Isaiah 37:20

The *Assyrian army was the most powerful army that the nations had ever known. But huge armies do not impress God.

Verses 21-38 form a section that is parallel (similar) to Isaiah’s reply earlier in this chapter (see verses 5-7).

God answers Hezekiah’s prayer

v21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a *messenger to Hezekiah. ‘This is what the *Lord, the God of Israel, has replied to your prayer. v22 These are the words that the *Lord has spoken about Sennacherib, king of Assyria. “*Zion laughs at you, like a young unmarried girl laughs. The people of God in *Jerusalem shake their heads at you. v23 Sennacherib, you have been insulting me, the Holy God of Israel. You have been speaking wickedly about me, the Holy God of Israel. You have been blaspheming (insulting) me, the Holy God of Israel. v24 Sennacherib, you have used your servants to deride (laugh at) the *Lord God. You have proudly declared that you have driven your *chariots to the very top of the most distant mountains in Lebanon. You have cut down the best and tallest trees in Lebanon’s rich forests. v25 You declared that you were proud to have dug wells and to have drunk their water in foreign countries. You were proud that your huge armies had marched across the rivers of Egypt. So many feet had made the rivers dry.

v26 Sennacherib, you have surely heard who decided all this long ago. It was I who arranged it long ago. Now I am bringing it about. It is I who made you reduce strong cities into piles of stones. v27 The people who lived in those cities lost all strength to oppose the attackers. The people were confused. They were unable to do anything. They became like weeds in a field. Or like grass that begins to grow on the roofs of houses. The hot east wind burns the weeds and the grass. v28 Sennacherib, I know all that you do. I know when you get up. I know when you sit down. I know where you go. I know all about your proud words against me. v29 I have had to listen to your proud words and to your insults. Now I am going to force you to move, like an animal that people drag by the nose. I shall make you return by the way that you came.” ’