Isaiah 38

Hezekiah’s Illness

38:1–8pp—2Ki 20:1–11; 2Ch 32:24–26

38In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz^k went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order,^l because you are going to die; you will not recover.”^m

²Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ³“Remember, Lord, how I have walkedⁿ before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion^o and have done what is good in your eyes.^p” And Hezekiah wept^q bitterly.

⁴Then the word^r of the Lord came to Isaiah: ⁵“Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David,^s says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;^t I will add fifteen years^u to your life. ⁶And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend^v this city.

⁷“ ‘This is the Lord’s sign^w to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: ⁸I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’ ” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.^x

⁹A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:

¹⁰I said, “In the prime of my life^y

must I go through the gates of death^z

and be robbed of the rest of my years?^a”

¹¹I said, “I will not again see the Lord himself^b

in the land of the living;^c

no longer will I look on my fellow man,

or be with those who now dwell in this world.

¹²Like a shepherd’s tent^d my house

has been pulled down^e and taken from me.

Like a weaver I have rolled^f up my life,

and he has cut me off from the loom;^g

day and night^h you made an end of me.

¹³I waited patientlyⁱ till dawn,

but like a lion he broke^j all my bones;^k

day and night^l you made an end of me.

¹⁴I cried like a swift or thrush,

I moaned like a mourning dove.^m

My eyes grew weakⁿ as I looked to the heavens.

I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”^o

¹⁵But what can I say?^p

He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.^q

I will walk humbly^r all my years

because of this anguish of my soul.^s

¹⁶Lord, by such things people live;

and my spirit finds life in them too.

You restored me to health

and let me live.^t

¹⁷Surely it was for my benefit^u

that I suffered such anguish.^v

In your love you kept me

from the pit^w of destruction;

you have put all my sins^x

behind your back.^y

¹⁸For the grave^z cannot praise you,

death cannot sing your praise;^a

those who go down to the pit^b

cannot hope for your faithfulness.

¹⁹The living, the living—they praise^c you,

as I am doing today;

parents tell their children^d

about your faithfulness.

²⁰The Lord will save me,

and we will sing^e with stringed instruments^f

all the days of our lives^g

in the temple^h of the Lord.

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

²²Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the signⁱ that I will go up to the temple of the Lord?”