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, was Hezekiah sick, unto death, —and Isaiah the prophet son of Amoz came in unto him, and said unto him—Thus, saith Yahweh, Set in order thy house, for, about to die thou art and shalt not recover.

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

Then Hezekiah turned his face unto the wall, —and prayed unto Yahweh;

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 said, —I beseech thee, O Yahweh, remember, I pray thee, how I have walked before thee in faithfulness and with an undivided heart, and, that which is good in thine eyes, have I done. And Hezekiah wept aloud.

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

Then came the word of Yahweh unto, 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 unto Hezekiah—Thus, saith Yahweh, the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears, —Behold me! about to add unto thy days, fifteen years;

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

And out of the hand of the king of Assyria, will I deliver thee, and this city; And I will throw a covering over this city.

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

And, this, to thee, shall be the sign from Yahweh, —that Yahweh will do this thing which he hath 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 me! causing the shadow on the steps, which hath come gone down on the steps of Ahaz with the sun, to return, backwards ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps, by the steps which it had come down.

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

the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and then 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 noontide of my days, I must enter the gates of hades, —I am deprived of the residue 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 shall not see Yah, Yah, in the land of the living, I shall discern the son of earth no longer, with the dwellers in the quiet land.

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 dwelling, hath been broken up. And is stripped from me, like a shepherd’s tent, —I have rolled up—as a weaver—my life From the loom, doth he cut me off, From day until night, [I said] —Thou wilt finish me.

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

I cried out, until morning, like a lion, Thus, will he break all my bones! From day until night, Thou wilt finish me!

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.

As a twittering swallow, so, do I chatter, I coo as a dove, —Mine eyes languish through looking on high, O My Lord! distress is upon me—my Surety!

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? Since he hath promised for me, Himself, will perform. I will go softly, all my years. Because of 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 My Lord! on those things do men live, —And, altogether in them, is the life of my spirit, When thou hast strengthened me and made me 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.

Lo! for well-being, I had bitterness—bitterness, —But, thou, cleaving unto my soul, hast raised me from the pit of corruption, For thou hast cast, behind thy back all my sins.

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, hades, cannot praise thee Nor, death, celebrate thee, —They who go down to the pit cannot wait for thy faithfulness. (Sheol h7585)

19 The living, the living, he confesses You,

The living, the living, he, can praise thee, As I do this day, —A father, to his children, can make known thy faithfulness.

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.”

Yahweh, [was willing] to save me, —Therefore, on my stringed instruments, will we play—All the days of our life By the house of Yahweh.

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

And Isaiah had said, Let them take a cake of figs, and let them press it over the boil, that he may recover.

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

And Hezekiah had said—What is the sign—that I shall go up unto the house of Yahweh?