2 Kings 20

1 In 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.’”

2 Then 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.

4 Before 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.

6 I 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.”’”

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

8 Hezekiah 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?”

9 Isaiah 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?”

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

11 Isaiah 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.

12 At 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.

13 Hezekiah 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.

14 Then 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.”

15 He 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.”

16 Isaiah 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.’”

19 Then 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?”

20 Now 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?

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

Around 2 Kings 20

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

2 Kings 20 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

Hezekiah is sick and dying, and Isaiah brings him a hard message: set your house in order, for you will not live. Hezekiah turns his face to the wall and prays, and weeps bitterly. Before Isaiah has left the middle of the city, the LORD's word comes again: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears, and I will add fifteen years to your days. Hezekiah recovers. For a sign he asks that the shadow on the sundial go back ten steps, and it does.

Then envoys come from Babylon with letters and a gift. Hezekiah shows them everything in his storehouses. Isaiah asks what they saw, and speaks plainly: the days are coming when all of it will be carried to Babylon, and some of Hezekiah's own sons will serve in the palace there. Hezekiah says the word is good, and asks whether there will at least be peace in his days.

Background

The chapter bridges the Assyrian crisis and the Babylonian future. Babylon appears here for the first time as a rising power, and the prophecy anticipates the exile described in 2 Kings 24 and 25. Hezekiah's reply is read in different ways: some readers see humble acceptance, others see a troubling self-concern. The text does not settle the question. The same events are told in Isaiah 38 and 39.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 31 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes