Isaiah 38

¹In those days Hezekiah became ill and was near death. And so, Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the prophet, entered to him, and he said to him: “Thus says the Lord: Put your house in order, for you shall die, and you shall not live.”

²And Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and he prayed to the Lord.

³And he said: “I beg you, Lord, I beseech you, to remember how I walked before you in truth and with a whole heart, and that I have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept with a great weeping.

⁴And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying:

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

⁶And I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will protect it.

⁷And this will be a sign for you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this word, which he has spoken:

⁸Behold, I will cause the shadow of the lines, which has now descended on the sundial of Ahaz, to move in reverse for ten lines.” And so, the sun moved backward by ten lines, through the degrees by which it had descended.

⁹The writing of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, after he had fallen ill and had recovered from his sickness:

¹⁰“I said: In the middle of my days, I will go to the gates of Hell. So I sought the remainder of my years.

¹¹I said: I will not see the Lord God in the land of the living. I will no longer behold man, nor the habitation of rest.

¹²My longevity has been taken away; it has been folded up and taken from me, like the tent of a shepherd. My life has been cut off, as if by a weaver. While I was still beginning, he cut me off. From morning until evening, you have marked out my limits.

¹³I hoped, even until morning. Like a lion, so has he crushed all my bones. From morning until evening, you have marked my limits.

¹⁴I will cry out, like a young swallow. I will meditate, like a dove. My eyes have been weakened by gazing upward. O Lord, I suffer violence! Answer in my favor.

¹⁵What can I say, or what would he answer me, since he himself has done this? I will acknowledge to you all my years, in the bitterness of my soul.

¹⁶O Lord, if such is life, and if the life of my spirit is of such a kind, may you correct me and may you cause me to live.

¹⁷Behold, in peace my bitterness is most bitter. But you have rescued my soul, so that it would not perish. You have cast all my sins behind your back.

¹⁸For Hell will not confess to you, and death will not praise you. Those who descend into the pit will not hope for your truth.

¹⁹The living, the living, these will give praise to you, as I also do this day! The father will make the truth known to the sons.

²⁰O Lord, save me! And we will sing our psalms, all the days of our life, in the house of the Lord.”

²¹Now Isaiah had ordered them to take a paste of figs, and to spread it like plaster over the wound, so that he would be healed.

²²And Hezekiah said, “What will be the sign that I may go up to the house of the Lord?”

Isaiah 38

¹In those days Ezechias was sick even to death, and Isaiah the son of Amos the prophet cane unto him, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die, and not live.

²And Ezechias turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord,

³And said: I beseech thee, O Lord, remember how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Ezechias wept with great weeping.

⁴And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying:

⁵Go and say to Ezechias: Thus saith the Lord the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, and I have seen thy tears: behold I will add to thy days fifteen years:

⁶And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will protect it.

⁷And this shall be a sign to thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this word which he hath spoken:

⁸Behold I will bring again the shadow of the lines, by which it is now gone down in the sun dial of Achaz with the sun, ten lines backward. And the sun returned ten lines by the degrees by which it was gone down.

⁹The writing of Ezechias king of Juda, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.

¹⁰I said: In the midst of my days I shall go to the gates of hell: I sought for the residue of my years.

¹¹I said: I shall not see the Lord God in the land of the living. I shall behold man no more, nor the inhabitant of rest.

¹²My generation is at an end, and it is rolled away from me, as a shepherd's tent. My life is cut off, as by a weaver: whilst I was yet but beginning, he cut me off: from morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me.

¹³I hoped till morning, as a lion so hath he broken all my bones: from morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me.

¹⁴I will cry like a young swallow, I will meditate like a dove: my eyes are weakened looking upward: Lord, I suffer violence, answer thou for me.

¹⁵What shall I say, or what shall he answer for me, whereas he himself hath done it? I will recount to thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

¹⁶O Lord, if man's life be such, and the life of my spirit be in such things as these, thou shalt correct me, and make me to live.

¹⁷Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter: but thou hast delivered my soul that it should not perish, thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

¹⁸For hell shall not confess to thee, neither shall death praise thee: nor shall they that go down into the pit, look for thy truth.

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

²⁰O Lord, save me, and we will sing our psalms all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.

²¹Now Isaiah had ordered that they should take a lump of figs, and lay it as a plaster upon the wound, and that he should be healed.

²²And Ezechias had said: What shall be the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?