Isaiah 38

1 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.'

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 thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.'

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

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

3 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.

and said: 'Remember now, O LORD, I beseech Thee, how I have walked before Thee in truth and with a whole heart, and have done that which is good in Thy sight.' And Hezekiah wept sore.

4 And a word of Jehovah is unto Isaiah, saying,

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

5 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,

'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.

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

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

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

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

8 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.

behold, I will cause the shadow of the dial, which is gone down on the sun-dial of Ahaz, to return backward ten degrees.' So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

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

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

10 '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)

I said: In the noontide of my days I shall go, even to the gates of the nether-world; I am deprived of the residue of my years. (Sheol h7585)

11 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.

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.

12 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.

My habitation is plucked up and 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 thrum; from day even to night wilt Thou make an end of me.

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

The more I make myself like unto a lion until morning, the more it breaketh all my bones; from day even to night wilt Thou make an end of me.

14 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.

Like a swallow or a crane, so do I chatter, I do moan as a dove; mine eyes fail with looking upward. O LORD, I am oppressed, be Thou my surety.

15 — 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.

What shall I say? He hath both spoken unto me, and Himself hath done it; I shall go softly all my years for the bitterness of my soul.

16 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,

O Lord, by these things men live, and altogether therein is the life of my spirit; wherefore recover Thou me, and make me to live.

17 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.

Behold, for my peace 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.

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

For the nether-world cannot praise Thee, death cannot celebrate Thee; they that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth. (Sheol h7585)

19 The living, the living, he doth confess Thee.

The living, the living, he shall praise Thee, as I do this day; the father to the children shall make known Thy truth.

20 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.'

The LORD is ready to save me; therefore we will sing songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.

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

And Isaiah said: 'Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover.'

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

And Hezekiah said. 'What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?'