בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם חָלָה חִזְקִיָּהוּ לָמוּת וַיָּבֹא אֵלָיו יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן־אָמוֹץ הַנָּבִיא וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו כֹּה־אָמַר ה' צַו לְבֵיתֶךָ כִּי מֵת אַתָּה וְלֹא תִחְיֶה

In those days, Hizkiyahu fell deathly ill. His condition was so severe that it seemed he was near death. Isaiah son of Amotz, the prophet, came to visit him and said to him: So said the Lord: Instruct your household, prepare a will for your family, for you will die and will not live. You should prepare yourself and organize your affairs before you die.

וַיַּסֵּב אֶת־פָּנָיו אֶל־הַקִּיר וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל־ה' לֵאמֹר׃

Hizkiyahu waited until Isaiah left him, and then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord with a short, personal supplication, saying:

אָנָּה ה' זְכָר־נָא אֵת אֲשֶׁר הִתְהַלַּכְתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ בֶּאֱמֶת וּבְלֵבָב שָׁלֵם וְהַטּוֹב בְּעֵינֶיךָ עָשִׂיתִי וַיֵּבְךְּ חִזְקִיָּהוּ בְּכִי גָדוֹל

Please, Lord, remember now that I have walked before You truthfully and wholeheartedly, and that which is good in Your eyes I have done. My whole life has been dedicated to Your service. Hizkiyahu wept copiously. It is possible that his son, who would be the crown prince, had not yet been born, and Hizkiyahu’s weeping stemmed not just from the fact that he would die soon at a young age, but also from the fact that he had no one to continue his legacy.

וַיְהִי יְשַׁעְיָהוּ לֹא יָצָא חָצֵר הַתִּיכֹנָה וּדְבַר־ה' הָיָה אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר׃

It was that Isaiah had not yet gone out to the middle courtyard and the word of the Lord was with him as he was walking, saying:

שׁוּב וְאָמַרְתָּ אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ נְגִיד עַמִּי כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי דָּוִד אָבִיךָ שָׁמַעְתִּי אֶת־תְּפִלָּתֶךָ רָאִיתִי אֶת־דִּמְעָתֶךָ הִנְנִי רֹפֵא לָךְ בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי תַּעֲלֶה בֵּית ה'

Return, and say to Hizkiyahu, ruler of My people: So said the Lord, God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I am healing you, although you are now dangerously ill; on the third day from today you will be healthy enough that you will go up to the House of the Lord.

וְהֹסַפְתִּי עַל־יָמֶיךָ חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה וּמִכַּף מֶלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר אַצִּילְךָ וְאֵת הָעִיר הַזֹּאת וְגַנּוֹתִי עַל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת לְמַעֲנִי וּלְמַעַן דָּוִד עַבְדִּי

I will add fifteen years to your days from this point, and I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will protect this city for My sake, and for the sake of My servant David. With the news of personal comfort to Hizkiyahu that he would live another fifteen years, and the news that Jerusalem would be protected, God allayed all of Hizkiyahu’s fears.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְשַׁעְיָהוּ קְחוּ דְּבֶלֶת תְּאֵנִים וַיִּקְחוּ וַיָּשִׂימוּ עַל־הַשְּׁחִין וַיֶּחִי

Isaiah said: Take a cake of figs. They took it, the mass of dried figs, and placed it on the rash, the skin affliction, or the location of the infection from which Hizkiyahu was suffering, and he recovered. This was a miracle, as dried figs are not a medicine, and from a natural perspective may even cause harm to an open wound.

וַיֹּאמֶר חִזְקִיָּהוּ אֶל־יְשַׁעְיָהוּ מָה אוֹת כִּי־יִרְפָּא ה' לִי וְעָלִיתִי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי בֵּית ה'

Hizkiyahu said to Isaiah: What is the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up on the third day to the House of the Lord? Hizkiyahu wanted a sign that this would occur.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְשַׁעְיָהוּ זֶה־לְּךָ הָאוֹת מֵאֵת ה' כִּי יַעֲשֶׂה ה' אֶת־הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר הָלַךְ הַצֵּל עֶשֶׂר מַעֲלוֹת אִם יָשׁוּב עֶשֶׂר מַעֲלוֹת

Isaiah said: This will be the sign for you from the Lord that the Lord will perform the matter that He has spoken: Shall it be that the shadow advances ten stairs, or will go back ten stairs? Do you prefer that the shadow on the sundial, indicating the time of day, should speed up by ten degrees, or that it be delayed by ten degrees?

וַיֹּאמֶר יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ נָקֵל לַצֵּל לִנְטוֹת עֶשֶׂר מַעֲלוֹת לֹא כִי יָשׁוּב הַצֵּל אֲחֹרַנִּית עֶשֶׂר מַעֲלוֹת

Hizkiyahu said: It is easy for the shadow to incline, to move ahead, by ten stairs; the shadow naturally moves in that direction, so even if it moves ahead more quickly than usual, it is a less obvious sign. No, rather let the shadow go backward ten stairs.

וַיִּקְרָא יְשַׁעְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא אֶל־ה' וַיָּשֶׁב אֶת־הַצֵּל בַּמַּעֲלוֹת אֲשֶׁר יָרְדָה בְּמַעֲלוֹת אָחָז אֲחֹרַנִּית עֶשֶׂר מַעֲלוֹת

Isaiah the prophet called to the Lord, and he had the shadow go back on the stairs that it had already descended, on the stairs of the sundial of Ahaz, ten stairs backward.

בָּעֵת הַהִיא שָׁלַח בְּרֹאדַךְ בַּלְאֲדָן בֶּן־בַּלְאֲדָן מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל סְפָרִים וּמִנְחָה אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ כִּי שָׁמַע כִּי חָלָה חִזְקִיָּהוּ

The miracle of the shadow on the sundial was not a localized miracle; rather, it was an expression of a change in the course of nature that affected the entire world. This miracle, combined with the dramatic downfall of Sennacherib, beginning with his sudden retreat from Jerusalem and culminating with his assassination in his own land, brought worldwide fame to Hizkiyahu king of Judah. Consequently, at that time, Berodakh Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hizkiyahu, as he had heard that Hizkiyahu had fallen ill. The distant king sought thereby to express his affinity toward the illustrious king of Judah.

וַיִּשְׁמַע עֲלֵיהֶם חִזְקִיָּהוּ וַיַּרְאֵם אֶת־כָּל־בֵּית נְכֹתֹה אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף וְאֶת־הַזָּהָב וְאֶת־הַבְּשָׂמִים וְאֵת שֶׁמֶן הַטּוֹב וְאֵת בֵּית כֵּלָיו וְאֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר נִמְצָא בְּאוֹצְרֹתָיו לֹא־הָיָה דָבָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא־הֶרְאָם חִזְקִיָּהוּ בְּבֵיתוֹ וּבְכָל־מֶמְשַׁלְתּוֹ

Hizkiyahu heeded them. He did as they wished. The tribute of the distant Babylonian king impressed Hizkiyahu greatly. He received the messengers with open arms and did not suffice with a message of thanks or a gift in return; he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine oil, his armory, and everything that was found in his treasuries; there was nothing that Hizkiyahu did not show them in his house or in his entire realm.

וַיָּבֹא יְשַׁעְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ חִזְקִיָּהוּ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו מָה־אָמְרוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה וּמֵאַיִן יָבֹאוּ אֵלֶיךָ וַיֹּאמֶר חִזְקִיָּהוּ מֵאֶרֶץ רְחוֹקָה בָּאוּ מִבָּבֶל

Isaiah the prophet came to King Hizkiyahu and said to him: What did these men say and from where did they come to you? Isaiah knew who the guests were, but asked a question in order to hear the answer directly from Hizkiyahu. Hizkiyahu said: They came from a distant land, from Babylon.

וַיֹּאמֶר מָה רָאוּ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וַיֹּאמֶר חִזְקִיָּהוּ אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר בְּבֵיתִי רָאוּ לֹא־הָיָה דָבָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא־הִרְאִיתִם בְּאֹצְרֹתָי

He, Isaiah, said: What did they see in your house? Hizkiyahu said: Everything that is in my house they saw; there was nothing in my treasuries that I did not show them.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְשַׁעְיָהוּ אֶל־חִזְקִיָּהוּ שְׁמַע דְּבַר־ה'

Isaiah said to Hizkiyahu: Hear the word of the Lord.

הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים וְנִשָּׂא כָּל־אֲשֶׁר בְּבֵיתֶךָ וַאֲשֶׁר אָצְרוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ עַד־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה בָּבֶלָה לֹא־יִוָּתֵר דָּבָר אָמַר ה'

Behold, days are coming, and everything that is in your house, and that which your fathers amassed to this day, will be carried to Babylon; nothing will remain, said the Lord. The Babylonians will become a superpower and will take everything you have shown them.

וּמִבָּנֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר יֵצְאוּ מִמְּךָ אֲשֶׁר תּוֹלִיד יִקָּחֻ וְהָיוּ סָרִיסִים בְּהֵיכַל מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל

Furthermore, they will take boys from among your sons, who will descend from you, whom you shall beget, and they will be officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.

וַיֹּאמֶר חִזְקִיָּהוּ אֶל־יְשַׁעְיָהוּ טוֹב דְּבַר־ה' אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ וַיֹּאמֶר הֲלוֹא אִם־שָׁלוֹם וֶאֱמֶת יִהְיֶה בְיָמָי

Hizkiyahu believed the prophecy and must have been very afraid. However, he was a strong man, and therefore, Hizkiyahu said to Isaiah: The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good; he further said, explaining his response: Isn’t it so that if your prophecy pertains to future generations, then peace and truth will be in my days? In the near future I have no need for concern. The future of my descendants should worry them; I thank God for the peace that will endure during my lifetime.

וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי חִזְקִיָּהוּ וְכָל־גְּבוּרָתוֹ וַאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֶת־הַבְּרֵכָה וְאֶת־הַתְּעָלָה וַיָּבֵא אֶת־הַמַּיִם הָעִירָה הֲלֹא־הֵם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים לְמַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה

The rest of the matters of Hizkiyahu, and all his might in battle, and that he made the pool and the conduit, and brought water to the city by digging the Shilo’ah channel, a difficult and impressive engineering project meant to protect Jerusalem in times of siege, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

וַיִּשְׁכַּב חִזְקִיָּהוּ עִם־אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּמְלֹךְ מְנַשֶּׁה בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו

When the time came, Hizkiyahu lay with his fathers, and Menashe his son reigned in his place.