Isaiah 38

1 In those days Hezekiah was sick to the point of dying. So Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, 'Set your house in order; for you will die, not live.'”

In those days Hezekiah was ill and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, The Lord says, Put your house in order; for your death is near.

2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh.

And Hezekiah, turning his face to the wall, made his prayer to the Lord, saying,

3 He said, “Please, Yahweh, call to mind how I have faithfully walked before you with my whole heart, and how I have done what was good in your sight.” Then Hezekiah wept loudly.

O Lord, keep in mind how I have been true to you with all my heart, and have done what is good in your eyes. And Hezekiah gave way to bitter weeping.

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

Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying,

5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what Yahweh, the God of David your ancestor, says: I have heard your prayer, and I have seen your tears. See, I am about to add fifteen years to your life.

Go to Hezekiah, and say, The Lord, the God of David, your father, says, Your prayer has come to my ears, and I have seen your weeping: see, I will give you fifteen more years of life.

6 Then I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.

And I will keep you and this town safe from the hands of the king of Assyria: and I will keep watch over this town.

7 This will be the sign to you from Yahweh, that I will do what I have promised.

And Isaiah said, This is the sign the Lord will give you, that he will do what he has said:

8 Look, I will cause the shadow on the stairs of Ahaz to go back ten steps.'” So the shadow went back ten steps of the stairs on which it had advanced.

See, I will make the shade which has gone down on the steps of Ahaz with the sun, go back ten steps. So the shade went back the ten steps by which it had gone down.

9 This was the written prayer of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and then recovered:

The writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, after he had been ill, and had got better from his disease.

10 “I said that halfway through my life I will go through the gates of Sheol; I am sent there for the rest of my years. (Sheol h7585)

I said, In the quiet of my days I am going down into the underworld: the rest of my years are being taken away from me. (Sheol h7585)

11 I said that I will no longer see Yahweh, Yahweh in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind or the inhabitants of the world.

I said, I will not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living: I will not see man again or those living in the world.

12 My life is removed and carried away from me like a shepherd's tent; I have rolled up my life like a weaver; you are cutting me off from the loom; between day and night you are ending my life.

My resting-place is pulled up and taken away from me like a herdsman's tent: my life is rolled up like a linen-worker's thread; I am cut off from the cloth on the frame: from day even to night you give me up to pain.

13 I cried out until the morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones. Between day and night you are ending my life.

I am crying out with pain till the morning; it is as if a lion was crushing all my bones.

14 Like a swallow I chirp; I coo like a dove; my eyes grow tired with looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed; help me.

I make cries like a bird; I give out sounds of grief like a dove: my eyes are looking up with desire; O Lord, I am crushed, take up my cause.

15 What shall I say? He has both spoken to me, and has done it; I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief.

What am I to say? seeing that it is he who has done it: all my time of sleeping I am turning from side to side without rest.

16 Lord, the sufferings you send are good for me; may my life be given back to me; you have restored my life and health.

O Lord, for this cause I am waiting for you, give rest to my spirit: make me well again, and let me come back to life.

17 It was for my benefit that I experienced such grief. You have rescued me from the pit of destruction; for you have thrown all my sins behind your back.

See, in place of peace my soul had bitter sorrow. but you have kept back my soul from the underworld; for you have put all my sins out of your memory.

18 For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down into the pit do not hope in your trustworthiness. (Sheol h7585)

For the underworld is not able to give you praise, death gives you no honour: for those who go down into the underworld there is no hope in your mercy. (Sheol h7585)

19 The living person, the living person, he is the one who gives you thanks, as I do this day; a father makes known to children your trustworthiness.

The living, the living man, he will give you praise, as I do this day: the father will give the story of your mercy to his children.

20 Yahweh is about to save me, and we will celebrate with music all the days of our lives in the house of Yahweh.”

O Lord, quickly be my saviour; so we will make my songs to corded instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the Lord.

21 Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a lump of figs and put it on the boil, and he will recover.”

And Isaiah said, Let them take a cake of figs, and put it on the diseased place, and he will get well.

22 Hezekiah also had said, “What will be the sign that I should go up to the house of Yahweh?”

And Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I will go up to the house of the Lord?