2 Kings 20
International Standard Version
Hezekiah’s Sickness and Recovery(A)
20 During this time, Hezekiah became sick with a fatal illness, so Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, approached him and told him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Put your household in order, because you are dying. You will not survive.’”
2 So Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord. 3 “Remember me, Lord,” he said, “how I have walked in your presence with integrity, with an undivided heart, and I have accomplished what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept deeply.
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, this message from the Lord came to him. 5 “Return to Hezekiah,” he said, “and tell the Commander-in-Chief[a] of my people: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: “I’ve heard your prayer and I’ve observed your tears. Look! I’m healing you. Three days from now, you’ll go visit the Lord’s Temple. 6 Furthermore, I’ll add fifteen years to your life. I’ll deliver you and this city from domination by[b] the king of Assyria, and I’ll defend this city for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”’”
7 Isaiah said, “Take a fig cake.” So some attendants[c] took it, laid it on Hezekiah’s[d] boil, and he recovered.
8 Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What is to be the sign that the Lord is healing me and that I’ll be going up to the Lord’s Temple three days from now?”
9 So Isaiah replied, “This will be your sign from the Lord that the Lord will do what he has promised. Shall the shadow go forward ten steps or go back ten steps?”
10 Hezekiah answered, “It’s an easy thing for a shadow to lengthen ten steps. So let the shadow go backward ten steps.”
11 So Isaiah cried out to the Lord, who brought the shadow back ten steps after it had gone down the stairway of Ahaz.
Hezekiah Shows His Treasure to the Babylonian Envoys
12 Some time later, Berodach-baladan,[e] the son of King Baladan of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, because he had heard that Hezekiah had been ill. 13 Hezekiah listened to the entourage[f] and showed them his entire treasury, including the silver, gold, and spices, the precious oil, his armory, and everything that was inventoried in his treasuries. There was nothing in his household or in his holdings that Hezekiah did not show them.
14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men have to say, and where did they come from?”
Hezekiah replied, “They came from a country far away—from Babylon.”
15 He asked, “What did they see in your household?”
Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything. In my household there is nothing in my treasuries that I haven’t shown them.”
16 Then Isaiah replied to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord: 17 ‘Watch out! The days are coming when everything that’s in your house—everything that your ancestors have saved up right to this day—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ declares the Lord. 18 ‘Some of your descendants—your very own seed, whom you will father—will be carried away to become officials[g] in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”
19 At this, Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, “What you’ve spoken from the Lord is good,” because he had been thinking, “Why not, as long as there’s peace and security[h] in my lifetime…?”
20 Now the rest of Hezekiah’s actions, as well as his glorious deeds, including how he constructed the pool and the conduit to bring water into the city, are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not? 21 Hezekiah died, as did[i] his ancestors, and his son Manasseh became king in his place.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 20:5 Lit. Nagid; i.e. a senior officer entrusted with dual roles of operational oversight and administrative authority
- 2 Kings 20:6 Lit. from the hand of
- 2 Kings 20:7 Lit. So they
- 2 Kings 20:7 Lit. the
- 2 Kings 20:12 So MT; LXX and a MT variant read Marodach-baladan
- 2 Kings 20:13 Lit. to them
- 2 Kings 20:18 Or court officials; the position may have mandated castration as a condition of service
- 2 Kings 20:19 Lit. truth
- 2 Kings 20:21 Lit. Hezekiah slept with
2 Kings 20
World English Bible
20 In those days Hezekiah was sick and dying. Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, ‘Set your house in order; for you will die, and not live.’”
2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Yahweh, saying, 3 “Remember now, Yahweh, I beg you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had gone out into the middle part of the city, Yahweh’s word came to him, saying, 5 “Turn back, and tell Hezekiah the prince of my people, ‘Yahweh, the God of David your father, says, “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day, you will go up to Yahweh’s house. 6 I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.”’”
7 Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.”
They took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that Yahweh will heal me, and that I will go up to Yahweh’s house the third day?”
9 Isaiah said, “This will be the sign to you from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing that he has spoken: should the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?”
10 Hezekiah answered, “It is a light thing for the shadow to go forward ten steps. No, but let the shadow return backward ten steps.”
11 Isaiah the prophet cried to Yahweh; and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.
12 At that time Berodach Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13 Hezekiah listened to them, and showed them all the storehouse of his precious things—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, and the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house, or in all his dominion, that Hezekiah didn’t show them.
14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? From where did they come to you?”
Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, even from Babylon.”
15 He said, “What have they seen in your house?”
Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
16 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear Yahweh’s word. 17 ‘Behold, the days come that all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have laid up in store to this day, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says Yahweh. 18 ‘They will take away some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will father; and they will be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”
19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “Yahweh’s word which you have spoken is good.” He said moreover, “Isn’t it so, if peace and truth will be in my days?”
20 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made the pool, and the conduit, and brought water into the city, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 21 Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and Manasseh his son reigned in his place.
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