2 Kings 20
20
Hezekiah is Healed
1 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness.#tn Heb “was sick to the point of dying.” The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Give your household instructions, for you are about to die; you will not get well.’”#tn Heb “will not live.” 2 He turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you#tn Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254. faithfully and with wholehearted devotion,#tn Heb “and with a complete heart.” and how I have carried out your will.”#tn Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.” Then Hezekiah wept bitterly.#tn Heb “wept with great weeping.”
4 Isaiah was still in the middle courtyard when the Lord told him,#tc Heb “and Isaiah had not gone out of the middle courtyard, and the word of the Lord came to him, saying.” Instead of “courtyard” (חָצֵר, khatser), the marginal reading, (Qere), the Hebrew consonantal text (Kethib) has הָעִיר (ha’ir), “the city.” 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people: ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you. The day after tomorrow#tn Heb “on the third day.” you will go up to the Lord’s temple. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”’”#tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.” 7 Isaiah ordered, “Get a fig cake.” So they did as he ordered#tn Heb “and they got [a fig cake].” and placed it on the ulcerated sore, and he recovered.#tn Heb “and he lived.”
8 Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, “What is the confirming sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the Lord’s temple the day after tomorrow?” 9 Isaiah replied, “This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said. Do you want the shadow to move ahead ten steps or to go back ten steps?”#tn The Hebrew הָלַךְ (halakh, a perfect), “it has moved ahead,” should be emended to הֲיֵלֵךְ (hayelekh, an imperfect with interrogative he [ה] prefixed), “shall it move ahead.” 10 Hezekiah answered, “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps, but not for it#tn Heb “the shadow.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons. to go back ten steps.” 11 Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and the Lord#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity. made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz.#tn Heb “on the steps which [the sun] had gone down, on the steps of Ahaz, back ten steps.” sn These steps probably functioned as a type of sundial. See HALOT 614 s.v. מַעֲלָה and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 256.
Messengers from Babylon Visit Hezekiah
12 At that time Merodach-Baladan#tc The MT has “Berodach-Baladan,” but several Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin witnesses agree with the parallel passage in Isa 39:1 and read “Merodach-Baladan.” son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah was ill. 13 Hezekiah welcomed#tc Heb “listened to.” Some Hebrew mss, as well as the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate versions agree with the parallel passage in Isa 39:2 and read, “was happy with.” them and showed them his whole storehouse, with its silver, gold, spices, and high quality olive oil, as well as his armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom.#tn Heb “there was nothing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in all his kingdom.” 14 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say? Where do they come from?” Hezekiah replied, “They come from the distant land of Babylon.” 15 Isaiah#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity. asked, “What have they seen in your palace?” Hezekiah replied, “They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything#tn Heb “there was nothing I did not show them.” in my treasuries.” 16 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the word of the Lord, 17 ‘Look, a time is#tn Heb “days are.” coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 18 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father#tn Heb “Some of your sons, who go out from you, whom you father.” will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 19 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate.”#tn Heb “good.” Then he added,#tn Heb “and he said.” Many English versions translate, “for he thought.” The verb אָמַר (’amar), “say,” is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself). Cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT. “At least there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.”#tn Heb “Is it not [true] there will be peace and stability in my days?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, there will be peace and stability.”
20 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign and all his accomplishments, including how he built a pool and conduit to bring#tn Heb “and he brought.” water into the city, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.#tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Hezekiah, and all his strength, and how he made a pool and a conduit and brought water to the city, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?” 21 Hezekiah passed away#tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” and his son Manasseh replaced him as king.
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2 Kings 20
20
1About that time was Hezekiah sicke vnto death: and the Prophet Isaiah the sonne of Amoz came to him, and said vnto him, Thus saith the Lord, Put thine house in an order: for thou shalt die, and not liue. 2Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3I beseech thee, O Lord, remember nowe, howe I haue walked before thee in trueth and with a perfite heart, and haue done that which is good in thy sight: and Hezekiah wept sore. 4And afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle of the court, the worde of the Lord came to him, saying, 5Turne againe, and tell Hezekiah the captaine of my people, Thus saith the Lord God of Dauid thy father, I haue heard thy prayer, and seene thy teares: behold, I haue healed thee, and ye third day thou shalt go vp to ye house of ye Lord, 6And I wil adde vnto thy dayes fiftene yere, and wil deliuer thee and this citie out of the hand of the King of Asshur, and will defende this citie for mine owne sake, and for Dauid my seruats sake. 7Then Isaiah sayde, Take a lumpe of dry figges. And they tooke it, and layed it on the boyle, and he recouered. 8For Hezekiah had saide vnto Isaiah, What shalbe the signe that the Lord will heale me, and that I shall goe vp into the house of the Lord the thirde day? 9And Isaiah answered, This signe shalt thou haue of the Lord, that the Lord will doe that he hath spoken, Wilt thou that the shadowe goe forwarde ten degrees, or go backe ten degrees? 10And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadowe to passe forward ten degrees: not so then, but let ye shadow go backe ten degrees. 11And Isaiah the Prophet called vnto the Lord, and he brought againe the shadowe ten degrees backe by the degrees whereby it had gone downe in the diall of Ahaz. 12The same season Berodach Baladan the sonne of Baladan King of Babel, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard howe that Hezekiah was sicke. 13And Hezekiah heard them, and shewed them all his treasure house, to wit, the siluer, and the golde, and the spices, and the precious oyntment, and all the house of his armour, and al that was founde in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, and in all his realme, that Hezekiah shewed them not. 14Then Isaiah the Prophet came vnto King Hezekiah, and saide vnto him, What saide these men? and from whence came they to thee? And Hezekiah said, They be come from a farre countrey, euen from Babel. 15Then saide he, What haue they seene in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house haue they seene: there is nothing among my treasures, that I haue not shewed the. 16And Isaiah said vnto Hezekiah, Heare the worde of the Lord. 17Beholde, the dayes come, that all that is in thine house, and what so euer thy fathers haue layed vp in store vnto this day, shall be caryed into Babel: Nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. 18And of thy sonnes, that shall proceede out of thee, and which thou shalt beget, shall they take away, and they shalbe eunuches in the palace of the King of Babel. 19Then Hezekiah said vnto Isaiah, The word of the Lord which thou hast spoken, is good: for saide he, Shall it not be good, if peace and trueth be in my dayes? 20Concerning the rest of the actes of Hezekiah, and all his valiant deedes, and howe he made a poole and a cundite, and brought water into the citie, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Iudah? 21And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his sonne reigned in his steade.
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