Ἠσαΐας 38
1 ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ἐμαλακίσθη Εζεκιας ἕως θανάτου καὶ ἦλθεν πρὸς αὐτὸν Ησαιας υἱὸς Αμως ὁ προφήτης καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν τάδε λέγει κύριος τάξαι περὶ τοῦ οἴκου σου ἀποθνῄσκεις γὰρ σὺ καὶ οὐ ζήσῃ
About that time, Hezekiah became [very] ill and was close to dying. [So] I went to see him. And I gave him this message: “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You should tell the people in your palace what you want them to do after you die, because you will not recover from this illness. You are going to die’”
2 καὶ ἀπέστρεψεν Εζεκιας τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν τοῖχον καὶ προσηύξατο πρὸς κύριον
Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed this:
3 λέγων μνήσθητι κύριε ὡς ἐπορεύθην ἐνώπιόν σου μετὰ ἀληθείας ἐν καρδίᾳ ἀληθινῇ καὶ τὰ ἀρεστὰ ἐνώπιόν σου ἐποίησα καὶ ἔκλαυσεν Εζεκιας κλαυθμῷ μεγάλῳ
“Yahweh, do not forget that I have always served you very faithfully, and I have done things that pleased you!” Then Hezekiah [started to] cry loudly.
4 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρὸς Ησαιαν λέγων
[I left his room, but] Yahweh gave me this message:
5 πορεύθητι καὶ εἰπὸν Εζεκια τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς Δαυιδ τοῦ πατρός σου ἤκουσα τῆς φωνῆς τῆς προσευχῆς σου καὶ εἶδον τὰ δάκρυά σου ἰδοὺ προστίθημι πρὸς τὸν χρόνον σου ἔτη δέκα πέντε
“Go [back] to Hezekiah and tell him that this is what I, the God to whom your ancestor King David belonged, say: ‘I have heard what you prayed, and I have seen you crying. So listen: I will enable you to live 15 years more.
6 καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων σώσω σε καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης ὑπερασπιῶ
And, I will rescue you and this city from the power [MTY] of the King of Assyria. I will defend this city.
7 τοῦτο δέ σοι τὸ σημεῖον παρὰ κυρίου ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ποιήσει τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο
And this is what I will do to prove that I will do what I have just now promised. I will cause the shadow of the sun to move ten steps backward on the sundial that was built by King Ahaz.’”
8 τὴν σκιὰν τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν οὓς κατέβη ὁ ἥλιος τοὺς δέκα ἀναβαθμοὺς τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου ἀποστρέψω τὸν ἥλιον τοὺς δέκα ἀναβαθμούς καὶ ἀνέβη ὁ ἥλιος τοὺς δέκα ἀναβαθμούς οὓς κατέβη ἡ σκιά
So the shadow of the sun on the sundial moved backward ten steps.
9 προσευχὴ Εζεκιου βασιλέως τῆς Ιουδαίας ἡνίκα ἐμαλακίσθη καὶ ἀνέστη ἐκ τῆς μαλακίας αὐτοῦ
When King Hezekiah was almost well again, he wrote this:
I thought to myself, “Is it necessary for me to die and go to the place where the dead people are during this time of my life when I am still strong? Is Yahweh going to rob me of the remaining years that I [should live]?” (Sheol h7585)
11 εἶπα οὐκέτι μὴ ἴδω τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς οὐκέτι μὴ ἴδω ἄνθρωπον
I said, “I will not see Yahweh [again] in this world where people are alive. I will not see my friends again, or be with others who [now] are alive in this world.
12 ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας μου κατέλιπον τὸ λοιπὸν τῆς ζωῆς μου ἐξῆλθεν καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ ὥσπερ ὁ καταλύων σκηνὴν πήξας τὸ πνεῦμά μου παρ’ ἐμοὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἱστὸς ἐρίθου ἐγγιζούσης ἐκτεμεῖν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ παρεδόθην
[It is as if] my life has been taken away like [SIM] a tent [whose pegs] have been pulled up by a shepherd and taken away. My time to live has been cut short, like a piece of cloth that a weaver [cuts and] rolls up [after he has finished weaving a cloth].” Suddenly, [it seemed that] my life was ending.
13 ἕως πρωὶ ὡς λέοντι οὕτως τὰ ὀστᾶ μου συνέτριψεν ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς νυκτὸς παρεδόθην
I waited patiently all during the night, but [my pain was as though] [MET] I was being torn apart by lions. [It seemed that] my life was finished.
14 ὡς χελιδών οὕτως φωνήσω καὶ ὡς περιστερά οὕτως μελετήσω ἐξέλιπον γάρ μου οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τοῦ βλέπειν εἰς τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πρὸς τὸν κύριον ὃς ἐξείλατό με
[I was delirious, and] I chirped like a swift or a swallow, and moaned like a dove. My eyes became tired looking up [toward heaven] for help. I cried out, Lord, help me, [because] I am distressed!’
15 καὶ ἀφείλατό μου τὴν ὀδύνην τῆς ψυχῆς
But there was really nothing [RHQ] that I could say and ask him to reply to me, because it was Yahweh who sent this illness. [So now] I will live humbly during my [remaining] years because I am very anguished.
16 κύριε περὶ αὐτῆς γὰρ ἀνηγγέλη σοι καὶ ἐξήγειράς μου τὴν πνοήν καὶ παρακληθεὶς ἔζησα
Yahweh, the sufferings (OR, the promises) that you give are good, [because] what you do and what you say bring [new] life and health to us. And you restore/heal me and allow me [to continue] to live!
17 εἵλου γάρ μου τὴν ψυχήν ἵνα μὴ ἀπόληται καὶ ἀπέρριψας ὀπίσω μου πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου
Truly, my suffering was good for me; you loved me, and as a result you have rescued me from dying and have also forgiven all my sins.
18 οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἐν ᾅδου αἰνέσουσίν σε οὐδὲ οἱ ἀποθανόντες εὐλογήσουσίν σε οὐδὲ ἐλπιοῦσιν οἱ ἐν ᾅδου τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην σου (Sheol h7585)
Dead people [MTY] cannot praise you; they cannot sing to praise you. Those who have descended to their graves cannot confidently expect you to faithfully [do things for them]. (Sheol h7585)
19 οἱ ζῶντως εὐλογήσουσίν σε ὃν τρόπον κἀγώ ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς σήμερον παιδία ποιήσω ἃ ἀναγγελοῦσιν τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου
Only people who are still alive, like I am, can praise you. Fathers tell their children how you are faithful, [and if I remain alive, I will do the same thing].
20 κύριε τῆς σωτηρίας μου καὶ οὐ παύσομαι εὐλογῶν σε μετὰ ψαλτηρίου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς μου κατέναντι τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ
[I know that] Yahweh will fully heal me, [so] I will sing to praise him while others praise him playing musical instruments; I will do that every day of my life, in the temple of Yahweh.”
21 καὶ εἶπεν Ησαιας πρὸς Εζεκιαν λαβὲ παλάθην ἐκ σύκων καὶ τρῖψον καὶ κατάπλασαι καὶ ὑγιὴς ἔσῃ
I had [previously] said to Hezekiah’s servants, “Prepare an ointment from [mashed] figs, and spread it on his boil, and then he will recover.” [So they did that, and Hezekiah recovered].
22 καὶ εἶπεν Εζεκιας τοῦτο τὸ σημεῖον ὅτι ἀναβήσομαι εἰς τὸν οἶκον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ
And Hezekiah had [previously] asked, “What will Yahweh do to prove that I will [recover and be able to] go to his temple?”
