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.
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.”
2 Then did Hezekiah turn his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord.
When Hezekiah heard this, he went to pray privately to the Lord, saying
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.
“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.
4 Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying,
Then the Lord sent a message to Isaiah, 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 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.
6 And out of the hand of the king of Assyria will I deliver thee and this city; and I will shield this city.
I will save you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
7 And this shall be unto thee the sign from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which he hath spoken:
This is the sign from the Lord to you that the Lord will do what he promised:
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.
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.”
9 The writing of Hezekiah the king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:
This is what Hezekiah, king of Judah, wrote after he recovered from 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 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)
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 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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)
19 The living, the living alone shall thank thee, like me this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.
It's only the living who can praise you as I'm doing today. Parents explain to their children how you can be trusted.
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.
The Lord saved me! We will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the Lord's Temple.”
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.
Isaiah had said, “Prepare a dressing of figs and spread it on the skin sores so he may recover.”
22 And Hezekiah had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?
Hezekiah had asked, “What is the sign to confirm that I will go to the Lord's Temple?”
