1 IN those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying,
3 I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.
6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
8 And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day?
9 And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?
10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.
11 And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.
12 At that time Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
13 And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.
14 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.
15 And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.
16 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord.
17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.
18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?
20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

1In those dayes was Hezekiah sicke vnto death: and the Prophet Isaiah the sonne of Amos came to him, and saide vnto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not liue.

2Then hee turned his face to the wall, and prayed vnto the Lord, saying;

3I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I haue walked before thee in trueth, and with a perfect heart, and haue done that which is good in thy sight: and Hezekiah wept sore.

4And it came to passe afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying:

5Turne againe, and tell Hezekiah the captaine of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Dauid thy father, I haue heard thy prayer, I haue seene thy teares: behold, I will heale thee; on the third day thou shalt goe vp vnto the house of the Lord.

6And I will adde vnto thy dayes fifteene yeeres, and I will deliuer thee, and this city, out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this citie for mine owne sake, and for my seruant Dauids sake.

7And Isaiah said, Take a lumpe of figs. And they tooke and layd it on the boile, and he recouered.

8 And Hezekiah said vnto Isaiah, What shall bee the signe that the Lord wil heale me, and that I shall goe vp into the house of the Lord the third day?

9And Isaiah said, This signe shalt thou haue of the Lord, that the Lord will doe the thing that hee hath spoken: shall the shadow goe forward ten degrees, or goe backe tenne degrees?

10And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go downe tenne degrees: nay, but let the shadow returne backward tenne degrees.

11And Isaiah the Prophet cryed vnto the Lord, and he brought the shadow tenne degrees backeward, by which it had gone downe in the diall of Ahaz.

12 At that time Berodach-Baladan the sonne of Baladan King of Babylon, sent letters and a present vnto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had beene sicke.

13And Hezekiah hearkened vnto them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the siluer, and the golde, and the spices, and the precious oyntment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.

14 Then came Isaiah the Prophet vnto King Hezekiah, and sayde vnto him, What sayd these men? and from whence came they vnto thee? And Hezekiah sayde, They are come from a farre countrey, euen from Babylon.

15And he said, What haue they seene in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house haue they seene: there is nothing among my treasures, that I haue not shewed them.

16And Isaiah said vnto Hezekiah, Heare the word of the Lord.

17Behold, the dayes come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers haue layde vp in store vnto this day, shall be caried vnto Babylon: nothing shall be left, sayth the Lord.

18And of thy sonnes that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away, and they shall bee Eunuches in the palace of the king of Babylon.

19Then said Hezekiah vnto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and trueth be in my dayes?

20 And the rest of the actes of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how hee made a poole and a conduit, & brought water into the city, 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 stead.

I == 2nd Chr 32:24 ; Isa 38:1-3

 

 

 

III == Gen 17:1 ; 1st Kings 3:6 ; Neh 13:22

 

 

 

 

V == 1st Sam 9:16 ; 10:1 ; 2nd Kings 19:20 ; Ps 39:12 ; 56:8 ; 65:2

 

 

VI == 2nd King 19:34

 

 

VII == Isa 38:21

VIII == Judg 6:17 , 37 , 39 ; Isa 7:11 , 14 ; 38:22

 

 

IX == Isa 38:7-8

 

 

 

 

 

XI == Josh 10:12 , 14 ; Isa 38:8

 

 

XII == Isa 39:1

 

 

XIII == 2nd Chr 32:27 , 31

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XV == 2nd Kings 20:15

 

 

 

 

XVII == 2nd Kings 24:13 ; 25:13 ; Jer 27:21-22 ; 52:17

 

XVIII == 2nd Kings 24:12 ; 2nd Chr 33:11

 

 

XIX == 1st Sam 3:18 ; Job 1:21 ; Ps 39:9

 

XX == 2nd Chr 32:30 , 32 ; Neh 3:16

 

 

XXI == 2nd Chr 32:33

 

 

1 In those days, when Hezekiah was mortally ill, the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came and said to him: "Thus says the LORD: 'Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you shall not recover.'"

2 He turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD:

3 "O LORD, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedly I conducted myself in your presence, doing what was pleasing to you!" And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 Before Isaiah had left the central courtyard, the word of the LORD came to him:

5 "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people: 'Thus says the LORD, the God of your forefather David: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you. In three days you shall go up to the LORD'S temple;

6 I will add fifteen years to your life. I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; I will be a shield to this city for my own sake, and for the sake of my servant David.'"

7 Isaiah then ordered a poultice of figs to be brought and applied to the boil, that he might recover.

8 Then Hezekiah asked Isaiah, "What is the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I shall go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day?"

9 Isaiah replied, "This will be the sign for you from the LORD that he will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward or back ten steps?"

10 "It is easy for the shadow to advance ten steps," Hezekiah answered. "Rather, let it go back ten steps."

11 So the prophet Isaiah invoked the LORD, who made the shadow retreat the ten steps it had descended on the staircase to the terrace of Ahaz.

12 At that time, when Merodachbaladan, son of Baladan, king of Babylon, heard that Hezekiah had been ill, he sent letters and gifts to him.

13 Hezekiah was pleased at this, and therefore showed the messengers his whole treasury, his silver, gold, spices and fine oil, his armory, and all that was in his storerooms; there was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.

14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked him: "What did these men say to you? Where did they come from?" "They came from a distant land, from Babylon," replied Hezekiah.

15 "What did they see in your house?" the prophet asked. "They saw everything in my house," answered Hezekiah. "There is nothing in my storerooms that I did not show them."

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

17 The time is coming when all that is in your house, and everything that your fathers have stored up until this day, shall be carried off to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the LORD.

18 Some of your own bodily descendants shall be taken and made servants in the palace of the king of Babylon."

19 Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD which you have spoken is favorable." For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime."

20 The rest of the acts of Hezekiah, all his valor, and his construction of the pool and conduit by which water was brought into the city, are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah.

21 Hezekiah rested with his ancestors and his son Manasseh succeeded him as king.

v 1. We see in verse 6 that God added 15 years to Hezekiah’s life at this point, and since he reigned 29 years, this was the 14th year of his reign, the same year that Sennacherib invaded Judah, 18:13. God put him to a test, saying he would die.

v 2,3. Ahab turned his face to the wall and pouted, 1 Ki. 21:4, but Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed. Hezekiah’s grief, was especially for the culture of those days is understandable. He was not married yet and, according to Josephus, had no son to succeed him on the throne. He was also concerned that he might be able to help the people against the impending invasion of Sennacherib. However instead of humbly beseeching the Lord, he asked God for healing on the basis of all the good things he had done. Certainly he learned from the experience, which accounted for the very noble prayer later, which is  recorded in 19:14-19.

v 4-6. Before Isaiah had left the court, God told him to return with the message that God had heard the prayer and on the third day (day after tomorrow), he would go worship in the temple. He would also have 15 added years, and God would deliver the city from Assyria. This would be on the basis of God’s own and David’s sake, not because of the good things Hezekiah had done. This accounts for Hezekiah humbly, and in total respect, claiming God’s promise in 19:14-19.

v 7. This boil had nearly caused Hezekiah’s death, but God instructed Isaiah the proper treatment, a fig poultice. This was a common treatment and was of therapeutic value here, not like when Elisha tossed salt in the water to purify it, 2 Ki. 2:21. However, the speed of recovery proved that the healing power was still a miracle from God.

v 8-11. Hezekiah was so ill that it seemed incredible that he could be up and about on the third day. He asked for a sign, also 2 Chr. 32:24, Not that he doubted God, but such a great thing was worthy of confirmation. Various Israelites of those days asked for a sign, and if it  strengthened their faith, God readily provided it. Hezekiah chose the thing most unlikely, that the shadow would go back 10 degrees on the dial of Ahaz. Probably this dial (or set of 10 steps as some think) could be seen from his bedroom window. Some think the rotation of all the planets would not be changed and this was a local occurrence, as they think happened when the sun and moon stood still, Josh. 10:13. Certainly the God who created the entire universe and maintains it, Col. 1:16.17, has the power to altar any of it’s rotations at any time He chooses. The Babylonians apparently experienced the same thing, as that was their purpose in coming to inquire, 2 Chr. 32:31.
Isaiah 38:21,22 merely mention the lump of figs and Hezekiah asking for a sign. However verses 9-20 give extended writing of Hezekiah about his grief that he was going to die, and his bitterness. He acknowledges God forgave his sin and his healing was from the Lord. The dead could not praise God but the living could, so he would sing praises unto him for the rest of his life.

v 12,13. This portion merely mentions their coming to bring Hezekiah a present. They worshipped the sun and Hezekiah’s God proved to be greater than the sun, so they wanted to be on friendly terms with him as they were attempting to throw off the Assyrian yoke on themselves. The Babylonian king had been deposed by Assyria and was ruling from exile, so he was trying to make alliance with other kings. Hezekiah failed to give God credit for the healing, his wealth or for the miracle of the universe. He showed these things in pride, possibly also to let him know how Judah could give to their joint efforts against Assyria. He should have been showing him the temple, the book of the law and their manner of worship, that they would come to know God. The order of events during 701 BC seem to be. [1] Hezekiah’s illness; [2] Merodach-Baladan’s visit; [3] Sennacherib’s attack in which Hezekiah gave him the gold etc.

v 14,15. Hezekiah freely gave complete answer to Isaiah, apparently not realizing he had done anything but what was a good political idea.

v 16-18.  Because of Hezekiah’s pride, 2 Chr. 32:25,  God told him through Isaiah that all the things of value he had shown the Babylonians, they would carry to their country. (This would be the golden vessels and all except those things which were given to Sennacherib, 18:15,16. Also things accumulated after this date.) By Isaiah’s words, Hezekiah learned that he would marry and have sons, but some of them would be taken away and made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. This did not mean upon his own sons, but his descendants, some 120  years later.

v 19. Hezekiah repented of his pride, 2 Chr. 32:26, and accepted that God’s judgment was right, in fact good, better than he deserved. He was grateful that God would allow peace and security in his lifetime. He seems inconsiderate of the trouble his descendants would experience, but even so he recognizes God’s actions as good.
Perhaps in our eagerness to be caught up at the Rapture away from the struggles of this world, we may seem inconsiderate of those who will remain. However, God’s judgment is good. Those who have rejected the Word have had their chance to turn to God. Those who have not heard, or or perhaps born in an interval between the Rapture and the Tribulation, will experience many terrible things, but they too will have a choice.

v 20,21. More details in 2 Chr. 32:27-33. Hezekiah had great riches, honor and might. He had treasures of costly items and storage for much produce and livestock, and built agricultural settlements and villages. His feats included rerouting the water supply from Gihon spring in the east, to the west side of Jerusalem into the pool of Siloam. This was a 1,777 foot tunnel through solid rock, with workmen starting at each end and meeting in the middle. Hezekiah was buried with honor among his royal ancestors in Jerusalem, and Manasseh reigned.
Schofield gives the sequence of events in Hezekiah’s life as follows:
[1] Hezekiah threw off the Assyrian yoke, 2 Ki. 18:7
[2] His successful Philistine campaign, 2 Ki. 18:8
[3] Sennacherib’s first invasion of Judah, 2 Ki. 18:13-16
[4] Hezekiah’s illness and recovery, 2 Ki. 20:1-11
[5] Hezekiah’s imprudent exposure of his defenses and wealth to the Babylonian embassy, 2 Ki. 20:12-19; 2 Chr. 32:25-26:31; Isa. 39
[6] Hezekiah’s wealth and building, 2 Chr. 32:27-29
[7] Sennacherib’s 2nd invasion of Judah and God’s miraculous deliverance in answer to prayer, 2 Ki. 18:17-19:37; 2 Chr. 32:1-23,30; Isa. 36:2-37:38
[8] Hezekiah’s death, 2 Ki. 20:20-21; 2 Chr. 32:32-33.