2 Kings 19

And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

When King Hezekiah heard the news, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went into God's house.

And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

He sent Eliakim, the leader of the family, Shebna the writer, and the older priest helpers, wearing rough cloth, to Isaiah, a prophet and son of Amoz.

And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.

They said, "Hezekiah says this: Today is a difficult day with criticism and disrespect. It's like kids about to be born, but there's no power to deliver them."

It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.

The LORD may hear Rabshakeh's words, sent by the Assyrian king to insult our God. The LORD might refute these words He has heard. So, pray for those who still remain.

So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

So, King Hezekiah's helpers went to Isaiah.

And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.

And Isaiah told them, "Tell your leader, This is what the Lord says: Don't be scared by the words you heard. The kings' helpers said things that disrespected me."

Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

Look, I will send a powerful wind against him, and he will hear some news, then go back to where he came from. I will make him lose his life because of swords in his own land.

So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.

So Rabshakeh went back and discovered that the king of Assyria was fighting against Libnah because he learned that he had left Lachish.

And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying,

When Hezekiah learned that Tirhakah, the king of Ethiopia, was coming to fight against him, he sent messengers back, saying,

Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

Tell Hezekiah, the king of Judah, not to let his God mislead him. His God should not say that Jerusalem will fall into the hands of the Assyrian king.

Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly: and shalt thou be delivered?

Look, you've heard about what the kings of Assyria did to many countries, completely destroying them. So, do you think you will be saved?

Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar?

Did the gods of other countries save the people that my ancestors destroyed, like those from Gozan, Haran, Reseph, and the children of Eden who were in Thelasar?

Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?

Where are the rulers of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?

And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

Hezekiah got the message from the messengers and read it. Then he took the message to God's house and showed it to God.

And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

Hezekiah prayed to God, saying, "Lord, you are the one true God who lives among cherubim creatures. You rule over all the world's kingdoms, and you created the sky and the earth."

LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.

LORD, please listen carefully and watch: see what Sennacherib is saying to insult the true God.

Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,

Indeed, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed many countries and their territories.

And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.

They threw their gods into the fire because they weren't real gods, just things made by people from wood and stone. So, they destroyed them.

Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.

Now then, Lord God, please rescue us from his control so that all the world's kingdoms will realize you are the one true God.

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.

Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent a message to Hezekiah: The Lord God of Israel has heard your prayer about Sennacherib, the king of Assyria.

This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

This is what God said about him: The pure girl from Zion city doesn't like you and makes fun of you. The girl from Jerusalem city also disapproves of you by shaking her head.

Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.

Who have you criticized and spoken badly about? And who has been the target of your loud words and raised gaze? It's the Holy One of Israel.

By thy messengers thou hast reproached the LORD, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.

By your messengers, you have criticized God and said, "With many chariots, I have reached the top of the mountains, next to Lebanon. I will cut down the tall cedar trees and choice fir trees there. Then, I will enter the homes of his people's borders and the forest of Carmel."

I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.

I've dug and drank from unusual water sources, and with just my feet, I've dried up all the rivers in places under siege.

Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.

Did you not hear a long time ago about how I did this thing, and from olden days how I created it? Now I have made it happen, so you must destroy strong cities and turn them into piles of rubble.

Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the house tops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.

So, the people living there had little strength, they were scared and confused. They were like grass or plants in a field, or on rooftops, and their crops failed to grow properly.

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

But I know where you live, where you go, where you come from, and your anger towards me.

Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

Because of your anger towards me and all the noise you've made, I will control you by putting a hook in your nose and a bridle in your mouth. Then, I will make you go back the same way you came.

And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.

This means: Look for a sign where you eat self-grown food this year, and in the next year, harvest more from the same plants. In the third year, start planting new crops, grow them, and enjoy their fruits.

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

The remaining people from the family of Judah will grow stronger and produce good results.

For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.

From Jerusalem, some will survive and leave, along with those who escaped from Mount Zion. The LORD of hosts is the one causing this to happen.

Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.

So, God says to the king of Assyria, "He won't enter this city, use a bow and arrow there, approach it with a shield, or build a mound against it."

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

He will leave the same way he came and won't enter this city, says the Lord.

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

So, I'll protect this city to keep it safe, both for me and for my servant David.

And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

That night, the angel of God attacked the Assyrian camp and killed 145,000 soldiers. In the morning, they found all the bodies.

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

So King Sennacherib of Assyria left, went back, and then stayed in Nineveh.

And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

One day, while he was praying to his god in Nisroch's temple, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer attacked him with swords. They ran away to the land of Armenia. Then Esarhaddon, his son, took over as king.