Isaiah 38

1 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.'”

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death; and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, Set thy house in order, for thou shalt die, and not live.

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

Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and made his supplication to Jehovah.

3 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.

And he said, I beseech thee, O Jehovah, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thine eyes! And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

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

Then came the word of Jehovah to Isaiah,

5 “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.

Go in and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer; I have seen thy tears. Behold, I will add to thy life fifteen years.

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

And I will deliver thee and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.

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

And this shall be the sign to thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do that which he hath spoken.

8 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.

Behold, I will cause the shadow upon the dial, which hath gone down upon the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to go back ten degrees. So the sun went back ten degrees, which degrees it had gone down.

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

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

10 “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)

I said: “Now, in the quiet of my days, shall I go down to the gates of the under-world; I am deprived of the residue of my years.” (Sheol h7585)

11 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.

I said: “No more shall I see Jehovah, Jehovah in the land of the living. I shall behold man no more Among the inhabitants of stillness.

12 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.

My habitation is torn away and removed from me, Like a shepherd's tent; My life is rolled up as by the weaver; He cutteth me off from the thrum; Between morning and night wilt thou make an end of me!”

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

I waited till morning, and like a lion Did he crush all my bones; “Between morning and night wilt thou make an end of me!”

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

Like a swallow or a crane, so did I twitter; I did mourn as a dove; Mine eyes failed with looking upward; “O Lord, I am in distress; O, deliver me!”

15 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.

What shall I say? He promised it, and he hath done it; I will walk humbly all my life On account of the bitterness of my soul.

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

Lord, it is thus that men live; From thee alone cometh the life of my spirit; Thou hast restored me, and caused me to live.

17 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.

Behold, my anguish is changed into ease; In love thou hast delivered me from the pit of destruction; Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

18 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)

For the under-world cannot praise thee; The realms of death cannot celebrate thee; They that go down to the pit cannot wait for thy faithfulness. (Sheol h7585)

19 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.

The living, the living praise thee, as I do this day; The father to the children shall make known thy faithfulness.

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

Jehovah hath saved me; Therefore will we sing our songs with stringed instruments, All the days of our life, In the house of Jehovah.

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

Now Isaiah had said, let them take a lump of figs, and bruise them, and lay them upon the ulcer, and he shall recover.

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

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