The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV
Page 186
33wThey feared the LORD, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.
34To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the LORD had commanded the children of Jacob, xwhom He named Israel,
35with whom the LORD had made a covenant and charged them, saying: y“You shall not fear other gods, nor zbow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them;
36“but the LORD, who abrought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and ban outstretched arm, cHim you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice.
37“And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, dyou shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods.
38“And the covenant that I have made with you, eyou shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods.
39“But the LORD your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”
40However they did not obey, but they followed their former rituals.
41fSo these nations feared the LORD, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.
2 Kings 18
Hezekiah Reigns in Judah
(2 Chr. 29:1, 2; 31:1)
1Now it came to pass in the third year of aHoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that bHezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.
2He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was cAbi1 the daughter of Zechariah.
3And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.
4dHe removed the 2high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the 3wooden image and broke in pieces the ebronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it 4Nehushtan.
5He ftrusted in the LORD God of Israel, gso that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.
6For he hheld fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.
7The LORD iwas with him; he jprospered wherever he went. And he krebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.
8lHe 5subdued the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory, mfrom watchtower to fortified city.
9Now nit came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it.
10And at the end of three years they took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is, othe ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.
11pThen the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria, and put them qin Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,
12because they rdid not obey the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed His covenant and all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded; and they would neither hear nor do them.
13And sin the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
14Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay.” And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15So Hezekiah tgave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house.
16At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave 6it to the king of Assyria.
Sennacherib Boasts Against the LORD
(Is. 36:2–22; 2 Chr. 32:9–15)
17Then the king of Assyria sent the 7Tartan, the 8Rabsaris, and the 9Rabshakeh from Lachish, with a great army against Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they went and stood by the uaqueduct from the upper pool, vwhich was on the highway to the Fuller’s Field.
18And when they had called to the king, wEliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the 10scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them.
19Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: x“What confidence is this in which you trust?
20“You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are 11mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?
21y“Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
22“But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He zwhose 12high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?” ’
23“Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them!
24“How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
25“Have I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’ ”
26aThen Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in bAramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in 13Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
27But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?”
28Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in 14Hebrew, and spoke, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!
29“Thus says the king: c‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you from his hand;
30‘nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ’
31“Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make peace with me 15by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own dvine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern;
32‘until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, ea land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive groves and honey, that you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, lest he persuade you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.”
33f‘Has any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
34‘Where are the gods of gHamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and hIvah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
35‘Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, ithat the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ ” Nebuchadnezzar’s Campaigns Against Judah
36But the people held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.”
37Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah jwith their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.
2 Kings 19
Isaiah Assures Deliverance
(Is. 37:1–7)
1And a
so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with bsackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.
2Then 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.
3And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to 1bring them forth.
4c‘It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to dreproach the living God, and will erebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’ ”
5So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6fAnd Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Do not be gafraid of the words which you have heard, with which the hservants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.
7“Surely I will send ia spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ”
Sennacherib’s Threat and Hezekiah’s Prayer
(Is. 37:8–20)
8Then the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed jfrom Lachish.
9And kthe king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “Look, he has come out to make war with you.” So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10“Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God lin whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”
11‘Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered?
12m‘Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of nEden who were in Telassar?
13o‘Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’ ”
14pAnd Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.
15Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said: “O LORD God of Israel, the One qwho dwells between the cherubim, rYou are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
16s“Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; topen Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, uwhich he has sent to reproach the living God.
17“Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands,
18“and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were vnot gods, but wthe work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them.
19“Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, xthat all the kingdoms of the earth may yknow that You are the LORD God, You alone.”
The Word of the LORD Concerning Sennacherib
(Is. 37:21–35)
20Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: z‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, aI have heard.’
21“This is the word which the LORD has spoken concerning him:
‘The virgin, bthe daughter of Zion,
Has despised you, laughed you to scorn;
The daughter of Jerusalem
c Has shaken her head behind your back!
22‘Whom have you reproached and blasphemed?
Against whom have you raised your voice,
And lifted up your eyes on high?
Against dthe Holy One of Israel.
23e By your messengers you have reproached the Lord,
And said: f“By the multitude of my chariots
I have come up to the height of the mountains,
To the limits of Lebanon;
I will cut down its tall cedars
And its choice cypress trees;
I will enter the extremity of its borders,
To its fruitful forest.
24I have dug and drunk strange water,
And with the soles of my feet I have gdried up
All the brooks of defense.”
25‘Did you not hear long ago
How hI made it,
From ancient times that I formed it?
Now I have brought it to pass,
That iyou should be
For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins.
26Therefore their inhabitants had little power;
They were dismayed and confounded;
They were as the grass of the field
And the green herb,
As jthe grass on the housetops
And grain blighted before it is grown.
27‘But kI know your dwelling place,
Your going out and your coming in,
And your rage against Me.
28Because your rage against Me and your tumult
Have come up to My ears,
Therefore lI will put My hook in your nose
And My bridle in your lips,
And I will turn you back
m By the way which you came.
29‘This shall be a nsign to you:
You shall eat this year such as grows 2of itself,
And in the second year what springs from the same;
Also in the third year sow and reap,
Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.
30o And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah
Shall again take root downward,
And bear fruit upward.
31For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant,
And those who escape from Mount Zion.
p The zeal of the LORD 3of hosts will do this.’
32“Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria:
‘He shall qnot come into this city,
Nor shoot an arrow there,
Nor come before it with shield,
Nor build a siege mound against it.
33By the way that he came,
By the same shall he return;
And he shall not come into this city,’
Says the LORD.
34‘For rI will sdefend this city, to save it
For My own sake and tfor My servant David’s sake.’ ”
Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death
(Is. 37:36–38; 2 Chr. 32:20–23)
35And uit came to pass on a certain night that the 4angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.
36So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at vNineveh.
37Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons wAdrammelech and Sharezer xstruck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then yEsarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 20
Hezekiah’s Life Extended
(2 Chr. 32:24–26; Is. 38:1–8)
1In athose days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ ”
2Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying,
3b“Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
5“Return and tell Hezekiah cthe leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: d“I have heard your prayer, I have seen eyour tears; surely I
will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.
6“And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and fI will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.” ’ ”
7Then gIsaiah said, “Take a lump of figs.” So they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
8And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, h“What is the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD the third day?”
9Then Isaiah said, i“This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?”
10And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten 1degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees.”
11So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the LORD, and jHe brought the shadow ten 2degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.
The Babylonian Envoys
(Is. 39:1–8)
12kAt that time 3Berodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
13And lHezekiah was attentive to them, and showed them all the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and 4all 5his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
14Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So Hezekiah said, “They came from a far country, from Babylon.”
15And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, m“They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
16Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD:
17‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, nshall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD.