King Hezekiah // the word and the sign from the Prophet ISAIAH [ II Kings 20 ]

Translation with textual emendations

from II Kings, Anchor Bible Commentary

#11, commentator is Mordechai Cogan

pages 253-7

Chapter 20

1) In those days, Hezekiah

became mortally _ill.  The

prophet Isaiah son of Amoz

came to him and said to him,

"Thus said YHWH,

prepare your testament, for

you are about to die; you shall

not recover".

2) Whereupon he turned toward

the wall and prayed to YHWH,

"Please, O YHWH, remember how

I served you faithfully and loyally,

and did what was pleasing to you."

And Hezekiah wept bitterly

4)  Isaiah had not left the middle

courtyard, when the word of

YHWH came to him:

5) Return and say to Hezekiah,

ruler of my people, Thus said

YHWH, God of David your ancestors:

I have heard your prayer; I have

seen your tears.  Now, then, I will heal

you.  Within three days you shall

go up to the House of YHWH.

6) I will add 15 years to your life.

I will save you and this city from the

hand of the king of Assyria, and I

will protect this city, for my own sake

and for the sake of David my servant.

7) Then Isaiah said, "Fetch a fig cake!"

They brought one and placed it upon_ the

boil and he recovered.  Hezekiah said to

Isaiah, "What is the sign that YHWH will

heal me and that within three days I shall

go up to the House of YHWH?

9) Isaiah replied, "This will be the sign for

you from YHWH, that YHWH will perform

what he promised: The shadow has moved

ahead 10 steps; can it return 10 steps?"

10) Hezekiah said, "It is easy for the shadow

to lengthen ten steps; not so for it to go

back ten steps."

11) So the prophet Isaiah called to YHWH,

and He moved the shadow back the ten steps

which <the sun > had gone down the Ahaz dial.

Parallel text in Isaiah 38:8

shemesh [HEBREW : sun] is moving

back and forth thus causing a

change in the length of the shadow

Dead Sea Scroll IQ Isaiah-a reads

"on the dial of the Ahaz roof chamber"

see also Jerome's Vulgate transl. & LXX