Isaiah 38

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

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.'”

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

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

3 And said, Remember now, O LORD, 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 bitterly.

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.

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

Then the word of Yahweh came to Isaiah, saying,

5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, 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 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.

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

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

7 And this shall be a sign to thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;

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

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

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.

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

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

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

“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)

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 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.

12 My age hath 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 wilt thou make an end of me.

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.

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

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

14 Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered: I mourned as a dove: my eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

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

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

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.

16 O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou restore me, and make me to live.

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

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

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.

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

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)

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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