2 Kings 19:1–10

Isaiah Encourages Hezekiah

^1aAnd when King Hezekiah heard it, he ^btore his clothes, ^ccovered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the Lord.

²Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, ^acovered with sackcloth, to ^bIsaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

³They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and rejection; for children have come to birth and there is no strength to deliver.

⁴‘^aPerhaps the Lord your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent ^bto reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for ^cthe remnant that is left.’ ”

⁵So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

⁶Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the ^aservants of the king of Assyria ^bhave blasphemed Me.

⁷“Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that ^ahe will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And ^bI will make him fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ”

Sennacherib Defies God

⁸Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against ^aLibnah, for he had heard that ¹the king had left ^bLachish.

⁹When he heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of ¹Cush, “Behold, he has come out to fight against you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah saying,

¹⁰“Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of ¹Judah, ‘Do not ^alet your God in whom you trust deceive you saying, “^bJerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”