Isaias (Isaiah) 38
38
1IN those days, Ezechias was sick even to death, and Isaias the son of Amos the prophet came unto him, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die, and not live.
2And Ezechias turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the Lord,
3And said: I beseech thee, O Lord, remember how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Ezechias wept with great weeping.
4And the word of the Lord came to Isaias, saying:
5Go and say to Ezechias: Thus saith the Lord the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, and I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add to thy days fifteen years.
6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians: and I will protect it.
7And this shall be a sign to thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this word which he hath spoken:
8Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the lines, by which it is now gone down in the sun-dial of Achaz with the sun, ten lines backward. And the sun returned ten lines by the degrees by which it was gone down.
9The writing of Ezechias king of Juda, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.
10I said: In the midst of my days I shall go to the gates of hell. I sought for the residue of my years.
11I said: I shall not see the Lord God in the land of the living. I shall behold man no more, nor the inhabitant of rest.
12My generation is at an end; and it is rolled away from me, as a shepherd's tent. My life is cut off, as by a weaver: whilst I was yet but beginning, he cut me off. From morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me.
13I hoped till morning: as a lion so hath he broken all my bones. From morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me.
14I will cry like a young swallow, I will meditate like a dove: my eyes are weakened looking upward. Lord, I suffer violence, answer thou for me.
15What shall I say, or what shall he answer for me, whereas he himself hath done it? I will recount to thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul.
16O Lord, if man's life be such, and the life of my spirit be in such things as these, thou shalt correct me and make me to live.
17Behold, in peace is my bitterness most bitter. But thou best delivered my soul that it should not perish: thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
18For hell shall not confess to thee, neither shall death praise thee: nor shall they that go down into the pit look for thy truth.
19The living, the living, he shall give praise to thee, as I do this day: the father shall make thy truth known to the children.
20O Lord, save me, and we will sing our psalms all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.
21Now Isaias had ordered that they should take a lump of figs and lay it as it plaster upon the wound, and that he should be healed.
22And Ezechias had said: What shall be the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?
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Isaias (Isaiah) 38: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Isaiah 38
38
King Hezekiah's Illness and Recovery
(2 Kgs 20.1–11; 2 Chr 32.24–26)
1About this time King Hezekiah fell ill and almost died. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and said to him, “The LORD tells you that you are to put everything in order because you will not recover. Get ready to die.”
2Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed: 3“Remember, LORD, that I have served you faithfully and loyally, and that I have always tried to do what you wanted me to.” And he began to cry bitterly.
4Then the LORD commanded Isaiah 5to go back to Hezekiah and say to him, “I, the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will let you live fifteen years longer. 6I will rescue you and this city of Jerusalem from the emperor of Assyria, and I will continue to protect the city.”
21 # 38.21 Verses 21–22 are moved here from the end of the chapter (see 2 Kgs 20.6–9). Isaiah told the king to put a paste made of figs on his boil, and he would get well. 22Then King Hezekiah asked, “What is the sign to prove that I will be able to go to the Temple?”
7Isaiah replied, “The LORD will give you a sign to prove that he will keep his promise. 8On the stairway built by King Ahaz, the LORD will make the shadow go back ten steps.” And the shadow moved back ten steps.#38.8 stairway… ten steps… steps; or sundial… ten degrees… degrees (see 2 Kgs 20.9–11).
9After Hezekiah recovered from his illness, he wrote this song of praise:
10I thought that in the prime of life
I was going to the world of the dead,
Never to live out my life.
11I thought that in this world of the living
I would never again see the LORD
Or any living person.
12My life was cut off and ended,
Like a tent that is taken down,
Like cloth that is cut from a loom.
I thought that God was ending my life.#38.12 I thought… my life; Hebrew unclear.
13All night I cried out with pain,
As if a lion were breaking my bones.
I thought that God was ending my life.#38.13 Verse 13 in Hebrew is unclear.
14My voice was thin and weak,
And I moaned like a dove.
My eyes grew tired from looking to heaven.
Lord, rescue me from all this trouble.
15What can I say? The LORD has done this.
My heart is bitter, and I cannot sleep.
16Lord, I will live for you, for you alone;
Heal me and let me live.#38.16 Verses 15–16 in Hebrew are unclear.
17My bitterness will turn into peace.
You save#38.17 Some ancient translations save; Hebrew love. my life from all danger;
You forgive all my sins.
18No one in the world of the dead can praise you;
The dead cannot trust in your faithfulness.
19It is the living who praise you,
As I praise you now.
Parents tell their children how faithful you are.
20 LORD, you have healed me.
We will play harps and sing your praise,
Sing praise in your Temple as long as we live.#38.20 Verses 21–22 are placed after verse 6.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.