Isaiah 38

1 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.”

In those days Hezekiah became ill and was near death. And so, Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the prophet, entered to him, and he said to him: “Thus says the Lord: Put your house in order, for you shall die, and you shall not live.”

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

And Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and he prayed to the Lord.

3 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.

And he said: “I beg you, Lord, I beseech you, to remember how I walked before you in truth and with a whole heart, and that I have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept with a great weeping.

4 And a word of YHWH is to Isaiah, saying,

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

5 “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,

“Go and say to Hezekiah: Thus says the Lord, the God of David, your father: I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your days.

6 and out of the hand of the king of Asshur I deliver you and this city, and have covered over this city.

And I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will protect it.

7 And this [is] to you the sign from YHWH, that YHWH does this thing that He has spoken.

And this will be a sign for you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this word, which he has spoken:

8 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.

Behold, I will cause the shadow of the lines, which has now descended on the sundial of Ahaz, to move in reverse for ten lines.” And so, the sun moved backward by ten lines, through the degrees by which it had descended.

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

The writing of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, after he had fallen ill and had recovered from his sickness:

10 “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)

“I said: In the middle of my days, I will go to the gates of Hell. So I sought the remainder of my years. (Sheol h7585)

11 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.

I said: I will not see the Lord God in the land of the living. I will no longer behold man, nor the habitation of rest.

12 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.

My longevity has been taken away; it has been folded up and taken from me, like the tent of a shepherd. My life has been cut off, as if by a weaver. While I was still beginning, he cut me off. From morning until evening, you have marked out my limits.

13 I have set [Him] as a lion until morning, So He breaks all my bones, From day to night You end me.

I hoped, even until morning. Like a lion, so has he crushed all my bones. From morning until evening, you have marked my limits.

14 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.

I will cry out, like a young swallow. I will meditate, like a dove. My eyes have been weakened by gazing upward. O Lord, I suffer violence! Answer in my favor.

15 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.

What can I say, or what would he answer me, since he himself has done this? I will acknowledge to you all my years, in the bitterness of my soul.

16 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,

O Lord, if such is life, and if the life of my spirit is of such a kind, may you correct me and may you cause me to live.

17 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.

Behold, in peace my bitterness is most bitter. But you have rescued my soul, so that it would not perish. You have cast all my sins behind your back.

18 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)

For Hell will not confess to you, and death will not praise you. Those who descend into the pit will not hope for your truth. (Sheol h7585)

19 The living, the living, he confesses You,

The living, the living, these will give praise to you, as I also do this day! The father will make the truth known to the sons.

20 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.”

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 says, “Let them take a bunch of figs, and plaster over the ulcer, and he lives.”

Now Isaiah had ordered them to take a paste of figs, and to spread it like plaster over the wound, so that he would be healed.

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

And Hezekiah said, “What will be the sign that I may go up to the house of the Lord?”