2 Kings 19:14
New International Version
Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

New Living Translation
After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the LORD’s Temple and spread it out before the LORD.

English Standard Version
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible
So Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

King James Bible
And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

New King James Version
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

New American Standard Bible
Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

NASB 1995
Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

NASB 1977
Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of Yahweh and spread it out before Yahweh.

Amplified Bible
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the house (temple) of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

Christian Standard Bible
Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers’ hands, read it, then went up to the LORD’s temple, and spread it out before the LORD.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers, read it, then went up to the LORD’s temple, and spread it out before the LORD.

American Standard Version
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of Jehovah, and spread it before Jehovah.

Contemporary English Version
After Hezekiah had read the note from the king of Assyria, he took it to the temple and spread it out for the LORD to see.

English Revised Version
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Hezekiah took the letters from the messengers, read them, and went to the LORD's temple. He spread them out in front of the LORD

Good News Translation
King Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went to the Temple, placed the letter there in the presence of the LORD,

International Standard Version
Hezekiah took the messages from the couriers, read them, went up to the LORD's Temple, and laid them out in the presence of the LORD.

Majority Standard Bible
So Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

NET Bible
Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the LORD's temple and spread it out before the LORD.

New Heart English Bible
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

World English Bible
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to Yahweh’s house, and spread it before Yahweh.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Hezekiah takes the letters out of the hand of the messengers and reads them, and goes up to the house of YHWH, and Hezekiah spreads it before YHWH.

Young's Literal Translation
And Hezekiah taketh the letters out of the hand of the messengers, and readeth them, and goeth up to the house of Jehovah, and Hezekiah spreadeth it before Jehovah.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Hezekiah will receive the letters from the hand of the messengers, and read them: and he will go up to the house of Jehovah, and Hezekiah will spread it out before Jehovah.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when Ezechias had received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and had read it, he went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord,

Catholic Public Domain Version
And so, when Hezekiah had received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and had read it, he ascended to the house of the Lord, and he spread it out before the Lord.

New American Bible
Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; then he went up to the house of the LORD, and spreading it out before the LORD,

New Revised Standard Version
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; then Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Hezekiah received the letters from the hand of the messengers, and read them; and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD and spread them before the LORD.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Hezekiah took the letters from the hand of the Messengers, and he called them and he went up to the house of LORD JEHOVAH, and Hezekiah spread the letters before LORD JEHOVAH.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Ezekias took the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and he went up to the house of the Lord, an Ezekias spread it before the Lord,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Hezekiah's Prayer
14So Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. 15And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.…

Cross References
Isaiah 37:14
So Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

2 Chronicles 32:20
In response, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out to heaven in prayer,

Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. / And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 50:15
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”

James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.

Psalm 18:6
In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.

Psalm 34:17
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears; He delivers them from all their troubles.

Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Psalm 91:15
When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.

Jeremiah 32:16-25
After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD: / “Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You! / You show loving devotion to thousands but lay the iniquity of the fathers into the laps of their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the LORD of Hosts, ...

Acts 4:24-31
When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. / You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? / The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’ ...

Psalm 102:1-2
A prayer of one who is afflicted, when he grows faint and pours out his lament before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come before You. / Do not hide Your face from me in my day of distress. Incline Your ear to me; answer me quickly when I call.

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.


Treasury of Scripture

And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

Hezekiah.

Isaiah 37:14
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

spread it.

1 Kings 8:28-30
Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: …

Ezra 9:5
And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,

Psalm 74:10,11
O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? …

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Hand Hands Hezekiah Hezeki'ah House Letter Messengers Read Readeth Reading Received Spread Spreadeth Temple
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2 Kings 19
1. Hezekiah, in mourning, sends to Isaiah to pray for them.
6. Isaiah comforts them.
8. Sennacherib, going to encounter Tirhakah, sends a blasphemous letter to Hezekiah.
14. Hezekiah's prayer.
20. Isaiah's prophecy of the destruction of Sennacherib, and the good of Zion.
35. An angel slays the Assyrians.
36. Sennacherib is slain by his own sons.














So Hezekiah received the letter
The act of receiving the letter signifies a moment of confrontation with a dire threat. Hezekiah, the king of Judah, is faced with a message from the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, which is filled with intimidation and blasphemy against the God of Israel. The Hebrew root for "received" (קבל, qabal) implies acceptance and acknowledgment of the situation. This moment is pivotal, as it sets the stage for Hezekiah's response, which is not one of despair but of faith and reliance on God.

from the messengers
The messengers are the bearers of the Assyrian king's threats. Historically, messengers played a crucial role in ancient diplomacy and warfare, often carrying messages that could determine the fate of nations. The presence of these messengers underscores the gravity of the situation, as they represent the might and arrogance of Assyria, a superpower of the ancient Near East.

read it
Hezekiah's act of reading the letter is significant. It shows his willingness to confront the reality of the threat. The Hebrew word for "read" (קרא, qara) also means to call or proclaim, suggesting that Hezekiah is not just passively absorbing the message but is actively engaging with it. This engagement is a precursor to his prayerful response, demonstrating a model of how believers should face challenges—by acknowledging them and then turning to God.

went up to the house of the LORD
Hezekiah's decision to go to the house of the LORD, the temple in Jerusalem, is a profound act of faith. The temple was the center of Jewish worship and the dwelling place of God's presence among His people. By going up to the temple, Hezekiah is seeking divine intervention, showing his dependence on God rather than on military might or political alliances. This action reflects the biblical principle of seeking God's presence in times of trouble.

and spread it out before the LORD
The act of spreading the letter before the LORD is symbolic and deeply meaningful. It signifies laying down one's burdens and concerns at the feet of God. The Hebrew verb "spread" (פרש, paras) conveys the idea of opening up or displaying. Hezekiah is not hiding his fears or the threat but is transparently presenting them to God, trusting in His power and sovereignty. This act of faith is a powerful reminder of the importance of prayer and surrender in the life of a believer.

(14) The letter.--The Hebrew word is plural, like the Latin litterae. The first "it" is plural, the second singular. 2Kings 19:10-13 may be regarded as embodying the substance of the letter, which the envoys first delivered orally, and then presented the letter to authenticate it. But perhaps the contents of the letter were not preserved in the Hebrew annals.

Spread it before the Lord.--Commentators have taken offence at this act, as if it betokened some heathenish conception of Jehovah. "Tres-na‹vement, pour que Dieu la l-t aussi" (Reuss). But one who could think of his God as having "made heaven and earth," and as the only God, would not be likely to imagine Him ignorant of the contents of a letter until it had been laid before Him in His sanctuary. Hezekiall's act was a solemn and perfectly natural indication to his ministers and people that he had put the matter into the hands of Jehovah.

Verse 14. - And Hezekiah received the letter. It had not been previously stated that Sennacherib had written a letter. But the author forgets this, and so speaks of "the letter." Kings generally communicated by letters, and not merely by messages (see 2 Kings 5:5; 2 Kings 20:12; 2 Chronicles 2:11; Nehemiah 1:9, etc.). Of the hand of the messengers, and read it. Probably Sennacherib had caused it to be written in Hebrew. And Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. Not as if God would not otherwise know the contents of the letter, but to emphasize his detestation of the letter, and to make it silently plead for him with God. Ewald rightly compares what Judas Maccabaeus did with the disfigured copies of the Law at Maspha (1 Macc. 3:48), but incorrectly calls it ('History of Israel,' vol. 4. p. 183, note 1, Eng. trans.) "a laying down of the object in the sanctuary." Maspha was "over against" the temple, at the distance of a mile or more.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So Hezekiah
חִזְקִיָּ֧הוּ (ḥiz·qî·yā·hū)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2396: Hezekiah -- 'Yah has strengthened', a king of Judah, also several other Israelites

received
וַיִּקַּ֨ח (way·yiq·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

the letter
הַסְּפָרִ֛ים (has·sə·p̄ā·rîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5612: A missive, document, writing, book

from
מִיַּ֥ד (mî·yaḏ)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3027: A hand

the messengers,
הַמַּלְאָכִ֖ים (ham·mal·’ā·ḵîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4397: A messenger, of God, an angel

read it,
וַיִּקְרָאֵ֑ם (way·yiq·rā·’êm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

and went up to
וַיַּ֙עַל֙ (way·ya·‘al)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

the house
בֵּ֣ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of the LORD
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3069: YHWH

and spread it out
וַיִּפְרְשֵׂ֥הוּ (way·yip̄·rə·śê·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6566: To break apart, disperse

before
לִפְנֵ֥י (lip̄·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

the LORD.
יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3069: YHWH


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OT History: 2 Kings 19:14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 19:13
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