Isaiah 38

1 About this time Hezekiah fell very sick and was about to die. The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your affairs in order, because you are going to die. You won't recover.”

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.

2 When Hezekiah heard this, he went to pray privately to the Lord, saying

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

3 “Please remember Lord how I have followed you faithfully with all my heart. I have done what is good in your sight.” Then Hezekiah cried and cried.

and said, Remember now, O LORD, 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 sore.

4 Then the Lord sent a message to Isaiah, saying,

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

5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, This is what the Lord, the God of your forefather David, says: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life.

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

6 I will save you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.

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

7 This is the sign from the Lord to you that the Lord will do what he promised:

And this shall he the sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken:

8 Look, I will make the shadow made by the sun go back the ten steps that it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz. So the sun went back the ten steps that it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.”

behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps on the dial whereon it was gone down.

9 This is what Hezekiah, king of Judah, wrote after he recovered from his sickness:

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

10 I said to myself, “Do I have to go to my death just as my life is going well? Why can't I count on the rest of my years?” (Sheol h7585)

I said, In the noontide of my days I shall go into the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. (Sheol h7585)

11 I said, “I will never again see the Lord, the Lord, in the land of the living. I won't see anyone else again, none of the inhabitants of this world.

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 Like a shepherd's tent, the place where I live has been pulled up and taken away from me. Like a weaver I have rolled up the cloth of my life and cut it from the loom. Day and night you bring me to an end.

Mine age is removed, and is carried away from me as a shepherd’s tent: I have rolled up like a weaver my life; he will cut me off from the loom: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

13 I lie there patiently until the morning, but I feel like there's a lion breaking every bone in my body. Day and night you bring me to an end.

I quieted [myself] until morning; as a lion, so he breaketh all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

14 I scream like a swift or a songbird, I moan like a dove. My eyes grow dim as I look heavenwards. I'm being attacked, Lord, please come and support me!

Like a swallow [or] a crane, so did I chatter; I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail [with looking] upward; O LORD, I am oppressed, be thou my surety.

15 Yet what can I say? He told me what was going to happen, and he himself did it. I will walk quietly for the rest of my life because of the painful experience I went through.

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

16 Lord, we live by what you say and do, and I find life in all of this. You have given me back my health and allowed me to live.

O Lord, by these things men live, and wholly therein is the life of my spirit: wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live.

17 It was definitely for my own good I went through this bitter experience. You in your love saved me from the pit of destruction and you have forgiven all my sins.

Behold, [it was] for [my] peace [that] I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

18 Those in the grave cannot praise you, the dead cannot praise you. Those who go down into the pit can no longer hope in your faithfulness. (Sheol h7585)

For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. (Sheol h7585)

19 It's only the living who can praise you as I'm doing today. Parents explain to their children how you can be trusted.

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

20 The Lord saved me! We will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the Lord's Temple.”

The LORD is [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 Isaiah had said, “Prepare a dressing of figs and spread it on the skin sores so he may recover.”

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

22 Hezekiah had asked, “What is the sign to confirm that I will go to the Lord's Temple?”

Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?