< Isaiah 38 >
1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
那時希西家病得要死,亞摩斯的兒子先知以賽亞去見他,對他說:「耶和華如此說:你當留遺命與你的家,因為你必死不能活了。」
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
希西家就轉臉朝牆,禱告耶和華說:
3 and said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
「耶和華啊,求你記念我在你面前怎樣存完全的心,按誠實行事,又做你眼中所看為善的。」希西家就痛哭了。
4 Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,
耶和華的話臨到以賽亞說:
5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith 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.
「你去告訴希西家說,耶和華-你祖大衛的上帝如此說:我聽見了你的禱告,看見了你的眼淚。我必加增你十五年的壽數;
6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.
並且我要救你和這城脫離亞述王的手,也要保護這城。
7 And this shall he the sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken:
「我-耶和華必成就我所說的。我先給你一個兆頭,
8 behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps on the dial whereon it was gone down.
就是叫亞哈斯的日晷,向前進的日影往後退十度。」於是,前進的日影果然在日晷上往後退了十度。
9 The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.
猶大王希西家患病已經痊癒,就作詩說:
10 I said, In the noontide of my days I shall go into the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. (Sheol )
我說:正在我中年之日 必進入陰間的門; 我餘剩的年歲不得享受。 (Sheol )
11 I said, I shall not see the LORD, [even] the LORD in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.
我說:我必不得見耶和華, 就是在活人之地不見耶和華; 我與世上的居民不再見面。
12 Mine age is removed, and is carried away from me as a shepherd’s tent: I have rolled up like a weaver my life; he will cut me off from the loom: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
我的住處被遷去離開我, 好像牧人的帳棚一樣; 我將性命捲起, 像織布的捲布一樣。 耶和華必將我從機頭剪斷, 從早到晚,他要使我完結。
13 I quieted [myself] until morning; as a lion, so he breaketh all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
我使自己安靜直到天亮; 他像獅子折斷我一切的骨頭, 從早到晚,他要使我完結。
14 Like a swallow [or] a crane, so did I chatter; I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail [with looking] upward; O LORD, I am oppressed, be thou my surety.
我像燕子呢喃, 像白鶴鳴叫, 又像鴿子哀鳴; 我因仰觀,眼睛困倦。 耶和華啊,我受欺壓, 求你為我作保。
15 What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
我可說甚麼呢? 他應許我的,也給我成就了。 我因心裏的苦楚, 在一生的年日必悄悄而行。
16 O Lord, by these things men live, and wholly therein is the life of my spirit: wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live.
主啊,人得存活乃在乎此。 我靈存活也全在此。 所以求你使我痊癒,仍然存活。
17 Behold, [it was] for [my] peace [that] I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
看哪,我受大苦,本為使我得平安; 你因愛我的靈魂便救我脫離敗壞的坑, 因為你將我一切的罪扔在你的背後。
18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. (Sheol )
原來,陰間不能稱謝你, 死亡不能頌揚你; 下坑的人不能盼望你的誠實。 (Sheol )
19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.
只有活人,活人必稱謝你, 像我今日稱謝你一樣。 為父的,必使兒女知道你的誠實。
20 The LORD is [ready] to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.
耶和華肯救我, 所以,我們要一生一世 在耶和華殿中 用絲弦的樂器唱我的詩歌。
21 Now Isaiah had said, Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.
以賽亞說:「當取一塊無花果餅來,貼在瘡上,王必痊癒。」
22 Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?
希西家問說:「我能上耶和華的殿,有甚麼兆頭呢?」