20 1 Hezekiah is sick, and receiveth the sign of his health, 12 He receiveth rewards of Berodach,  13 Showeth his treasures, and is reprehended of Isaiah.  21 He dieth, and Manasseh his son reigneth in his stead.

About that time (A)was Hezekiah sick unto death: and the Prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Put thine house in an order: for thou shalt die, and not live.

Then he turned his face to the [a]wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,

I beseech thee, O lord, remember now, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a [b]perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight: and Hezekiah [c]wept sore.

¶ And afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle of the court, the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, I have heard thy [d]prayer, and seen thy tears: behold, I have healed thee, and the third day thou shalt go up to the [e]house of the Lord,

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

Then Isaiah said, Take a [f]lump of dry figs. And they took it, and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

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

And Isaiah answered, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do that he hath spoken, Wilt thou that the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to pass forward ten degrees: not so then, but let the shadow [g]go back ten degrees.

11 And Isaiah the Prophet called unto the Lord, and he brought again the shadow ten degrees back by the degrees whereby it had gone down in the [h]dial of Ahaz.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 20:2 That his mind might not be troubled.
  2. 2 Kings 20:3 Meaning, without all hypocrisy.
  3. 2 Kings 20:3 Not so much for his own death, as for fear that idolatry should be restored, which he had destroyed, and so God’s Name be dishonored.
  4. 2 Kings 20:5 Because of his unfained repentance and prayer, God turned away his wrath.
  5. 2 Kings 20:5 To give thanks for thy deliverance.
  6. 2 Kings 20:7 He declareth that albeit God can heal without other medicines, yet he showeth that he will not have these inferior means contemned.
  7. 2 Kings 20:10 Let the sun go so many degrees back, that the hours may be so many the fewer in the king’s dial.
  8. 2 Kings 20:11 Which dial was set the top of the stairs that Ahaz had made.

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