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 son of Amoz came in unto him, and said unto him—Thus, saith Yahweh, Set in order thy house, for, about to die thou art and shalt not recover.

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

Then Hezekiah turned his face unto the wall, —and prayed unto Yahweh;

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, —I beseech thee, O Yahweh, remember, I pray thee, how I have walked before thee in faithfulness and with an undivided heart, and, that which is good in thine eyes, have I done. And Hezekiah wept aloud.

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

Then came the word of Yahweh unto, 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 unto Hezekiah—Thus, saith Yahweh, the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears, —Behold me! about to add unto thy 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 out of the hand of the king of Assyria, will I deliver thee, and this city; And I will throw a covering over 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, to thee, shall be the sign from Yahweh, —that Yahweh will do this thing which he hath 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 me! causing the shadow on the steps, which hath come gone down on the steps of Ahaz with the sun, to return, backwards ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps, by the steps which it had come 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 then recovered from 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 noontide of my days, I must enter the gates of hades, —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 Yah, Yah, in the land of the living, I shall discern the son of earth no longer, with the dwellers in the quiet land.

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.

My dwelling, hath been broken up. And is stripped from me, like a shepherd’s tent, —I have rolled up—as a weaver—my life From the loom, doth he cut me off, From day until night, [I said] —Thou wilt finish 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 cried out, until morning, like a lion, Thus, will he break all my bones! From day until night, Thou wilt finish 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.

As a twittering swallow, so, do I chatter, I coo as a dove, —Mine eyes languish through looking on high, O My Lord! distress is upon me—my Surety!

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 can I say? Since he hath promised for me, Himself, will perform. I will go softly, all my years. Because of 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 My Lord! on those things do men live, —And, altogether in them, is the life of my spirit, When thou hast strengthened me and made me 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.

Lo! for well-being, I had bitterness—bitterness, —But, thou, cleaving unto my soul, hast raised me from the pit of corruption, For thou hast cast, behind thy back all my sins.

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, hades, cannot praise thee Nor, death, celebrate thee, —They who go down to the pit cannot wait for thy faithfulness. (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, can praise thee, As I do this day, —A father, to his children, can make known thy faithfulness.

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

Yahweh, [was willing] to save me, —Therefore, on my stringed instruments, will we play—All the days of our life By the house of Yahweh.

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.

And Isaiah had said, Let them take a cake of figs, and let them press it over the boil, that he may recover.

22 And Ezechias bed said: What shall be the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?

And Hezekiah had said—What is the sign—that I shall go up unto the house of Yahweh?