Chapter 38

In those days was Hezekiah sick¹ unto death.² And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came⁴ unto him, and said⁴ unto him, Thus saith¹ the LORD, Set thine house in order:¹⁶ for thou shalt die,⁵ and not live.⁴

Then Hezekiah turned⁵⁵ his face toward the wall, and prayed¹⁰¹ unto the LORD,

And said,⁴ Remember³ now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked⁹⁸ before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done¹ [that which is] good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept⁴ sore. ¹⁴¹⁹

Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,²

Go,² and say¹ to Hezekiah, Thus saith¹ the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard¹ thy prayer, I have seen¹ thy tears: behold, I will add⁶ unto thy days fifteen ⁶²⁴⁰ years.

And I will deliver⁵⁵ thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend¹ this city.

And this [shall be] a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do⁴ this thing that he hath spoken;¹⁴

Behold, I will bring again⁵⁶ the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down¹ in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned⁴ ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.¹

The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick,² and was recovered⁴ of his sickness:

I said¹ in the cutting off of my days, I shall go⁴ to the gates of the grave: I am deprived²⁷ of the residue of my years.

I said,¹ I shall not see⁴ the LORD, [even] the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold⁵⁵ man no more with the inhabitants⁶ of the world.

Mine age is departed,⁸ and is removed⁸ from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off¹⁴ like a weaver⁶ my life: he will cut me off¹⁷ with pining sickness: from day [even] to night wilt thou make an end⁵⁵ of me.

I reckoned¹⁴ till morning, [that], as a lion, so will he break¹⁷ all my bones: from day [even] to night wilt thou make an end⁵⁵ of me.

Like a crane [or] a swallow, so did I chatter:⁴⁶ I did mourn⁴ as a dove: mine eyes fail¹ [with looking] upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake³ for me.

What shall I say?¹⁷ he hath both spoken¹ unto me, and himself hath done¹ [it]: I shall go softly¹⁰¹ all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

O Lord, by these [things men] live,⁴ and in all these [things is] the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover⁵⁵ me, and make me to live.⁵⁴

Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: ^{4843 1} but thou hast in love¹ to my soul [delivered it] from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast⁵² all my sins behind thy back.

For the grave cannot praise⁵⁵ thee, death can [not] celebrate¹⁷ thee: they that go down⁶ into the pit cannot hope¹⁷ for thy truth.

The living, the living, he shall praise⁵⁵ thee, as I [do] this day: the father to the children shall make known⁵⁵ thy truth.

The LORD [was ready] to save⁵³ me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments¹⁷ all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.

For Isaiah had said,⁴ Let them take⁴ a lump of figs, and lay [it] for a plaister⁴ upon the boil, and he shall recover.⁴

Hezekiah also had said,⁴ What [is] the sign that I shall go up⁴ to the house of the LORD?