Hezekiah’s Great Political Crisis Confronts Him: We may be surprised to find the introduction to the second half of the book in chapters 34–35 followed by four chapters of prose stories about Hezekiah, the last of the kings of Isaiah’s own lifetime. One reason for this surprise is that they also appear in 2 Kings. As with 2:2–4, we do not know which is the more original version. But Isaiah is prominent in the stories and they incorporate some of his prophecies, so it is reasonable enough that they should appear in the book called Isaiah. There are several other locations within the book that would seem more natural than this one. Yet their placement here adds to the sense in which chapters 34–39 as a whole face two ways. The stories are more retrospective than prospective, but as well as l…