2nd Kings — 20
Hazakyahu’s Sickness and Recovery
1 About that time Hazakyahu became deathly ill, and the Nabym Yashayahu son of Amuz went to visit him, he gave the king this message: “This is what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die, you will not recover from this illness.”
2 When Hazakyahu heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH,
3 “Remember, O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly.
4 But before Yashayahu had left the middle courtyard, this message came to him from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH:
5 “Go back to Hazakyahu, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of your ancestor Daud, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.
6 I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own honor and for the sake of my servant Daud.’”
7 Then Yashayahu said, “Make an ointment from figs.” So Hazakyahu’s servants spread the ointment over the boil, and Hazakyahu recovered!
8 Meanwhile, Hazakyahu had said to Yashayahu, “What sign will 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH give to prove that he will heal me and that I will go to the Temple of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH three days from now?”
9 YashaYahu replied, “This is the sign from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH to prove that he will do as He promised. Would you like the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten steps or backward ten steps?”
10 “The shadow always moves forward,” Hazakyahu replied, “so that would be easy. Make it go ten steps backward instead.”
11 So Yashayahu the Nabym asked 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH to do this, and he caused the shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!
Envoys from Babylun
12 Soon after this, Marudach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylun, sent Hazakyahu his best wishes and a gift, for he had heard that Hazakyahu had been very sick.
13 Hazakyahu received the Babylunian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses, the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils, he also took them to see his armory and showed them everything in his royal treasuries! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hazakyahu did not show them.
14 Then Yashayahu the Nabym went to King Hazakyahu and asked him, “What did those men want? Where were they from?” Hazakyahu replied, “They came from the distant land of Babylun.”
15 “What did they see in your palace?” Yashayahu asked. “They saw everything,” Hazakyahu replied. “I showed them everything I own, all my royal treasuries.”
16 Then Yashayahu said to Hazakyahu, Listen to this message from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH:
17 The time is coming when everything in your palace, all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now, will be carried off to Babylun. Nothing will be left, says 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.
18 Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylun’s king.”
19 Then Hazakyahu said to Yashayahu, “This message you have given me from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be Shalum and security during my lifetime.”
20 The rest of the events in Hazakyahu’s reign, including the extent of his power and how he built a pool and dug a tunnel to bring water into the city, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Yahudah.
21 Hazakyahu died, and his son Manassah became the next king.