וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ הַמֶּלֶךְ חִזְקִיָּהוּ וַיִּקְרַע אֶת־בְּגָדָיו וַיִּתְכַּס בַּשָּׂק וַיָּבֹא בֵּית יְהוָה׃ 19:1
2Kin. 19:1 And it was when king Hezekiah heard, that he rent his garments and covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the Lord.
וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת־אֶלְיָקִים אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַבַּיִת וְשֶׁבְנָא הַסֹּפֵר וְאֵת זִקְנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים מִתְכַּסִּים בַּשַּׂקִּיםּ 19:2
אֶל־יְשַׁעְיָהו הַנָּבִיא בֶּן־אָמוֹץ׃
2Kin. 19:2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna, the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet.
Isaiah is mentioned here for the first time in the bible. However, he had been around for a while by this time because we will learn in Isaiah Chapter 1 that he was known when Uzziah, Hezekiah’s great grandfather, was king of Judah.
וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו כֹּה אָמַר חִזְקִיָּהוּ יוֹם־צָרָה וְתוֹכֵחָה וּנְאָצָה הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי בָאוּ בָנִים עַד־מַשְׁבֵּר וְכֹחַ 19:3 אַיִן לְלֵדָה׃
2Kin. 19:3 And they said to him, “Thus has Hezekiah said: ‘A day of trouble and rebuke and scorn is this day, for the children have come up to the birth, but there is no strength for the delivery.’
אוּלַי יִשְׁמַע יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵת כָּל־דִּבְרֵי רַב־שָׁקֵה אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר אֲדֹנָיו לְחָרֵף אֱלֹהִים חַי 19:4 וְהוֹכִיחַ בַּדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְנָשָׂאתָ תְפִלָּה בְּעַד הַשְּׁאֵרִית הַנִּמְצָאָה׃
2Kin. 19:4 ‘Maybe the Lord, your God, will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh whom, his master, the king of Assyria, sent to defy the living God and He will decide against the words that the Lord, your God, heard. So you will lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is present.’”
וַיָּבֹאוּ עַבְדֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ חִזְקִיָּהוּ אֶל־יְשַׁעַיָהוּ׃ 19:5
2Kin. 19:5 When the servants of the king, Hezekiah, came to Isaiah,
וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם יְשַׁעְיָהוּ כֹּה תֹאמְרוּן אֶל־אֲדֹנֵיכֶם כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה אַל־תִּירָא מִפְּנֵי הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר 19:6
שָׁמַעְתָּ אֲשֶׁר גִּדְּפוּ נַעֲרֵי מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר אֹתִי׃
2Kin. 19:6 then Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master: ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not be afraid before the words that you have heard by which the servants of the king of Assyria blasphemed Me.’
הִנְנִי נֹתֵן בּוֹ רוּחַ וְשָׁמַע שְׁמוּעָה וְשָׁב לְאַרְצוֹ וְהִפַּלְתִּיו בַּחֶרֶב בְּאַרְצוֹ׃ 19:7
2Kin. 19:7 ‘Behold, I am putting a spirit on him that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.’”
וַיָּשָׁב רַב־שָׁקֵה וַיִּמְצָא אֶת־מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר נִלְחָם עַל־לִבְנָה כִּי שָׁמַע כִּי נָסַע מִלָּכִישׁ׃ 19:8
2Kin. 19:8 So Rab-shakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, because he had heard that he had gone forth from Lachish.
וַיִּשְׁמַע אֶל־תִּרְהָקָה מֶלֶך־כּוּשׁ לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה יָצָא לְהִלָּחֵם אִתָּךְ וַיָּשָׁב וַיִּשְׁלַח מַלְאָכִים אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ 19:9 לֵאמֹר׃
2Kin. 19:9 And he heard about Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, saying, “Behold, he came out to fight with you,’ so he returned and sent messengers to Hezekiah saying,
כֹּה תֹאמְרוּן אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה לֵאמֹר אַל־יַשִּׁאֲךָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בֹּטֵחַ בּוֹ לֵאמֹר לֹא 19:10 תִנָּתֵן יְרוּשָׁלִַם בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר׃
2Kin. 19:10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah, king of Judah, saying, ‘Do not let your God in Whom you are trusting deceive you saying, ‘Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.’
הִנֵּה אַתָּה שָׁמַעְתָּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ מַלְכֵי אַשּׁוּר לְכָל־הָאֲרָצוֹת לְהַחֲרִימָם וְאַתָּה תִּנָּצֵל׃ 19:11
2Kin. 19:11 ‘Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, utterly destroying them, and you will be delivered?’
הַהִצִּילוּ אֹתָם אֱלֹהֵי הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר שִׁחֲתוּ אֲבוֹתַי אֶת־גּוֹזָן וְאֶת־חָרָן וְרֶצֶף וּבְנֵי־עֶדֶן אֲשֶׁר בִּתְלַאשָּׂר׃ 19:12
2Kin. 19:12 ‘Did the gods of the nations deliver them that my fathers destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?’
אַיּוֹ מֶלֶךְ־חֲמָת וּמֶלֶךְ אַרְפָּד וּמֶלֶךְ לָעִיר סְפַרְוָיִם הֵנַע וְעִוָּה׃ 19:13
2Kin. 19:13 ‘Where is the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and of Ivvah?’”
וַיִּקַּח חִזְקִיָּהוּ אֶת־הַסְּפָרִים מִיַּד הַמַּלְאָכִים וַיִּקְרָאֵם וַיַּעַל בֵּית יְהוָה וַיִּפְרְשֵׂהוּ חִזְקִיָּהוּ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה׃ 19:14
2Kin. 19:14 And Hezekiah received the writings from the hand of the messengers and read them. Then Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and lay it open before the Lord.
וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל חִזְקִיָּהוּ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וַיֹּאמַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יֹשֵׁב הַכְּרֻבִים אַתָּה־הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים לְבַדְּךָ 19:15 לְכֹל מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ׃
2Kin. 19:15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and he said, “O Lord, God of Israel, Establisher of the cherubim! You it is Who is God, only You, of all the dominions of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.”
הַטֵּה יְהוָה אָזְנְךָ וּשֲׁמָע פְּקַח יְהוָה עֵינֶיךָ וּרְאֵה וּשְׁמַע אֵת דִּבְרֵי סַנְחֵרִיב אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ לְחָרֵף 19:16 אֱלֹהִים חָי׃
2Kin. 19:16 “Incline, O Lord, Your ‘ear’ and hear! Open, O Lord, Your ‘eyes’ and see! And discern the words of Senacherib with which he had sent him to defy the living God.”
אָמְנָם יְהוָה הֶחֱרִיבוּ מַלְכֵי אַשּׁוּר אֶת־הַגּוֹיִם וְאֶת־אַרְצָם׃ 19:17
2Kin. 19:17 “Indeed, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid the nations and their lands waste,
וְנָתְנוּ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ כִּי לֹא אֱלֹהִים הֵמָּה כִּי אִם־מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי־אָדָם עֵץ וָאֶבֶן וַיְאַבְּדוּם׃ 19:18
2Kin. 19:18 and cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but only the work of the hands of men, wood and stone, so they destroyed them.”
וְעַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ הוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ נָא מִיָּדוֹ וְיֵדְעוּ כָּל־מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ כִּי אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים לְבַדֶּךָ׃ 19:19
2Kin. 19:19 “So now, O Lord, our God, save us, I beseech You, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone are the Lord God.”
וַיִּשְׁלַח יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן־אָמוֹץ אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ לֵאמֹר כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הִתְפַּלַּלְתָּ אֵלַי 19:20 אֶל־סַנְחֵרִב מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר שָׁמָעְתִּי׃
2Kin. 19:20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah saying, “Thus says the Lord, God of Israel: ‘What you have prayed to Me about Senacherib, king of Assyria, I have heard.’”
זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר יְהוָה עָלָיו בָּזָה לְךָ לָעֲגָה לְךָ בְּתוּלַת בַּת־צִיּוֹן אַחֲרֶיךָ רֹאשׁ הֵנִיעָה בַּת 19:21 יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃
2Kin. 19:21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken about him:
“The virgin daughter of Zion has contempt for you,
Laughs with scorn at you.
The head of the daughter of Jerusalem shakes after you.”
אֶת־מִי חֵרַפְתָּ וְגִדַּפְתָּ וְעַל־מִי הֲרִימוֹתָ קּוֹל וַתִּשָּׂא מָרוֹם עֵינֶיךָ עַל־קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ 19:22
2Kin. 19:22 “Whom have you defied and blasphemed,
And against Whom have you raised a voice?
And you have lifted up your eyes on high
Against the Holy One of Israel.”
בְּיַד מַלְאָכֶיךָ חֵרַפְתָּ אֲדֹנָי וַתֹּאמֶר ברכב בְּרֹב רִכְבִּי אֲנִי עָלִיתִי מְרוֹם הָרִים יַרְכְּתֵי לְבָנוֹן וְאֶכְרֹת 19:23 קוֹמַת אֲרָזָיו מִבְחוֹר בְּרֹשָׁיו וְאָבוֹאָה מְלוֹן קִצֹּה יַעַר כַּרְמִלּוֹ׃
2Kin. 19:23 “By the hand of your messengers
You have defied the Master and said,
‘With the multitude of my chariots
I have ascended the height of the mountains,
Of the recesses of Lebanon,
And I have cut down the tallest of its cedars,
And the choicest of its cypress trees.
And I have entered the highest of its recesses,
Its garden-land forest.”
This verse seems to contain two exceptions to my theory that vavs before first-person imperfect verbs are non-inverting. The words translated as and I have cut down and and I have entered are both of first-person imperfect tense, so the vavs must be inverting.
אֲנִי קַרְתִּי וְשָׁתִיתִי מַיִם זָרִים וְאַחְרִב בְּכַף־פְּעָמַי כֹּל יְאֹרֵי מָצוֹר׃ 19:24
2Kin. 19:24 “I have dug and drunk foreign water,
And dried up with the sole of my foot,
All the rivers of Egypt.”
This verse contains another exception to the theory. The word translated as and dried up is of first-person imperfect tense. However, the close proximity of the three exceptions leads me to a conclusion that I’ll state after the next verse.
הֲלֹא־שָׁמַעְתָּ לְמֵרָחוֹק אֹתָהּ עָשִׂיתִי לְמִימֵי קֶדֶם וִיצַרְתִּיהָ עַתָּה הֲבֵיאתִיהָ וּתְהִי לַהְשׁוֹת גַּלִּים 19:25
נִצִּים עָרִים בְּצֻרוֹת׃
2Kin. 19:25 “Have you not heard?
From afar I prepared it from days of old,
And I fashioned it.
Now I have brought it to pass
That it is laying in ruins,
Ruined heaps of fortified cities.”
In this verse, we have a fourth exception to my theory. The word translated as and I fashioned is of first-person imperfect tense. My conclusion? I believe that these four exceptions, having occurred in three adjacent verses, are an understandable error on the part of the scribe.
וְיֹשְׁבֵיהֶן קִצְרֵי־יָד חַתּוּ וַיֵּבֹשׁוּ הָיוּ עֵשֶׂב שָׂדֶה וִירַק דֶּשֶׁא חֲצִיר גַּגּוֹת וּשְׁדֵפָה לִפְנֵי קָמָה׃ 19:26
2Kin. 19:26 “So their inhabitants were short of power.
They were dismayed and confounded.
They were grass of the field and green herb,
Hay of the housetops,
And a corn field before maturity.”
וְשִׁבְתְּךָ וְצֵאתְךָ וּבֹאֲךָ יָדָעְתִּי וְאֵת הִתְרַגֶּזְךָ אֵלָי׃ 19:27
2Kin. 19:27 “And your sitting down and your going out
And your coming in I know,
And your raging against Me.”
יַעַן הִתְרַגֶּזְךָ אֵלַי וְשַׁאֲנַנְךָ עָלָה בְאָזְנָי וְשַׂמְתִּי חַחִי בְּאַפֶּךָ וּמִתְגִּי בִּשְׂפָתֶיךָ וַהֲשִׁבֹתִיךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ 19:28 אֲשֶׁר־בָּאתָ בָּהּ׃
2Kin. 19:28 “Because your raging against Me,
With your tumult, has come up into My ‘ears,’
So I will put My hook in your nose
And My bit in your lips,
And I will turn you back
On the way on which you came.”
וְזֶה־לְּךָ הָאוֹת אָכוֹל הַשָּׁנָה סָפִיחַ וּבַשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית סָחִישׁ וּבַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁלִישִׁית זִרְעוּ וְקִצְרוּ וְנִטְעוּ 19:29 כְרָמִים וְאִכְלוּ פִרְיָם׃
2Kin. 19:29 “And this is the sign for you: Eat this year what grows by itself, and in the second year, what grows from it, and in the third year, plant and harvest, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.”
This is an odd verse. What actually is the sign? I must assume that it is contained in the next two verses. I also assume that this verse implies that three years will pass before the next verse begins to be true.
וְיָסְפָה פְּלֵיטַת בֵּית־יְהוּדָה הַנִּשְׁאָרָה שֹׁרֶשׁ לְמָטָּה וְעָשָׂה פְרִי לְמָעְלָה׃ 19:30
2Kin. 19:30 “Then the remnant of the house of Judah that escapes shall increase, taking root downward and bearing fruit upward.”
כִּי מִירוּשָׁלִַם תֵּצֵא שְׁאֵרִית וּפְלֵיטָה מֵהַר צִיּוֹן קִנְאַת יְהוָה ( ) [צְבָאוֹת] תַּעֲשֶׂה־זֹּאת׃ 19:31
2Kin. 19:31 “For from Jerusalem shall come forth a remnant, and the escaped from mount Zion.” The zeal of the Lord [of hosts] shall accomplish this.
There is a blank space in the scroll in this verse as indicated by the parentheses. The consensus is that there is a word missing, and it should be as shown in the brackets, in both Hebrew and English, meaning of hosts. See the repetition of parts of this chapter in Isaiah Chapter 37. In fact, see Isai. 37:32, which is an exact repetition of this verse except that the Hebrew word translated as of hosts is present there.
לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה אֶל־מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר לֹא יָבֹא אֶל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת וְלֹא־יוֹרֶה שָׁם חֵץ וְלֹא־יְקַדְּמֶנָּה מָגֵן 19:32 וְלֹא־יִשְׁפֹּךְ עָלֶיהָ סֹלְלָה׃
2Kin. 19:32 Therefore, thus says the Lord about the king of Assyria: ”He shall not come in to this city, and he shall not shoot an arrow there, and a shield shall not come before it, and a rampart shall not be cast against it.”
בַּדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־יָבֹא בָּהּ יָשׁוּב וְאֶל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת לֹא יָבֹא נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃ 19:33
2Kin. 19:33 “By the way that he will come he shall return on it, and he shall not come in to this city.” Declares the Lord:
וְגַנּוֹתִי אֶל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת לְהוֹשִׁיעָהּ לְמַעֲנִי וּלְמַעַן דָּוִד עַבְדִּי׃ 19:34
2Kin. 19:34 “And I will be a Defense to this city to save it, for My sake and for the sake of David, My servant.”
וַיְהִי בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא וַיֵּצֵא מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה וַיַּךְ בְּמַחֲנֵה אַשּׁוּר מֵאָה שְׁמוֹנִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה אָלֶף וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ 19:35 בַבֹּקֶר וְהִנֵּה כֻלָּם פְּגָרִים מֵתִים׃
2Kin. 19:35 And it was on that night, that an angel of the Lord went out and smote a hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When they were aroused early in the morning, then behold, all of them were dead corpses.
וַיִּסַּע וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיָּשָׁב סַנְחֵרִיב מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּנִינְוֵה׃ 19:36
2Kin. 19:36 So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed and went and returned, and he dwelt in Nineveh.
וַיְהִי הוּא מִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה בֵּית נִסְרֹךְ אֱלֹהָיו וְאַדְרַמֶּלֶךְ וְשַׂרְאֶצֶר ( ) [בָּנָיו] הִכֻּהוּ בַחֶרֶב וְהֵמָּה נִמְלְטוּ 19:37 אֶרֶץ אֲרָרָט וַיִּמְלֹךְ אֵסַר־חַדֹּן בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו׃
2Kin. 19:37 And it happened, he was worshipping at the house of Nisroch, his god, when Adrammelech and Sarezer[, his sons,] smote him by sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat, and Esarhaddon, his son, became king in his stead. [Return to 2Chr. 32:21]
Once more there is a blank space in the scroll in this verse as indicated by the parentheses. The consensus is again that there is a word missing, and it should be as shown in the brackets, in both Hebrew and English, meaning his sons.
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