Isaiah, 38

1. About then, Hezekiah fell ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, 'Yahweh says this, "Put your affairs in order, for you are going to die, you will not live." '

1. In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.

2. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and addressed this prayer to Yahweh,

2. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,

3. 'Ah, Yahweh, remember, I beg you, that I have behaved faithfully and with sincerity of heart in your presence and done what you regard as right.' And Hezekiah shed many tears.

3. And said, Remember now, O LORD, 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.

4. Then the word of Yahweh came to Isaiah,

4. Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,

5. 'Go and say to Hezekiah, "Yahweh, the God of your ancestor David, says this: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I shall cure you: in three days' time you will go up to the Temple of Yahweh. I shall add fifteen years to your life.

5. Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, 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.

6. I shall save you and this city from the king of Assyria's clutches and defend this city for my sake and my servant David's sake." '

6. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.

7. 'Here', Isaiah replied, 'is the sign from Yahweh that he will do what he has said.

7. And this [shall be] a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;

8. Look, I shall make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the steps -- the steps to Ahaz's roof-room-go back ten steps.' And the sun went back the ten steps by which it had declined.

8. Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

9. Canticle of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery.

9. The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:

10. I thought: In the noon of my life I am to depart. At the gates of Sheol I shall be held for the rest of my days.

10. I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.

11. I thought: I shall never see Yahweh again in the land of the living, I shall never see again a single one of those who live on earth.

11. I said, I shall not see the LORD, [even] the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

12. My home has been pulled up, and thrown away like a shepherd's tent; like a weaver, I have rolled up my life, he has cut me from the loom. From dawn to dark, you have been making an end of me;

12. Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day [even] to night wilt thou make an end of me.

13. till daybreak, I cried for help; like a lion, he has crushed all my bones, from dawn to dark, you have been making an end of me.

13. I reckoned till morning, [that], as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day [even] to night wilt thou make an end of me.

14. I twitter like a swallow, I moan like a dove, my eyes have grown dim from looking up. Lord, I am overwhelmed, come to my help.

14. Like a crane [or] a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail [with looking] upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

15. How can I speak and what can I say to him? He is the one to act. I must eke out the rest of my years in bitterness of soul.

15. What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done [it]: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

16. The Lord is over them; they live, and everything in them lives by his spirit. You will cure me. Restore me to life.

16. O Lord, by these [things men] live, and in all these [things is] the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.

17. At once, my bitterness turns to well-being. For you have preserved my soul from the pit of nothingness, you have thrust all my sins behind you.

17. Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul [delivered it] from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

18. For Sheol cannot praise you, nor Death celebrate you; those who go down to the pit can hope no longer in your constancy.

18. For the grave cannot praise thee, death can [not] celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

19. The living, the living are the ones who praise you, as I do today. Fathers tell their sons about your constancy.

19. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I [do] this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

20. Yahweh, come to my help and we will make our harps resound all the days of our life in the Temple of Yahweh.

20. The LORD [was ready] to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.

21. 'Bring a fig poultice,' Isaiah said, 'apply it to the ulcer and he will recover.'

21. For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay [it] for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.

22. Hezekiah said, 'What is the sign to tell me that I shall be going up to the Temple of Yahweh?'

22. Hezekiah also had said, What [is] the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?