Isaiah 38

1 In those days Ezechias was sick even to death, and Isaias the son of Amos the prophet came unto him, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Take order with thy house, for thou shalt 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 says the Lord, Give orders concerning your house: for you shall die, and not live.

2 And Ezechias turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord,

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

3 And said: I beseech thee, O Lord, remember how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Ezechias wept with great weeping.

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

4 And the word of the Lord came to Isaias, saying:

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

5 Go and say to Ezechias: Thus saith the Lord the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, and I have seen thy tears: behold I will add to thy days fifteen years:

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

6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will protect it.

And I will deliver you 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 to thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this word which he hath spoken:

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

8 Behold I will bring again the shadow of the lines, by which it is now gone down in the sun dial of Achaz with the sun, ten lines backward. And the sun returned ten lines by the degrees by which 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 your 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 Ezechias king of Juda, 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 midst of my days I shall go to the gates of hell: I sought for 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 God in the land of the living. I shall behold man no more, nor the inhabitant of rest.

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 My generation is at an end, and it is rolled away from me, as a shepherd’s tent. My life is cut off, as by a weaver: whilst I was yet but beginning, he out me off: from morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me.

[My life] has failed from amongst 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 near to cut off [the] thread.

13 I hoped till morning, as a lion so hath he broken all my bones: from morning even to night thou wilt 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 I will cry like a young swallow, I will meditate like a dove: my eyes are weakened looking upward: Lord, I suffer violence, answer thou 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, or what shall he answer for me, whereas he himself hath done it? I will recount to thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

16 O Lord, if man’s life be such, and the life of my spirit be in such things as these, thou shalt correct me, and make me to live.

[Yes], O Lord, for it was told you concerning this; and you have revived my breath; and I am comforted, and live.

17 Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter: but thou best delivered my soul that it should not perish, thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

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

18 For hell shall not confess to thee, neither shall death praise thee: nor shall they that go down into the pit, look for thy truth. (Sheol h7585)

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

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

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

20 O Lord, save me, and we will sing our psalms all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.

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

21 Now Isaias had ordered that they should take a lump of figs, and lay it as it plaster upon the wound, and that he should be healed.

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

22 And Ezechias bed said: What shall be 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.