Isaiah 38
1 In tho daies Esechie was sijk `til to the deth; and Isaie, the profete, the sone of Amos, entride to hym, and seide to hym, The Lord seith these thingis, Dispose thi hous, for thou schalt die, and thou schalt not lyue.
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was near death. And so, Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the prophet, entered to him, and he said to him: “Thus says the Lord: Put your house in order, for you shall die, and you shall not live.”
2 And Esechie turnede his face to the wal, and preiede the Lord, and seide, Lord, Y biseche;
And Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and he prayed to the Lord.
3 haue thou mynde, Y biseche, hou Y yede bifore thee in treuthe, and in perfit herte, and Y dide that that was good bifore thin iyen. And Ezechye wept with greet wepyng.
And he said: “I beg you, Lord, I beseech you, to remember how I walked before you in truth and with a whole heart, and that I have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept with a great weeping.
4 And the word of the Lord was maad to Isaie, and seide,
And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying:
5 Go thou, and seie to Ezechye, The Lord God of Dauid, thi fadir, seith these thingis, I haue herd thi preier, and Y siy thi teeris. Lo! Y schal adde on thi daies fiftene yeer;
“Go and say to Hezekiah: Thus says the Lord, the God of David, your father: I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your days.
6 and Y schal delyuere thee and this citee fro the hond of the kyng of Assiriens, and Y schal defende it.
And I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will protect it.
7 Forsothe this schal be to thee a signe of the Lord, that the Lord schal do this word, which he spak.
And this will be a sign for you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this word, which he has spoken:
8 Lo! Y schal make the schadewe of lynes, bi which it yede doun in the orologie of Achas, in the sunne, to turne ayen backward bi ten lynes. And the sunne turnede ayen bi ten lynes, bi degrees bi whiche it hadde go doun.
Behold, I will cause the shadow of the lines, which has now descended on the sundial of Ahaz, to move in reverse for ten lines.” And so, the sun moved backward by ten lines, through the degrees by which it had descended.
9 The scripture of Ezechie, kyng of Juda, whanne he hadde be sijk, and hadde rekyuered of his sikenesse.
The writing of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, after he had fallen ill and had recovered from his sickness:
10 I seide, in the myddil of my daies Y schal go to the yatis of helle. Y souyte the residue of my yeeris; (Sheol h7585)
“I said: In the middle of my days, I will go to the gates of Hell. So I sought the remainder of my years. (Sheol h7585)
11 Y seide, Y schal not se the Lord God in the lond of lyueris; Y schal no more biholde a man, and a dwellere of reste.
I said: I will not see the Lord God in the land of the living. I will no longer behold man, nor the habitation of rest.
12 My generacioun is takun awei, and is foldid togidere fro me, as the tabernacle of scheepherdis is foldid togidere. Mi lijf is kit doun as of a webbe; he kittide doun me, the while Y was wouun yit. Fro the morewtid `til to the euentid thou schalt ende me;
My longevity has been taken away; it has been folded up and taken from me, like the tent of a shepherd. My life has been cut off, as if by a weaver. While I was still beginning, he cut me off. From morning until evening, you have marked out my limits.
13 Y hopide til to the morewtid; as a lioun, so he al to-brak alle my boonys. Fro the morewtid til to the euentid thou schalt ende me; as the brid of a swalewe, so Y schal crie;
I hoped, even until morning. Like a lion, so has he crushed all my bones. From morning until evening, you have marked my limits.
14 Y schal bithenke as a culuer. Myn iyen biholdynge an hiy, ben maad feble. Lord, Y suffre violence, answere thou for me; what schal Y seie,
I will cry out, like a young swallow. I will meditate, like a dove. My eyes have been weakened by gazing upward. O Lord, I suffer violence! Answer in my favor.
15 ether what schal answere to me, whanne `I mysilf haue do? Y schal bithenke to thee alle my yeeris, in the bitternisse of my soule.
What can I say, or what would he answer me, since he himself has done this? I will acknowledge to you all my years, in the bitterness of my soul.
16 Lord, if me lyueth so, and the lijf of my spirit is in siche thingis, thou schalt chastise me, and schalt quykene me.
O Lord, if such is life, and if the life of my spirit is of such a kind, may you correct me and may you cause me to live.
17 Lo! my bitternesse is moost bittir in pees; forsothe thou hast delyuered my soule, that it perischide not; thou hast caste awey bihynde thi bak alle my synnes.
Behold, in peace my bitterness is most bitter. But you have rescued my soul, so that it would not perish. You have cast all my sins behind your back.
18 For not helle schal knowleche to thee, nethir deth schal herie thee; thei that goon doun in to the lake, schulen not abide thi treuthe. (Sheol h7585)
For Hell will not confess to you, and death will not praise you. Those who descend into the pit will not hope for your truth. (Sheol h7585)
19 A lyuynge man, a lyuynge man, he schal knouleche to thee, as and Y to dai; the fadir schal make knowun thi treuthe to sones.
The living, the living, these will give praise to you, as I also do this day! The father will make the truth known to the sons.
20 Lord, make thou me saaf, and we schulen synge oure salmes in all the daies of oure lijf in the hous of the Lord.
O Lord, save me! And we will sing our psalms, all the days of our life, in the house of the Lord.”
21 And Ysaie comaundide, that thei schulden take a gobet of figus, and make a plaster on the wounde; and it schulde be heelid.
Now Isaiah had ordered them to take a paste of figs, and to spread it like plaster over the wound, so that he would be healed.
22 And Ezechie seide, What signe schal be, that Y schal stie in to the hous of the Lord?
And Hezekiah said, “What will be the sign that I may go up to the house of the Lord?”
