Isaiah 38

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

About this time Hezekiah fell very sick and was about to die. The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your affairs in order, because you are going to die. You won't recover.”

2 And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Jehovah,

When Hezekiah heard this, he went to pray privately to the Lord, saying

3 and said, Ah, Jehovah, remember, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept much.

“Please remember Lord how I have followed you faithfully with all my heart. I have done what is good in your sight.” Then Hezekiah cried and cried.

4 And the word of Jehovah came to Isaiah, saying,

Then the Lord sent a message to Isaiah, saying,

5 Go 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 days fifteen years.

“Go and tell Hezekiah, This is what the Lord, the God of your forefather David, says: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life.

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

I will save you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.

7 And this [shall be] the sign to thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do this thing that he hath spoken:

This is the sign from the Lord to you that the Lord will do what he promised:

8 behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees which hath gone down with the sun on the dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned on the dial ten degrees, by which it had gone down.

Look, I will make the shadow made by the sun go back the ten steps that it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz. So the sun went back the ten steps that it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.”

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

This is what Hezekiah, king of Judah, wrote after he recovered from his sickness:

10 I said, In the meridian of my days I shall go to the gates of Sheol: I am deprived of the rest of my years. (Sheol h7585)

I said to myself, “Do I have to go to my death just as my life is going well? Why can't I count on the rest of my years?” (Sheol h7585)

11 I said, I shall not see Jah, Jah in the land of the living. With those who dwell where all has ceased to be, I shall behold man no more.

I said, “I will never again see the Lord, the Lord, in the land of the living. I won't see anyone else again, none of the inhabitants of this world.

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 separateth me from the thrum: — from day to night thou wilt make an end of me.

Like a shepherd's tent, the place where I live has been pulled up and taken away from me. Like a weaver I have rolled up the cloth of my life and cut it from the loom. Day and night you bring me to an end.

13 I kept still until the morning; ...as a lion, so doth he break all my bones. From day to night thou wilt make an end of me.

I lie there patiently until the morning, but I feel like there's a lion breaking every bone in my body. Day and night you bring me to an end.

14 Like a swallow [or] a crane, so did I chatter; I mourned as a dove; mine eyes failed [with looking] upward: Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

I scream like a swift or a songbird, I moan like a dove. My eyes grow dim as I look heavenwards. I'm being attacked, Lord, please come and support me!

15 What shall I say? He hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done [it]. I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

Yet what can I say? He told me what was going to happen, and he himself did it. I will walk quietly for the rest of my life because of the painful experience I went through.

16 Lord, by these things [men] live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit; and thou hast recovered me, and made me to live.

Lord, we live by what you say and do, and I find life in all of this. You have given me back my health and allowed me to live.

17 Behold, instead of peace I had bitterness upon bitterness; but thou hast in love delivered my soul from the pit of destruction; for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

It was definitely for my own good I went through this bitter experience. You in your love saved me from the pit of destruction and you have forgiven all my sins.

18 For not Sheol shall praise thee, nor death celebrate thee; they that go down into the pit do not hope for thy truth. (Sheol h7585)

Those in the grave cannot praise you, the dead cannot praise you. Those who go down into the pit can no longer hope in your faithfulness. (Sheol h7585)

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

It's only the living who can praise you as I'm doing today. Parents explain to their children how you can be trusted.

20 Jehovah was [purposed] to save me. — And we will play upon my stringed instruments all the days of our life, in the house of Jehovah.

The Lord saved me! We will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the Lord's Temple.”

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

Isaiah had said, “Prepare a dressing of figs and spread it on the skin sores so he may recover.”

22 And Hezekiah had said, What is the sign that I shall go up into the house of Jehovah?

Hezekiah had asked, “What is the sign to confirm that I will go to the Lord's Temple?”