Isaiah 38:9-20

New King James Version

⁹This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:

¹⁰I said,
“In the prime of my life
I shall go to the gates of Sheol;
I am deprived of the remainder of my years.”
¹¹I said,
“I shall not see ^[a]Yah,
The Lord ^(A)in the land of the living;
I shall observe man no more ^[b]among the inhabitants of ^[c]the world.
¹²^(B)My life span is gone,
Taken from me like a shepherd’s tent;
I have cut off my life like a weaver.
He cuts me off from the loom;
From day until night You make an end of me.
¹³I have considered until morning—
Like a lion,
So He breaks all my bones;
From day until night You make an end of me.
¹⁴Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered;
^(C)I mourned like a dove;
My eyes fail from looking upward.
O ^[d]Lord, I am oppressed;
^[e]Undertake for me!

¹⁵“What shall I say?
^[f]He has both spoken to me,
And He Himself has done it.
I shall walk carefully all my years
^(D)In the bitterness of my soul.
¹⁶O Lord, by these things men live;
And in all these things is the life of my spirit;
So You will restore me and make me live.
¹⁷Indeed it was for my own peace
That I had great bitterness;
But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption,
For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
¹⁸For ^(E)Sheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.
¹⁹The living, the living man, he shall praise You,
As I do this day;
^(F)The father shall make known Your truth to the children.

²⁰“The Lord was ready to save me;
Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments
All the days of our life, in the house of the Lord.”

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Footnotes

Isaiah 38:11 Heb. Yah, Yah
Isaiah 38:11 LXX omits among the inhabitants of the world
Isaiah 38:11 So with some Heb. mss.; MT, Vg. rest; Tg. land
Isaiah 38:14 So with Bg.; MT, DSS Lord
Isaiah 38:14 Be my surety
Isaiah 38:15 So with MT, Vg.; DSS, Tg. And shall I say to Him; LXX omits first half of this verse

Isaiah 38:9-20

New International Version

⁹A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:

¹⁰I 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)”
¹¹I 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.
¹²Like 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.
¹³I 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.
¹⁴I 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)

¹⁵But 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)
¹⁶Lord, by such things people live;
    and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
    and let me live.^(V)
¹⁷Surely 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)
¹⁸For 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.
¹⁹The living, the living—they praise^(AE) you,
    as I am doing today;
parents tell their children^(AF)
    about your faithfulness.