Isaiah 38

1 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.

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.”

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

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

3 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.

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.

4 Then came the word of Yahweh unto, Isaiah, saying:

And a word of YHWH is to Isaiah, saying,

5 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;

“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,

6 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.

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

7 And, this, to thee, shall be the sign from Yahweh, —that Yahweh will do this thing which he hath spoken: —

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

8 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.

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.

9 the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and then recovered from his sickness:

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

10 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)

“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)

11 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.

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.

12 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.

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.

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

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

14 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!

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.

15 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,

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.

16 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.

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,

17 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.

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.

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

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)

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

The living, the living, he confesses You,

20 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.

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.”

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

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

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

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