Isaiah 38

1 In those days hath Hezekiah been sick unto death, and come in unto him doth Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, and saith unto him, 'Thus said Jehovah: Give a charge to thy house, for thou [art] dying, and dost 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 And Hezekiah turneth round his face unto the wall, and prayeth unto Jehovah,

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

3 and saith, 'I pray thee, O Jehovah, remember, I pray Thee, how I have walked habitually before Thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and that which [is] good in thine eyes I have done;' and Hezekiah weepeth — a great weeping.

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 And a word of Jehovah is unto Isaiah, saying,

Then the word of Yahweh came to Isaiah, saying,

5 Go, and thou hast said to Hezekiah, Thus said Jehovah, God of David thy father, 'I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tear, lo, I am adding 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 out of the hand of the king of Asshur I deliver thee and this city, and have covered over 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 [is] to thee the sign from Jehovah, that Jehovah doth this thing that He hath spoken.

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

8 Lo, I am bringing back the shadow of the degrees that it hath gone down on the degrees of Ahaz, by the sun, backward ten degrees:' and the sun turneth back ten degrees in the degrees that 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 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah concerning his being sick, when he reviveth from his sickness:

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

10 'I — I said in the cutting off of my days, I go in to the gates of Sheol, I have numbered the remnant of mine 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 do not see Jah — Jah! In the land of the living, I do not behold man any 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 sojourning hath departed, And been removed from me as a shepherd's tent, I have drawn together, as a weaver, my life, By weakness it cutteth me off, From day unto night Thou dost end 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 have set [Him] till morning as a lion, So doth He break all my bones, From day unto night Thou dost end 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 As a crane — a swallow — so I chatter, I mourn as a dove, Drawn up have been mine eyes on high, O Jehovah, oppression [is] on me, be my surety.

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 do I say? seeing He said to me, And He Himself hath wrought, I go softly all my years for 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 Lord, by these do [men] live, And by all in them [is] the life of my spirit, And Thou savest me, make me also 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 Lo, to peace He changed for me bitterness, And Thou hast delighted in my soul without corruption, For Thou hast cast behind Thy back all my sins.

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 Sheol doth not confess Thee, Death doth not praise Thee, Those going down to the pit hope not 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 doth confess Thee.

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 Like myself to-day — a father to sons Doth make known of Thy faithfulness, O Jehovah — to save me: And my songs we sing all days of our lives In the house of Jehovah.'

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

21 And Isaiah saith, 'Let them take a bunch of figs, and plaster over the ulcer, and he liveth.'

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

22 And Hezekiah saith, 'What [is] the sign that I go up to the house of Jehovah!'

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