aIn those days when Sennacherib first invaded Judah Hezekiah became deathly ill. The prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘bSet your house in order, for you shall die and not recover.’” 2+@Chr 32:24-26; Is 38:1-82 Chr 32:24; Is 38:1-222 Sam 17:23 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3 “Please, O LORD, aremember now with compassion bhow I have walked before You in faithfulness and truth and with a whole heart entirely devoted to You, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And cHezekiah wept bitterly.Neh 5:19; 13:14, 22, 312 Kin 18:3-62 Sam 12:21, 22 4 Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle courtyard, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5 “Go back and tell aHezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father : “bI have heard your prayer, cI have seen your tears. Behold, I am healing you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.1 Sam 9:16; 10:12 Kin 19:20Ps 39:12 6 I will add fifteen years to your life and save you and this city Jerusalem from the hand of the king of Assyria; and aI will protect this city for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.”’”2 Kin 19:34 7 Then Isaiah said, “Bring a cake of figs. And they brought it and placed it on the painful inflammation, and he recovered.”
8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will completely heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?” 9 Isaiah said, “aThis will be the sign to you from the LORD, that He will do the thing that He has spoken: shall the shadow indicating the time of day go forward ten steps, or go backward ten steps?”Is 38:7 10 Hezekiah answered, “It is easy for the shadow to go forward ten steps; no, but let the shadow turn backward ten steps.” 11 So Isaiah the prophet called out to the LORD, and aHe brought the shadow on the steps ten steps backward by which it had gone down on the 1sundial of Ahaz.Or stairway; lit steps.Josh 10:12-14; Is 38:8
12 aAt that time 1Berodach-baladan a son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. Is 39:1-8Many mss and ancient versions read Merodach-baladan; cf Is 39:1.2 Chr 32:31; Is 39:1-8 13 Hezekiah listened to and welcomed them and 1foolishly showed them aall his treasure house—the silver and gold and spices and precious oil and his armory and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.Hezekiah was showing off his wealth to the Babylonians, in disregard of the mercy God had just granted him.2 Chr 32:27 14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say that would cause you to do this for them? From where have they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.” 15 Isaiah said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything that is in my house . There is nothing in my treasuries that I have not shown them.”
16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD. 17 ‘Behold, the time is coming when aeverything that is in your house, and that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the LORD.2 Kin 24:13; 25:13-15; 2 Chr 36:10; Jer 52:17-19 18 ‘And some aof your sons who will be born to you will be 1taken away as captives; and they will become beunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”Isaiah predicted the Babylonian captivity about a hundred and fifteen years before it occurred.2 Kin 24:12; 2 Chr 33:11Dan 1:3-7 19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is agood.” For he thought, “Is it not good, if at least there will be peace and security in my lifetime?”1 Sam 3:18
20 aThe rest of the acts of Hezekiah and all his might, and how he bmade the Siloam pool and the aqueduct and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?2 Chr 32:32Neh 3:16 21 aHezekiah slept with his fathers in death, and Manasseh his son became king in his place.2 Chr 32:33