Duplication happens in the Bible from time to time. You may read an account of the same event in Jesus' ministry in two, three, or even four gospels. A verse like the creation account of man and woman from Genesis 2 pops up in Matthew and well as Ephesians. We also see two Psalms (14 and 53) that are nearly identical. So it is that this section of Isaiah recapitulates material found in II Kings.
Why? Isaiah 37/II Kings 19 is repeated as an important story for several reasons.
First, it shows God's ability to deliver His people against overwhelming odds. Judah's goose was cooked. The Assyrians had recently dismantled the northern kingdom of Israel and sent them into exile. Now they were knocking on Jerusalem's gate with their army.
Second, this passage also reveals the blatant anti-God state of mind of the Assyrians. With arrogant blasphemies, they counted the Lord God to be like a tribal deity of the other lands that had been conquered. Their boastful challenge as to why Judah's God should be any different is answered with a miraculous act of that very God's deliverance.
Third, it shows the appropriate response of the nation of Judah. Their king, Hezekiah, humbles himself in prayer before the Lord. Hezekiah provides an excellent example of what to do in a crisis; rather than turn to an earthly source of power for strength, look to the Lord!
Because this is such a pivotal event in the story of the nation of Judah as well as in the ministry of Isaiah, it appears in both places.
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