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.