Isaiah 37

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, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

He sent Eliakim, the household leader, and Shebna, the writer, along with older priest leaders 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 of 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. The children are born, but there's not enough power to deliver them."

It may be the LORD thy God will hear 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 is left.

The LORD may listen to 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 still remaining.

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 unto your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith 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 things you heard. The people serving the king of Assyria spoke badly about me."

Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and 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. And I will make him lose his life because of swords in the place he lives.

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 the king had left Lachish.

And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

Someone said that Tirhakah, the king of Ethiopia, is coming to fight against you. When he heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah.

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 given into the hand of the king of Assyria.

Tell Hezekiah, the king of Judah, not to let his God trick him. His God should not say that Jerusalem won't be taken by the king of Assyria.

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 how the kings of Assyria have harmed all the countries by 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 Telassar?

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 Telassar?

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

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

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

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

And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying,

Hezekiah asked God for help, saying,

O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.

Dear Lord, God of Israel living among cherubim angels, you are the only true God of all world's kingdoms; you created both heaven and earth.

Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.

Lord, listen and understand; look and see: hear what Sennacherib says to insult the true God.

Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,

Indeed, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations and their lands.

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 idols 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, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.

Now then, Lord God, rescue us from his control so that all people on Earth can realize you are the only true God.

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:

Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent a message to Hezekiah, saying, "This is what the Lord, God of Israel, says: Because you prayed to me about Sennacherib, the king of Assyria."

This is the word which 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 that person: 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 servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.

you have disrespected God through your servants by claiming that your many chariots allow you to reach the heights of mountains like Lebanon. You believe you can cut down the tall cedar and choice fir trees there and enter the height of his border and Carmel forest.

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

I dug wells and drank water. With my feet, I dried up all the rivers in the surrounded cities.

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 defenced cities into ruinous heaps.

Did you not know a long time ago what I have done and what I created in the past? Now, I am making it happen so that you will destroy fortified cities, turning 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 housetops, 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, on rooftops, and young corn that got ruined before it could 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 will I 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, I will take control of 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 as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.

This means: Look for a sign - first, eat what grows naturally this year; next year, eat what grows from those things; then, in the third year, plant seeds, harvest crops, create vineyards, and enjoy their fruits.

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

The surviving 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 who will make this happen through their strong passion.

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 shields, nor cast a bank against it.

So, God says to the king of Assyria, "He won't enter this city, use arrows, bring shields, or build walls around 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 go back the 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'm protecting this city because I want to and to help my servant David.

Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

Then the angel quickly went and attacked the Assyrian army, killing 185,000 soldiers. In the morning, they woke up to find all the soldiers were dead 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, and Esarhaddon, his son, took over as king.