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.

In those days hath Hezekiah been sick unto death, and come in unto him doth Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, and saith unto him, 'Thus said Jehovah: Give a charge to thy house, for thou [art] dying, and dost not live.'

2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,

And Hezekiah turneth round his face unto the wall, and prayeth unto Jehovah,

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.

and saith, 'I pray thee, O Jehovah, remember, I pray Thee, how I have walked habitually before Thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and that which [is] good in thine eyes I have done;' and Hezekiah weepeth — a great weeping.

4 Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,

And a word of Jehovah is unto Isaiah, saying,

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.

Go, and thou hast said to Hezekiah, Thus said Jehovah, God of David thy father, 'I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tear, lo, I am adding to thy days fifteen years,

6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.

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

7 And this shall he the sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken:

And this [is] to thee the sign from Jehovah, that Jehovah doth this thing that He hath spoken.

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.

Lo, I am bringing back the shadow of the degrees that it hath gone down on the degrees of Ahaz, by the sun, backward ten degrees:' and the sun turneth back ten degrees in the degrees that it had gone down.

9 The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.

A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah concerning his being sick, when he reviveth from his sickness:

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 h7585)

'I — I said in the cutting off of my days, I go in to the gates of Sheol, I have numbered the remnant of mine years. (Sheol h7585)

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.

I said, I do not see Jah — Jah! In the land of the living, I do not behold man any more, With the inhabitants of the world.

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.

My sojourning hath departed, And been removed from me as a shepherd's tent, I have drawn together, as a weaver, my life, By weakness it cutteth me off, From day unto night Thou dost end me.

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.

I have set [Him] till morning as a lion, So doth He break all my bones, From day unto night Thou dost end me.

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.

As a crane — a swallow — so I chatter, I mourn as a dove, Drawn up have been mine eyes on high, O Jehovah, oppression [is] on me, be my surety.

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.

— What do I say? seeing He said to me, And He Himself hath wrought, I go softly all my years for the bitterness of my soul.

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.

Lord, by these do [men] live, And by all in them [is] the life of my spirit, And Thou savest me, make me also to live,

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.

Lo, to peace He changed for me bitterness, And Thou hast delighted in my soul without corruption, For Thou hast cast behind Thy back all my sins.

18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. (Sheol h7585)

For Sheol doth not confess Thee, Death doth not praise Thee, Those going down to the pit hope not for Thy truth. (Sheol h7585)

19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

The living, the living, he doth confess Thee.

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.

Like myself to-day — a father to sons Doth make known of Thy faithfulness, O Jehovah — to save me: And my songs we sing all days of our lives In the house of Jehovah.'

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.

And Isaiah saith, 'Let them take a bunch of figs, and plaster over the ulcer, and he liveth.'

22 Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?

And Hezekiah saith, 'What [is] the sign that I go up to the house of Jehovah!'