Isaiah 38

1 In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”

In those days Hezekiah was sick to death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, Thus says Jehovah, Set thy house in order, for thou shall die, and not live.

2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Jehovah,

3 saying, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

and said, Remember now, O Jehovah, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept greatly.

4 And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying,

Then the word of Jehovah came to Isaiah, saying,

5 “Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.

Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus says Jehovah, the God of David thy father. I have heard thy prayer. I have seen thy tears. Behold, I will add to thy days fifteen years.

6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.

And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.

7 This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised:

And this shall be the sign to thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do this thing that he has spoken:

8 I will make the sun’s shadow that falls on the stairway of Ahaz go back ten steps.’” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had descended.

Behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which has gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps on the dial on which it had gone down.

9 This is a writing by Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:

The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:

10 I said, “In the prime of my life I must go through the gates of Sheol and be deprived of the remainder of my years.” (Sheol h7585)

I said, In the noontide of my days I shall go into the gates of Sheol. I am deprived of the residue of my years. (Sheol h7585)

11 I said, “I will never again see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind with those who dwell in this world.

I said, I shall not see Jehovah, even Jehovah in the land of the living. I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

12 My dwelling has been picked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver; He cuts me off from the loom; from day until night You make an end of me.

My dwelling is removed, and is carried away from me as a shepherd's tent. I have rolled up, like a weaver, my life. He will cut me off from the loom. From day even to night thou will make an end of me.

13 I composed myself until the morning. Like a lion He breaks all my bones; from day until night You make an end of me.

I quieted myself until morning. As a lion, so he breaks all my bones. From day even to night will thou make an end of me.

14 I chirp like a swallow or crane; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak as I look upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security.”

Like a swallow or a crane, so I chattered. I moaned as a dove. My eyes fail with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed, be thou my surety.

15 What can I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk slowly all my years because of the anguish of my soul.

What shall I say? He has both spoken to me, and himself has done it. I shall go softly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.

16 O Lord, by such things men live, and in all of them my spirit finds life. You have restored me to health and have let me live.

O Lord, by these things men live, and wholly therein is the life of my spirit. Therefore recover thou me, and make me to live.

17 Surely for my own welfare I had such great anguish; but Your love has delivered me from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

Behold, for peace I had great bitterness. But thou have by love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption. For thou have cast all my sins behind thy back.

18 For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. (Sheol h7585)

For Sheol cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee. Those who go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. (Sheol h7585)

19 The living, only the living, can thank You, as I do today; fathers will tell their children about Your faithfulness.

The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day. The father to the sons shall make known thy truth.

20 The LORD will save me; we will play songs on stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the LORD.

Jehovah is ready to save me. Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of Jehovah.

21 Now Isaiah had said, “Prepare a lump of pressed figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”

Now Isaiah had said, Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover.

22 And Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?”

Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Jehovah?