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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>2 Kings 20 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/2_kings/20.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/2_kings/20-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > 2 Kings 20</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../2_kings/19.htm" title="2 Kings 19">◄</a> 2 Kings 20 <a href="../2_kings/21.htm" title="2 Kings 21">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">Hezekiah Gets Sick and Almost Dies</h3><h5 class="r">(<ref loc="2CH 32:24-26">2 Chronicles 32.24-26</ref>; <ref loc="ISA 38:1-8">Isaiah 38.1-8</ref>,<ref loc="ISA 38:21">21</ref>,<ref loc="ISA 38:22">22</ref>)</h5><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_1"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.1" class="v12_20_1">1</span>About this time, Hezekiah got sick and was almost dead. Isaiah the prophet went in and told him, “The <span class="nd">Lord</span> says you won't ever get well. You are going to die, so you had better start doing what needs to be done.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_2"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.2" class="v12_20_2">2</span>Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed, </span><span class="v12_20_3"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.3" class="v12_20_3">3</span>“Don't forget that I have been faithful to you, <span class="nd">Lord</span>. I have obeyed you with all my heart, and I do whatever you say is right.” After this, he cried bitterly.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_4"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.4" class="v12_20_4">4</span>Before Isaiah got to the middle court of the palace, </span><span class="v12_20_5"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.5" class="v12_20_5">5</span>the <span class="nd">Lord</span> sent him back to Hezekiah with this message:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v12_20_5">Hezekiah, you are the ruler of my people, and I am the <span class="nd">Lord</span> God, who was worshiped by your ancestor David. I heard you pray, and I saw you cry. I will heal you, so that three days from now you will be able to worship in my temple. </span><span class="v12_20_6"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.6" class="v12_20_6">6</span>I will let you live 15 years more, while I protect you and your city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city as an honor to me and to my servant David.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_7"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.7" class="v12_20_7">7</span>Then Isaiah said to the king's servants, “Bring some mashed figs and place them on the king's open sore. He will then get well.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_8"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.8" class="v12_20_8">8</span>Hezekiah asked Isaiah, “Can you prove that the <span class="nd">Lord</span> will heal me, so that I can worship in his temple in three days?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_9"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.9" class="v12_20_9">9</span>Isaiah replied, “The <span class="nd">Lord</span> will prove to you that he will keep his promise. Will the shadow made by the setting sun on the stairway go forward ten steps or back ten steps?”<a href="#fn" id="link_2Kgs.20.9!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_10"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.10" class="v12_20_10">10</span>“It's normal for the sun to go forward,” Hezekiah answered. “But how can it go back?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_11"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.11" class="v12_20_11">11</span>Isaiah prayed, and the <span class="nd">Lord</span> made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairway built for King Ahaz.<a href="#fn" id="link_2Kgs.20.11!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><h3 class="s1">The <span class="nd">Lord</span> Is Still with Hezekiah</h3><h5 class="r">(<ref loc="ISA 39:1-8">Isaiah 39.1-8</ref>)</h5><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_12"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.12" class="v12_20_12">12</span>Merodach<a href="#fn" id="link_2Kgs.20.12!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> Baladan, the son of Baladan, was now king of Babylonia.<a href="#fn" id="link_2Kgs.20.12!f.2" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> And when he learned that Hezekiah had been sick, he sent messengers with letters and a gift for him. </span><span class="v12_20_13"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.13" class="v12_20_13">13</span>Hezekiah welcomed<a href="#fn" id="link_2Kgs.20.13!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> the messengers and showed them all the silver, the gold, the spices, and the fine oils that were in his storehouse. He even showed them where he kept his weapons. Nothing in his palace or in his entire kingdom was kept hidden from them.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_14"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.14" class="v12_20_14">14</span>Isaiah asked Hezekiah, “Where did these men come from? What did they want?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_14">“They came all the way from Babylonia,” Hezekiah answered.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_15"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.15" class="v12_20_15">15</span>“What did you show them?” Isaiah asked.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_15">Hezekiah answered, “I showed them everything in my kingdom.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_16"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.16" class="v12_20_16">16</span>Then Isaiah told Hezekiah:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v12_20_16">I have a message for you from the <span class="nd">Lord</span>. </span><span class="v12_20_17"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.17" class="v12_20_17">17</span><a href="#fn" id="link_2Kgs.20.17!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> One day everything you and your ancestors have stored up will be taken to Babylonia. The <span class="nd">Lord</span> has promised that nothing will be left. </span><span class="v12_20_18"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.18" class="v12_20_18">18</span><a href="#fn" id="link_2Kgs.20.18!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Some of your own sons will be taken to Babylonia, where they will be disgraced and made to serve in the king's palace.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_19"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.19" class="v12_20_19">19</span>Hezekiah thought, “At least our nation will be at peace for a while.” So he told Isaiah, “The message you brought me from the <span class="nd">Lord</span> is good.”</span></p><h3 class="s1">Hezekiah Dies</h3><h5 class="r">(<ref loc="2CH 32:32">2 Chronicles 32.32</ref>,<ref loc="2CH 32:33">33</ref>)</h5><p class="par"><span class="v12_20_20"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.20" class="v12_20_20">20</span>Everything else Hezekiah did while he was king, including his brave deeds and how he made the upper pool and tunnel bring water into Jerusalem, is written in <span class="bk">The History of the Kings of Judah</span>. </span><span class="v12_20_21"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.20.21" class="v12_20_21">21</span>Hezekiah died, and his son Manasseh became king.</span></p> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">20.9 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Will … steps: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">20.11 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">the shadow … Ahaz: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">20.12 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Merodach: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">The Hebrew text has “Berodach,” another spelling of the name.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">20.12 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Merodach Baladan … Babylonia: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Ruled Babylonia 722–710 and 704–703 <char style="sc">b.c.</char></char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">20.13 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">welcomed: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Or “listened to.”</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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