Isaiah 38

1In 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.footnote a

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

3And 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.footnote b

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

5Go, 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.

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

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

8Behold, 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.footnote c

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

10I 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.

11I 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.

12Mine 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.footnote d

13I 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.

14Like 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.footnote e

15What 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.

16O 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.

17Behold, 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.footnote ffootnote g

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

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

20The 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.

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

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

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.’”

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

4And the word of the LORD 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. 6And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.footnote a 7This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised: 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.

Hezekiah’s Song of Thanksgiving

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

10I said, “In the primefootnote bof my lifeI must go through the gates of Sheoland be deprived of 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 mankindwith those who dwell in this world. 12My dwelling has been picked up and removed from melike 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. 13I composed myselffootnote cuntil the morning.Like a lion 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.”

15What can I say?He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this.I will walk slowly all my yearsbecause of the anguish of my soul. 16O Lord, by such things men live,and in all of them my spirit finds life.You have restored me to healthand have let me live. 17Surely for my own welfareI 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. 18For Sheol cannot thank You;Death cannot praise You.Those who descend to the Pitcannot hope for Your faithfulness. 19The living, only the living, can thank You,as I do today;fathers will tell their childrenabout Your faithfulness. 20The LORD will save me;we will play songs on stringed instrumentsall the days of our livesin the house of the LORD.

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

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