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 hath Hezekiah been sick unto death, and come in unto him doth Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, and saith unto him, 'Thus said Jehovah: Give a charge to thy house, for thou [art] dying, and dost not live.'

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

And Hezekiah turneth round his face unto the wall, and prayeth unto Jehovah,

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 saith, 'I pray thee, O Jehovah, remember, I pray Thee, how I have walked habitually before Thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and that which [is] good in thine eyes I have done;' and Hezekiah weepeth — a great weeping.

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

And a word of Jehovah is 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 thou hast said to Hezekiah, Thus said Jehovah, God of David thy father, 'I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tear, lo, I am adding to 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 Asshur I deliver thee and this city, and have covered 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 [is] to thee the sign from Jehovah, that Jehovah doth this thing that 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.

Lo, I am bringing back the shadow of the degrees that it hath gone down on the degrees of Ahaz, by the sun, backward ten degrees:' and the sun turneth back ten degrees in the degrees that it had gone down.

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

A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah concerning his being sick, when he reviveth 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 — I said in the cutting off of my days, I go in to the gates of Sheol, I have numbered the remnant of mine 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 do not see Jah — Jah! In the land of the living, I do not behold man any 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.

My sojourning hath departed, And been removed from me as a shepherd's tent, I have drawn together, as a weaver, my life, By weakness it cutteth me off, From day unto night Thou dost end 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 have set [Him] till morning as a lion, So doth He break all my bones, From day unto night Thou dost end 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 crane — a swallow — so I chatter, I mourn as a dove, Drawn up have been mine eyes on high, O Jehovah, oppression [is] on me, be 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 do I say? seeing He said to me, And He Himself hath wrought, I go softly all my years for 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.

Lord, by these do [men] live, And by all in them [is] the life of my spirit, And Thou savest me, make me also 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.

Lo, to peace He changed for me bitterness, And Thou hast delighted in my soul without 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 Sheol doth not confess Thee, Death doth not praise Thee, Those going down to the pit hope not for Thy 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 doth confess Thee.

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

Like myself to-day — a father to sons Doth make known of Thy faithfulness, O Jehovah — to save me: And my songs we sing all days of our lives In the house of Jehovah.'

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 saith, 'Let them take a bunch of figs, and plaster over the ulcer, and he liveth.'

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

And Hezekiah saith, 'What [is] the sign that I go up to the house of Jehovah!'