Isaiah 38

1In those days hath Hezekiah been sick unto death, and come in unto him doth Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, and saith unto him, `Thus said Jehovah: Give a charge to thy house, for thou <FI>art<Fi> dying, and dost not live.'

1In those days Ezechias was sick even to death, and Isaiah the son of Amos the prophet cane unto him, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die, and not live.

2And Hezekiah turneth round his face unto the wall, and prayeth unto Jehovah,

2And Ezechias turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord,

3and saith, `I pray thee, O Jehovah, remember, I pray Thee, how I have walked habitually before Thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and that which <FI>is<Fi> good in thine eyes I have done;' and Hezekiah weepeth--a great weeping.

3And said: I beseech thee, O Lord, remember how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Ezechias wept with great weeping.

4And a word of Jehovah is unto Isaiah, saying,

4And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying:

5Go, and thou hast said to Hezekiah, Thus said Jehovah, God of David thy father, `I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tear, lo, I am adding to thy days fifteen years,

5Go and say to Ezechias: Thus saith the Lord the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, and I have seen thy tears: behold I will add to thy days fifteen years:

6and out of the hand of the king of Asshur I deliver thee and this city, and have covered over this city.

6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will protect it.

7And this <FI>is<Fi> to thee the sign from Jehovah, that Jehovah doth this thing that He hath spoken.

7And this shall be a sign to thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this word which he hath spoken:

8Lo, I am bringing back the shadow of the degrees that it hath gone down on the degrees of Ahaz, by the sun, backward ten degrees:' and the sun turneth back ten degrees in the degrees that it had gone down.

8Behold I will bring again the shadow of the lines, by which it is now gone down in the sun dial of Achaz with the sun, ten lines backward. And the sun returned ten lines by the degrees by which it was gone down.

9A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah concerning his being sick, when he reviveth from his sickness:

9The writing of Ezechias king of Juda, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.

10`I--I said in the cutting off of my days, I go in to the gates of Sheol, I have numbered the remnant of mine years.

10I said: In the midst of my days I shall go to the gates of hell: I sought for the residue of my years.

11I said, I do not see Jah--Jah! In the land of the living, I do not behold man any more, With the inhabitants of the world.

11I said: I shall not see the Lord God in the land of the living. I shall behold man no more, nor the inhabitant of rest.

12My sojourning hath departed, And been removed from me as a shepherd's tent, I have drawn together, as a weaver, my life, By weakness it cutteth me off, From day unto night Thou dost end me.

12My generation is at an end, and it is rolled away from me, as a shepherd's tent. My life is cut off, as by a weaver: whilst I was yet but beginning, he cut me off: from morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me.

13I have set <FI>Him<Fi> till morning as a lion, So doth He break all my bones, From day unto night Thou dost end me.

13I hoped till morning, as a lion so hath he broken all my bones: from morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me.

14As a crane--a swallow--so I chatter, I mourn as a dove, Drawn up have been mine eyes on high, O Jehovah, oppression <FI>is<Fi> on me, be my surety.

14I will cry like a young swallow, I will meditate like a dove: my eyes are weakened looking upward: Lord, I suffer violence, answer thou for me.

15--What do I say? seeing He said to me, And He Himself hath wrought, I go softly all my years for the bitterness of my soul.

15What shall I say, or what shall he answer for me, whereas he himself hath done it? I will recount to thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

16Lord, by these do <FI>men<Fi> live, And by all in them <FI>is<Fi> the life of my spirit, And Thou savest me, make me also to live,

16O Lord, if man's life be such, and the life of my spirit be in such things as these, thou shalt correct me, and make me to live.

17Lo, to peace He changed for me bitterness, And Thou hast delighted in my soul without corruption, For Thou hast cast behind Thy back all my sins.

17Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter: but thou hast delivered my soul that it should not perish, thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

18For Sheol doth not confess Thee, Death doth not praise Thee, Those going down to the pit hope not for Thy truth.

18For hell shall not confess to thee, neither shall death praise thee: nor shall they that go down into the pit, look for thy truth.

19The living, the living, he doth confess Thee.

19The living, the living, he shall give praise to thee, as I do this day: the father shall make the truth known to the children.

20Like myself to-day--a father to sons Doth make known of Thy faithfulness, O Jehovah--to save me: And my songs we sing all days of our lives In the house of Jehovah.'

20O Lord, save me, and we will sing our psalms all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.

21And Isaiah saith, `Let them take a bunch of figs, and plaster over the ulcer, and he liveth.'

21Now Isaiah had ordered that they should take a lump of figs, and lay it as a plaster upon the wound, and that he should be healed.

22And Hezekiah saith, `What <FI>is<Fi> the sign that I go up to the house of Jehovah!'

22And Ezechias had said: What shall be the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?