Midrash su Isaia 38:8

When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying: “Show a wonder for you” (Exod. 7:9). He will be making a reasonable request to you. You find in the case of Noah, that though He said to him, after He saved him from the flood, Neither shall there be anymore a flood (Gen. 9:11), Noah demanded a sign, and God assured him: I have set my bow in the cloud (ibid., v. 13). Similarly, when Hezekiah was sick, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent Isaiah to him and he said: Thus saith the Lord, the God of David, thy father: “I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold, I will heal thee; on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord” (II Kings 20:5). But he replied: What shall be the sign? (ibid., v. 8), and He answered: 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? (ibid., v. 9). Likewise, Joshua, the high priest, was told: Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, … for they are men that are a sign (Zech. 3:8). Since the righteous demanded signs, how much more did the wicked Pharaoh (have the right to do so). Hence, when Pharaoh says unto you: Show a wonder for you (he will be making a reasonable request).

R. Zera said: "Although R. Juda b. B'therah of N'zibin sent a message: 'Be careful with a scholar, who, on account of an accident, forgot his learning; be careful to follow R. Juda's decision regarding the Vridin; be careful with the children of a common man, as [very often] wisdom emanates from them,' the following may be nevertheless proclaimed: (Ib. 12, 1-3) Righteous art thou, O Lord [even though] I should plead with Thee; yet must I speak of [the principles of] justice with Thee: Wherefore is the way of the wicked happy? Do all those prosper that deal treacherously? Thou hast planted them; they have also taken root; they grow; they also bring forth fruit; and he was answered (Ib., ib. 5) If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, how then canst thou contend with the horses? And if in the land of peace, [wherein] thou trusted, [they wearied thee], how then wilt thou do in the swelling of the Jordan? This might be likened to one who proclaims that he is able to run three parsas between the dykes in advance of horses. A runner met him, and he ran before him three miles and became tired. The runner then said to him: "If you became tired by running in advance of me, how much more so in advance of horses? If you became tired by running three miles only, how much more so by running three parsas? If you became tired on dry land, how much more would you become tired between the dykes!" Similar to this was it said to Jeremiah: Thou art wondering that I have rewarded that wicked one for the four steps he was running for the sake of my glory; how much more will you wonder when I will come to pay the reward of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who used to run for me like horses! And to this refers the passage (Ib. 23, 9) To the prophets - Broken is my heart within me; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, because of the Lord, and because of his holy words. What are they, the four steps? As it is written (Isa. 39, 1) At that time sent Merodash-baladon, the son of Baladon, the king of Babylon, letters and presents to Hezekiah, for he had heard that he had been sick, and was becoming strong again. Is it reasonable to assume that the passage means because Hezekiah became well he sent him letters and presents? Yea, as we find (II Chron. 32, 31) … Who sent unto him to inquire concerning the wonder that had happened in the land; for R. Jochanan said that the day on which Achaz died contained only two hours. And when Hezekiah became sick and thereafter recovered, the Holy One, praised be He! returned the ten hours to the day, as it is written (Isa. 38, 8) Behold, I will cause the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down on the dial of Achaz by the sun, to return backward ten degrees. So the sun returned ten degrees, by the degrees which he was gone down. Merodach-baladon then questioned why that day is so long. And he was told, because Hezekiah was sick and recovered. He then said: "If there is such a man, must he not be greeted? Write him a letter of greeting." And they wrote, "Peace to the king Hezekiah, peace to the city of Jerusalem, and peace to the great God." At that time Nebuchadnezzar was Merodach's secretary. But this letter was written in his absence. When he returned and heard of it he asked them what they had written. And they told him accordingly. And he exclaimed: "Ye named him the great God, and yet greet Him at the conclusion! It ought to have been written, "Peace to the great God, peace to the city of Jerusalem, and peace to Hezekiah'." And they said: "Let him who dictates the letter be the carrier (i.e., let him execute his own plan)." He commenced to run after the messenger and make him return. But after he had run four steps, Gabriel came and stopped him. And R. Jochanan said: "Had not Gabriel stopped him, there would have been no remedy for the people of Israel."

The seventh wonder (was): From the day when the heavens and earth had been created there had never been a sick man who had recovered from his sickness, until Hezekiah, king of Judah, came and fell sick and (yet) he recovered, as it is said, "The writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness" (Isa. 38:9). He began to pray before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Sovereign of all worlds! "Now, O Lord, remember, I beseech thee, how I walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight" (2 Kings 20:3); and He was entreated of him, as it is said, "Behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years" (Isa. 38); and He was entreated of him, as it is said, "Behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years" (Isa. 38 5). Hezekiah said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all worlds ! Give me a sign, as it is said, "And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up unto the house of the Lord?" (2 Kings 20:8). He answered him: Ahaz thy father compelled the constellations, and he bowed down to the sun, and the sun fled before him and went down in the west ten steps. If thou desirest, it shall go down ten steps, or it shall ascend ten steps. Hezekiah spake before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all worlds ! Nay, || but those ten steps which it has (already) gone down let it retrace and stand, as it is said, "Nay, but let the shadow return backward ten steps" (2 Kings 20:10). And He was entreated of him, as it is said, "Behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps" (Isa. 38:8). All the kings of the earth saw, and they were astonished, for there had been nothing like it from the day when the world was created, and they sent to behold the wonder, as it is said, "Howbeit in (the business of) the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land" (2 Chron. 32:31).