Isaiah 38-39

Common English Bible

Hezekiah’s illness

38 At about that time Hezekiah became deathly sick. The prophet Isaiah, Amoz’s son, came to him and said: “The Lord God says this: Put your affairs in order because you are about to die. You won’t survive this.”

² Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord: ³ “Please, Lord, remember how I’ve walked before you in truth and sincerity. I’ve done what you consider to be good.” Then Hezekiah cried and cried.

⁴ Then the Lord’s word came to Isaiah: ⁵ “Go and say to Hezekiah: The Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says this: I have heard your prayer and have seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life. ⁶ I will rescue you and this city from the power of the Assyrian king. I will defend this city. ⁷ This will be your sign from the Lord that he will do what he promised: ⁸ once the shadow cast by the sun descends on the steps of Ahaz, I will make it back up ten steps.” And the sun went back ten of the steps that it had already descended.

⁹ A composition by Judah’s King Hezekiah when he was sick and then recovered from his sickness:

²¹ Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a salve made from figs, put it on the swelling, and he’ll get better.”

²² Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What’s the sign that I’ll be able to go up to the Lord’s temple?”

The Babylonian king’s messengers

39 At that time, Babylon’s King Merodach-baladan, Baladan’s son, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been ill and had recovered. ² Hezekiah was pleased, and he showed them his treasury—the silver and the gold, the spices and fine oil—and everything in his armory, all that was found in his storerooms. There wasn’t a thing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah didn’t show them.

³ Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say? Where did they come from?”

Hezekiah replied, “They came to me from a distant land, from Babylon.”

⁴ So Isaiah said, “What did they see in your house?”

Hezekiah said, “They saw everything in my house. There was nothing in my storerooms that I didn’t show them.”

⁵ Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of heavenly forces: ⁶ Days are coming when all that is in your house, which your ancestors have stored up until this day, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. ⁷ Some of your sons, your own descendants whom you fathered, will be taken to become eunuchs in the king of Babylon’s palace.”

⁸ Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word that you delivered is good,” since he thought, That means there will be peace and security in my lifetime.