Warning Against Idolatry

¹⁴ Do not be yoked together^(A) with unbelievers.^(B) For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?^{(C) 15} What harmony is there between Christ and Belial^[a]?^(D) Or what does a believer^(E) have in common with an unbeliever?^{(F) 16} What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?^(G) For we are the temple^(H) of the living God.^(I) As God has said:

¹⁷ Therefore,

¹⁸ And,

7 Therefore, since we have these promises,^(O) dear friends,^(P) let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness^(Q) out of reverence for God.

Paul’s Joy Over the Church’s Repentance

² Make room for us in your hearts.^(R) We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. ³ I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts^(S) that we would live or die with you. ⁴ I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you.^(T) I am greatly encouraged;^(U) in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.^(V)

⁵ For when we came into Macedonia,^(W) we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn^(X)—conflicts on the outside, fears within.^{(Y) 6} But God, who comforts the downcast,^(Z) comforted us by the coming of Titus,^{(AA) 7} and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

⁸ Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter,^(AB) I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— ⁹ yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation^(AC) and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹ See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern,^(AD) what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. ¹² So even though I wrote to you,^(AE) it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong^(AF) nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. ¹³ By all this we are encouraged.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus^(AG) was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. ¹⁴ I had boasted to him about you,^(AH) and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus^(AI) has proved to be true as well. ¹⁵ And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient,^(AJ) receiving him with fear and trembling.^{(AK) 16} I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.^(AL)

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold^(A)

19 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore^(B) his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. ² He sent Eliakim^(C) the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests,^(D) all wearing sackcloth,^(E) to the prophet Isaiah^(F) son of Amoz. ³ They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment^(G) of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. ⁴ It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule^(H) the living God, and that he will rebuke^(I) him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant^(J) that still survives.”

⁵ When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, ⁶ Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid^(K) of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed^(L) me. ⁷ Listen! When he hears a certain report,^(M) I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.^(N)’”

⁸ When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,^(O) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.^(P)

⁹ Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,^[a] was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: ¹⁰ “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend^(Q) on deceive^(R) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ ¹¹ Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? ¹² Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver^(S) them—the gods of Gozan,^(T) Harran,^(U) Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? ¹³ Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?”^(V)

Hezekiah’s Prayer^(W)

¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter^(X) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. ¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,^(Y) you alone^(Z) are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ Give ear,^(AA) Lord, and hear;^(AB) open your eyes,^(AC) Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

¹⁷ “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. ¹⁸ They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods^(AD) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.^{(AE) 19} Now, Lord our God, deliver^(AF) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms^(AG) of the earth may know^(AH) that you alone, Lord, are God.”

Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall^(AI)(AJ)

²⁰ Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard^(AK) your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. ²¹ This is the word that the Lord has spoken against^(AL) him:

²⁹ “This will be the sign^(BG) for you, Hezekiah:

“The zeal^(BN) of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

³² “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:

³⁵ That night the angel of the Lord^(BR) went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!^{(BS) 36} So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew.^(BT) He returned to Nineveh^(BU) and stayed there.

³⁷ One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek^(BV) and Sharezer killed him with the sword,^(BW) and they escaped to the land of Ararat.^(BX) And Esarhaddon^(BY) his son succeeded him as king.

1 A prophecy^(A) concerning Nineveh.^(B) The book of the vision^(C) of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The Lord’s Anger Against Nineveh

¹² This is what the Lord says: