worms and died.

²⁷ Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: »Should the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved.

⁵ Even so at this present time there is a remnant chosen according to God’s grace.

²⁵ The secrets of his heart are made known. So falling down on his face he will worship God, and report, »God is truly among you.«

⁵ We cast down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God. We bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

⁶ This is to the praise of the glory of his kindness, with which he freely honored us, the loved ones.

¹⁴ The Holy Spirit is a guarantee that we will receive our inheritance. This assures us that God will set us free to the praise of his glory.

² For you know perfectly that the »Day of Jehovah« will come like a thief in the night. (Zephaniah 1:14) ³ When they say, »Peace and security!« then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come to a pregnant woman. They will not escape.

⁴ He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship. As a result, he seats himself in the sanctuary of God and declares (promotes) himself to be like God. (Ezekiel 28:2)

¹⁵ Scripture says: »Today if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Do not be stubborn like those who rebelled.« ¹⁶ Who were they who heard God and rebelled? All who came out of Egypt with Moses rebelled.

²⁶ He considered the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. He looked intently (respectfully) for the payment of the reward.

¹⁰ But the rich must be glad when God humbles them. This is because they will wither like wildflowers and pass away. ¹¹ The sun rises with scorching heat and withers the grass. The flower falls off and its beauty perishes. So also the rich man will fade away in his pursuits.

¹⁶ Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man helps much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man of like passions with us. He prayed fervently that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

²⁴ All people are like grass. All their glory is like the blossom of a flower. The grass withers and the flower drops off.

⁶ He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, to slander his name, and his dwelling place, and those who live in heaven.

¹⁴ This is the confidence that we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ If we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions (requests) that we have asked of him.