Skip to content
Journey Through the Bible

2 Kings 20:8-21

8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day from now?”

9 Isaiah answered, “This is the Lord’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?”

10 “It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.”

11 Then the prophet Isaiah called upon the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

12 Envoys From Babylon
At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah’s illness.

13 Hezekiah received the messengers and showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine oil—his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

14 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”
“From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came from Babylon.”

15 The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”
“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord:

17 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord.

18 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

19 “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”

20 As for the other events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?

21 Hezekiah rested with his fathers. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.

Cross References for 2 Kings 20:8-21

Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give bi... Click to read the verse Isaiah 7:14 Click to read the verse Isaiah 7:14

Genesis 15:8 - But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” Click to read the verse Genesis 15:8 Click to read the verse Genesis 15:8

Isaiah 7:11 - “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” Click to read the verse Isaiah 7:11 Click to read the verse Isaiah 7:11

2 Kings 20:5 - “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your fa... Click to read the verse 2 Kings 20:5 Click to read the verse 2 Kings 20:5

Hosea 6:2 - After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his ... Click to read the verse Hosea 6:2 Click to read the verse Hosea 6:2

Judges 6:17 - Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you t... Click to read the verse Judges 6:17 Click to read the verse Judges 6:17

2 Kings 19:29 - “This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah: “This year you will eat what grows by itself, and t... Click to read the verse 2 Kings 19:29 Click to read the verse 2 Kings 19:29

1 Kings 13:3 - That same day the man of God gave a sign: “This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar wi... Click to read the verse 1 Kings 13:3 Click to read the verse 1 Kings 13:3

Luke 2:12 - This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Click to read the verse Luke 2:12 Click to read the verse Luke 2:12

Isaiah 38:22 - Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign that I will go up to the temple of the Lord?” Click to read the verse Isaiah 38:22 Click to read the verse Isaiah 38:22

Judges 6:37-40 - look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and... Click to read the verse Judges 6:37-40 Click to read the verse Judges 6:37-40

Luke 18:10 - “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Click to read the verse Luke 18:10 Click to read the verse Luke 18:10