Isaiah 37; Isaiah 38; Colossians 3

1 When King Hezekiah heard the message, he tore his clothes and put on rough cloth to show how sad he was. Then he went into the Temple of the Lord.

2 Hezekiah sent Eliakim, the palace manager, and Shebna, the royal secretary, and the older priests to Isaiah. They were all wearing rough cloth 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 and punishment and disgrace, as when a child should be born, but the mother is not strong enough to give birth to it.

4 The king of Assyria sent his field commander to make fun of the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will hear what the commander said and will punish him for it. So pray for the few of us who are left alive."

5 When Hezekiah's officers came to Isaiah,

6 he said to them, "Tell your master this: The Lord says, 'Don't be afraid of what you have heard. Don't be frightened by the words the servants of the king of Assyria have spoken against me.

7 Listen! I am going to put a spirit 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 by the sword there.'"

8 The field commander 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, 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 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 what the kings of Assyria have done. They have completely defeated every country, so do not think you will be saved.

12 Did the gods of those people save them? My ancestors destroyed them, defeating the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and the people of Eden living in Tel Assar.

13 Where are the kings of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?"

14 When Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Temple of the Lord. He spread the letter out before the Lord

15 and prayed to the Lord:

16 "Lord All-Powerful, you are the God of Israel, whose throne is between the gold creatures with wings, only you are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.

17 Hear, Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Listen to all the words Sennacherib has said to insult the living God.

18 "It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these countries and their lands.

19 They have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire, but they were only wood and rock statues that people made. So the kings have destroyed them.

20 Now, Lord our God, save us from the king's power so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, Lord, are the only God."

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.

22 So this is what the Lord has said against Sennacherib: hate you and make fun of you; the people of Jerusalem laugh at you as you run away.

23 You have insulted me and spoken against me; you have raised your voice against me. You have a proud look on your face, which is against me, the Holy One of Israel!

24 You have sent your messengers to insult the Lord. You have said, "With my many chariots I have gone to the tops of the mountains, to the highest mountains of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its best pine trees. I have gone to its greatest heights and its best forests.

25 I have dug wells in foreign countries and drunk water there. By the soles of my feet, I have dried up all the rivers of Egypt."

26 "'King of Assyria, surely you have heard. Long ago I, the Lord, planned these things. Long ago I designed them, and now I have made them happen. I allowed you to turn those strong, walled cities into piles of rocks.

27 The people in those cities were weak; they were frightened and put to shame. They were like grass in the field, like tender, young grass, like grass on the housetop that is burned by the wind before it can grow.

28 "'I know when you rest, when you come and go, and how you rage against me.

29 Because you rage against me, and because I have heard your proud words, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. Then I will force you to leave my country the same way you came.'

30 "Then the Lord said, 'Hezekiah, I will give you this sign: This year you will eat the grain that grows wild, and the second year you will eat what grows wild from that. But in the third year, plant grain and harvest it. Plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

31 Some of the people in the family of Judah will escape. Like plants that take root, they will grow strong and have many children.

32 A few people will come out of Jerusalem alive; a few from Mount Zion will live. will make this happen.'

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.

34 He will return to his country the same way he came, and he will not enter this city,' says the Lord.

35 'I will defend and save this city for my sake and for David, my servant.'"

36 Then the angel 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 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.

1 At that time Hezekiah became very sick; he was almost dead. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and told him, "This is what the Lord says: Make arrangements, because you are not going to live, but die."

2 Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed to the Lord,

3 "Lord, please remember that I have always obeyed you. I have given myself completely to you and have done what you said was right." Then Hezekiah cried loudly.

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 David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. So I will add fifteen years to your life.

6 I will save you and this city from the king of Assyria; I will defend this city.

7 "'The Lord will do what he says. 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:

10 I said, "I am in the middle of my life. Do I have to go through the gates of death? Will I have the rest of my life taken away from me?"

11 I said, "I will not see the Lord in the land of the living again. I will not again see the people who live on the earth.

12 Like a shepherd's tent, my home has been pulled down and taken from me. I am finished like the cloth a weaver rolls up and cuts from the loom. In one day you brought me to this end.

13 All night I cried loudly. Like a lion, he crushed all my bones. In one day you brought me to this end.

14 I cried like a bird and moaned like a dove. My eyes became tired as I looked to the heavens. Lord, I have troubles. Please help me."

15 What can I say? The Lord told me what would happen and then made it happen. I have had these troubles in my soul, so now I will be humble all my life.

16 Lord, because of you, people live. Because of you, my spirit also lives; you made me well and let me live.

17 It was for my own good that I had such troubles. Because you love me very much, you did not let me die but threw my sins far away.

18 People in the place of the dead cannot praise you; those who have died cannot sing praises to you; those who die don't trust you to help them.

19 The people who are alive are the ones who praise you. They praise you as I praise you today. A father should tell his children that you provide help.

20 The Lord saved me, so we will play songs on stringed instruments in the Temple of the Lord all the days of our lives.

21 Then Isaiah said, "Make a paste from figs and put it on Hezekiah's boil. Then he will get well."

22 Hezekiah then asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign? What will show that I will go up to the Temple of the Lord?"

1 Since you were raised from the dead with Christ, aim at what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.

2 Think only about the things in heaven, not the things on earth.

3 Your old sinful self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God.

4 Christ is our life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory.

5 So put all evil things out of your life: sexual sinning, doing evil, letting evil thoughts control you, wanting things that are evil, and greed. This is really serving a false god.

6 These things make God angry.

7 In your past, evil life you also did these things.

8 But now also put these things out of your life: anger, bad temper, doing or saying things to hurt others, and using evil words when you talk.

9 Do not lie to each other. You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before.

10 You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you. This new life brings you the true knowledge of God.

11 In the new life there is no difference between Greeks and Jews, those who are circumcised and those who are not circumcised, or people who are foreigners, or Scythians. There is no difference between slaves and free people. But Christ is in all believers, and Christ is all that is important.

12 God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So always do these things: Show mercy to others, be kind, humble, gentle, and patient.

13 Get along with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you.

14 Do all these things; but most important, love each other. Love is what holds you all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking, because you were all called together in one bodyn to have peace. Always be thankful.

16 Let the teaching of Christ live in you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and instruct each other by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

17 Everything you do or say should be done to obey Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.

18 Wives, yield to the authority of your husbands, because this is the right thing to do in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives and be gentle with them.

20 Children, obey your parents in all things, because this pleases the Lord.

21 Fathers, do not nag your children. If you are too hard to please, they may want to stop trying.

22 Slaves, obey your masters in all things. Do not obey just when they are watching you, to gain their favor, but serve them honestly, because you respect the Lord.

23 In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people.

24 Remember that you will receive your reward from the Lord, which he promised to his people. You are serving the Lord Christ.

25 But remember that anyone who does wrong will be punished for that wrong, and the Lord treats everyone the same.