Isaiah 38

1 In those days Hezekiah fell sick unto death; and there came unto him Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, and said unto him, Thus hath said the Lord, Give thy charge to thy house; for thou shalt die, and not live.

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.

2 Then did Hezekiah turn his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord.

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

3 And he said, O Lord, I beseech thee remember now that I have walked before thee in truth, and with an undivided heart, and have done what is good in thy eyes. And Hezekiah wept aloud.

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.

4 Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying,

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

5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus hath said 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.

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:

6 And out of the hand of the king of Assyria will I deliver thee and this city; and I will shield this city.

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

7 And this shall be unto thee the sign from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which he hath spoken:

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

8 Behold, I will cause the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down on the dial of Achaz by the sun, to return backward ten degrees. So the sun returned ten degrees, by the degrees which he was gone down.

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.

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

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

10 I had said, In the midst of my days, must I enter the gates of the nether world; I am deprived of the residue of my years. (Sheol h7585)

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)

11 I had said, I shall not see the Lord, the Lord, in the land of the living: I shall not behold man any more among the inhabitants of the regions of death.

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.

12 My dwelling is broken down, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off, like a weaver, my life; with pining sickness will he snatch me away: from day until night wilt thou make an end of me.

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.

13 I waited [with patience] till morning, [whether] as a lion, so would he break all my bones: from day until night wilt thou make an end of me.

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.

14 Like a swallow or a crane, so did I chirp; I did moan like a dove; my eyes were lifted up on high: O Lord, I am oppressed; grant me ease.

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.

15 What shall I speak? he hath promised it unto me, and he hath also accomplished it; I will make pilgrimages [to God's house] all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.

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.

16 O Lord, by these [things men] will live, and in all these [things] is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou give me health, and cause me to live.

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.

17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness; but thou hast, in loving my soul, delivered it from the pit of corruption; for thou hast cast behind thy back all my sins.

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.

18 For the nether world will not thank thee, death will not praise thee: they that go down into the pit will not hope for thy truth. (Sheol h7585)

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)

19 The living, the living alone shall thank thee, like me this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

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.

20 The Lord is there to help me; therefore we will play my hymns all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.

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

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

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.

22 And Hezekiah had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?

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