Esias 38
1 And it came to pass at that time, [that] Ezekias was sick even to death. And Esaias the prophet the son of Amos came to him, and said to him, Thus says the Lord, Give orders concerning your house: for you shall die, and not live.
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.’”
2 And Ezekias turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
3 Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you in truth, with a true heart, and have done that which was pleasing in your sight. And Ezekias wept bitterly.
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.
4 And the word of the Lord came to Esaias, saying, Go, and say to Ezekias,
And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying,
5 Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer, and seen your tears: behold, I [will] add to your time fifteen years.
“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.
6 And I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians: and I will defend this city.
And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
7 And this [shall be] a sign to you from the Lord, that God will do this thing;
This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised:
8 behold, I will turn back the shadow of the degrees [of the dial] by which ten degrees on the house of your father the sun has gone down—I will turn back the sun the ten degrees; so the sun went back the ten degrees by which the shadow had gone down.
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.
9 THE PRAYER OF EZEKIAS KING OF JUDEA, WHEN HE HAD BEEN SICK, AND WAS RECOVERED FROM HIS SICKNESS.
This is a writing by Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
10 I said in the end of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I shall part with the remainder of my years. (Sheol h7585)
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)
11 I said, I shall no more at all see the salvation of God in the land of the living: I shall no more at all see the salvation of Israel on the earth: I shall no more at all see man.
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.
12 [My life] has failed from amongst my kindred: I have parted with the remainder of my life: it has gone forth and departed from me, as one that having pitched a tent takes it down [again]: my breath was with me as a weaver's web, when she that weaves draws near to cut off [the] thread.
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.
13 In that day I was given up as to a lion until the morning: so has he broken all my bones: for I was so given up from day [even] to night.
I composed myself until the morning. Like a lion He breaks all my bones; from day until night You make an end of me.
14 As a swallow, so will I cry, and as a dove, so do I mourn: for mine eyes have failed with looking to the height of heaven to the Lord, who has delivered me, and removed the sorrow of my soul.
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.”
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.
16 [Yes], O Lord, for it was told you concerning this; and you have revived my breath; and I am comforted, and live.
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.
17 For you have chosen my soul, that it should not perish: and you have cast all [my] sins behind me.
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.
18 For they that are in the grave shall not praise you, neither shall the dead bless you, neither shall they that are in Hades hope for your mercy. (Sheol h7585)
For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. (Sheol h7585)
19 The living shall bless you, as I also [do]: for from this day shall I beget children, who shall declare your righteousness,
The living, only the living, can thank You, as I do today; fathers will tell their children about Your faithfulness.
20 O God of my salvation; and I will not cease blessing you with the lute all the days of my life before the house of God.
The LORD will save me; we will play songs on stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the LORD.
21 Now Esaias had said to Ezekias; Take a cake of figs, and mash them, and apply them as a plaster, and you shall be well.
Now Isaiah had said, “Prepare a lump of pressed figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”
22 And Ezekias said, This is a sign to Ezekias, that I shall go up to the house of God.
And Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?”
