2 Kings 20

1 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.'”

In those days Hezekiah fell sick unto death; and there came to him Isaiah the son of Amoz the prophet, and said unto him, Thus hath said the Lord, Give thy charge to thy house; for thou shalt die, and not live.

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

Then did he turn his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying,

3 “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.

I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now that I have walked before thee in truth, and with an undivided heart, and have done what is good in thy eyes. And Hezekiah wept aloud.

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

And it came to pass, before Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

5 “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.

Return, and say to Hezekiah the ruler of my people, Thus hath said the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold, I will heal thee: on the third day shalt thou go up unto the house of the Lord.

6 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.”'”

And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and out of the hand of the king of Assyria will I deliver thee and this city; and I will shield this city for my own sake, and for the sake of David my servant.

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

And Isaiah said, Fetch a lump of figs. And they fetched and laid it on the inflammation, and he recovered.

8 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?”

And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What sign shall there be that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day?

9 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?”

And Isaiah said, This shall be unto thee the sign from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: Shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

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

And Hezekiah said, It is a light thing for the shadow to go forward ten degrees: no; but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.

11 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.

And Isaiah the prophet called unto the Lord; and he caused the shadow to return, by the degrees which the [sun] was gone down on the dial of Achaz, backward, ten degrees.

12 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.

And at that time sent Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, the king of Babylon, letters and a present unto Hezekiah; for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

13 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.

And Hezekiah listened unto them, and showed them the whole of his treasure-house, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and the whole of his armor-house, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing that Hezekiah showed them not, in his house and in all his dominion.

14 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.”

Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What did these men say? and whence did they come unto thee? And Hezekiah said, From a far off country are they come, from Babylon.

15 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.”

And he said, What did they see in thy house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in my house have they seen: there was nothing that I did not show them in my treasures.

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

And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord,

17 '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.

Behold, days are coming, when all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.

18 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.'”

And of thy sons that will issue from thee, whom thou wilt beget, shall they take; and they shall be court-servants in the palace of the king of Babylon.

19 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?”

Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not so, if there be peace and stability in my days?

20 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?

And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his mighty deeds, and how he made the pool, and the aqueduct, and brought the water into the city, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah.

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

And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Menasseh his son became king in his stead.