1 About that time was Hezekiah sicke vnto the death, and the Prophet Isaiah sonne of Amoz came vnto him, and sayd vnto him, Thus sayth the Lord, Put thine house in an order, for thou shalt dye, and not liue. 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, 3 And saide, I beseeche thee, 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. 4 Then came the worde of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, 5 Goe, and say vnto Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord God of Dauid thy father, I haue heard thy prayer, and seene thy teares: behold, I will adde vnto thy dayes fifteene yeeres. 6 And I will deliuer thee out of the hand of the King of Asshur, and this citie: for I will defende this citie. 7 And this signe shalt thou haue of ye Lord, that ye Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken, 8 Beholde, I will bring againe the shadowe of the degrees (whereby it is gone downe in the diall of Ahaz by the sunne) ten degrees backeward: so the sunne returned by tenne degrees, by the which degrees it was gone downe. 9 The writing of Hezekiah King of Iudah, when he had bene sicke, and was recouered of his sickenesse. 10 I saide in the cutting off of my dayes, I shall goe to the gates of the graue: I am depriued of the residue of my yeeres. 11 I said, I shall not see the Lord, euen the Lord in the land of the liuing: I shall see man no more among the inhabitants of the world. 12 Mine habitation is departed, and is remoued from me, like a shepheards tent: I haue cut off like a weauer my life: he will cut me off from the height: from day to night, thou wilt make an ende of me. 13 I rekoned to the morning: but he brake all my bones, like a lion: from day to night wilt thou make an ende of me. 14 Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourne as a doue: mine eies were lift vp on high: O Lord, it hath oppressed me, comfort me. 15 What shall I say? for he hath said it to me, and he hath done it: I shall walke weakely all my yeeres in the bitternesse of my soule. 16 O Lord, to them that ouerliue them, and to all that are in them, the life of my spirite shalbe knowen, that thou causedst me to sleepe and hast giuen life to me. 17 Beholde, for felicitie I had bitter griefe, but it was thy pleasure to deliuer my soule from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sinnes behinde thy backe. 18 For the graue cannot confesse thee: death cannot praise thee: they that goe downe into the pit, cannot hope for thy trueth. 19 But the liuing, the liuing, he shall confesse thee, as I doe this day: the father to the children shall declare thy trueth. 20 The Lord was ready to saue me: therefore we will sing my song, all the dayes of our life in the House of the Lord. 21 Then said Isaiah, Take a lumpe of drye figs and lay it vpon the boyle, and he shall recouer. 22 Also Hezekiah had said, What is ye signe, that I shall goe vp into the House of the Lord?
King Hezekiah's Illness and Recovery
(2 Kings 20.1-112 Chronicles 32.24-26)1 About this time King Hezekiah became sick and almost died. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and said to him, “The Lord tells you that you are to put everything in order because you will not recover. Get ready to die.”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed: 3 “Remember, Lord, that I have served you faithfully and loyally, and that I have always tried to do what you wanted me to.” And he began to cry bitterly.
4 Then the Lord commanded Isaiah 5 to go back to Hezekiah and say to him, “I, the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will let you live fifteen years longer. 6 I will rescue you and this city of Jerusalem from the emperor of Assyria, and I will continue to protect the city.”
21 Isaiah told the king to put a paste made of figs on his boil, and he would get well. 22 Then King Hezekiah asked, “What is the sign to prove that I will be able to go to the Temple?”
7 Isaiah replied, “The Lord will give you a sign to prove that he will keep his promise. 8 On the stairway built by King Ahaz, the Lord will make the shadow go back ten steps.” And the shadow moved back ten steps.
9 After Hezekiah recovered from his illness, he wrote this song of praise:
10 I thought that in the prime of life
I was going to the world of the dead,
Never to live out my life.
11 I thought that in this world of the living
I would never again see the Lord
Or any living person.
12 My life was cut off and ended,
Like a tent that is taken down,
Like cloth that is cut from a loom.
I thought that God was ending my life.
13 All night I cried out with pain,
As if a lion were breaking my bones.
I thought that God was ending my life.
14 My voice was thin and weak,
And I moaned like a dove.
My eyes grew tired from looking to heaven.
Lord, rescue me from all this trouble.
15 What can I say? The Lord has done this.
My heart is bitter, and I cannot sleep.
16 Lord, I will live for you, for you alone;
Heal me and let me live.
17 My bitterness will turn into peace.
You save my life from all danger;
You forgive all my sins.
18 No one in the world of the dead can praise you;
The dead cannot trust in your faithfulness.
19 It is the living who praise you,
As I praise you now.
Parents tell their children how faithful you are.
20 Lord, you have healed me.
We will play harps and sing your praise,
Sing praise in your Temple as long as we live.