Isaiah, 38

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.

1. In those days Hezekiah fell mortally ill and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, went to him with a message from Yahweh, "Put your house in order for you shall die; you shall not live."

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

2. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh,

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.

3. "Ah Yahweh! Remember how I have walked before you in truth and wholeheartedly, and done what is good in your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

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

4. Then the word of Yahweh came to Isaiah,

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.

5. "Go and tell Hezekiah what Yahweh, the God of his father David, says: I have heard your prayer and I have seen your tears. See! I am adding fifteen years to your life

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

6. and I will save you and this city from the power of the king of Assyria. I will defend it for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.

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

7. And this shall be for you a sign from Yahweh, that he will do what he has promised.

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.

8. See! I shall make the shadow descending on the stairway of Ahaz go back ten steps." So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had covered on the stairway.

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

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

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.

10. Once I said: In the noontime of my life I go; I am sent to the land of the dead, for the rest of my years.

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.

11. I said: Never again shall I see Yahweh in the land of the living; never again shall I see the inhabitants of the earth.

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.

12. Like a shepherd's tent, my dwelling has been pulled down and thrown away; like a weaver, you rolled up my life and cut it from the loom: from day to night you made me waste away.

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.

13. I have cried for help until morning. Like a lion, he has broken all my bones.

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.

14. I have uttered shrill cries like a swallow or a crane, I have moaned like a dove. My eyes all the while are growing weary as I look up to the heavens: Come and help me, O Lord! For I am troubled.

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.

15. But how can I speak and what shall I say to him, if he himself is doing this to me? I will have to walk all my years bearing this anguish of my soul.

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.

16. O Lord, give me back my health and give me back my life!

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.

17. My anguish has turned to peace; you have retrieved my life from the pit of corruption; you have cast all my sins behind you.

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

18. For the dead cannot give you thanks, death cannot give you praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your kindness.

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

19. The living, the living alone can give you thanks and praise, as I do; fathers will tell their sons of your fidelity.

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.

20. O Yahweh, come and save me! We will sing, accompanied by harps, in the Temple of Yahweh all the days of our life.

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.

21. Isaiah then said, "Bring a fig cake to rub on the ulcer and let Hezekiah be cured!"

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

22.