Isaiah 38:1-22
38 In those days Hezekiah fell sick and was at the point of death, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amos came to him and said to him “Says Jehovah, Make your will, because you are a dead man and are not to recover.”
2 And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Jehovah,
3 and said “Ah, Jehovah, remember how I have walked before you in wholehearted loyalty and done what pleased you”—and Hezekiah wept copiously.
4 And Jehovah’s word came to Isaiah
5 “Go and say to Hezekiah ‘Says Jehovah, your father David’s God, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; I will add to your days fifteen years,
6 and will deliver you and this city out of the hands of the king of Assyria, and will shield this city.
7 And this is the token you are to have from Jehovah that Jehovah will do this thing that he said he would:
8 * here, I will have the shadow on the steps, where the sun has moved down on Ahaz’s steps, recede ten steps backward.’”
9 (A mictam of King Hezekiah of Judah’s when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness.)
10 * I thought “With broken-off days I shall go through the gates of the realm of death;I miss the rest of my years.”
11 ** I thought “I shall not see Jehovah in the land of the living,I shall not again look at menwith those who live above ground.
12 * My existence is pulled up and away from melike a shepherds’ tent;I have done my life up like a web,you cut it off from the thrum.From day to night you finish me off,
13 ** I lie helpless till morning.Just like a lion he breaks all my bones;from day to night you finish me off.
14 *** Just like a crane-swallow I twitter;I sigh like a dove.My eyes droop with looking on high;Lord, I am denied justice; be my bail!
15 * What shall I plead and say,when it was he did it?
All my years I am led onwith the ache in my heart.
16 * Lord, by them men live,and in them everyone has the life of his spirit;Bring me to health and life.”
17 * But you held back my lifefrom utter desolationBecause you had thrown all my sinsbehind your back.
18 For the grave will not thank you,death praise you,Those who are down in the Pit will not reportyour faithfulness.
19 A living man, a living man will thank you,like me today.Father to children will make knownyour faithfulness.
20 * Jehovah, hasten to save me;and we will play my musicAll our livesat Jehovah’s house.
21 And Isaiah said “Let them fetch a cake of figs to spread over the abscess that he may recover.”
22 And Hezekiah said “What is the token that I shall go up to Jehovah’s house?”
Footnotes
^ 38:8 Susp.
^ 38:10 Lit. With the breaking off of my days
^ 38:11 Var. see Jehovah; Jehovah is in
^ 38:11 Var. who live no more
^ 38:12 Lit. and uncovered from me
^ 38:13 (lie helpless) Unc.
^ 38:13 Conj. that the last line does not belong to the text
^ 38:14 (a crane-swallow) Unc.; var. a swallow
^ 38:14 (droop) Conj. are exhausted
^ 38:14 with looking is not in the Hebrew
^ 38:15 Codd. and say for myself Var. and say to him
^ 38:16 It is probable that at the beginning of this verse a line or more is lost
^ 38:17 At the beginning of the verse var. adds Here has bitterness changed to well-being for me
^ 38:20 Codd. Jehovah is for saving me
