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Isaiah 38

Holman Christian Standard Bible, 2009 (HCSB)

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¹ In those days Hezekiah became terminally ill. ⓐ The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your affairs in order, [1] ⓑ for you are about to die; you will not recover.’” [2]

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

³ He said, “Please, LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and wholeheartedly, ⓒ and have done what pleases You.” [3] ⓓ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

⁴ Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah:

⁵ “Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the LORD God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add 15 years to your life. [4] ⓔ

⁶ And I will deliver you and this city from the power of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city. ⓕ

⁷ This is the sign to you ⓖ from the LORD that He will do what [5] He has promised: [6]

⁸ I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on Ahaz’s stairway go back by 10 steps.” ⓗ So the sun’s shadow [7] went back the 10 steps it had descended.

⁹ A poem by Hezekiah king of Judah after he had been sick and had recovered from his illness:

¹⁰ I said: In the prime [8] of my life [9] ⓘ I must go to the gates of Sheol; ⓙ I am deprived of the rest of my years.

¹¹ I said: I will never see the LORD, the LORD in the land of the living; ⓚ I will not look on humanity any longer with the inhabitants of what is passing away. [10]

¹² My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. ⓛ I have rolled up my life like a weaver; ⓜ He cuts me off from the loom. [11] ⓝ You make an end of me from day until night. ⓞ

¹³ I thought until the morning: He will break all my bones like a lion; You make an end of me day and night.

¹⁴ I chirp like a swallow or a crane; I moan like a dove. ⓟ My eyes grow weak looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed; support me. ⓠ

¹⁵ What can I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it. I walk along slowly all my years ⓡ because of the bitterness of my soul, ⓢ

¹⁶ Lord, because of these promises people live, ⓣ and in all of them is the life of my spirit as well; You have restored me to health ⓤ and let me live. ⓥ

¹⁷ Indeed, it was for my own welfare that I had such great bitterness; ⓦ but Your love has delivered me from the Pit of destruction, ⓧ for You have thrown all my sins behind Your back. ⓨ

¹⁸ For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. ⓩ Those who go down to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

¹⁹ The living, only the living can thank You, as I do today; a father will make Your faithfulness known to children. ⓐ

²⁰ The LORD will [12] save me; we will play stringed instruments all the days of our lives at the house of the LORD. ⓑ

²¹ Now Isaiah ⓒ had said, “Let them take a lump of pressed figs and apply it to his infected skin, so that he may recover.”

²² And Hezekiah had asked, “What is the sign that I will go up to the LORD’s temple?”

#	HCSB
1	In those days Hezekiah became terminally ill. ⓐ The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your affairs in order, [1] ⓑ for you are about to die; you will not recover.’” [2]
2	Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD.
3	He said, “Please, LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and wholeheartedly, ⓒ and have done what pleases You.” [3] ⓓ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4	Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah:
5	“Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the LORD God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add 15 years to your life. [4] ⓔ
6	And I will deliver you and this city from the power of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city. ⓕ
7	This is the sign to you ⓖ from the LORD that He will do what [5] He has promised: [6]
8	I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on Ahaz’s stairway go back by 10 steps.” ⓗ So the sun’s shadow [7] went back the 10 steps it had descended.
9	A poem by Hezekiah king of Judah after he had been sick and had recovered from his illness:
10	I said: In the prime [8] of my life [9] ⓘ I must go to the gates of Sheol; ⓙ I am deprived of the rest of my years.
11	I said: I will never see the LORD, the LORD in the land of the living; ⓚ I will not look on humanity any longer with the inhabitants of what is passing away. [10]
12	My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. ⓛ I have rolled up my life like a weaver; ⓜ He cuts me off from the loom. [11] ⓝ You make an end of me from day until night. ⓞ
13	I thought until the morning: He will break all my bones like a lion; You make an end of me day and night.
14	I chirp like a swallow or a crane; I moan like a dove. ⓟ My eyes grow weak looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed; support me. ⓠ
15	What can I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it. I walk along slowly all my years ⓡ because of the bitterness of my soul, ⓢ
16	Lord, because of these promises people live, ⓣ and in all of them is the life of my spirit as well; You have restored me to health ⓤ and let me live. ⓥ
17	Indeed, it was for my own welfare that I had such great bitterness; ⓦ but Your love has delivered me from the Pit of destruction, ⓧ for You have thrown all my sins behind Your back. ⓨ
18	For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. ⓩ Those who go down to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
19	The living, only the living can thank You, as I do today; a father will make Your faithfulness known to children. ⓐ
20	The LORD will [12] save me; we will play stringed instruments all the days of our lives at the house of the LORD. ⓑ
21	Now Isaiah ⓒ had said, “Let them take a lump of pressed figs and apply it to his infected skin, so that he may recover.”
22	And Hezekiah had asked, “What is the sign that I will go up to the LORD’s temple?”

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