2 Kings 20:9

Contemporary English Version

Isaiah replied, "The Lord 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?"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from the Lord that he will do what he has promised: Should the shadow go ahead ten steps or go back ten steps?”

Hebrew Names Version
Yesha`yahu said, This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?

King James Version
And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord , that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

English Standard Version
And Isaiah said, "This shall be the sign to you from the Lord , that the Lord will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?"

New Century Version
Isaiah said, "The Lord will do what he says. This is the sign from the Lord to show you: Do you want the shadow to go forward ten steps or back ten steps?"

New English Translation
Isaiah replied, "This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said. Do you want the shadow to move ahead ten steps or to go back ten steps?"

Amplified Bible
Isaiah said, "This will be the sign to you from the LORD, that He will do the thing that He has spoken: shall the shadow [indicating the time of day] go forward ten steps, or go backward ten steps?"

New American Standard Bible
Isaiah said, "This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will perform the word that He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps or go back ten steps?"

World English Bible
Isaiah said, This shall be the sign to you from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing that he has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Isaiah answered, This signe shalt thou haue of the Lorde, that the Lorde will doe that he hath spoken, Wilt thou that the shadowe goe forwarde ten degrees, or go backe ten degrees?

Legacy Standard Bible
And Isaiah said, "This shall be the sign to you from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing that He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps or turn back ten steps?"

Berean Standard Bible
And Isaiah replied, "This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised: Would you like the shadow to go forward ten steps, or back ten steps?"

Complete Jewish Bible
Yesha‘yahu said, "Here is the sign for you from Adonai that Adonai will do what he said: do you want the shadow [of the sundial] to go forward ten intervals or backward ten intervals?

Darby Translation
And Isaiah said, This [shall be] the sign to thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

Easy-to-Read Version
Isaiah said, "Which do you want? Should the shadow go forward ten steps or go back ten steps? This is the sign for you from the Lord to show that the Lord will do what he said he would do."

George Lamsa Translation
And Isaiah said, This is the sign that you shall have from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or backward ten degrees?

Good News Translation
Isaiah replied, "The Lord will give you a sign to prove that he will keep his promise. Now, would you prefer to have the shadow on the stairway go forward ten steps or go back ten steps?"

Lexham English Bible
Isaiah said, "This is the sign for you from Yahweh that Yahweh will do the thing that he has promised: Shall the shadow advance ten steps or shall it return ten steps?"

Literal Translation
And Isaiah said, This will be the sign to you from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do the thing that He has spoken: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it turn back ten steps?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Esay sayde: This token shalt thou haue of the LORDE, that the LORDE shal do acordynge as he hath sayde. Shall the shadowe go ten degrees forwarde, or shal it turne ten degrees backwarde?

American Standard Version
And Isaiah said, This shall be the sign unto thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?

Bible in Basic English
And Isaiah said, This is the sign the Lord will give you, that he will do what he has said; will the shade go forward ten degrees or back?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Isai aunswered: This signe shalt thou haue of the Lord, that the Lord will do that he hath spoken: Shall the shadowe go forwarde ten degrees? or go backe againe ten degrees?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Isaiah said: 'This shall be the sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that He hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

King James Version (1611)
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?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Esaias said, This is the sign from the Lord, that the Lord will perform the word which he has spoken, the shadow of the dial shall advance ten degrees: or if it should go back ten degrees this would also be the sign.

English Revised Version
And Isaiah said, This shall be the sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
To whom Ysaie seide, This schal be `a signe of the Lord, that the Lord schal do the word which he spak; wolt thou, that the schadewe stie by ten lynes, ethir turne ayen bi so many degrees?

Update Bible Version
And Isaiah said, This shall be the sign to you from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing that he has spoken: The shadow has gone forward ten steps. Shall it come back ten steps?

Webster's Bible Translation
And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

New King James Version
Then Isaiah said, "This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?"

New Living Translation
Isaiah replied, "This is the sign from the Lord to prove that he will do as he promised. Would you like the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten steps or backward ten steps?"

New Life Bible
Isaiah said, "This will be the special thing for you to see from the Lord, to show that the Lord will do what He has said. Will the shadow go ten steps farther, or go back ten steps?"

New Revised Standard
Isaiah said, "This is the sign to you from the Lord , that the Lord will do the thing that he has promised: the shadow has now advanced ten intervals; shall it retreat ten intervals?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Isaiah said, - This unto thee, is the sign from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing which he hath spoken, The shadow hath gone forward ten steps, shall it return ten steps?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Isaias said to him: This shall be the sign from the Lord, that the Lord will do the word which he hath spoken: Wilt thou that the shadow go forward ten lines, or that it go back so many degrees?

Revised Standard Version
And Isaiah said, "This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?"

Young's Literal Translation
And Isaiah saith, `This [is] to thee the sign from Jehovah, that Jehovah doth the thing that He hath spoken -- The shadow hath gone on ten degrees, or it doth turn back ten degrees?'

THE MESSAGE
"This will be your sign from God ," said Isaiah, "that God is doing what he said he'd do: Do you want the shadow to advance ten degrees on the sundial or go back ten degrees? You choose."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Isaiah said, "This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps or go back ten steps?"

Contextual Overview

¹ About this time, Hezekiah got sick and was almost dead. Isaiah the prophet went in and told him, "The Lord says you won't ever get well. You are going to die, so you had better start doing what needs to be done." ² Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed, ³ "Don't forget that I have been faithful to you, Lord . I have obeyed you with all my heart, and I do whatever you say is right." After this, he cried hard. ⁴ Before Isaiah got to the middle court of the palace, ⁵ the Lord sent him back to Hezekiah with this message: Hezekiah, you are the ruler of my people, and I am the Lord 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. ⁶ I will let you live fifteen 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. ⁷ 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." ⁸ Hezekiah asked Isaiah, "Can you prove that the Lord will heal me, so that I can worship in his temple in three days?" ⁹ Isaiah replied, "The Lord 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?" ¹⁰ "It's normal for the sun to go forward," Hezekiah answered. "But how can it go back?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

This sign: Isaiah 38:7, Isaiah 38:8, Matthew 16:1-4, Mark 8:11, Mark 8:12, Luke 11:29, Luke 11:30

Reciprocal: Judges 6:36 - If thou wilt 2 Kings 19:29 - a sign Isaiah 37:30 - this shall

Cross-References

Genesis 12:18
Finally, the king sent for Abram and said to him, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me Sarai was your wife?

Genesis 20:10
What were you thinking when you did this?

Genesis 20:11
Abraham answered: I did it because I didn't think any of you respected God, and I was sure that someone would kill me to get my wife.

Genesis 26:10
"Don't you know what you've done?" Abimelech exclaimed. "If someone had slept with her, you would have made our whole nation guilty!"

Genesis 34:7
just as Jacob's sons were coming in from work. When they learned that their sister had been raped, they became furiously angry. Nothing is more disgraceful than rape, and it should not be tolerated in Israel.

Genesis 38:24
About three months later someone told Judah, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has behaved like a prostitute, and now she's pregnant!" "Drag her out of town and burn her to death!" Judah shouted.

Genesis 39:9
No one in my master's house is more important than I am. The only thing he hasn't given me is you, and that's because you are his wife. I won't sin against God by doing such a terrible thing as this."

Exodus 32:21
Moses asked Aaron, "What did these people do to harm you? Why did you make them sin in this terrible way?"

Exodus 32:35
So the Lord punished the people of Israel with a terrible disease for talking Aaron into making the gold idol.

Leviticus 20:10
If any of you men have sex with another man's wife, both you and the woman will be put to death.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Isaiah said, this sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken,.... Cure him of his disorder, so that he should be able to go to the temple on the third day:

shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? that is, the shadow of the sun on a dial plate; it was left to his option to choose which he would, as the confirming sign of his recovery.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ten degrees - literally, “ten steps.” It is not, perhaps, altogether certain whether the “dial of Ahaz” 2 Kings 20:11 was really a dial with a gnomon in the center, and “degrees” marked round it, or a construction fur marking time by means of “steps.” Sundials proper had been invented by the Babylonians before the time of Herodotus; but the instrument here was probably an instrument consisting of a set of steps, or stairs, with an obelisk at the top, the shadow of which descended or ascended the steps according as the sun rose higher in the heavens or declined.

The question as to the mode whereby the return of the shadow was produced is one on which many opinions have been held. Recently, it has been urged that the true cause of the phenomenon was a solar eclipse, in which the moon obscured the entire upper limb of the sun; and it has been clearly shown that if such an occurrence took place a little before mid-day, it would have had the effect described as having taken place - i. e., during the obscuration of the sun’s upper limb shadows would be sensibly lengthened, and that of the obelisk would descend the stairs; as the obscuration passed off the reverse would take place, shadows would shorten, and that of the obelisk would once more retire up the steps. If this be the true account, the miracle would consist in Isaiah’s supernatural foreknowledge of an event which the astronomy of the age was quite incapable of predicting, and in the providential guidance of Hezekiah’s will, so that he chose the “sign” which in the natural course of things was about to be manifested.