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1 In those dayes was Hezekiah sicke vnto death: and the Prophet Isaiah the sonne of Amos came to him, and saide vnto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not liue.
2 Then hee turned his face to the wall, and prayed vnto the Lord, saying;
3 I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I haue walked before thee in trueth, and with a perfect heart, and haue done that which is good in thy sight: and Hezekiah wept sore.
4 And it came to passe afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying:
5 Turne againe, and tell Hezekiah the captaine of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Dauid thy father, I haue heard thy prayer, I haue seene thy teares: behold, I will heale thee; on the third day thou shalt goe vp vnto the house of the Lord.
6 And I will adde vnto thy dayes fifteene yeeres, and I will deliuer thee, and this city, out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this citie for mine owne sake, and for my seruant Dauids sake.
7 And Isaiah said, Take a lumpe of figs. And they tooke and layd it on the boile, and he recouered.
8 ¶ And Hezekiah said vnto Isaiah, What shall bee the signe that the Lord wil heale me, and that I shall goe vp into the house of the Lord the third day?
9 And Isaiah said, This signe shalt thou haue of the Lord, that the Lord will doe the thing that hee hath spoken: shall the shadow goe forward ten degrees, or goe backe tenne degrees?
10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go downe tenne degrees: nay, but let the shadow returne backward tenne degrees.
11 And Isaiah the Prophet cryed vnto the Lord, and he brought the shadow tenne degrees backeward, by which it had gone downe in the diall of Ahaz.
12 ¶ At that time Berodach-Baladan the sonne of Baladan King of Babylon, sent letters and a present vnto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had beene sicke.
13 And Hezekiah hearkened vnto them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the siluer, and the golde, and the spices, and the precious oyntment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.
14 ¶ Then came Isaiah the Prophet vnto King Hezekiah, and sayde vnto him, What sayd these men? and from whence came they vnto thee? And Hezekiah sayde, They are come from a farre countrey, euen from Babylon.
15 And he said, What haue they seene in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house haue they seene: there is nothing among my treasures, that I haue not shewed them.
16 And Isaiah said vnto Hezekiah, Heare the word of the Lord.
17 Behold, the dayes come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers haue layde vp in store vnto this day, shall be caried vnto Babylon: nothing shall be left, sayth the Lord.
18 And of thy sonnes that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away, and they shall bee Eunuches in the palace of the king of Babylon.
19 Then said Hezekiah vnto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and trueth be in my dayes?
20 ¶ And the rest of the actes of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how hee made a poole and a conduit, & brought water into the city, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the Kings of Iudah?
21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and Manasseh his sonne reigned in his stead.
Hezekiah's sickness, His recovery in answer to prayer. (1-11) Hezekiah shows his treasures to the ambassadors from Babylon, His death. (12-21)1-11 Hezekiah was sick unto death, in the same year in which the king of Assyria besieged Jerusalem. A warning to prepare for death was brought to Hezekiah by Isaiah. Prayer is one of the best preparations for death, because by it we fetch in strength and grace from God, to enable us to finish well. He wept sorely: some gather from hence that he was unwilling to die; it is in the nature of man to dread the separation of soul and body. There was also something peculiar in Hezekiah's case; he was now in the midst of his usefulness. Let Hezekiah's prayer, see #Isa 38|. interpret his tears; in that is nothing which is like his having been under that fear of death, which has bondage or torment. Hezekiah's piety made his sick-bed easy. "O Lord, remember now;" he does not speak as if God needed to be put in mind of any thing by us; nor, as if the reward might be demanded as due; it is Christ's righteousness only that is the purchase of mercy and grace. Hezekiah does not pray, Lord, spare me; but, Lord, remember me; whether I live or die, let me be thine. God always hears the prayers of the broken in heart, and will give health, length of days, and temporal deliverances, as much and as long as is truly good for them. Means were to be used for Hezekiah's recovery; yet, considering to what a height the disease was come, and how suddenly it was checked, the cure was miraculous. It is our duty, when sick, to use such means as are proper to help nature, else we do not trust God, but tempt him. For the confirmation of his faith, the shadow of the sun was carried back, and the light was continued longer than usual, in a miraculous manner. This work of wonder shows the power of God in heaven as well as on earth, the great notice he takes of prayer, and the great favour he bears to his chosen.
12-21 The king of Babylon was at this time independent of the king of Assyria, though shortly after subdued by him. Hezekiah showed his treasures and armour, and other proofs of his wealth and power. This was the effect of pride and ostentation, and departing from simple reliance on God. He also seems to have missed the opportunity of speaking to the Chaldeans, about Him who had wrought the miracles which excited their attention, and of pointing out to them the absurdity and evil of idolatry. What is more common than to show our friends our houses and possessions? But if we do this in the pride of ours hearts, to gain applause from men, not giving praise to God, it becomes sin in us, as it did in Hezekiah. We may expect vexation from every object with which we are unduly pleased. Isaiah, who had often been Hezekiah's comforter, is now is reprover. The blessed Spirit is both, #Joh 16:7,8|. Ministers must be both, as there is occasion. Hezekiah allowed the justice of the sentence, and God's goodness in the respite. Yet the prospect respecting his family and nation must have given him many painful feelings. Hezekiah was indeed humbled for the pride of his heart. And blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; for they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.