Isaiah 38

¹ About then, Hezekiah fel il and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came andsaid to him, 'Yahweh says this, "Put your affairs in order, for you are going to die, you wil not live." '

² Hezekiah turned his face to the wal and addressed this prayer to Yahweh,

³ 'Ah, Yahweh, remember, I beg you, that I have behaved faithful y and with sincerity of heart in yourpresence and done what you regard as right.' And Hezekiah shed many tears.

⁴ Then the word of Yahweh came to Isaiah,

⁵ 'Go and say to Hezekiah, "Yahweh, the God of your ancestor David, says this: I have heard your prayerand seen your tears. I shal cure you: in three days' time you will go up to the Temple of Yahweh. I shal addfifteen years to your life.

⁶ I shal save you and this city from the king of Assyria's clutches and defend this city for my sake and myservant David's sake." '

⁷ 'Here', Isaiah replied, 'is the sign from Yahweh that he will do what he has said.

⁸ Look, I shall make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the steps -- the steps to Ahaz's roof-room-go back ten steps.' And the sun went back the ten steps by which it had declined.

⁹ Canticle of Hezekiah king of Judah after his il ness and recovery.

¹⁰ I thought: In the noon of my life I am to depart. At the gates of Sheol I shall be held for the rest of mydays.

¹¹ I thought: I shal never see Yahweh again in the land of the living, I shal never see again a single oneof those who live on earth.

¹² My home has been pul ed up, and thrown away like a shepherd's tent; like a weaver, I have rol ed upmy life, he has cut me from the loom. From dawn to dark, you have been making an end of me;

¹³ til daybreak, I cried for help; like a lion, he has crushed al my bones, from dawn to dark, you havebeen making an end of me.

¹⁴ I twitter like a swal ow, I moan like a dove, my eyes have grown dim from looking up. Lord, I amoverwhelmed, come to my help.

¹⁵ How can I speak and what can I say to him? He is the one to act. I must eke out the rest of my yearsin bitterness of soul.

¹⁶ The Lord is over them; they live, and everything in them lives by his spirit. You wil cure me. Restoreme to life.

¹⁷ At once, my bitterness turns to wel -being. For you have preserved my soul from the pit ofnothingness, you have thrust al my sins behind you.

¹⁸ For Sheol cannot praise you, nor Death celebrate you; those who go down to the pit can hope nolonger in your constancy.

¹⁹ The living, the living are the ones who praise you, as I do today. Fathers tel their sons about yourconstancy.

²⁰ Yahweh, come to my help and we will make our harps resound al the days of our life in the Temple ofYahweh.

²¹ 'Bring a fig poultice,' Isaiah said, 'apply it to the ulcer and he wil recover.'

²² Hezekiah said, 'What is the sign to tel me that I shal be going up to the Temple of Yahweh?'