The King Asks Isaiah's Advice
(2 Kings 19.1-7)1 As soon as King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes in grief, put on sackcloth, and went to the Temple of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakim, the official in charge of the palace, Shebna, the court secretary, and the senior priests to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They also were wearing sackcloth. 3 This is the message which he told them to give to Isaiah: “Today is a day of suffering; we are being punished and are in disgrace. We are like a woman who is ready to give birth, but is too weak to do it. 4 The Assyrian emperor has sent his chief official to insult the living God. May the Lord your God hear these insults and punish those who spoke them. So pray to God for those of our people who survive.”
5 When Isaiah received King Hezekiah's message, 6 he sent back this answer: “The Lord tells you not to let the Assyrians frighten you by their claims that he cannot save you. 7 The Lord will cause the emperor to hear a rumor that will make him go back to his own country, and the Lord will have him killed there.”
The Assyrians Send Another Threat
(2 Kings 19.8-19)8 The Assyrian official learned that the emperor had left Lachish and was fighting against the nearby city of Libnah; so he went there to consult him. 9 Word reached the Assyrians that the Egyptian army, led by King Tirhakah of Ethiopia, was coming to attack them. When the emperor heard this, he sent a letter to King Hezekiah 10 of Judah to tell him: “The god you are trusting in has told you that you will not fall into my hands, but don't let that deceive you. 11 You have heard what an Assyrian emperor does to any country he decides to destroy. Do you think that you can escape? 12 My ancestors destroyed the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and killed the people of Betheden who lived in Telassar, and none of their gods could save them. 13 Where are the kings of the cities of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?”
14 King Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went to the Temple, placed the letter there in the presence of the Lord, 15 and prayed, 16 “Almighty Lord, God of Israel, seated above the winged creatures, you alone are God, ruling all the kingdoms of the world. You created the earth and the sky. 17 Now, Lord, hear us and look at what is happening to us. Listen to all the things that Sennacherib is saying to insult you, the living God. 18 We all know, Lord, that the emperors of Assyria have destroyed many nations, made their lands desolate, 19 and burned up their gods—which were no gods at all, only images of wood and stone made by human hands. 20 Now, Lord our God, rescue us from the Assyrians, so that all the nations of the world will know that you alone are God.”
Isaiah's Message to the King
(2 Kings 19.20-37)21 Then Isaiah sent a message telling King Hezekiah that in answer to the king's prayer 22 the Lord had said, “The city of Jerusalem laughs at you, Sennacherib, and makes fun of you. 23 Whom do you think you have been insulting and ridiculing? You have been disrespectful to me, the holy God of Israel. 24 You sent your servants to boast to me that with all your chariots you had conquered the highest mountains of Lebanon. You boasted that there you cut down the tallest cedars and the finest cypress trees, and that you reached the deepest parts of the forests. 25 You boasted that you dug wells and drank water in foreign lands, and that the feet of your soldiers tramped the Nile River dry.
26 “Have you never heard that I planned all this long ago? And now I have carried it out. I gave you the power to turn fortified cities into piles of rubble. 27 The people who lived there were powerless; they were frightened and stunned. They were like grass in a field or weeds growing on a roof when the hot east wind blasts them.
28 “But I know everything about you, what you do and where you go. I know how you rage against me. 29 I have received the report of that rage and that pride of yours, and now I will put a hook through your nose and a bit in your mouth and will take you back by the same road you came.”
30 Then Isaiah said to King Hezekiah, “Here is a sign of what will happen. This year and next you will have only wild grain to eat, but the following year you will be able to plant grain and harvest it, and plant vines and eat grapes. 31 Those in Judah who survive will flourish like plants that send roots deep into the ground and produce fruit. 32 There will be people in Jerusalem and on Mount Zion who will survive, because the Lord Almighty is determined to make this happen.
33 “And this is what the Lord has said about the Assyrian emperor: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot a single arrow against it. No soldiers with shields will come near the city, and no siege mounds will be built around it. 34 He will go back by the same road he came, without entering this city. I, the Lord, have spoken. 35 I will defend this city and protect it, for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.’”
36 An angel of the Lord went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead! 37 Then the Assyrian emperor Sennacherib withdrew and returned to Nineveh. 38 One day when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, two of his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords and then escaped to the land of Ararat. Another of his sons, Esarhaddon, succeeded him as emperor.
Hizkija meklē palīdzību pie Jesajas
(2Ķēn 19:1–13)1 Kad ķēniņš Hizkija to dzirdēja, viņš saplēsa savas drānas, ietinās maisā un devās uz Kunga namu. 2 Viņš sūtīja nama pārvaldnieku Eljākīmu, rakstvedi Šebnu un priesteru vecajos, maisos tērptus, pie pravieša Jesajas, Āmoca dēla. 3 Viņi tam teica: “Tā saka Hizkija: šī diena ir nelaimes, soda un nievu diena – bērni jau līdz klēpjgalam tikuši, bet dzemdēt nav spēka! 4 Varbūt Kungs, tavs Dievs, izdzirdēs, ko sacījis virsnieku vadonis, ko Asīrijas ķēniņš sūtījis izsmiet dzīvo Dievu, – varbūt viņš to sodīs par vārdiem, ko dzirdējis Kungs, tavs Dievs, bet tu raidi augšup lūgšanu par to atlikumu, kas te vēl atrodams!” 5 Ķēniņa Hizkijas kalpi nāca pie Jesajas, 6 un Jesaja tiem teica: “Tā sakiet savam kungam: tā saka Kungs: nenobīsties vārdu dēļ, ko dzirdēji, kad Asīrijas ķēniņa kalpi ar tiem mani paļāja! 7 Redzi, es ielikšu viņā garu – viņš saklausīsies tenkas un dosies atpakaļ uz savu zemi, un es likšu, lai viņš krīt no zobena savā zemē!”
8 Kad virsnieku vadonis atgriezās, viņš uzzināja, ka Asīrijas ķēniņš uzbrūk Libnai, – tas bija dzirdējis, ka viņš jau devies projām no Lāhīšas, 9 padzirdējis par Kūšas ķēniņu Tirhāku sakām: tas jau devies cīnīties pret tevi! – un, to saklausījis, viņš sūtīja vēstnešus pie Hizkijas, sacīdams: 10 “Tā sakiet Jūdas ķēniņam Hizkijam: lai tevi nepieviļ Dievs, uz kuru tu paļaujies, domādams, ka Jeruzāleme netiks atdota Asīrijas ķēniņam! 11 Redzi, tu esi dzirdējis, ko Asīrijas ķēniņi darījuši visām zemēm – tās nopostījuši! – un tu vēl ceri glābties?! 12 Vai viņus izglāba to tautu dievi, ko nopostīja mani tēvi – Gozānu un Hārānu, un Recefu, un Ēdenes dēlus, kas bija Telāsārā. 13 Kur ir Hamātas ķēniņš un Arpadas ķēniņš, un Sefarvaimas pilsētas ķēniņš, tāpat Hēnas un Ivas ķēniņi?”
Hizkijas lūgšana
(2Ķēn 19:14–34)14 Hizkija ņēma vēstuli, ko bija atnesuši vēstneši, lasīja to un tad devās uz Kunga namu. Tur Hizkija attina to Kunga priekšā. 15 Hizkija lūdza Kungu: 16 “Pulku Kungs, Israēla Dievs! Tu starp ķerubiem mīti, tu vienīgais Dievs visām zemes valstībām, tu darināji debesis un zemi! 17 Pievērs, Kungs, savu ausi un klausies, atver, Kungs, savas acis un redzi, sadzirdi visus Sanherība vārdus, ko viņš atsūtījis, izsmiedams dzīvo Dievu! 18 Tiešām, Kungs, Asīrijas ķēniņš nopostījis zemju zemes, 19 un viņu dievus tie ugunī meta, jo tie nav dievi, bet cilvēka roku darbs – koks un akmens –, tādēļ tie tika izdeldēti! 20 Tad nu, Kungs, mūsu Dievs, glāb mūs no viņa rokas, lai visas zemes valstības zina, ka tu vienīgais esi Kungs!”
21 Jesaja, Āmoca dēls, lika Hizkijam teikt: “Tā saka Kungs, Israēla Dievs: tādēļ ka tu lūdzies mani Sanherība, Asīrijas ķēniņa, dēļ, 22 Kungs par viņu sacīja šos vārdus:
nicina tevi un nievā tevi,
jaunava, Ciānas meita,
tev aiz muguras galvu krata,
Jeruzālemes meita!
23 Ko tu paļāji un nievāji,
pret ko tu pacēli balsi,
pret ko augstu cēli acis –
pret Israēla Svēto!
24 Tu saviem kalpiem liki
izsmiet manu Kungu,
tu sacīji: man daudz kararatu,
es kāpšu kalnu virsotnēs,
tur tālu Lebanonā,
nocirtīšu tā slaidos ciedrus,
tā lepnākās cipreses,
tā augstienēs nokļūšu,
tā auglīgajā mežā!
25 Tikko paroku –
un tūdaļ ūdeni dzeru,
ar savu kāju pazolēm
visas Ēģiptes straumes nosusinu!
26 Vai jau izsenis neesi dzirdējis –
to es esmu darījis,
kopš senām dienām to nolicis,
un tagad es lieku tam notikt,
lai drupu kaudzēs sabrūk
nocietinātās pilsētas!
27 To iemītniekiem nolaižas rokas,
tie satriekti un apkaunoti,
tie kļuvuši kā zāle uz lauka,
kā nezāļu dīgsti,
kā jumta zālājs,
kā labības rūsa,
pirms druva nobriedusi!
28 Vai tu celies, vai sēdies,
vai ej, vai nāc –
es zinu,
kā tu dumpo pret mani!
29 Tādēļ ka tu dumpo pret mani
un tava nekaunība man nākusi ausīs,
es tavās nāsīs ievēršu riņķi
un likšu laužņus tev mutē –
sūtīšu tevi pa to pašu ceļu,
ko esi nācis!
30 Un šī tev ir zīme –
šogad ēdīs to, kas atmatā,
un arī nākamajā gadā atmatā augušo,
bet trešajā gadā jūs sēsiet un vāksiet,
jūs stādīsiet vīnadārzus
un ēdīsiet to augļus!
31 Jūdas nama izglābtie un atlikušie ies vairumā,
sakne – uz leju, bet auglis uz augšu riesīsies!
32 Jo no Jeruzālemes nāks atlikums
un izglābtie no Ciānas kalna –
to darīs Pulku Kunga degsme!
33 Tādēļ tā saka Kungs par Asīrijas ķēniņu:
viņš šajā pilsētā neienāks,
viņš tur bultu neiešaus,
ar vairogu tai priekšā nestās
un valni pret to neuzbērs!
34 Viņš aizies pa to pašu ceļu,
pa kuru nācis,
viņš šajā pilsētā neienāks,
teicis Kungs,
35 es pasargāšu šo pilsētu,
es to glābšu –
manis un mana kalpa Dāvida dēļ!”
Sanherība sakāve un nāve
(2Ķēn 19:35–37)36 Tad Kunga eņģelis gāja un nokāva Asīrijas nometnē simts astoņdesmit piecus tūkstošus. Un citi rīta agrumā ceļas, un, redzi, šie visi guļ beigti! 37 Tad Asīrijas ķēniņš Sanherībs nojauca nometni, devās atpakaļ un apmetās Ninivē. 38 Kad viņš zemojās sava dieva Nisroha namā, viņa dēli Adramelehs un Sarecers nokāva viņu ar zobenu, bet paši aizmuka uz Arārata zemi. Pēc viņa sāka valdīt viņa dēls Ēsar-Hadons.
