Hezekiah Becomes Sick
1 In those days Hezekiah became very sick. He knew he was about to die. The prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, went to him. Isaiah told Hezekiah, "The LORD says, 'Put everything in order. Make out your will. You are going to die soon. You will not get well again.' "
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Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall. He prayed to the Lord. He said,
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"Lord, please remember how faithful I've been to you. I've lived the way you wanted me to. I've served you with all my heart. I've done what is good in your sight." And Hezekiah cried bitterly.
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Isaiah was leaving the middle courtyard. Before he had left it, a message came to him from the Lord. He said,
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"Go back and speak to Hezekiah. He is the leader of my people. Tell him, 'The Lord, the God of King David, says, "I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. And I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to my temple.
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I will add 15 years to your life. And I will save you and this city from the powerful hand of the king of Assyria. I will guard this city. I will do it for myself. And I will do it for my servant David." ' "
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Then Isaiah said, "Press some figs together. Spread them on a piece of cloth." So that's what they did. Then they applied it to Hezekiah's boil. And he got well again.
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Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, "You say the LORD will heal me. You say that I'll go up to his temple on the third day from now. What will the miraculous sign be to prove he'll really do that?"
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Isaiah answered, "The LORD will do what he has promised. Here is his sign to you. Do you want the shadow the sun makes to go forward ten steps? Or do you want it to go back ten steps?"
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"It's easy for the shadow to go forward ten steps," said Hezekiah. "So have it go back ten steps."
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Then the prophet Isaiah called out to the Lord. And the LORD made the shadow go back ten steps. It went back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway Ahaz had made.