Isaiah 38

1 In those days Ezechias was sick even to death, and Isaias the son of Amos the prophet came unto him, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die, and not live.

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus says the LORD, Set your house in order: for you shall die, and not live.

2 And Ezechias turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord,

Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,

3 And said: I beseech thee, O Lord, remember how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Ezechias wept with great weeping.

And said, Remember now, O LORD, I plead to you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

4 And the word of the Lord came to Isaias, saying:

Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,

5 Go and say to Ezechias: Thus saith the Lord the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, and I have seen thy tears: behold I will add to thy days fifteen years:

Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears: behold, I will add unto your days fifteen years.

6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will protect it.

And I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.

7 And this shall be a sign to thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this word which he hath spoken:

And this shall be a sign unto you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he has spoken;

8 Behold I will bring again the shadow of the lines, by which it is now gone down in the sun dial of Achaz with the sun, ten lines backward. And the sun returned ten lines by the degrees by which it was gone down.

Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

9 The writing of Ezechias king of Juda, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.

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

10 I said: In the midst of my days I shall go to the gates of hell: I sought for the residue of my years. (Sheol h7585)

I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. (Sheol h7585)

11 I said: I shall not see the Lord God in the land of the living. I shall behold man no more, nor the inhabitant of rest.

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

12 My generation is at an end, and it is rolled away from me, as a shepherd’s tent. My life is cut off, as by a weaver: whilst I was yet but beginning, he out me off: from morning even to night thou wilt 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 will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night will you make an end of me.

13 I hoped till morning, as a lion so hath he broken all my bones: from morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me.

I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night will you make an end of me.

14 I will cry like a young swallow, I will meditate like a dove: my eyes are weakened looking upward: Lord, I suffer violence, answer thou for me.

Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

15 What shall I say, or what shall he answer for me, whereas he himself hath done it? I will recount to thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

What shall I say? he has both spoken unto me, and himself has done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

16 O Lord, if man’s life be such, and the life of my spirit be in such things as these, thou shalt correct me, and make me to live.

O LORD, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so will you recover me, and make me to live.

17 Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter: but thou best delivered my soul that it should not perish, thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but you have in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

18 For hell shall not confess to thee, neither shall death praise thee: nor shall they that go down into the pit, look for thy truth. (Sheol h7585)

For the grave cannot praise you, death can not celebrate you: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for your truth. (Sheol h7585)

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

The living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known your truth.

20 O Lord, save me, and we will sing our psalms all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.

The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.

21 Now Isaias had ordered that they should take a lump of figs, and lay it as it plaster upon the wound, and that he should be healed.

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

22 And Ezechias bed said: What shall be the sign that I shall 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 the LORD?