New American Standard Bible

New Living Translation

Hezekiah Healed

In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’”

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Hezekiah’s Sickness and Recovery

About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the LORD says: ‘Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.’”

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

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When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,

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and said, “Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

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“Remember, O LORD, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly.

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

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Then this message came to Isaiah from the LORD:

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“Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.

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“Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life,

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“I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city.”’

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and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city.

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“This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that He has spoken:

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“‘And this is the sign from the LORD to prove that he will do as he promised:

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“Behold, I will cause the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, to go back ten steps.” So the sun’s shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.

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I will cause the sun’s shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundiala of Ahaz!’” So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps.

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

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Hezekiah’s Poem of Praise

When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem:

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I said, “In the middle of my life
I am to enter the gates of Sheol;
I am to be deprived of the rest of my years.”

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I said, “In the prime of my life,
must I now enter the place of the dead?b
Am I to be robbed of the rest of my years?”

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I said, “I will not see the LORD,
The LORD in the land of the living;
I will look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.

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I said, “Never again will I see the LORD God
while still in the land of the living.
Never again will I see my friends
or be with those who live in this world.

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“Like a shepherd’s tent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me;
As a weaver I rolled up my life.
He cuts me off from the loom;
From day until night You make an end of me.

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My life has been blown away
like a shepherd’s tent in a storm.
It has been cut short,
as when a weaver cuts cloth from a loom.
Suddenly, my life was over.

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“I composed my soul until morning.
Like a lion — so He breaks all my bones,
From day until night You make an end of me.

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I waited patiently all night,
but I was torn apart as though by lions.
Suddenly, my life was over.

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“Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter;
I moan like a dove;
My eyes look wistfully to the heights;
O Lord, I am oppressed, be my security.

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Delirious, I chattered like a swallow or a crane,
and then I moaned like a mourning dove.
My eyes grew tired of looking to heaven for help.
I am in trouble, Lord. Help me!”

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“What shall I say?
For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it;
I will wander about all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.

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But what could I say?
For he himself sent this sickness.
Now I will walk humbly throughout my years
because of this anguish I have felt.

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“O Lord, by these things men live,
And in all these is the life of my spirit;
O restore me to health and let me live!

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Lord, your discipline is good,
for it leads to life and health.
You restore my health
and allow me to live!

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“Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness;
It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness,
For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

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Yes, this anguish was good for me,
for you have rescued me from death
and forgiven all my sins.

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“For Sheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

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For the deadc cannot praise you;
they cannot raise their voices in praise.
Those who go down to the grave
can no longer hope in your faithfulness.

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“It is the living who give thanks to You, as I do today;
A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.

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Only the living can praise you as I do today.
Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next.

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“The LORD will surely save me;
So we will play my songs on stringed instruments
All the days of our life at the house of the LORD.”

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Think of it — the LORD is ready to heal me!
I will sing his praises with instruments
every day of my life
in the Temple of the LORD.

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Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.”

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Isaiah had said to Hezekiah’s servants, “Make an ointment from figs and spread it over the boil, and Hezekiah will recover.”

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Then Hezekiah had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?”

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And Hezekiah had asked, “What sign will prove that I will go to the Temple of the LORD?”

Parallel

New American Standard Bible

New Living Translation

Isaiah 38

Isaiah 38