Isaiah 38

Modern

Literal

Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery

¹In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”

¹In those days Hezekiah was sick unto death. And came to him Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet, and he said to him, “Thus says YHWH: ‘Set in order your house, for you are going to die, and you will not live!’”

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

²And Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed to YHWH,

³saying, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

³and he said, “I pray you, O YHWH, remember please how I have walked before Your face in truth and with a complete heart, and I have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept with great weeping.

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

⁴And the word of YHWH came to Isaiah, saying,

⁵“Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.

⁵“Go and say to Hezekiah: Thus says YHWH the God of David your father, ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears; Behold I will add to your days fifteen years.

⁶And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.^a

⁶And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will cover over this city.

⁷This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised:

⁷And this is to you the sign from YHWH that YHWH will do this thing that He has spoken:

⁸I will make the sun’s shadow that falls on the stairway of Ahaz go back ten steps.’”

So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had descended.

⁸Behold, I am bringing back the shadow on the stairs, which has gone down on the stairs of Ahaz, with the sun backward ten steps.’” And the sun was turned back ten steps on the steps that it had gone down.

Hezekiah’s Song of Thanksgiving

⁹This is a writing by Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:

⁹The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, in his being sick and restored to life from his sickness:

¹⁰I said, “In the prime^a of my life

I must go through the gates of Sheol

and be deprived of the remainder of my years.”

¹⁰I said, “In the prime of my life I will go inside the gates of Sheol; I am consigned there for the remainder of my years.”

¹¹I said, “I will never again see the LORD,

even the LORD, in the land of the living;

I will no longer look on mankind

with those who dwell in this world.

¹¹I said, “I will not see YAH—YAH in the land of the living. I will look on mankind no more among those dwelling in the world.

¹²My dwelling has been picked up and removed from me

like a shepherd’s tent.

I have rolled up my life like a weaver;

He cuts me off from the loom;

from day until night You make an end of me.

¹²My dwelling has been pulled up and removed from me like the tent of a shepherd; I have gathered up my life like a weaver; from the loom He cuts me off; from day until night You make an end of me.

¹³I composed myself^a until the morning.

Like a lion He breaks all my bones;

from day until night You make an end of me.

¹³I composed myself until morning; like a lion, thus He breaks all my bones; from day until night You make an end of me.

¹⁴I chirp like a swallow or crane;

I moan like a dove.

My eyes grow weak as I look upward.

O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security.”

¹⁴Like a swallow or crane, so I chirp; I moan like a dove; my eyes are worn out from up high. O Lord, oppression is unto me; be my security!”

¹⁵What can I say?

He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this.

I will walk slowly all my years

because of the anguish of my soul.

¹⁵What can I say? For He has said it to me and He Himself has done it. I move about all my days upon the bitterness of my soul.

¹⁶O Lord, by such things men live,

and in all of them my spirit finds life.

You have restored me to health

and have let me live.

¹⁶O Lord, upon these they live; and in all of them is the life of my spirit; and You have restored me and have let me live.

¹⁷Surely for my own welfare

I had such great anguish;

but Your love has delivered me from the pit of oblivion,

for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

¹⁷Behold, for my wellbeing great bitterness was unto me; and You have held back my soul from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast behind Your back all my sins.

¹⁸For Sheol cannot thank You;

Death cannot praise You.

Those who descend to the Pit

cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

¹⁸For Sheol cannot thank You nor death praise You; those going down to the Pit cannot have hope for Your faithfulness.

¹⁹The living, only the living, can thank You,

as I do today;

fathers will tell their children

about Your faithfulness.

¹⁹The living, the living—he shall thank You as I do this day. A father to sons makes known about Your faithfulness.

²⁰The LORD will save me;

we will play songs on stringed instruments

all the days of our lives

in the house of the LORD.

²⁰YHWH will save me, and strings we will pluck all the days of our lives in the house of YHWH.

²¹Now Isaiah had said, “Prepare a lump of pressed figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”

²¹And Isaiah said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it upon the boil, that he may live.”

²²And Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?”

²²And Hezekiah said, “What is the sign that I will go up to the house of YHWH?”