Isaiah 38

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
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." '	1 In those days Ezechias was sick even to death, and Isaias the son of Amos the prophet came unto him, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wal and addressed this prayer to Yahweh,	2 And Ezechias turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord,
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.	3 And 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.
4 Then the word of Yahweh came to Isaiah,	4 And the word of the Lord came to Isaias, saying:
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.	5 Go 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:
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." '	6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will protect it.
7 'Here', Isaiah replied, 'is the sign from Yahweh that he will do what he has said.	7 And this shall be a sign to thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this word which he hath spoken:
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.	8 Behold 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.
9 Canticle of Hezekiah king of Judah after his il ness and recovery.	9 The writing of Ezechias king of Juda, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.
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.	10 I said: In the midst of my days I shall go to the gates of hell: I sought for the residue of my years.
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.	11 I 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.
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;	12 My 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 out me off: from morning even to night thou wilt make 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.	13 I 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.
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.	14 I 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 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.	15 What 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.
16 The Lord is over them; they live, and everything in them lives by his spirit. You wil cure me. Restoreme to life.	16 O 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.
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.	17 Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter: but thou best delivered my soul that it should not perish, thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
18 For Sheol cannot praise you, nor Death celebrate you; those who go down to the pit can hope nolonger in your constancy.	18 For hell shall not confess to thee, neither shall death praise thee: nor shall they that go down into the pit, look for thy truth.
19 The living, the living are the ones who praise you, as I do today. Fathers tel their sons about yourconstancy.	19 The living, the living, he shall give praise to thee, as I do this day: the father shall make thy truth known to the children.
20 Yahweh, come to my help and we will make our harps resound al the days of our life in the Temple ofYahweh.	20 O Lord, save me, and we will sing our psalms all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.
21 'Bring a fig poultice,' Isaiah said, 'apply it to the ulcer and he wil recover.'	21 Now Isaias had ordered that they should take a lump of figs, and lay it as it plaster upon the wound, and that he should be healed.
22 Hezekiah said, 'What is the sign to tel me that I shal be going up to the Temple of Yahweh?'	22 And Ezechias bed said: What shah be the sign that I shah go up to the house of the Lord?