2 Kings 20 - Easy To Read Version

¹ At that time, Hezekiah became sick and almost died. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to Hezekiah. Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “The Lord says, ‘Put your house in order, because you will die. You will not live!’”

² Hezekiah turned his face to the wall. [243] He prayed to the Lord and said,

³ “Lord, remember that I have truly served you with all my heart. I have done the things that you say are good.” Then Hezekiah cried very hard.

⁴ Before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, the word of the Lord came to him. The Lord said,

⁵ “Go back and speak to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestor [244] David says: I have heard your prayer and I have seen your tears. So I will heal you. On the third day, you will go up to the temple of the Lord.

⁶ And I will add 15 years to your life. I will save you and this city from the power of the king of Assyria. I will protect this city. I will do this for myself and because of {the promise I made to} my servant David.’”

⁷ Then Isaiah said, “Make a mixture of figs [245] {and put it on the sore place}.”

⁸ Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day?”

⁹ Isaiah said, “{Which do you want?} Should the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps? [246] This is the sign for you from the Lord to show that the Lord will do the thing he said he would do.”

¹⁰ Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten steps. No, make the shadow go back ten steps.”

¹¹ Then Isaiah prayed to the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow move back ten steps. It went back on the steps that it had already been on.

¹² At that time, Merodach Baladan son of Baladan was king of Babylon. He sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah. Merodach Baladan did this because he heard Hezekiah had been sick.

¹³ Hezekiah welcomed the men from Babylon, and showed them all the valuable things in his house. He showed him the silver, the gold, the spices, the expensive perfume, the weapons, and everything in his treasuries. There was nothing in all Hezekiah’s house and kingdom that he did not show them.

¹⁴ Then Isaiah the prophet came to king Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say? Where did they come from?”

¹⁵ Isaiah said, “What have they seen in your house?”

¹⁶ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord.

¹⁷ The time is coming when all the things in your house and all the things your ancestors [247] have saved until today will be carried away to Babylon. Nothing will be left! The Lord says this.

¹⁸ The Babylonians will take your sons. And your sons will become eunuchs [248] in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

¹⁹ Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message from the Lord is good.”

²⁰ All the great things that Hezekiah did, including his work on the pool and the aqueduct [249] to bring water into the city, are written in the book The History of the Kings of Judah.

²¹ Hezekiah died and was buried with his ancestors. [250] And Hezekiah’s son Manasseh became the new king after him.