Kings IV 20

1 In those days was Ezekias sick [even] to death. And the prophet Esaias the son of Amos came in to him, and said to him, Thus says the Lord, Give charge to your household; [for] you shall die, and not live.

In those days Hezekiah was sick to the point of dying. So Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, 'Set your house in order; for you will die, and not live.'”

2 And Ezekias turned to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh, saying,

3 Lord, remember, I pray you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your eyes. And Ezekias wept with a great weeping.

“Please, Yahweh, call to mind how I have faithfully walked before you with my whole heart, and how I have done what was good in your sight.” Then Hezekiah wept loudly.

4 And Esaias was in the middle court, and the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

Before Isaiah had gone out into the middle courtyard, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying,

5 Turn back, and you shall say to Ezekias the ruler of my people, Thus says the Lord God of your father David, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears: behold, I will heal you: on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.

“Turn back, and say to Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what Yahweh, the God of David your ancestor, says: “I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears. I am about to heal you on the third day, and you will go up to the house of Yahweh.

6 And I will add to your days fifteen years; and I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will defend this city for my own sake, and for my servant's David sake.

I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.”'”

7 And he said, Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it upon the ulcer, and he shall be well.

So Isaiah said, “Take a lump of figs.” They did so and put it on his boil, and he recovered.

8 And Ezekias said to Esaias, What [is] the sign that the Lord will heal me, and I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?

Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that Yahweh will heal me, and that I should go up to the temple of Yahweh on the third day?”

9 And Esaias said, This [is] the sign from the Lord, that the Lord will perform the word which he has spoken, the shadow [of the dial] shall advance ten degrees: [or] if it should go back ten degrees [this would also be the sign].

Isaiah replied, “This will be the sign for you from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing that he has spoken. Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?”

10 And Ezekias said, [It is] a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return ten degrees backward on the dial.

Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to go forward ten steps. No, let the shadow go backward ten steps.”

11 And Esaias the prophet cried to the Lord: and the shadow returned back ten degrees on the dial.

So Isaiah the prophet cried out to Yahweh, and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, from where it had moved on the stairway of Ahaz.

12 At that time Marodach Baladan, son of Baladan king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Ezekias, because he had heard that Ezekias was sick.

At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

13 And Ezekias rejoiced at them, and showed all the house of his spices, the silver and the gold, the spices, and the fine oil, and the armory, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing which Ezekias did not show them in his house, and in all his dominion.

Hezekiah listened to those letters, and then showed the messengers all the palace and his valuable things, the silver, the gold, the spices and precious oil, and the storehouse of his weapons, and all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his kingdom, that Hezekiah did not show them.

14 And Esaias the prophet went in to king Ezekias, and said to him, What said these men? and whence came they to you? And Ezekias said, they came to me from a distant land, [even] from Babylon.

Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say to you? Where did they come from?” Hezekiah said, “They came from the distant country of Babylon.”

15 And he said, What saw they in your house? And he said, They saw all things that [are] in my house: there was nothing in my house which I showed not to them; yes, all that was in my treasures also.

Isaiah asked, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything in my house. There is nothing among my valuable things that I have not shown them.”

16 And Esaias said to Ezekias, Hear the word of the Lord:

So Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the word of Yahweh:

17 Behold, the days come, that all things that are in your house shall be taken, and all that your fathers have treasured up until this day, to Babylon; and there shall not fail a word, which the Lord has spoken.

'Look, the days are about to come when everything in your palace, the things that your ancestors stored away until this present day, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says Yahweh.

18 And as for your sons which shall come forth of you, which you shall beget, [the enemy] shall take them, and they shall be eunuchs in the house of the king of Babylon.

The sons born from you, whom you yourself have fathered—they will take them away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'”

19 And Ezekias said to Esaias, Good [is] the word of the Lord which he has spoken: [only] let there be peace in my days.

Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of Yahweh that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Will there not be peace and stability in my days?”

20 And the rest of the acts of Ezekias, and all his might, and all that he made, the fountain and the aqueduct, and [how] he brought water into the city, [are] not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Juda?

As for the other matters concerning Hezekiah, and all his power, and how he constructed the pool and the conduit, and how he brought water into the city—are they not written in the book of the events of the kings of Judah?

21 And Ezekias slept with his fathers: and Manasses his son reigned in his stead.

Hezekiah slept with his ancestors, and Manasseh his son became king in his place.