2 Kings 19

1 On hearing [when king Hezekiah heard it, at the moment of] this report, King [the ruler, monarch] Hezekiah [a king of Judah who served Jehovah] tore [rent, ripped apart] his clothes [garments, robe], put on [covered himself with] sackcloth [a coarse cloth], and entered [went into, approached] the house [dwelling place, temple] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]. word study 2 And he sent Eliakim [the palace manager, over the household] the palace administrator, Shebna [the secretary, scribe] the scribe, and the leading [elder, chief] priests, all wearing [dressed in, covered with] sackcloth [coarse cloth], to the prophet [spokesperson for God, messenger] Isaiah [Jehovah has saved] son of Amoz word study 3 to tell him, “This is what Hezekiah [the king of Judah, a faithful servant of God] says: Today [this day, a time of great distress] is a day of distress [trouble, vexation], rebuke [correction, chastisement], and disgrace [contempt, shame]; for children [sons, descendants] have come to the point of birth [the womb, the place of delivery], but there is no strength [power, might] to deliver [bring forth, give birth to] them. word study 4 Perhaps [it may be, possibly] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God] will hear [listen, pay attention to] all the words [everything, the entire message] of the Rabshakeh [a high-ranking official], whom his master [lord, ruler] the king of Assyria [Asshur, the ancestor of the Assyrians] has sent [dispatched, commissioned] to defy [reproach, insult] the living [alive, having life] God [the all-powerful, supreme God], and He will rebuke [correct, reprove] him for the words [the message, the speech] that the LORD [Yehovah] your God [Elohim] has heard [listened to, been aware of]. Therefore [so, consequently] lift up [raise, offer] a prayer [supplication, request] for the remnant [what is left, the surviving ones] that still survives [remains, is left].” word study 5 So the servants [or slaves, attendants] of King [ruler, monarch] Hezekiah [a righteous king of Judah] went [came, approached] to [toward, in the direction of] Isaiah [Jeshaiah, Jehovah has saved], word study 6 who replied, “Tell your master [lord, ruler] that this is what the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] says: ‘Do not be afraid [fear, revere] of the words [messages, declarations] you have heard [listened to, obeyed], with which the servants [attendants, officials] of the king of Assyria [Asshur, the ancestor of the Assyrians] have blasphemed [reviled, spoken badly of] Me [the Almighty, God Himself]. word study 7 Behold [look, take notice], I will put [give, set] a spirit [breath of life, divine influence] in him so that he will hear [listen, obey] a rumor [news, report] and return [turn back, go back] to his own land [country, territory], where I will cause him to fall [be defeated, slain] by the sword [cutting instrument, weapon].’” word study 8 When the Rabshakeh [a high-ranking official, chief cupbearer] heard that the king of Assyria [the ruler of the Assyrian empire] had left [departed from, set out from] Lachish [a city in Palestine, south of Jerusalem], he withdrew [turned back, returned] and found [discovered, came upon] the king fighting [warring, battling] against [opposed to, in conflict with] Libnah [a city in Palestine, originally a Canaanite royal city]. word study 9 Now Sennacherib had been warned [informed, received a report] about Tirhakah [the king of Ethiopia and Egypt] king of Cush [Ethiopia, the region south of Egypt]: “Look [behold, take notice], he has set out [come out, departed] to fight [engage in battle, wage war] against you [with the intention of defeating you].” So Sennacherib again sent [dispatched, commissioned] messengers [representatives, ambassadors] to Hezekiah [the king of Judah], saying [to speak, to declare], word study 10 “Give this message [a warning, an announcement] to Hezekiah [a king of Judah, a servant of God] king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God [Elohim, the one supreme God], in whom you trust [have confidence, rely], deceive [lead astray, mislead] you by saying [promising, assuring] that Jerusalem [the city of peace, the holy city] will not be delivered [given, surrendered] into the hand [power, control] of the king of Assyria [a powerful nation, a ruthless ruler]. word study 11 Surely you have heard [been informed, learned] what the kings [rulers, monarchs] of Assyria [Asshur, a nation] have done [accomplished, carried out] to all [every, the whole] the other countries [lands, nations], devoting [consecrating, destroying] them to destruction [ruin, desolation]. Will you then [in the end, ultimately] be spared [rescued, delivered]? word study 12 Did the gods [heathen deities, false idols] of the nations [Gentile peoples, non-Hebrews] destroyed [ruined, annihilated] by my fathers [ancestors, forefathers] rescue [deliver, save] those nations—the gods [divine beings, supernatural powers] of Gozan [a province in Assyria], Haran [a city in northern Syria], and Rezeph [a place of hot stones], and of the people [sons, descendants] of Eden [a place of pleasure, a region in Mesopotamia] in Telassar [Assyrian hill, a city in Assyria]? word study 13 Where [in what location, at what place] are the kings [rulers, monarchs] of Hamath [an ancient city in Syria], Arpad [a city in northern Syria], Sepharvaim [a city near the Euphrates River], Hena [a place in Mesopotamia], and Ivvah [a region in Assyria, meaning destruction]?’” word study 14 So Hezekiah [the faithful king of Judah] received the letter [scroll, written document] from the messengers [representatives], read it [called out its words], and went up [ascended, rose] to the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] and spread it out [stretched it forth, unfolded] before the LORD [in His presence, face to face]. word study 15 And Hezekiah prayed before [before the presence of, in the sight of] the LORD: “O LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], God [Elohim, the supreme God] of Israel, enthroned [seated, dwelling] between the cherubim [angelic beings, heavenly guardians], You alone [the only one, unique] are God [the one true God] over all the kingdoms [domains, territories] of the earth [the land, the world]. You made [created, formed] the heavens [the sky, the spiritual realm] and the earth [the land, the material world]. word study 16 Incline [bow down, stretch out] Your ear [to listen, to hear], O LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], and hear [listen, obey]; open [to be observant, aware] Your eyes [the source of perception], O LORD, and see [to look after, provide for]. Listen to the words [things, matters] that Sennacherib [the Assyrian king] has sent [to dispatch, to commission] to defy [to reproach, to insult] the living [having life, alive] God [Elohim, the supreme God]. word study 17 Truly [of a truth, surely], O LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], the kings [royal rulers] of Assyria [Asshur, the ancestor of the Assyrians] have laid waste [destroyed, desolated] these nations [Gentiles, non-Hebrew peoples] and their lands [territories, countries]. word study 18 They have cast their gods [idols, false deities] into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods [divine beings], but only wood [trees, natural materials] and stone [rocks, inanimate objects]—the work [deeds, creations] of human hands [mankind’s skill, human craftsmanship]. word study 19 And now [at this moment, in this present time], O LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] our God [Elohim, the one supreme God], please [I pray, we beseech thee] save [rescue, deliver] us from his hand [power, control], so that all [every, the whole] the kingdoms [domains, territories] of the earth [land, world] may know [understand, recognize] that You alone [only, apart from all others], O LORD [the Lord God], are God [the one true God, having all power and authority].” word study 20 Then Isaiah [son of the prophet] son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD [Yehovah, the God of covenant], the God [Elohim, the supreme deity] of Israel [the chosen people], says: I have heard [listened to, given attention] your prayer [petition, request] concerning Sennacherib [the Assyrian king] king of Assyria [the powerful nation]. word study 21 This is the word [spoken by God, a divine message] that the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] has spoken against him: ‘The Virgin [bath, a female child or woman, untouched] Daughter of Zion [a mountain in Jerusalem] despises [to hold in contempt, scorn] you and mocks [to deride, laugh at] you; the Daughter of Jerusalem [the city of peace, a chief city] shakes [to move back and forth, tremble] her head behind you [in a sign of scorn or dismissal]. word study 22 Whom have you [reproached, defied] taunted and blasphemed [spoken badly of, reviled]? Against whom have you raised your voice [exalted your voice, lifted up your sound] and lifted your eyes [looked with pride, gazed loftily] in pride [arrogance, haughtiness]? Against the Holy One [set apart, sacred] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people]! word study 23 Through your servants [messengers, representatives] you have taunted [reproached, defied] the Lord [Adonay, the sovereign God], and you have said: “With my many chariots [vehicles, cavalry] I have ascended [gone up, risen] to the heights [elevated places, lofty regions] of the mountains [hills], to the remote [farthest, innermost] peaks of Lebanon [a mountain range]. I have cut down [destroyed, felled] its tallest cedars [strong, durable trees], the finest [best, choicest] of its cypresses [evergreen trees]. I have reached [entered, approached] its farthest outposts [most distant borders, extremities], the densest [thickest, most abundant] of its forests [wooded areas]. word study 24 I [emphatically, as the speaker] have dug [destroyed, broken down] wells and drunk [feasted on] foreign [strange, as a stranger] waters. With the soles [palm, underside] of my feet I have dried up [slayed, desolated] all [everything, the entirety] the streams [rivers, canals] of Egypt [a place of siege, fortified area].” word study 25 Have you not heard [from afar]? Long ago [in days of old, from the beginning] I ordained [planned, formed, and purposed] it; in days of old [ancient times, from the start] I planned [formed, and shaped] it. Now [at this time, presently] I have brought [caused, and made] it to pass [to happen, and come to be], that you should crush [lay waste, and destroy] fortified [strong, and fenced] cities [towns, and populated areas] into piles of rubble [heaps, and ruinous heaps]. word study 26 Therefore their inhabitants [of small power, weak], devoid of [physical or spiritual] power, are [completely broken, shattered] dismayed [terrified, humiliated] and [deeply] ashamed [guilty, disappointed]. They are like [tender, young] plants [vegetation, growth] in the field [land, cultivation], tender green [soft] shoots [herb, new growth], grass [new growth, beauty] on the rooftops [house-tops, high places], scorched [blasted, withered] before it is [fully] grown [mature, ripe]. word study 27 But I know [am fully aware of] your sitting down [dwelling, abode], your going out [coming out, departing] and coming in [entering, returning], and your raging [trembling with anger, furious] against Me [toward, in the direction of]. word study 28 Because your rage [furious anger, intense wrath] and arrogance [pride, haughty attitude] against Me have reached [ascended to, come up into] My ears, I will put My hook [ring, nose ring] in your nose and My bit [bridle, mouthpiece] in your mouth; I will send you back [turn you around, cause you to return] the way [path, road] you came [approached, entered].’ word study 29 And this [the following miracle, a sign from God] will be a sign [a miraculous token, a wonder] to you, O Hezekiah: This year [the current year, a time of waiting] you will eat [consume, devour] what grows [spontaneous growth, volunteer crops] on its own [without cultivation, naturally], and in the second year what springs [grows, sprouts] from the same [self-sown, aftergrowth]. But in the third [final, concluding] year you will sow [plant seed, cultivate] and reap [harvest, gather]; you will plant [establish, nurture] vineyards [gardens for grapevines, orchards] and eat [enjoy, partake of] their fruit [produce, harvest]. word study 30 And the surviving [escaped, remaining] remnant [deliverance, spared portion] of the house [family, tribe, region] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, son of Jacob] will again [continue, increase] take root [source, foundation] below [downward, beneath] and bear [produce, yield] fruit [the fruit that comes from the ground or from our actions] above [higher, upward]. word study 31 For [because of this reason] a remnant [a small surviving group, leftovers] will go forth [come out, escape] from Jerusalem [the city of peace], and survivors [those who remain, escaped ones] from Mount [hill] Zion [the mountain of God’s presence]. The zeal [intense passion, jealousy] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] of Hosts [armies, heavenly forces] will accomplish [make, perform] this [the promised deliverance]. word study 32 So this is what the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] says about the king [ruler, monarch] of Assyria [Asshur, a powerful nation]: ‘He will not enter [come into, invade] this city [excitement, a place with walls] or shoot [to show or teach, launch] an arrow [a sharp object, a weapon] into it. He will not come [approach, march] before it with a shield [a buckler, a defence] or build up [pour out, construct] a siege ramp [a military mound, a bank] against it [upon, over]. word study 33 He will go back [the same way, by the same route] the way [a road or path] he came, and he will not [under any circumstances] enter [come into, approach] this [specific, particular] city [a town, a place of habitation],’ declares [utterance, a declaration from] the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]. word study 34 ‘I will [protect, guard] defend this city [the watchman’s place, a walled town] and save [rescue, deliver] it for My own sake [for My honor, reputation] and for the sake [because of, on account of] of My servant [one who serves, a bondservant] David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel].’” word study 35 And that very [dark and solemn] night [of judgment] the angel [messenger] of the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] went out and struck down [smiting, killing] 185,000 men [warriors, soldiers] in the camp [army, military encampment] of the Assyrians [Asshur, a powerful nation]. When the people got up [rose early, awoke] the next morning [at dawn, in the break of day], there were all the dead bodies [corpses, lifeless corpses]! word study 36 So Sennacherib [king of the Assyrians, ruler of Asshur] king of Assyria [a powerful and dominant empire] broke camp [departed, gave up, and left] and withdrew [removed his army, went away]. He returned [to his place, turned back] to Nineveh [the capital city, a major metropolis] and stayed [dwelt, lived, and remained] there [in his residence, at home]. word study 37 One day, while he was worshiping [bowing down, paying homage] in the temple [house, place of worship] of his god [deity, idol] Nisroch, his sons [children, descendants] Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword [killed him with a cutting instrument] and escaped [fled, slipped away] to the land [territory, region] of Ararat [a mountainous area, northwest of Nineveh]. And his son [child, heir] Esar-haddon [Ashur has given a brother] reigned [ruled, governed] in his place [stead, position]. word study