2 Kings 20

Hezekiah's Illness and Babylonian Embassy

¹In those days Hezekiah was sick and dying. Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “The LORD says, ‘Set your house in order; for you will die, and not live.’”

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

³“Remember now, LORD, I beg you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

⁴Before Isaiah had gone out into the middle part of the city, the LORD’s word came to him, saying,

⁵“Turn back, and tell Hezekiah the prince of my people, ‘The LORD, the God of David your father, says, “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day, you will go up to the LORD’s house.

⁶I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.”’”

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

⁸Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I will go up to the LORD’s house the third day?”

⁹Isaiah said, “This will be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has spoken: should the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?”

¹⁰Hezekiah answered, “It is a light thing for the shadow to go forward ten steps. No, but let the shadow return backward ten steps.”

¹¹Isaiah the prophet cried to the LORD; and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.

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

¹³Hezekiah listened to them, and showed them all the storehouse of his precious things—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, and the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house, or in all his dominion, that Hezekiah didn’t show them.

¹⁴Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? From where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, even from Babylon.”

¹⁵He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”

¹⁶Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the LORD’s word.

¹⁷‘Behold, the days come that all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have laid up in store to this day, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the LORD.

¹⁸‘They will take away some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will father; and they will be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

¹⁹Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The LORD’s word which you have spoken is good.” He said moreover, “Isn’t it so, if peace and truth will be in my days?”

²⁰Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made the pool, and the conduit, and brought water into the city, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

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

Previous 2 Kings 19

Next 2 Kings 21

King Hezekiah falls mortally ill, but after his earnest prayer, God grants him fifteen additional years of life and provides a miraculous sign by reversing the shadow on a sundial. However, when Babylonian envoys visit during his recovery, Hezekiah foolishly displays all his royal treasures to them. Isaiah prophesies that this pride will lead to Babylon eventually conquering Judah and carrying away both the treasures and Hezekiah's descendants into exile.

Context

This chapter follows Hezekiah's successful defense against Assyria and sets up the future Babylonian exile that will dominate the book's conclusion.

Key Themes

Outline

1-3
Hezekiah's Terminal Illness and Prayer Isaiah delivers God's message that Hezekiah will die, prompting the king's desperate prayer for healing.
4-7
God's Promise of Healing God responds to Hezekiah's prayer by promising fifteen more years of life and deliverance from Assyria.
8-11
The Miraculous Sign As confirmation of his healing, God causes the shadow on Ahaz's sundial to move backward ten steps.
12-15
The Babylonian Embassy Babylonian envoys visit the recovered king, and Hezekiah proudly shows them all his royal treasures.
16-19
Isaiah's Prophecy of Exile Isaiah prophesies that Babylon will one day carry away all of Judah's treasures and royal descendants.

Hezekiah's Illness and Babylonian Embassy

20:1–20:21

narrative narration contemplative

Hezekiah receives divine healing through Isaiah's intercession and a miraculous sign, but then foolishly displays his wealth to Babylonian envoys, prompting a prophetic warning.

person_contrast

Hezekiah, who dominates royal narratives through displays of political authority, uniquely appears here weeping and pleading for divine mercy like a common supplicant.

Insight Character Study

Hezekiah, who dominates royal narratives through displays of political authority, uniquely appears here weeping and pleading for divine mercy like a common supplicant.