2 Kings 20

1 In those days [a period of time, a season] Hezekiah [a king of Judah, son of Ahaz] became mortally ill [sick unto death, near death]. The prophet [one who speaks for God, a spokesperson] Isaiah [Jeshaiah, meaning ‘Jehovah has saved’] son of Amoz [the father of the prophet] came to him and said, “This is what the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] says: ‘Put your house [your family, your affairs] in order [arrange, set in order], for you are about to die [to pass away, to cease living]; you will not recover [live, be revived].’” word study 2 Then Hezekiah turned [to face, towards] his face [presence, being in front of] to the wall [barrier, partition] and prayed [to intercede, supplicate] to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], saying [to speak, command], word study 3 “Please [I pray], O LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God], remember [to recall, to mark] how I have walked [lived, conducted myself] before You faithfully [in truth, with integrity] and with wholehearted [complete, perfect] devotion [sincerity, loyalty]; I have done [accomplished, fulfilled] what was good [pleasant, beneficial] in Your sight [before Your eyes, in Your presence].” And Hezekiah [the son of Ahaz, a king of Judah] wept [cried, shed tears] bitterly [with great sorrow, intensely]. word study 4 Before Isaiah [Jeshaiah, Jehovah has saved] had left the middle [central, midst of the city] courtyard [court, a village or settlement], the word [divine message, utterance] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] came to him, saying [to speak, command, or proclaim], word study 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah [the ruler, captain] the leader [commander, prince] of My people [nation, community] that this is what the LORD [Yehovah, the God of covenant], the God [Elohim, the supreme Creator] of your father [ancestor, forefather] David [the king, shepherd], says: ‘I have heard [listened to, given attention to] your prayer [supplication, request]; I have seen [looked upon, observed] your tears [weeping, sorrow]. I will surely [certainly, without fail] heal [restore, mend] you. On the third [next, following] day from now you will go up [ascend, rise] to the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, the God of covenant]. word study 6 I will add [increase, prolong] fifteen years to your life [days, span of existence]. And I will deliver [rescue, save] you and this city [town, place of habitation] from the hand [power, control] of the king [ruler, monarch] of Assyria [Asshur, a nation]. I will defend [protect, guard] this city [place of refuge] for My sake [for My own glory, because of My covenant] and for the sake [because of, in honor of] of My servant [faithful one, devoted follower] David [beloved king].’” word study 7 Then Isaiah [Jeshaiah, Jehovah has saved] said, “Prepare a poultice [cake, dressing] of figs [fig cake, a lump of pressed figs].” So they brought it and applied [laid, put] it to the boil [inflamed spot, skin sore], and Hezekiah recovered [was healed, revived, had life]. word study 8 Now Hezekiah [the faithful king of Judah] had asked Isaiah [Jeshaiah, Jehovah has saved], “What [in what manner or by what means] will be the sign [a miraculous token or wonder] that the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] will heal [mend or cure] me and that I will go up [ascend or rise] to the house [the temple or dwelling place] of the LORD [the supreme God] on the third [the next or following] day?” word study 9 And Isaiah [the prophet, God’s messenger] had replied, “This [sign, miraculous token] will be a sign [wonder, beacon] to you from the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] that He will do [fulfill, accomplish] what He has promised [spoken, declared]: Would you like the shadow [dark area, shade] to go forward [advance, proceed] ten [a decade, a group of ten] steps [degrees, units of measurement], or back [return, reverse] ten [a decade, a group of ten] steps [degrees, units of measurement]?” word study 10 “It is [a light thing] easy for the shadow [dark area, shade] to lengthen [stretch, extend] ten [a decade, a period of time] steps [degrees, stages],” answered Hezekiah [the king of Judah], “but not [by no means] for it to go [return, turn] back [in reverse, backwards] ten [a decade, a period of time] steps [degrees, stages].” word study 11 So Isaiah [God’s spokesperson] the prophet called out [cried unto, made prayer to] to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], and He brought the shadow [dark area, providing shade] back the ten [number ten, a decade] steps it had descended [gone down, fallen] on the stairway [steps, journey upward] of Ahaz [king of Judah, son of Jotham]. word study 12 At that [specific, particular] time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of [a city of confusion] Babylon sent [dispatched, conveyed] letters [scrolls, written messages] and a gift [offering, present] to Hezekiah, for he had heard [been informed, learned] about Hezekiah’s [the king of Judah] illness [sickness, weakness]. word study 13 And Hezekiah received [welcomed, hearkened unto] the envoys and showed them all that was in his [storehouse of precious things] treasure house—the silver [money, wealth], the gold, the spices [pleasant smells, fragrances], and the precious [valuable, highly prized] oil, as well as his armory [house of weapons, arsenal]—all that was found [discovered, uncovered] in his storehouses. There was nothing [no thing, not anything] in his palace [house, dwelling place] or in all his dominion [rule, kingdom] that Hezekiah did not show them [reveal, make known to them]. word study 14 Then the prophet [messenger of God, spokesperson] Isaiah [Jeshaiah, Jehovah has saved] went to King [ruler, monarch] Hezekiah [faithful to Jehovah] and asked, “Where [from what place, whence] did those men [messengers, envoys] come from, and what [what message, what words] did they say [speak, declare] to you?” “They came from a [very] distant [far-off, remote] land [country, territory],” Hezekiah replied, “from [out of, belonging to] Babylon [Babel, city of confusion].” word study 15 “What [in what manner, how] have they seen in your palace [house, dwelling place]?” Isaiah asked. “They have seen [beheld, looked upon] everything [all things, the whole] in my palace [house, treasury],” answered Hezekiah [the king of Judah]. “There is nothing [not a thing, no thing] among my treasures [storehouses, riches] that I did not show [reveal, display] them [to them, before them].” word study 16 Then Isaiah [the prophet, Jeshaiah, Jehovah has saved] said to Hezekiah [the king of Judah], “Hear [to listen, to obey, shema] the word [a thing, a matter] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God]: word study 17 The time [days are coming, a future era] will surely come when everything [all that is, every possession] in your palace [house, dwelling place] and all that your fathers [ancestors, forefathers] have stored up [laid up in store, treasured] until this day [the present time, today] will be carried off [taken away, borne] to Babylon [a place of confusion, exile]. Nothing [not a thing, no remnant] will be left [remain, spared], says the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God]. word study 18 And some of your descendants [sons, offspring, or posterity], your own flesh and blood [relatives, family members], will be taken away [carried off, seized] to be eunuchs [castrated servants, unsexed attendants] in the palace [temple, royal court] of the king [ruler, monarch] of Babylon [a city of confusion, Babel].” word study 19 But Hezekiah [the faithful king of Judah] said to Isaiah [Jehovah has saved], “The word [divine message, declaration] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] that you have spoken [communicated, proclaimed] is good [pleasant, beneficial].” For he thought, “Will there not at least be peace [shalom, completeness, wellness] and security [truth, faithfulness] in my lifetime [days, a period of time]?” word study 20 As for the rest [remainder, what is left] of the acts [deeds, accomplishments] of Hezekiah [a king of Judah, a faithful servant of God], along with all [everything, the entirety of] his might [strength, power, bravery] and how he constructed [made, built] the pool [a reservoir, a watering place] and the tunnel [a conduit, a channel] to bring water [a source of life, refreshment] into the city [a place of dwelling, a community], are they not written [recorded, inscribed] in the Book [a scroll, a written document] of the Chronicles [a record of events, a history] of the Kings [rulers, leaders] of Judah [a tribe, a nation]? word study 21 And Hezekiah [slept, died, rested with his ancestors] rested with his fathers [ancestors, predecessors], and his son [descendant, offspring] Manasseh [a king of Judah] reigned [ruled, governed] in his place [stead, position, underneath him]. word study