Books

Isaiah 38

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Switch Version:

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: ‘Set your house in order, ⓙ for you are about to die; you will not recover.’” [1]

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.” [2] ⓛ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

⁴ Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah:

⁵ “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘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 fifteen years to your life. [3] ⓜ

⁶ And I will rescue you and this city from the grasp 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 [4] he has promised: [5]

⁸ I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on the stairway of Ahaz go back by ten steps.’” ⓑ So the sun’s shadow [6] went back the ten steps it had descended.

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

¹⁰ I said: In the prime [7] of my life ⓒ 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. [8]

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. ⓗ By nightfall [9] you make an end of me. ⓘ

¹³ I thought until the morning: He will break all my bones like a lion. By nightfall you make an end of me.

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, by such things people live, ⓝ and in every one of them my spirit finds life; you have restored me to health ⓐ and let me live. ⓑ

¹⁷ Indeed, it was for my own well-being that I had such intense 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 is ready to 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?”

#	CSB
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: ‘Set your house in order, ⓙ for you are about to die; you will not recover.’” [1]
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.” [2] ⓛ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4	Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah:
5	“Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘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 fifteen years to your life. [3] ⓜ
6	And I will rescue you and this city from the grasp 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 [4] he has promised: [5]
8	I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on the stairway of Ahaz go back by ten steps.’” ⓑ So the sun’s shadow [6] went back the ten steps it had descended.
9	A poem by King Hezekiah of Judah after he had been sick and had recovered from his illness:
10	I said: In the prime [7] of my life ⓒ 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. [8]
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. ⓗ By nightfall [9] you make an end of me. ⓘ
13	I thought until the morning: He will break all my bones like a lion. By nightfall you make an end of me.
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, by such things people live, ⓝ and in every one of them my spirit finds life; you have restored me to health ⓐ and let me live. ⓑ
17	Indeed, it was for my own well-being that I had such intense 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 is ready to 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?”

Footnotes & Cross-References

Footnotes

^{Isaiah 38:19 [61]} One Dead Sea Scrolls manuscript; Masoretic Text my vigorous enemies

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Holy Bible

Isaiah 38

Footnotes

Select Commentary