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Isaiah 38:9-20
Common English Bible
Isaiah 38:9-20
Common English Bible
9 A composition by Judah’s King Hezekiah when he was sick and then recovered from his sickness:
10 I thought, I must depart in the prime of my life;
I have been relegated to the gates of the underworld[a] for the rest of my life.
11 I thought, I won’t see the Lord.
The Lord is in the land of the living.
I won’t look upon humans again
or be with the inhabitants of the world.
12 My lifetime is plucked up
and taken from me like a shepherd’s tent.
My life is shriveled like woven cloth;
God cuts me off from the loom.
Between daybreak and nightfall
you carry out your verdict against me.
13 I cried out[b] until morning:
“Like a lion God crushes all my bones.
Between daybreak and nightfall
you carry out your verdict against me.
14 Like a swallow[c] I chirp;
I moan like a dove.
My eyes have grown weary looking to heaven.
Lord, I’m overwhelmed; support me!”
15 What can I say?
God has spoken to me;
he himself has acted.
I will wander[d] my whole life
with a bitter spirit.
16 The Lord Most High is the one who gives life to every heart,
who gives life to the spirit![e]
17 Look, he indeed exchanged my bitterness for wholeness.[f]
You yourself have spared[g] my whole being
from the pit of destruction,
because you have cast all my sins
behind your back.
18 The underworld[h] can’t thank you,
nor can death[i] praise you;
those who go down to the pit
can’t hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living can thank you, as I do today.
Parents will tell children about your faithfulness.
20 The Lord has truly saved me,
and we will make music[j] at the Lord’s house all the days of our lives.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 38:10 Heb Sheol
- Isaiah 38:13 Or I lay down
- Isaiah 38:14 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 38:15 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 38:16 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 38:17 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 38:17 Cf LXX, Vulg; MT loved
- Isaiah 38:18 Heb Sheol
- Isaiah 38:18 Heb Maveth
- Isaiah 38:20 Or my stringed instruments
Isaiah 38:9-20
New International Version
Isaiah 38:9-20
New International Version
9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
10 I said, “In the prime of my life(A)
must I go through the gates of death(B)
and be robbed of the rest of my years?(C)”
11 I said, “I will not again see the Lord himself(D)
in the land of the living;(E)
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(F) my house
has been pulled down(G) and taken from me.
Like a weaver I have rolled(H) up my life,
and he has cut me off from the loom;(I)
day and night(J) you made an end of me.
13 I waited patiently(K) till dawn,
but like a lion he broke(L) all my bones;(M)
day and night(N) you made an end of me.
14 I cried like a swift or thrush,
I moaned like a mourning dove.(O)
My eyes grew weak(P) as I looked to the heavens.
I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”(Q)
15 But what can I say?(R)
He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.(S)
I will walk humbly(T) all my years
because of this anguish of my soul.(U)
16 Lord, by such things people live;
and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
and let me live.(V)
17 Surely it was for my benefit(W)
that I suffered such anguish.(X)
In your love you kept me
from the pit(Y) of destruction;
you have put all my sins(Z)
behind your back.(AA)
18 For the grave(AB) cannot praise you,
death cannot sing your praise;(AC)
those who go down to the pit(AD)
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living—they praise(AE) you,
as I am doing today;
parents tell their children(AF)
about your faithfulness.
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.