Hezekiah's Illness and Recovery

20 (A)In those days (B)Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, (C)‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’”

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Hezekiah’s Illness(A)

20 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

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Hezekiah's Sickness and Recovery

38 (A)In those days Hezekiah became (B)sick and was at the point of death. And (C)Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.”[a] Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how (D)I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add (E)fifteen years to your life.[b] (F)I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.

“This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: (G)Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.[c]

A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:

10 I said, (H)In the middle[d] of my days
    I must depart;
I am consigned to the gates of Sheol
    for the rest of my years.
11 I said, I shall not see the Lord,
    the Lord (I)in the land of the living;
I shall look on man no more
    among the inhabitants of the world.
12 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
    (J)like a shepherd's tent;
(K)like a weaver (L)I have rolled up my life;
    (M)he cuts me off from the loom;
(N)from day to night you bring me to an end;
13     (O)I calmed myself[e] until morning;
like a lion (P)he breaks all my bones;
    from day to night you bring me to an end.

14 Like (Q)a swallow or a crane I chirp;
    (R)I moan like a dove.
(S)My eyes are weary with looking upward.
    O Lord, I am oppressed; (T)be my pledge of safety!
15 What shall I say? For he has spoken to me,
    and he himself has done it.
(U)I walk slowly all my years
    because of the bitterness of my soul.

16 (V)O Lord, by these things men live,
    and in all these is the life of my spirit.
    Oh restore me to health and make me live!
17 (W)Behold, it was for my welfare
    that I had great bitterness;
(X)but in love you have delivered my life
    from the pit of destruction,
(Y)for you have cast all my sins
    behind your back.
18 (Z)For Sheol does not thank you;
    death does not praise you;
those who go down to the pit do not hope
    for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living, he thanks you,
    as I do this day;
(AA)the father makes known to the children
    your faithfulness.

20 The Lord will save me,
    and we will play my music on stringed instruments
all the days of our lives,
    (AB)at the house of the Lord.

21 (AC)Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” 22 Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 38:1 Or live; also verses 9, 21
  2. Isaiah 38:5 Hebrew to your days
  3. Isaiah 38:8 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
  4. Isaiah 38:10 Or In the quiet
  5. Isaiah 38:13 Or (with Targum) I cried for help

Hezekiah’s Illness(A)

38 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz(B) went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order,(C) because you are going to die; you will not recover.”(D)

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked(E) before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion(F) and have done what is good in your eyes.(G)” And Hezekiah wept(H) bitterly.

Then the word(I) of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David,(J) says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;(K) I will add fifteen years(L) to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend(M) this city.

“‘This is the Lord’s sign(N) to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.(O)

A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:

10 I said, “In the prime of my life(P)
    must I go through the gates of death(Q)
    and be robbed of the rest of my years?(R)
11 I said, “I will not again see the Lord himself(S)
    in the land of the living;(T)
no longer will I look on my fellow man,
    or be with those who now dwell in this world.
12 Like a shepherd’s tent(U) my house
    has been pulled down(V) and taken from me.
Like a weaver I have rolled(W) up my life,
    and he has cut me off from the loom;(X)
    day and night(Y) you made an end of me.
13 I waited patiently(Z) till dawn,
    but like a lion he broke(AA) all my bones;(AB)
    day and night(AC) you made an end of me.
14 I cried like a swift or thrush,
    I moaned like a mourning dove.(AD)
My eyes grew weak(AE) as I looked to the heavens.
    I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”(AF)

15 But what can I say?(AG)
    He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.(AH)
I will walk humbly(AI) all my years
    because of this anguish of my soul.(AJ)
16 Lord, by such things people live;
    and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
    and let me live.(AK)
17 Surely it was for my benefit(AL)
    that I suffered such anguish.(AM)
In your love you kept me
    from the pit(AN) of destruction;
you have put all my sins(AO)
    behind your back.(AP)
18 For the grave(AQ) cannot praise you,
    death cannot sing your praise;(AR)
those who go down to the pit(AS)
    cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living—they praise(AT) you,
    as I am doing today;
parents tell their children(AU)
    about your faithfulness.

20 The Lord will save me,
    and we will sing(AV) with stringed instruments(AW)
all the days of our lives(AX)
    in the temple(AY) of the Lord.

21 Isaiah had said, “Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”

22 Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign(AZ) that I will go up to the temple of the Lord?”

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27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

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27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

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Hezekiah's Pride and Achievements

24 (A)In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the Lord, and he answered him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah (B)did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for (C)his heart was proud. Therefore (D)wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. 26 But Hezekiah (E)humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

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Hezekiah’s Pride, Success and Death(A)

24 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign.(B) 25 But Hezekiah’s heart was proud(C) and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord’s wrath(D) was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah repented(E) of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.(F)

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Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (A)And the people of Nineveh believed God. (B)They called for a fast and (C)put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The People of Nineveh Repent

The word reached[a] the king of Nineveh, and (D)he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, (E)and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, (F)“By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor (G)beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and (H)beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. (I)Let everyone turn from his evil way and from (J)the violence that is in his hands. (K)Who knows? God may turn and relent (L)and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did, (M)how they turned from their evil way, (N)God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

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Footnotes

  1. Jonah 3:6 Or had reached

Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming,(A) “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.(B)

When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.(C) This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.(D) But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call(E) urgently on God. Let them give up(F) their evil ways(G) and their violence.(H) Who knows?(I) God may yet relent(J) and with compassion turn(K) from his fierce anger(L) so that we will not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented(M) and did not bring on them the destruction(N) he had threatened.(O)

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If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will (A)pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, (B)turns from its evil, (C)I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will (D)build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.

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If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,(A) torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent(B) and not inflict on it the disaster(C) I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built(D) up and planted, 10 and if it does evil(E) in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider(F) the good I had intended to do for it.(G)

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Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib's Fall

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Your prayer to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria (A)I have heard.

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Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall(A)(B)

20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard(C) your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria.

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23 When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to (A)his own city. He (B)set his house in order and (C)hanged himself, and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.

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23 When Ahithophel saw that his advice(A) had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order(B) and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.

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30 for he nearly died[a] (A)for the work of Christ, risking his life (B)to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

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Footnotes

  1. Philippians 2:30 Or he drew near to the point of death; compare verse 8

30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.(A)

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The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of (A)Mary and her sister Martha. (B)It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, (C)he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, (D)“This illness does not lead to death. It is for (E)the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now (F)Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

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The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany,(A) the village of Mary and her sister Martha.(B) (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)(C) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love(D) is sick.”

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory(E) so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

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And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, (A)covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz.

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He sent Eliakim(A) the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests,(B) all wearing sackcloth,(C) to the prophet Isaiah(D) son of Amoz.

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