Isa 38 | HCSB | STEP | 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 , for you are about to die ; you will not recover .’”

Isaiah 38

Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery

1 In those days Hezekiah became terminally ill. ^a The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Put your affairs in order, ^{▼▼Lit Command your house
,} ^c for you are about to die; you will not recover.’” ^{▼▼Lit live}

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, ^e and have done what pleases You.” ^{▼▼Lit what is good in Your eyes
,} ^g 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. ^{▼▼Lit days
,} ⁱ 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the power of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city. ^j 7 This is the sign to you ^k from the Lord that He will do what ^{▼▼Lit this thing} He has promised: ^{▼▼Lit said} 8 I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on Ahaz’s stairway go back by 10 steps.” ⁿ So the sun’s shadow ^{▼▼Lit And the sun} 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 ^{▼▼Lit quiet} of my life ^{▼▼Lit days
,} ^r
I must go to the gates of ^{▼▼Sheol: A Hebrew word for either the grave or the realm of the dead}Sheol; ^t
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; ^u
I will not look on humanity any longer
with the inhabitants of what is passing away. ^{▼▼Some Hb mss, Tg read of the world}
12 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
like a shepherd’s tent. ^w
I have rolled up my life like a weaver; ^x
He cuts me off from the loom. ^{▼▼Lit thrum
,} ^z
You make an end of me from day until night. ^aa
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. ^ab
My eyes grow weak looking upward.
Lord, I am oppressed; support me. ^ac

15 What can I say?
He has spoken to me,
and He Himself has done it.
I walk along slowly all my years ^ad
because of the bitterness of my soul, ^ae
16 Lord, because of these promises people live, ^af
and in all of them is the life of my spirit as well;
You have restored me to health ^ag
and let me live. ^ah
17 Indeed, it was for my own welfare
that I had such great bitterness; ^ai
but Your love has delivered me
from the ^{▼▼Pit: Either the grave or the realm of the dead}Pit of destruction, ^ak
for You have thrown all my sins behind Your back. ^al
18 For Sheol cannot thank You;
Death cannot praise You. ^am
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. ^an
20 The Lord will ^{▼▼Lit to} save me;
we will play stringed instruments
all the days of our lives
at the house of the Lord. ^ap

21 Now Isaiah ^aq 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?”