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 was sick to the point of dying. So Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, 'Set your house in order; for you will die, not live.'”

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

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to 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.

He said, “Please, Yahweh, call to mind how I have faithfully walked before you with my whole heart, and how I have done what was good in your sight.” Then Hezekiah wept loudly.

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

Then the word of Yahweh 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, the leader of my people, 'This is what Yahweh, the God of David your ancestor, says: I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears. See, I am about to add fifteen years to your life.

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

Then I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.

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

This will be the sign to you from Yahweh, that I will do what I have promised.

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.

Look, I will cause the shadow on the stairs of Ahaz to go back ten steps.'” So the shadow went back ten steps of the stairs on which it had advanced.

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

This was the written prayer of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and then recovered:

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 that halfway through my life I will go through the gates of Sheol; I am sent there for the rest 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 that I will no longer see Yahweh, Yahweh in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind or the inhabitants of the world.

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 life is removed and carried away from me like a shepherd's tent; I have rolled up my life like a weaver; you are cutting me off from the loom; between day and night you are ending my life.

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 the morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones. Between day and night you are ending my life.

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.

Like a swallow I chirp; I coo like a dove; my eyes grow tired with looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed; help me.

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 shall I say? He has both spoken to me, and has done it; I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief.

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,

Lord, the sufferings you send are good for me; may my life be given back to me; you have restored my life and health.

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.

It was for my benefit that I experienced such grief. You have rescued me from the pit of destruction; for you have thrown 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 Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down into the pit do not hope in your trustworthiness. (Sheol h7585)

19 The living, the living, he confesses You,

The living person, the living person, he is the one who gives you thanks, as I do this day; a father makes known to children your trustworthiness.

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 is about to save me, and we will celebrate with music all the days of our lives in the house of Yahweh.”

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

Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a lump of figs and put it on the boil, and he will recover.”

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

Hezekiah also had said, “What will be the sign that I should go up to the house of Yahweh?”