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 unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, Thus saith Jehovah: Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.

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

And 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, Ah, Jehovah, remember, 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 much.

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

And 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 saith 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 hath 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 bring again the shadow of the degrees which hath gone down with the sun on the dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned on the dial ten degrees, by 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 had recovered from 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 meridian of my days I shall go to the gates of Sheol: I am deprived of the rest 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 Jah, Jah in the land of the living. With those who dwell where all has ceased to be, I shall behold man no more.

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.

Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent. I have cut off like a weaver my life. He separateth me from the thrum: — from day to night thou wilt 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 kept still until the morning; ...as a lion, so doth he break all my bones. From day to night thou wilt 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 did I chatter; I mourned as a dove; mine eyes failed [with looking] upward: Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

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 hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done [it]. I shall go softly all my years in 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.

Lord, by these things [men] live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit; and thou hast recovered me, and made 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, instead of peace I had bitterness upon bitterness; but thou hast in love delivered my soul from the pit of destruction; for thou hast 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 not Sheol shall praise thee, nor death celebrate thee; they that go down into the pit do not 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 this day: the father to the children 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 was [purposed] to save me. — And we will play upon my 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?”

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