« | Isaiah 37 | » |
1 And it happened when King Hezekiah heard, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Jehovah.
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 the prophet, the son of Amoz.
3 And they said to him, So says Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy! For the sons have come to the birth, and no strength to bring forth.
4 It may be Jehovah your God will hear the words of the chief of the cupbearers, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which Jehovah your God has heard. And you shall lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.
5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6 And Isaiah said to them, So you shall say to your master, So says Jehovah, Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.
7 Behold, I will send a blast on him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
8 So the chief of the cupbearers returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah. For he had heard that he had departed from Lachish.
9 And he heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He has come out to war with you. And he heard and sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10 So you shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by completely destroying them. And shall you be delivered?
12 Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed: Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar?
13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?
14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the courier's hand, and read it. And Hezekiah went up into the house of Jehovah and spread it before Jehovah.
15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying,
16 O Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, who dwells between the cherubs, You are He, God, You alone to all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth.
17 Bow down Your ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open Your eyes, O Jehovah, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib which he has sent to mock the living God.
18 Truly, O Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their land,
19 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone; so they have destroyed them.
20 And now, O Jehovah our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are Jehovah, You alone.
21 And Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,
22 this is the word which Jehovah has spoken concerning him: The virgin, the daughter of Zion, has despised you and laughed you to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head behind you.
23 Whom have you mocked and blasphemed? And against whom have you raised your voice and lifted up your eyes on high? Even against the Holy One of Israel.
24 By your servants you have mocked Jehovah and have said, by my many chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars of it, and its choice fir trees; and I will go to its greatest height, the forest of its Carmel.
25 I have dug and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.
26 Have you not heard from afar? I made it from days of old, even I have formed it. Now I have caused it to come, and you are to cause fortified cities to crash into heaps, ruins.
27 And their inhabitants were short of hand; dismayed and ashamed. They were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, even grain blasted before it has risen.
28 But I know your sitting down, and your going out, and your coming in, and your rage against Me.
29 Because of your raging against Me, and your arrogance has come up into My ears, therefore I will put My hook in your nose, and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you came.
30 And this shall be a sign to you: You shall eat self-sown grain this year; and the second year that which springs of the same; and in the third year you shall sow, and reap, and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.
31 The remnant that has escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward;
32 for out of Jerusalem shall go out a remnant, and those who escape out of Mount Zion; the zeal of Jehovah of Hosts shall do this.
33 So Jehovah says this to the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
34 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and shall not come into this city, says Jehovah.
35 For I will defend this city to save it, for My own sake and for My servant David's sake.
36 Then the angel of Jehovah went out and struck a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of Assyria. And they rose early in the morning, and behold! They were all dead corpses.
37 And Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and lived at Nineveh.
38 And it happened as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him with the sword. And they escaped into the land of Ararat; and Esar-haddon his son reigned in his place.
The Modern King James Version (MKJV)
The Modern King James Version (MKJV) is a contemporary English translation of the Bible that aims to preserve the majesty and accuracy of the original King James Version (KJV) while updating its language for modern readers. Developed by Jay P. Green Sr. and first published in 1990, the MKJV seeks to maintain the literary beauty and doctrinal reliability of the KJV, making only necessary adjustments to archaic terms and phrases to enhance readability. This careful balance allows the MKJV to retain the classic feel of the KJV while making it more accessible to today’s audience.
One of the standout features of the MKJV is its commitment to formal equivalence, or word-for-word translation. The translators have meticulously preserved the structure and vocabulary of the KJV, only updating words and phrases that have become outdated or whose meanings have shifted over time. This approach ensures that the MKJV remains faithful to the original texts and maintains the theological and literary integrity of the KJV. By preserving the cadence and phrasing of the original, the MKJV offers a reading experience that is both familiar and refreshed for modern readers.
The MKJV also pays special attention to the textual basis of the translation. Like the KJV, it relies on the Textus Receptus for the New Testament and the Masoretic Text for the Old Testament. This adherence to traditional source texts underscores the MKJV’s commitment to continuity with the historic Christian tradition. The translation is designed to serve both devotional and scholarly purposes, providing a text that is suitable for study, teaching, and public reading in a variety of settings.
Despite its strengths, the Modern King James Version has faced some criticism. Some scholars and readers argue that the translation could benefit from a more extensive revision to fully embrace contemporary language, suggesting that the MKJV’s adherence to the structure and style of the KJV may still pose challenges for modern readers. Others appreciate the balance it strikes but note that it occupies a niche space, appealing primarily to those who have a strong attachment to the KJV. Nonetheless, the MKJV remains a respected and valued translation for those seeking a modern update of the KJV that honors its rich heritage and timeless message.