5. King Hezekiah’s officers went to Isaiah.
6. Isaiah said to them, “Give this message to your master, Hezekiah: The Lord says, ‘Don’t be afraid of what you heard from the commanders. Don’t believe what those “boys” from the king of Assyria said to make fun of me.
7. Look, I will send a spirit against the king of Assyria. He will get a report warning him about a danger, so he will return to his own country. And I will cut him down with a sword in his own country.’”
8. The commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish. He found him at Libnah, fighting against that city.
9. Then the king of Assyria heard a report that said, “Tirhakah, the king of Ethiopia, has come to fight against you.” So the king of Assyria sent messengers to Hezekiah again.
10. He told them, “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah these things: ‘Don’t be fooled by the god you trust when he says Jerusalem will not be defeated by the king of Assyria.
11. You have heard what the kings of Assyria did to all the other countries. We completely destroyed them! Will you be saved? No!
12. Did the gods of those nations save their people? No, my ancestors destroyed them all. They destroyed Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden living in Tel Assar.
13. Where is the king of Hamath? The king of Arpad? The king of the city of Sepharvaim? The kings of Hena and Ivvah?’”
14. Hezekiah received the letters from the messengers and read them. Then he went up to the Lord’S Temple and laid the letters out in front of the Lord.
15. Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, “Lord, God of Israel, you sit as King above the Cherub angels. You alone are the God who rules all the kingdoms on earth. You made heaven and earth.
16. Lord, please listen to me. Lord, open your eyes and look at this message. Hear the words that Sennacherib sent to insult the living God.
17. It is true, Lord. The kings of Assyria did destroy all those nations.
18. They did throw the gods of those nations into the fire. But they were not real gods. They were only wood and stone—statues that people made. That is why the kings of Assyria could destroy them.
19. But you are the Lord our God, so please save us from the king of Assyria. Then all the other nations will know that you, Lord, are the only God.”
20. Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah. Isaiah said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says this: You prayed to me about the message that came from King Sennacherib of Assyria. I have heard you.
21. “This is the Lord’S message against Sennacherib: ‘The virgin daughter Zion does not think you are important. She makes fun of you. Daughter Jerusalem shakes her head at you and laughs behind your back.
22. But who did you insult and make fun of? Who did you speak against? You were against the Holy One of Israel. You acted like you were better than he was!