2 Kings 20

Modern

Literal

Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery

¹In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”

¹In those days Hezekiah was sick unto death, and Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet went to him and said to him, “Thus says YHWH: ‘Set in order your house, for you shall die and not live.’”

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

²And he turned his face toward the wall and prayed to YHWH, saying,

³“Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

³“Please, O YHWH, remember now how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and I have done good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept a great weeping.

⁴Before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard,^a the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

⁴And it came to pass—Isaiah had not gone out to the middle courtyard—that the word of YHWH came to him, saying,

⁵“Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the house of the LORD.

⁵“Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, thus says YHWH, the God of David your father: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of YHWH.

⁶I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”

⁶And I will add to your days fifteen years, and from the hand of the king of Assyria I will deliver you and this city, and I will cover over this city for My own sake and for the sake of David My servant.’”

⁷Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” So they brought it and applied it to the boil, and Hezekiah recovered.

⁷And Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.” And they took it and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

⁸Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?”

⁸And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What is the sign that YHWH will heal me, that I shall go up the third day to the house of YHWH?”

⁹And Isaiah had replied, “This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised: Would you like the shadow to go forward ten steps, or back ten steps?”

⁹And Isaiah said, “This is to you the sign from YHWH, that YHWH will do the thing that He has spoken: Shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go backward ten degrees?”

¹⁰“It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps,” answered Hezekiah, “but not for it to go back ten steps.”

¹⁰And Hezekiah answered, “It is light for the shadow to lengthen ten degrees. No, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees.”

¹¹So Isaiah the prophet called out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow back the ten steps it had descended on the stairway of Ahaz.

¹¹And Isaiah the prophet cried out to YHWH, and He brought back the shadow by the degrees that it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz—backward ten degrees.

Hezekiah Shows His Treasures

¹²At that time Merodach-baladan^a son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard about Hezekiah’s illness.

¹²At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

¹³And Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, as well as his armory—all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his palace or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

¹³And Hezekiah listened to them and showed them all the house of his treasure—the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and and the house of his armor, and all that was found among his treasures. There was not a thing that Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in all his dominion.

¹⁴Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, “Where did those men come from, and what did they say to you?”

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

¹⁴And Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They came from a distant land, from Babylon.”

¹⁵“What have they seen in your palace?” Isaiah asked.

“They have seen everything in my palace,” answered Hezekiah. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

¹⁵And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah said, “All that is in my house, they have seen. There is not a thing that I have not shown them among my treasures.”

¹⁶Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD:

¹⁶And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of YHWH:

¹⁷The time will surely come when everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD.

¹⁷Behold, the days are coming, and will be lifted all that is in your house and that your fathers have accumulated until this day, to Babylon. Not a thing will be left, says YHWH.

¹⁸And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

¹⁸And some of your sons who will go forth from you, whom you will beget, they will be taken and they will be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

¹⁹But Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Will there not at least be peace and security in my lifetime?”

¹⁹And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of YHWH that you have spoken is good.” For he said, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”

Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah

²⁰As for the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, along with all his might and how he constructed the pool and the tunnel^a to bring water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

²⁰And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made the pool and the tunnel and brought the water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Words of the Days of the Kings of Judah?

²¹And Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and his son Manasseh reigned in his place.

²¹And Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and Manasseh his son reigned in his place.