Isaiah 38

1 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.

In those days has Hezekiah been sick to death, and Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, comes to him and says to him, “Thus said YHWH: Give a charge to your house, for you [are] dying, and do not live.”

2 And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Jehovah,

And Hezekiah turns around his face to the wall, and prays to YHWH,

3 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.

and says, “Ah, now, O YHWH, please remember how I have habitually walked before You in truth, and with a perfect heart, and I have done that which [is] good in your eyes”; and Hezekiah weeps [with] a great weeping.

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

And a word of YHWH is to Isaiah, saying,

5 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.

“Go, and you have said to Hezekiah, Thus said YHWH, God of your father David: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tear, behold, I am adding fifteen years to your days,

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

and out of the hand of the king of Asshur I deliver you and this city, and have covered over this city.

7 And this [shall be] the sign to thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do this thing that he hath spoken:

And this [is] to you the sign from YHWH, that YHWH does this thing that He has spoken.

8 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.

Behold, I am bringing back the shadow of the degrees that it has gone down on the degrees of Ahaz, by the sun, backward ten degrees”; and the sun turns back ten degrees in the degrees that it had gone down.

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

A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah concerning his being sick when he revives from his sickness:

10 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)

“I said in the cutting off of my days, I go to the gates of Sheol, I have numbered the remnant of my years. (Sheol h7585)

11 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.

I said, I do not see YAH—YAH! In the land of the living, I do not behold man anymore, With the inhabitants of the world.

12 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.

My sojourning has departed, And been removed from me as a shepherd’s tent, I have drawn together, as a weaver, my life, By weakness it cuts me off, From day to night You end me.

13 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.

I have set [Him] as a lion until morning, So He breaks all my bones, From day to night You end me.

14 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.

As a crane—a swallow—so I chatter, I mourn as a dove, My eyes have been drawn up on high, O YHWH, oppression [is] on me, be my guarantor.

15 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.

What do I say? Seeing He spoke to me, And He Himself has worked, I go softly all my years for the bitterness of my soul.

16 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.

Lord, [men] live by these, And by all in them [is] the life of my spirit, And You save me, make me to also live,

17 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.

Behold, He changed bitterness to peace for me, And You have delighted in my soul without corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

18 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)

For Sheol does not confess You, Death does not praise You, Those going down to the pit do not hope for Your truth. (Sheol h7585)

19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

The living, the living, he confesses You,

20 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.

Like myself today; A father makes known to [his] sons of Your faithfulness, O YHWH—to save me: And we sing my songs all [the] days of our lives In the house of YHWH.”

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

And Isaiah says, “Let them take a bunch of figs, and plaster over the ulcer, and he lives.”

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

And Hezekiah says, “What [is] the sign that I go up to the house of YHWH?”