1 When king Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into Yahweh’s house. 2 He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, "Hezekiah says, ‘Today is a day of trouble, of rebuke, and of rejection; for the children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to deliver them. 4 It may be Yahweh your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Yahweh your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’"
5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master this: ‘Yahweh says, "Don’t be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he will hear news, and will return to his own land. I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."’"
8 So Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9 When he heard it said of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, "Behold, he has come out to fight against you," he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, 10 "Tell Hezekiah king of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly. Will you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed—Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?’"
14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to Yahweh’s house, and spread it before Yahweh. 15 Hezekiah prayed before Yahweh, and said, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, even you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline your ear, Yahweh, and hear. Open your eyes, Yahweh, and see. Hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to defy the living God. 17 Truly, Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 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. 19 Now therefore, Yahweh our God, save us, I beg you, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Yahweh, are God alone."
20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, says ‘You have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, and I have heard you. 21 This is the word that Yahweh has spoken concerning him: ‘The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and ridiculed you. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you. 22 Whom have you defied and blasphemed? Against whom have you exalted your voice and lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel! 23 By your messengers, you have defied the Lord, and have said, "With the multitude of my chariots, I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon, and I will cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypress trees; and I will enter into his farthest lodging place, the forest of his fruitful field. 24 I have dug and drunk strange waters, and I will dry up all the rivers of Egypt with the sole of my feet." 25 Haven’t you heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that it should be yours to lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps. 26 Therefore their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were like the grass of the field and like the green herb, like the grass on the housetops and like grain blasted before it has grown up. 27 But I know your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your raging against me. 28 Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose, and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.’
29 "This will be the sign to you: This year, you will eat that which grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs from that; and in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 30 The remnant that has escaped of the house of Judah will again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem a remnant will go out, and out of Mount Zion those who shall escape. Yahweh’s zeal will perform this.
32 "Therefore Yahweh says concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there. He will not come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it. 33 He will return the same way that he came, and he will not come to this city,’ says Yahweh. 34 ‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.’"
35 That night, Yahweh’s angel went out and struck one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, went home, and lived at Nineveh. 37 As he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Esar Haddon his son reigned in his place.
1 希西家王听见了， 就把自己的衣服撕裂， 披上麻布， 来到耶和华的殿。
2 王又派王宫总管以利亚敬、书记舍伯那和祭司中的长老披上麻布， 到亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚先知那里。
3 他们对他说： "希西家这样说： ‘今天是痛苦、责罚和侮辱的日子， 好像婴儿的产期到了， 却没有力量生产。
4 或者耶和华你的 神听到拉伯沙基所说的话（他就是他的主亚述王派来辱骂永活的 神的人）， 就因着耶和华你的 神所听见的话责罚他。所以请为这里余剩的人献上祷告。’"
5 希西家王的臣仆就来到以赛亚那里。
6 以赛亚对他们说： "你们要这样告诉你们的主人： ‘耶和华这样说： 不要因你所听见亚述王的随从亵渎我的话而惊怕。
7 看哪， 我要使他的心惊颤（"使他的心惊颤"原文作"放一个灵在他里面"）， 他将听见消息， 就退回自己的地方去； 我要使他在自己的国土倒在刀下。’"
8 拉伯沙基回去， 发觉亚述王正在攻打立拿， 因为他曾听说亚述王已拔营离开拉吉。
9 亚述王听见有关古实王特哈加的消息说： "看哪， 他出来要和你交战。"于是亚述王再派使者去见希西家说：
10 "你们要对犹大王希西家说： ‘不要让你所信靠的 神欺骗你说： 耶路撒冷不会交在亚述王的手中。
11 看哪， 你听过亚述列王怎样对付列国， 把它们完全毁灭， 你会得着解救吗？
12 我祖先所消灭的民族， 就是歌散人、哈兰人、利色人和在提．拉撒的伊甸人， 他们的神可曾解救他们吗？
13 哈马王、亚珥拔王、西法瓦音城的王、希拿王和以瓦王在哪里呢？’"
14 希西家从使者手中接过信件， 念完了， 就上耶和华的殿。希西家把信件在耶和华面前展开。
15 希西家在耶和华面前祷告， 说： "耶和华以色列的 神， 坐在二基路伯中间的啊， 只有你是地上万国的 神， 天地是你创造的。
16 耶和华啊！ 求你侧耳聆听； 耶和华啊！ 求你睁眼垂顾； 听那派使者来侮辱永活的 神的西拿基立的话。
17 耶和华啊！ 亚述列王真的曾毁坏列国和它们的领土，
18 把它们的神丢进火里， 但他们并不是神， 不过是人手用木头、石头做成的， 因此他们可以把他们除掉。
19 现在， 耶和华我们的 神啊， 求你从他的手中把我们拯救出来， 地上万国就可以知道只有你耶和华才是 神。"
20 于是亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚派人去见希西家， 说： "耶和华以色列的 神这样说： ‘你向我祷告有关亚述王西拿基立的事， 我已经听见了。’
21 下面是耶和华所说关于他的话： ‘锡安的居民（"居民"原文作"处女"）藐视你， 嗤笑你； 耶路撒冷的居民在你背后摇头。
22 你辱骂了谁， 亵渎了谁？你扬声攻击谁呢？你高举眼目是向谁傲慢呢？就是攻击以色列的圣者。
23 你借着你的使者侮辱了我的主， 你说－－我要用大批的战车， 攀登众山的高峰， 到达黎巴嫩山的顶端， 砍伐高大的香柏树， 佳美的松木； 我要进入极远的峰峦， 最茂密的森林。
24 我掘井饮外地的水， 我用脚掌踏干埃及所有的河道。
25 你没有听过吗？在远古我已决定， 在古时我已筹划， 现在我要实现， 就是你使设防城变成乱堆。
26 他们的居民没有能力， 惊惶、羞惭。他们好像田野的嫩草， 青绿的蔬菜， 和房顶上的草， 还未长成就枯萎了。
27 你坐下， 你出去， 你进来， 以及你对我所发的烈怒， 我都知道。
28 因为你向我发了烈怒， 你狂傲的话进入我的耳中， 我要把我的钩子钩在你的鼻子上， 把嚼环套在你的嘴上， 使你在你来的路上转回去。
29 ‘这要给你作一个征兆： 这一年要吃自然生长的， 第二年也要吃自己长出来的， 第三年要撒种、收割， 栽种葡萄园， 吃它们的果子。
30 犹大家逃脱的余民， 必再往下扎根， 往上结果；
31 因为将有剩余的人从耶路撒冷出来， 将有逃脱的人从锡安山而来， 耶和华的热心必成全这事。
32 因此， 耶和华论到亚述王这样说： 他不会来到这城， 不会在那里射箭， 也不会拿着盾牌向城进攻， 不会筑起土堆围攻它。
33 他必循他来的路回去， 他必不能来到这城， 这是耶和华的宣告。
34 为了我和我仆人大卫的缘故， 我必保护这城， 拯救这城。’"
35 那天晚上， 耶和华的使者出去， 在亚述军营杀了十八万五千人。早上， 他们起来的时候， 看哪， 到处都是死尸。
36 于是亚述王西拿基立拔营离开， 回去住在尼尼微。
37 一日， 他正在他的神亚斯洛的庙中叩拜的时候， 亚得米勒和沙利巴用刀刺杀了他， 然后逃到亚拉腊地。他的儿子以撒哈顿接续他作王。