Isaiah 38

1 In those days was Hezekiah sick to death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, Thus says the LORD, Set your house in order: for you shall 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 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD,

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

3 And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech 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.

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

And a word of YHWH is to Isaiah, saying,

5 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 to your 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 you 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 a sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he has 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 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.

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 was recovered of his sickness:

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

10 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)

“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 the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

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 My 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.

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 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.

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 crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: my eyes fail with looking upward: O 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 has both spoken to me, and himself has 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 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.

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, 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.

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 the grave cannot praise you, death can not celebrate you: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for your 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 you, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known your truth.

The living, the living, he confesses You,

20 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.

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 For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaster on 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 Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?

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