Isaiah 38
38
1In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order; for you shall die, you shall not recover.” 2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, 3and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in thy sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5“Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and defend this city.
7“This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: 8Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.#38.8 The Hebrew of this verse is obscure
9A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
10I said, In the noontide of my days
I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
for the rest of my years.
11I said, I shall not see the Lord
in the land of the living;
I shall look upon man no more
among the inhabitants of the world.
12My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
like a shepherd's tent;
like a weaver I have rolled up my life;
he cuts me off from the loom;
from day to night thou dost bring me to an end;#38.12 Heb uncertain
13I cry for help#38.13 Cn: Heb obscure until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones;
from day to night thou dost bring me to an end.#38.13 Heb uncertain
14Like a swallow or a crane#38.14 Heb uncertain I clamor,
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; be thou my security!
15But what can I say? For he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
All my sleep has fled#38.15 Cn Compare Syr: Heb I will walk slowly all my years
because of the bitterness of my soul.
16O Lord, by these things men live,
and in all these is the life of my spirit.#38.16 Heb uncertain
Oh, restore me to health and make me live!
17Lo, it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
but thou hast held back#38.17 Cn Compare Gk Vg: Heb loved my life
from the pit of destruction,
for thou hast cast all my sins
behind thy back.
18For Sheol cannot thank thee,
death cannot praise thee;
those who go down to the pit cannot hope
for thy faithfulness.
19The living, the living, he thanks thee,
as I do this day;
the father makes known to the children
thy faithfulness.
20The Lord will save me,
and we will sing to stringed instruments#38.20 Heb my stringed instruments
all the days of our life,
at the house of the Lord.
21Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs, and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” 22Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
Isaiah 38
38
XXXVIII
1In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came unto him, and said unto him Thus saith Jehovah: Give charge concerning thine house: for thou shalt die and not live. 2Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, mad prayed unto Jehovah. 3And he said, Remember now, O Jehovah, 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 sore. 4Then came the word of Jehovah to Isaiah, saying: 5Go, and say unto Hezekiah, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: Behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. 6And I will deliver thee, and this city, out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city. 7And this shall be a sign unto thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do this thing which he hath spoken. 8Behold, I will cause the shadow of degrees, which hath gone down, by the sun, on the dial of Ahaz, to go back ten degrees. And the sun returned back ten degrees, by the degrees by which it had gone down.
9THE WRITING OF HEZEKIAH KING OF JUDAH, WHEN HE HAD BEEN SICK, AND WAS RECOVERED FROM HIS SICKNESS.
10I said: In the noontide of my days I shall go to the gates of the grave;
I am deprived of the residue of my years.
11I said: I shall no more see Jehovah,
Jehovah in the land of the living;
I shall not behold man any more,
Being numbered among the inhabitants of the land of stillness.
12My habitation is taken down, and removed from me, like a shepherd's tent.
My life is cut off, as by a weaver; He cutteth me off from the woof;
Even from day to night wilt thou make an end of me.
13I resembled a roaring lion till the morning,
So did He break all my bones;
Even from day to night wilt thou make an end of me.
14Like a swallow, or a crane, so did I twitter;
I moaned like the dove:
Mine eyes foil with looking upward;
O Jehovah, I am oppressed; be thou surety for me.
15What shall I say?
He hath both spoken unto me, and He hath himself performed it:
I will walk humbly all my years on account of the bitterness of my soul.
16O Lord, by these things do men live;
And from all these things cometh the life of my spirit;
For thou hast restored my strength, and preserved my life.
17Behold, my bitter anguish is changed into health:
Thou hast also in love to me rescued my soul from the pit of destruction;
Yea, thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
18For the grave cannot praise thee,
Death cannot celebrate thee:
They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
19The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day;
The father to the children shall make known thy truth.
20 Jehovah was at hand to save me:
Therefore my stringed instruments will we strike,
All the days of our life, in the house of Jehovah.
21Now, Isaiah had said: Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall
22recover. Hezekiah also had said: What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Jehovah?
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Translated by Rev John Jones (Ioan Tegid).Published at Oxford in 1830, second edition 1842.