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Hezekiah Asks God to Help(A)
37 When King Hezekiah heard the message, he tore his clothes [C a sign of mourning or distress; 36:22] and put on ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth; C also a sign of mourning]. Then he went into the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 2 Hezekiah sent Eliakim [22:20], ·the palace manager [L who was over the house], and Shebna [22:15], the ·royal secretary [scribe], and the ·older [or senior; leading; L elders of the] priests to Isaiah. They were all wearing ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth] when they came to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 They told Isaiah, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of ·sorrow [distress; trouble] and ·punishment [insults; rebuke] and ·disgrace [rejection], as when a child ·should [is ready to] be born, but the mother is not strong enough to give birth to it. 4 The king of Assyria sent his ·field commander [chief advisor; or Rabshakeh] to ·make fun of [defy; ridicule; insult] the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will hear what the commander said and will ·punish [rebuke] him for it. So pray for the ·few of us who are left alive [remnant that is left].”
5 When Hezekiah’s ·officers [officials] came to Isaiah, 6 he said to them, “Tell your ·master [lord] this: ·The Lord says [T Thus says the Lord], ‘Don’t be afraid of what you have heard. Don’t be frightened by the words the ·servants [subordinates; young men] of the king of Assyria have ·spoken [used to blaspheme] against me. 7 ·Listen [Look; T Behold]! I am going to put a spirit [C either an evil spirit or an inclination] in the king of Assyria. He will hear a report that will make him return to his own country, and I will cause him to ·die [L fall] by the sword there.’”
8 The ·field commander [chief advisor; or Rabshakeh] heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish. When he went back, he found the king fighting against the city of Libnah.
9 The king received a report that Tirhakah, the ·Cushite king of Egypt [L king of Cush; C ruled 689–664 bc], was coming to attack him. When the king of Assyria heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Tell Hezekiah king of Judah: Don’t be ·fooled [deceived; deluded] by the god you trust. Don’t believe him when he says Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. 11 You ·have heard [know] what the kings of Assyria have done. They have completely defeated every country, so do ·not [L you…?] think you will be ·saved [rescued; T delivered]. 12 Did the gods of ·those people [the nations] ·save [rescue; T deliver] them? My ·ancestors [predecessors; fathers] destroyed them, defeating the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and the people of Eden living in Tel Assar [C cities in Mesopotamia]. 13 Where are the kings of Hamath and Arpad [10:9; 36:19]? Where are the kings of Sepharvaim [36:19], Hena, and Ivvah?”
Hezekiah Prays to the Lord
14 When Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. He spread the letter out before the Lord 15 and prayed ·to [before] the Lord: 16 “Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], you are the God of Israel, whose throne is ·between [above] the ·gold creatures with wings [L cherubim; Ex. 25:18–22; Ezek. 10:1], only you are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth [Gen. 1]. 17 ·Hear [L Extend/Incline your ear], Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Listen to all the words Sennacherib has said to ·insult [defy; ridicule; mock] the living God.
18 “It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have ·destroyed [devastated; laid waste to] all these ·countries [nations] and their lands. 19 They have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire, ·but [for] they were only wood and rock statues ·that people made [L the work of human hands]. So they have destroyed them. 20 Now, Lord our God, ·save [rescue; T deliver] us from the king’s ·power [L hand] so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, ·Lord, are the only God [L …alone are Lord; 2 Kin. 19:19].”
The Lord Answers Hezekiah
21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah that said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘You prayed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria [C from 704–681 bc]. 22 So this is what the Lord has said against Sennacherib:
The ·people of Jerusalem [L virgin daughter of Zion]
·hate you [despise] and ·make fun of [mock; scorn] you;
the ·people [L daughter] of Jerusalem
·laugh at you [L tosses her head] ·as you run away [as you flee; or behind your back].
23 ·You have insulted me and spoken against me [L Whom have you defied/ridiculed/mocked?];
·you have raised your voice against me [L against whom have you raised your voice?].
·You have a proud look on your face [L …and arrogantly lifted your eyes/gaze…?],
which is against me, the Holy One of Israel [1:4]!
24 You have sent your messengers to ·insult [defy; ridicule; mock] the Lord.
You have said, “With my many chariots
I have gone to the tops of the mountains,
to the ·highest [or remotest] mountains of Lebanon.
I have cut down its tallest cedars
and its best ·pine [cypress] trees.
I have gone to its greatest heights
and its ·best [densest] forests.
25 I have dug wells in foreign ·countries [lands]
and drunk water there.
By the soles of my feet,
I have ·dried [stopped] up all the rivers of Egypt.”
26 “‘King of Assyria, ·surely you have [L have you not…?] heard.
Long ago I, the Lord, ·planned [determined; ordained] these things.
·Long ago [In ancient times/days of old] I ·designed them [planned it],
and now I have ·made them happen [brought them to pass].
I allowed you to turn those ·strong, walled [fortified] cities
into piles of ·rocks [rubble; ruins].
27 The people in those cities were ·weak [powerless; drained of strength];
they were ·frightened [dismayed] and ·put to shame [confused; confounded].
They were like grass in the field,
like tender, young ·grass [shoots],
like grass on the housetop
that is ·burned [scorched] by the wind before it can grow.
28 “‘I know ·when you rest [when you stand or sit; or where you are],
when you come and go,
and how you ·rage [rave] against me.
29 Because you ·rage [rave] against me,
and because I have heard your ·proud [arrogant] words,
I will put my hook in your nose
and my bit in your mouth.
Then I will ·force you to leave my country [turn you back; make you retreat]
the ·same way [road] you came.’
30 “Then the Lord said, ‘Hezekiah, I will give you this sign:
This year you will eat the grain that grows ·wild [L of itself],
and the second year you will eat what ·grows [springs] from that.
But in the third year, ·plant grain [sow] and ·harvest it [reap].
Plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
31 ·Some of the people in [A remnant of] the ·family [L house] of Judah
will ·escape [survive].
·Like plants that take root [They will put down roots below],
·they will grow strong and have many children [and will bear fruit above].
32 A ·few people will come out of Jerusalem alive [remnant will spread out from Jerusalem];
·a few from Mount Zion will live […and survivors out from Mount Zion].
The ·strong love [zeal] of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]
will ·make this happen [accomplish this].’
33 “So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
‘He will not enter this city
or even shoot an arrow here.
He will not fight against it with shields
or build a ramp to ·attack the city walls [lay siege to it].
34 He will ·return to his country [retreat] the same ·way [road] he came,
and he will not enter this city,’
says the Lord.
35 ‘I will defend and ·save [rescue; T deliver] this city
for my sake and for David, my servant.’”
The Angel of Death(B)
36 Then the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord went out and killed one hundred eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up early the next morning, they saw all the dead bodies. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria left and went back to Nineveh and stayed there.
38 One day as Sennacherib was worshiping in the ·temple [L house] of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with a sword. Then they escaped to the land of Ararat. So Sennacherib’s son Esarhaddon became king of Assyria.
Hezekiah’s Illness(C)
38 At that time Hezekiah became so sick he ·almost died [was about to die]. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and told him, “·This is what the Lord says [T Thus says the Lord]: ·Make arrangements [L Set your house in order], because you are going to die. You will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Lord, please remember that I have always ·obeyed [L walked before] you. I have ·given myself completely to you [served you wholeheartedly] and have done ·what you said was right [L right in the eyes/sight of the Lord].” Then Hezekiah ·cried loudly [wept bitterly].
4 Then the Lord spoke his word to Isaiah: 5 “Go to Hezekiah and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ·ancestor [father] David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. So I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will ·save [rescue] you and this city from [L the hand of] the king of Assyria; I will defend this city.
7 “‘The Lord will do what he ·says [promises]. This is the sign from the Lord to show you: 8 The sun has made a shadow go down the stairway of Ahaz, but I will make it go back ten steps.’” So the shadow made by the sun went back up the ten steps it had gone down.
9 After Hezekiah king of Judah got well, he wrote this ·song [or poem; L writing]:
10 I said, “I am in the ·middle [prime] of my life.
Do I have to go through the gates of ·death [or the grave; L Sheol]?
Will I have the rest of my life ·taken away [deprived; robbed] from me?”
11 I said, “I will not see ·the Lord [the Lord, the Lord; L Yah, Yah; 26:4]
in the land of the living again.
I will not again see ·the people [a human being]
who live on the earth.
12 Like a shepherd’s tent,
my home has been pulled down and taken from me.
I am like the cloth a weaver rolls up and cuts from the loom.
·In one day [L From day to night] you brought me to this end.
13 ·All night I cried loudly [or I waited patiently till morning].
Like a lion, he ·crushed [breaks] all my bones.
·In one day [L From day to night] you brought me to this end.
14 I ·cried [twitter; chatter] like a ·bird [L swallow or a crane]
and moaned like a dove.
My eyes ·became tired as I looked [grew weary from looking] to the ·heavens [heights].
Lord, I ·have troubles [am oppressed]. ·Please help me [Be my security].”
15 What can I say?
·The Lord told me what would happen and then made it happen [L He spoke to me and he did it].
I will ·be humble [wander about; shuffle along; walk slowly] all my ·life [years]
because of ·these troubles in [the bitterness of] my soul.
16 Lord, because of ·you [L these things], people live.
Because of ·you [L them], my spirit also lives;
you ·made me well [restored me] and let me live.
17 It was for my own ·good [welfare; peace; C Hebrew shalom]
that I had such ·troubles [anguish; bitterness].
Because you love me very much,
you ·did not let me die [delivered my soul from the pit of destruction/corruption]
but threw my sins
·far away [L behind your back].
18 ·People in the place of the dead [or For the grave; L For Sheol] cannot ·praise [thank] you;
·those who have died [L death] cannot ·sing praises [praise] to you;
those who ·die [L go down to the pit] ·don’t trust you
to help them [L cannot hope for your faithfulness].
19 ·The people who are alive [L The living, the living] are the ones who ·praise [thank] you.
They praise you as I praise you today.
A father should tell his children
·that you provide help [L about your faithfulness].
20 The Lord ·saved me [or will save; or is ready to save],
so we will play songs on stringed instruments
in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord
all the days of our lives.
21 Then Isaiah said, “·Make a paste from [or Take a cake of] figs and put it on Hezekiah’s boil. Then he will get well.” 22 Hezekiah ·then [or had] asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign? What will show that I will go up to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord?”
Help Each Other
6 Brothers and sisters, if ·someone in your group [L a person] ·does something wrong [or is overcome by some trangression/sin; or is discovered/caught in some trangression/sin], you who are spiritual should go to that person and ·gently help make him right again [restore him gently/with a gentle spirit]. But be careful, ·because you might [or so that you won’t] be tempted to sin, too. 2 By ·helping each other with your troubles [L bearing each other’s burdens], you truly ·obey [accomplish; fulfill] the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is ·important [L something] when he really is not, he is only ·fooling [deceiving; deluding] himself. 4 Each person should ·judge [examine; test] his own ·actions [or achievements; L work] and not compare himself with others. Then he can be proud for what he himself has done. 5 Each person ·must be responsible for himself [L will carry their own load].
6 Anyone who is ·learning the teaching of God [being instructed in the word] should share all the good things he has with his teacher.
Life Is like Planting a Field
7 Do not be ·fooled [deceived; mistaken]: You cannot ·cheat [mock; make a fool of] God. People ·harvest only what they plant [reap what they sow]. 8 If they plant ·to satisfy [or in the field of; L into; to] their ·sinful selves [sinful nature; flesh], ·their sinful selves will bring them ruin [L they will reap destruction from the flesh]. But if they plant ·to please [or in the field of; L into; to] the Spirit, they will ·receive [reap; harvest] eternal life from the Spirit. 9 We must not become ·tired [or discouraged] of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life ·at the right [or in due] time if we do not give up. 10 [L Therefore; So then] When we have the opportunity to ·help [do good to] anyone, we should do it. But ·we should give special attention [L especially] to those who are in the ·family [household] of ·believers [L faith].
Paul Ends His Letter
11 See what large letters I use to write this ·myself [L with my own hand; C added to authenticate the letter; the rest had likely been dictated]. 12 Some people are trying to force you to be circumcised ·so the Jews will accept them [or to impress others by external standards; L to make a good showing in the flesh]. They do this only to avoid persecution for the cross of Christ [C the Gospel message of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross]. 13 [L For] Those who are circumcised do not obey the law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised so they can ·brag [boast] ·about what they forced you to do [L in your flesh]. 14 ·I hope I will never [L May it never be that I] ·brag [boast] about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. ·Through that cross [or Through Jesus Christ; L …through which/whom] the world has been crucified to me and I have been crucified to the world. 15 It ·is not important [makes no difference; is nothing] if a man is circumcised or uncircumcised. The important thing is ·being the new people God has made [L a new creation; 2 Cor. 5:17]. 16 Peace and mercy to those who ·follow [walk/live by] this rule—and to ·all of God’s people [L the Israel of God; C either: (1) Jewish Christians or (2) the church as the “new Israel”].
17 ·So [or In conclusion; or From now on] do not give me any more trouble. [L For] I ·have scars on my body that show I belong to Jesus [L bear the marks of Jesus on my body; C from his many beatings for the Gospel; perhaps also indicating his “branding” as a slave of Jesus Christ].
18 My brothers and sisters, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
A Hymn of Thanksgiving
For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.
65 God, ·you will be praised in Jerusalem [L praise is due/proper/ fitting to you in Zion; C the location of the Temple].
We will ·keep our promises [fulfill our vows] to you.
2 You ·hear [or answer] our prayers.
All ·people [L flesh] will come to you.
3 Our guilt ·overwhelms [overpowers] us,
but you ·forgive [wipe/blot out; make atonement for] our ·sins [transgressions].
4 ·Happy [Blessed] are the people you choose
and ·invite [L bring near] to stay in your court.
We are ·filled [satisfied] with good things in your house,
your holy Temple.
5 You answer us in amazing ways with ·vindication [victory; righteousness],
God our ·Savior [Victor].
People ·everywhere on [L of all the ends of] the earth
and ·beyond the sea [L the farthest seas] ·trust [have confidence in] you.
6 You ·made [established] the mountains by your strength;
you are ·dressed [girded; armed] in power.
7 You ·stopped [silence; calm] the roaring seas,
the roaring waves [C representing chaos],
and the ·uproar [tumult] of the ·nations [peoples].
8 Even those people at the ends of the earth fear your ·miracles [signs].
You are praised from ·where the sun rises [the east; L the gateways of the morning] to ·where it sets [the west; L evening].
9 You ·take care of [visit] the land and water it;
you make it very ·fertile [rich].
The ·rivers [channels] of God are full of water.
Grain grows because you make it grow.
10 You send rain to the plowed fields;
you ·fill the rows with water [level its ridges].
You soften the ground with rain,
and then you bless ·it with crops [its growth].
11 You ·give [L crown] the year ·a good harvest [L with your goodness/bounty],
and ·you load the wagons with many crops [L your wagon tracks/ruts drip with plenty].
12 The ·desert [wilderness] ·is covered [drips] with ·grass [pasturage]
and the hills with happiness.
13 The ·pastures [meadows] are ·full of [L clothed with] flocks,
and the valleys are ·covered [wrapped] with grain.
Everything shouts and sings for joy.
24 The father of a ·good [righteous] child is very happy;
parents who have wise children are glad because of them.
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