Isa 38 | ABEn | STEP | And it came to pass in that time Hezekiah was infirm unto death. And there came to him Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet; and he said to him, Thus says the lord , Give orders concerning your house! [ 3 die 1 for 2 you], and shall not live.

‏ Isaiah 38

CHAPTER 38 The Infirmity of Hezekiah

1 And it came to pass in that time Hezekiah was infirm unto death. And there came to him Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet; and he said to him, Thus says the lord, Give orders concerning your house! [³die ¹for ²you], and shall not live. 2 And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the lord, 3 saying, Remember, O lord, as I was gone before you with truth, in [²heart ¹a true], and the things pleasing before you I did. And Hezekiah wept [²weeping ¹with great]. 4 And [³came ¹the word ²of the lord] to Isaiah, saying, 5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the lord, the God of David your father; I heard your prayer, and beheld your tears. Behold, I add to your time fifteen years. 6 And from out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians I shall rescue you, and this city; and I shall shield over this city. 7 And this [³to you ¹is the ²sign] from the lord, that [²will do ¹God] this thing which he said. 8 Behold, I shall turn the shadow of the stairs which [³went down ⁴the ⁵ten ⁶stairs ⁷of the ⁸house ⁹of your father ¹the ²sun]. I will return the sun the ten stairs which [³went down ¹the ²shadow].

Prayer of Hezekiah

9 The prayer of Hezekiah king of Judea when he was infirm and he rose up from his infirmity. 10 I said in the height of my days, I shall go to the gates of Hades; I shall forsake the years remaining. 11 I said, No longer in any way shall I behold the deliverance of God upon the land of the living. No longer in any way shall I behold a man with ones inhabiting. 12 I failed my kin; I forsook the rest of my life; it departed and went forth from me as the one resting up [²a tent ¹pitching]. My spirit in me became as the web of one working in wool approaching to cut it off. 13 In that day I was delivered over until morning. As a lion so he broke all my bones. For from the day until the night I was delivered over. 14 As a swallow, so shall I call out, and as a dove, so shall I meditate. [⁴failed ¹For ²my ³eyes] to see into the height of the heaven, to the lord who rescued me. 15 And he removed [³of my ¹the ²grief] soul, and he acted. 16 O lord, [²concerning ³this ¹for] it was announced to you, and you awakened my breath, and being comforted I live. 17 Behold, being in peace was bitter for me. For you took up my soul, that it should not perish; and you threw away [³behind ⁴me ¹all ²my sins]. 18 [⁶not ¹For ²the ones ³in ⁴Hades ⁵shall] praise you; nor the ones dying shall bless you; nor shall [⁴hope ¹the ones ²in ³Hades] on your charity. 19 The living shall bless you in which manner as I; for from today [²children ¹I shall produce] who shall announce your righteousness, 20 O lord of my deliverance; even I will not cease blessing you with the psaltery all the days of my life, before the house of God. 21 And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, Take a dried cluster of figs, and grind them, and plaster with it, and [²in health ¹you will be]. 22 And Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I shall ascend into the house of God.