Isaiah 38

1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus says the LORD, Set your house in order: for you shall die, and not live.

And it came to pass at that time, [that] Ezekias was sick even to death. And Esaias the prophet the son of Amos came to him, and said to him, Thus saith the Lord, Give orders concerning thy house: for thou shalt die, and not live.

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

And Ezekias turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,

3 And said, Remember now, O LORD, I plead to you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before thee in truth, with a true heart, and have done that which was pleasing in thy sight. And Ezekias wept bitterly.

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

And the word of the Lord came to Esaias, saying, Go, and say to Ezekias,

5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears: behold, I will add unto your days fifteen years.

Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, and seen thy tears: behold, I [will] add to thy time fifteen years.

6 And I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.

And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians: and I will defend this city.

7 And this shall be a sign unto you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he has spoken;

And this [shall be] a sign to thee from the Lord, that God will do this thing;

8 Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

behold, I will turn back the shadow of the degrees [of the dial] by which ten degrees on the house of thy father the sun has gone down—I will turn back the sun the ten degrees; so the sun went back the ten degrees by which the shadow had gone down.

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

THE PRAYER OF EZEKIAS KING OF JUDEA, WHEN HE HAD BEEN SICK, AND WAS RECOVERED FROM HIS SICKNESS.

10 I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. (Sheol h7585)

I said in the end of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I shall part with the remainder of my years. (Sheol h7585)

11 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.

I said, I shall no more at all see the salvation of God in the land of the living: I shall no more at all see the salvation of Israel on the earth: I shall no more at all see man.

12 Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night will you make an end of me.

[My life] has failed from among my kindred: I have parted with the remainder of my life: it has gone forth and departed from me, as one that having pitched a tent takes it down [again]: my breath was with me as a weaver's web, when she that weaves draws nigh to cut off [the] thread.

13 I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night will you make an end of me.

In that day I was given up as to a lion until the morning: so has he broken all my bones: for I was so given up from day [even] to night.

14 Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

As a swallow, so will I cry, and as a dove, so do I mourn: for mine eyes have failed with looking to the height of heaven to the Lord, who has delivered me, and removed the sorrow of my soul.

15 What shall I say? he has both spoken unto me, and himself has done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

16 O LORD, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so will you recover me, and make me to live.

[Yea], O Lord, for it was told thee concerning this; and thou hast revived my breath; and I am comforted, and live.

17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but you have in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

For thou hast chosen my soul, that it should not perish: and thou hast cast all [my] sins behind me.

18 For the grave cannot praise you, death can not celebrate you: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for your truth. (Sheol h7585)

For they that are in the grave shall not praise thee, neither shall the dead bless thee, neither shall they that are in Hades hope for thy mercy. (Sheol h7585)

19 The living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known your truth.

The living shall bless thee, as I also [do]: for from this day shall I beget children, who shall declare thy righteousness,

20 The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.

O God of my salvation; and I will not cease blessing thee with the psaltery all the days of my life before the house of God.

21 For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover.

Now Esaias had said to Ezekias; Take a cake of figs, and mash them, and apply them as a plaster, and thou shalt be well.

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

And Ezekias said, This is a sign to Ezekias, that I shall go up to the house of God.