Assyrian downfall through Isaiah’s eyes (2 Kings 15–23) 11 Assyrian arrogance uses the verbs (πrj and jky) that did not imply the death penalty (cf. Lev 19,17.20; Is 65,6-7). Reading these four interpretations in the context of chapters 2 Kgs 15–23 we can reorganize them on four levels. Level zero: Most of the victims suffered humiliation without really reflecting upon it, though not without a certain degree of resistance. The Judahite ambassadors returning dismayed after being unable to withstand Assyrian propaganda (2 Kgs 18,37) as well as the defeated and deported nations (2 Kgs 18,11; 19,12) belong to this category. Level one: According to the Bible the Assyrians ascribe their victories to themselves and according to the Neo-Assyrian royal inscriptions to their gods. In both the Neo-Assyrian royal inscriptions (ARAB II.5, 66) and the Bible (29) the Assyrians were aware that God/god appointed them to destroy the nations and they accomplished this mission thoroughly. On this level, Assyria is understood as an instrument chosen by God to punish the rebellious nations, including Israel. Level two: The biblical writers attribute a further interpretation to Hezekiah, the first just king during the Assyrian period. He interprets the Assyrian invasions and the destruction of the cities as a natural consequence of idolatry (2 Kgs 19,15-19). However, the siege of Jerusalem, already purified from its idolatry, remains an unanswered question. On this level, Assyrian behavior is interpreted as reproaching and rebuking God. Destroying the nations at will, the Assyrians stopped being an instrument, hired to fulfill God’s will, and turn into a terrifying destroyer ruining fearful nations (2 Kgs 19,26). Level three: Only the prophet Isaiah is able to grasp the depth of the Assyrian problem and offer hope. As an “omniscient narrator” the prophet Isaiah has access to God’s understanding of the events (30) and can even grasp the inner feelings of the daughter of Jerusalem. This literary technique enables us to discover the fatal problems of Assyria. On this level, Assyria is understood as God’s rival. Because the invaders attributed their success to themselves, they challenged God’s suzerainty over history (2 Kgs 19,22-24). By doing this, the Assyrians turned against the one who hired them and became blasphemers whose behavior constituted a capital crime. All the interpretations begin with the same phenomena — the (29) The concentric structure of Isaiah’s prophecy underlines the concept of the divine plan according to which the Assyrians were an instrument in God’s hands, cf. J.D.W. WATTS, Isaiah 34-66 (WBC 25; Nashville, TN 2005) 42. (30) SKA, “Our Fathers”, 44-45.