King Hezekiah's Illness and Recovery
(Isaiah 38.1-8Isaiah 21Isaiah 222 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 Isaiah left the king, but before he had passed through the central courtyard of the palace the Lord told him 5 to go back to Hezekiah, ruler of the Lord's people, and say to him, “I, the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and in three days you will go to the Temple. 6 I will let you live fifteen years longer. I will rescue you and this city Jerusalem from the emperor of Assyria. I will defend this city, for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.”
7 Then Isaiah told the king's attendants to put on his boil a paste made of figs, and he would get well. 8 King Hezekiah asked, “What is the sign to prove that the Lord will heal me and that three days later I will be able to go to the Temple?”
9 Isaiah replied, “The Lord will give you a sign to prove that he will keep his promise. Now, would you prefer to have the shadow on the stairway go forward ten steps or go back ten steps?”
10 Hezekiah answered, “It's easy to have the shadow go forward ten steps! Have it go back ten steps.”
11 Isaiah prayed to the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairway set up by King Ahaz.
Messengers from Babylonia
(Isaiah 39.1-8)12 About that same time the king of Babylonia, Merodach Baladan, the son of Baladan, heard that King Hezekiah had been sick, so he sent him a letter and a present. 13 Hezekiah welcomed the messengers and showed them his wealth—his silver and gold, his spices and perfumes, and all his military equipment. There was nothing in his storerooms or anywhere in his kingdom that he did not show them. 14 Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, “Where did these men come from and what did they say to you?”
Hezekiah answered, “They came from a very distant country, from Babylonia.”
15 “What did they see in the palace?”
“They saw everything. There is nothing in the storerooms that I didn't show them.”
16 Isaiah then told the king, “The Lord Almighty says that 17 a time is coming when everything in your palace, everything that your ancestors have stored up to this day, will be carried off to Babylonia. Nothing will be left. 18 Some of your own direct descendants will be taken away and made eunuchs to serve in the palace of the king of Babylonia.”
19 King Hezekiah understood this to mean that there would be peace and security during his lifetime, so he replied, “The message you have given me from the Lord is good.”
The End of Hezekiah's Reign
(2 Chronicles 32.322 33)20 Everything else that King Hezekiah did, his brave deeds, and an account of how he built a reservoir and dug a tunnel to bring water into the city, are all recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah. 21 Hezekiah died, and his son Manasseh succeeded him as king.
1 Kad tais dienās Hiskija saslima uz miršanu, tad pie viņa atnāca pravietis Jesaja, Amoca dēls, un viņam sacīja: "Apkop savu namu, jo tu mirsi un nekļūsi vesels!" 2 Tad Hiskija pagrieza savu vaigu pret sienu un pielūdza To Kungu, un sacīja: 3 "Ak, Kungs! Lūdzams piemini, ka es tavā priekšā esmu staigājis patiesībā un no visas sirds un ka es esmu darījis to, kas Tev labi patīk!" Un Hiskija rūgti raudāja. 4 Un, kad Jesaja vēl nebija izgājis ne pusceļa caur pilsētu, tad Tā Kunga vārds nāca pār viņu un sacīja: 5 "Griezies atpakaļ un saki Hiskijam, manas tautas vadonim: tā saka Tas Kungs, tava ciltstēva Dāvida Dievs: Es esmu tavu lūgšanu uzklausījis, un Es esmu redzējis tavas asaras; redzi, Es tevi izdziedināšu - un jau trešajā dienā tu dosies augšā uz Tā Kunga namu! 6 Un Es gribu vēl pie tavām mūža dienām pielikt piecpadsmit gadus; un tevi un šo pilsētu Es izglābšu no Asīrijas ķēniņa rokas, un Es pasargāšu šo pilsētu Sevis labad un Sava kalpa Dāvida labad." 7 Un Jesaja sacīja: "Ņemiet vīģu rausi!" Un tie to ņēma un uzlika uz augoņa, un viņš kļuva vesels. 8 Un Hiskija jautāja Jesajam: "Kāda ir tā zīme, ka Tas Kungs darīs mani veselu un ka es varēšu iet trešajā dienā augšup Tā Kunga namā?" 9 Tad Jesaja atbildēja: "Šī būs tā zīme tev no Tā Kunga, ka Tas Kungs šo lietu darīs, ko Viņš ir apsolījis: vai ēnai būs iet desmit pakāpienus uz priekšu vai atkāpties desmit pakāpienus atpakaļ?" 10 Tad Hiskija atbildēja: "Tas ir ēnai par vieglu - iet desmit pakāpienus uz priekšu; nē, lai ēna atkāpjas desmit pakāpienus atpakaļ!" 11 Un pravietis Jesaja piesauca To Kungu, un Viņš lika ēnai atkāpties desmit pakāpienus atpakaļ pa tiem pašiem pakāpieniem, pa kuriem tā pēc Ahasa saules pulksteņa bija gājusi uz priekšu. 12 Tanī pašā laikā Merodah-Baladans, Baladana dēls, Bābeles ķēniņš, atsūtīja gan vēstules, gan dāvanas Hiskijam, jo viņš bija dzirdējis, ka Hiskija esot saslimis. 13 Un Hiskija tos labprāt uzklausīja un rādīja tiem visu savu dārgumu namu: sudrabu un zeltu, balzamu un dārgas eļļas, un visu savu ieroču namu, itin visu, kas atradās viņa dārgumu krātuvēs; un nekas nebija viņa pilī un visā viņa valstī, ko Hiskija nebūtu viņiem parādījis. 14 Tad pravietis Jesaja nāca pie ķēniņa Hiskijas un tam jautāja: "Ko šie vīri gribēja, un no kurienes tie pie tevis ir nākuši?" Hiskija atbildēja: "Tie ir nākuši no tālas zemes, no Bābeles." 15 Un tas jautāja: "Ko tie ir redzējuši tavā pilī?" Hiskija atbildēja: "Visu, kas vien ir manā pilī, un nav nevienas tādas lietas manās dārgumu krātuvēs, ko es nebūtu tiem rādījis." 16 Tad Jesaja sacīja Hiskijam: "Klausies Tā Kunga vārdu: 17 redzi, nāks dienas, ka viss, kas atrodas tavā pilī, un viss, ko tavi tēvi ir sakrājuši līdz šai dienai, tiks aizvests uz Bābeli, - neatliks nenieka, tā saka Tas Kungs. 18 Un no taviem dēliem, kuri ir no tevis cēlušies, kurus tu esi dzemdinājis, daži tiks paņemti, lai tie kalpotu kā galma sulaiņi Bābeles ķēniņa pilī." 19 Tad Hiskija atbildēja Jesajam: "Tā Kunga vārds, kuru tu esi man vēstījis, ir labs!" Un viņš domāja: lai notiek! Ja tikai miers un drošība pastāv manā laikā. 20 Un, kas vēl stāstāms par Hiskiju un visi tie varoņdarbi, ko viņš ir veicis, un kā viņš ierīkoja ūdens krātuvi un ūdens vadu un kā viņš ūdeni ievadīja pilsētā, - tas viss ir aprakstīts Jūdas ķēniņu Laiku grāmatā. 21 Kad Hiskija gūlās pie saviem tēviem, tad viņa dēls Manase kļuva ķēniņš viņa vietā.
