2 Kings
Chapter 20
Hezekiah’s Illness
In those days, Hezekiah fell mortally ill, and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, went to him with a message from the Lord: “Put your house for you shall die; you shall not live.”
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord:
“Ah, Lord! Remember how I have walked before you in truth and wholeheartedly and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Isaiah had still not reached the central courtyard when the word of the Lord came to him:
“Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, what the Lord, the God of his father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears. And now I will cure you. On the third day, you will go up to the house of the Lord.
See! I am adding fifteen years to your life, and I will save you and this city from the power of the king of Assyria. I will defend it for my sake and the sake of David, my servant.’”
Isaiah ordered: “Get a fig cake.” So they did as he had ordered, placing it on the ulcerated sore, and he recovered.
Hezekiah said to Isaiah: “What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord within three days?”
Isaiah answered: “This shall be the sign for you in the Lord’s name, that the Lord shall do what he has said: Do you wish the shadow of the second story to go forward ten steps or to go back?”
Hezekiah said: “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps, but it shall be wonderful if the shadow goes back ten steps.”
The prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back ten steps, line by line, on the ten steps it had covered on the stairway.
Envoys from Babylon
At that time, Merodach-baladan, son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah after hearing that he was recovering from an illness.
Hezekiah rejoiced, so he showed the envoys his treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fragrant oils, his weapons and all that was in the storerooms; there was nothing in this palace, or in all his realms that Hezekiah did not show them.
Then, the prophet Isaiah asked the king: “What did these men say? Where did they come from?” The king answered: “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.”
Isaiah said: “And what have they seen in your house?” The king answered: “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my treasuries that I did not show them.”
So Isaiah said to the king: “Listen to this word of the Lord:
‘The days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have stored up to this day shall be taken to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord.
Some of your sons who are born of your blood shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”
Hezekiah answered Isaiah: “What you say is a good word from the Lord,” for he thought, “What does it matter so that I have peace and security in my lifetime?”
Now, the rest regarding Hezekiah and all about his bravery, how he built the great reservoir, and how it supplied water to the city, is written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.
When Hezekiah slept with his fathers, his son Manasseh reigned in his place.
Commentaries
Hezekiah of Judah.
The upcoming chapters, including Chapter 20, focus on Hezekiah and the external crisis he encountered with Assyria.
Hezekiah’s Illness.
Faced with his imminent death, confirmed by the prophetic word (1c), we once again see the pious, prayerful nature of the king. Arguing that he has lived a righteous life, he secures from the Lord a revocation of the word given through Isaiah, and it is the prophet himself who announces to him the divine decision not only to prolong his days but also to grant him a period of peace and tranquility regarding Assyria, his enemy (5f). Strangely, we see a doubtful Hezekiah, who asks for a sign of the fulfillment of these promises, reflecting on his trust in God when Sennacherib’s threat arose. In any case, Isaiah provides him with the sign he requests.
Envoys from Babylon.
Hezekiah receives a special delegation from Babylon that comes to congratulate him on his recovery. Amid the celebration, the king shows them all the treasures and riches of the Temple and the palace. This sparks a dark prophecy from Isaiah about the downfall of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians. Aware that this prediction will ultimately come true, the king interprets the prophet’s words as good news, believing that such a fate will not occur during his reign. Hezekiah exhibits the selfishness typical of those in power, who are primarily concerned with maintaining their status. The chapter ends with the standard account of the king’s death and succession (21).