Isaiah 38
English Standard Version
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] 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 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.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “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] 6 (F)I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.
7 “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: 8 (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]
9 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?”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 38:1 Or live; also verses 9, 21
- Isaiah 38:5 Hebrew to your days
- Isaiah 38:8 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain
- Isaiah 38:10 Or In the quiet
- Isaiah 38:13 Or (with Targum) I cried for help
以赛亚书 38
Revised Chinese Union Version (Simplified Script) Shen Edition
希西家王罹病和痊愈(A)
38 那些日子，希西家病得要死，亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚先知来见他，对他说：“耶和华如此说：‘你当留遗嘱给你的家，因为你必死，不能活了。’” 2 希西家就转脸朝墙，向耶和华祷告， 3 说：“耶和华啊，求你记念我在你面前怎样存完全的心，按诚实行事，又做你眼中看为善的事。”希西家就痛哭。 4 耶和华的话临到以赛亚说： 5 “你去告诉希西家说，耶和华—你祖先大卫的 神如此说：‘我听见了你的祷告，看见了你的眼泪。看哪，我必加添你十五年的寿数； 6 我要救你和这城脱离亚述王的手，也要保护这城。’
7 “耶和华必成就他所说的这话。这是耶和华给你的预兆： 8 看哪，我要使亚哈斯日晷上随太阳前进的影子，往后退十度。”于是，在日晷上照下来的日影果然往后退了十度。
9 犹大王希西家患病痊愈后的诗：
10 我说，在如日中天的时候我就走了，
将剩余的年岁交给阴间的门。[a]
11 我说，我必不得见耶和华，不得在活人之地见耶和华，
也不再看见世人，就是短暂世界[b]中的居民。
12 我的住处好像牧人的帐棚，
遭人掀起，离我而去；
我将性命卷起，
像织布的卷布一样。
他从织布机头那里将我剪断，
你使我命丧于旦夕。
13 我令自己安静[c]直到天亮；
他像狮子折断我所有的骨头，
你使我命丧于旦夕。
16 主啊，人得存活是在乎此，
我的灵存活也全在乎此[f]；
求你使我痊愈，仍然存活。
17 看哪，我受大苦是为使我得平安；
你爱我，救我的性命脱离败坏的地府，
将我一切的罪扔在你背后。
18 原来，阴间不能称谢你，
死亡不能颂扬你，
下到地府的人也不能盼望你的信实。
19 只有活人，活人必称谢你，
像我今日称谢你一样。
为父的，必使儿女知道你的信实。
20 耶和华肯救我，
所以，我们要一生一世
在耶和华殿中
弹奏我弦乐的歌。
21 以赛亚说：“拿一块无花果饼来，贴在疮上，王必痊愈。” 22 希西家说：“我能上耶和华的殿，有什么预兆呢？”[g]
Jesaja 38
Het Boek
Hizkiaʼs ziekte
38 In de tijd dat deze gebeurtenissen plaatshadden, werd Hizkia ernstig ziek. De profeet Jesaja zocht hem op en gaf hem de boodschap van de Here: ‘Regel uw zaken, want uw einde nadert, u zult niet herstellen van deze ziekte.’ 2 Toen Hizkia dat hoorde, draaide hij zijn gezicht naar de muur en bad: 3 ‘Och Here, herinnert U Zich niet meer dat ik U altijd trouw ben geweest en ik altijd heb geprobeerd U te gehoorzamen in alles wat U zei?’ En hij huilde.
4 Daarom stuurde de Here een andere boodschap naar Jesaja: 5 ‘Ga naar Hizkia en zeg hem: “De Here God van uw voorvader David hoort uw bidden en ziet uw tranen. Hij zal u nog vijftien jaar laten leven. 6 Hij zal u en deze stad uit de macht van de koning van Assur verlossen. Ik zal u beschermen,” ’ zegt de Here, 7 ‘en dit is het bewijs dat Ik, de Here, dit woord dat Ik heb gesproken ook echt zal doen: 8 Ik zal de schaduw van de zon op de zonnewijzer van Achaz tien graden laten teruggaan!’ En de zon liep de tien graden terug die hij al had afgelegd!
9 Toen koning Hizkia weer beter was, schreef hij een gedicht over deze gebeurtenis: 10 ‘Mijn leven is pas half voorbij en ik moet het al verlaten. Ik betreed het dodenrijk, verloren zijn mijn toekomstige jaren. 11 Ik zal de Here nooit meer zien in het land der levenden. Mijn vrienden in deze wereld moet ik achterlaten. 12 Mijn leven wordt weggeblazen als een herderstent, het wordt afgesneden zoals een wever zijn werk van het weefgestoelte afsnijdt. In één dag komt mijn leven aan een zijden draad te hangen. 13 Ik kon de hele nacht niet slapen van verdriet, het was alsof leeuwen mij verscheurden. 14 In het nauw gedreven, tjilp ik als een zwaluw en kir ik als een duif. Ik kijk verlangend omhoog en roep: “Och Here, ik ben bang, help mij toch.” 15 Maar wat moet ik zeggen? Want Hij stuurde deze ziekte. Ik ben verbitterd en ik kan de slaap niet vatten. 16 Och Here, uw leefregels zijn goed, zij zorgen voor leven en gezondheid. Genees mij en breng mij weer tot leven! 17 Ja, nu begrijp ik dat deze bitterheid goed voor mij is geweest. U hebt mij liefdevol uit de macht van de dood verlost. U hebt mij al mijn zonden vergeven. 18 Want doden kunnen U niet prijzen. Zij die in het graf zijn, kennen geen hoop en vreugde. 19 De levenden, alleen de levenden, kunnen U prijzen zoals ik nu doe. Laten de vaders het aan hun kinderen doorvertellen. 20 Denk u eens in! De Here genas mij! Van nu af aan zal ik, zolang ik leef, elke dag in de tempel van de Here lofliederen zingen op de muziek van de instrumenten.’ 21 Jesaja had tegen Hizkiaʼs dienaren gezegd: ‘Neem een plak gedroogde vijgen en wrijf daar de ontstoken plek mee in, dan zal hij weer beter worden.’ 22 En Hizkia had gevraagd: ‘Welk teken zal de Here mij geven als bewijs dat Hij mij zal genezen?’
Isaiah 38
New English Translation
The Lord Hears Hezekiah’s Prayer
38 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness.[a] The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Give instructions to your household, for you are about to die; you will not get well.’” 2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you[b] faithfully and with wholehearted devotion,[c] and how I have carried out your will.”[d] Then Hezekiah wept bitterly.[e]
4 The Lord’s message came to Isaiah, 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor[f] David says: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will also rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city.”’” 7 Isaiah replied,[g] “This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said: 8 Look, I will make the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz.”[h] And then the shadow went back ten steps.[i]
Hezekiah’s Song of Thanks
9 This is the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah when he was sick and then recovered from his illness:
10 “I thought,[j]
‘In the middle of my life[k] I must walk through the gates of Sheol,
I am deprived[l] of the rest of my years.’
11 “I thought,
‘I will no longer see the Lord[m] in the land of the living,
I will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world.[n]
12 My dwelling place[o] is removed and taken away[p] from me
as a shepherd’s tent.
I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth;[q]
from the loom he cuts me off.[r]
You turn day into night and end my life.[s]
13 I cry out[t] until morning;
like a lion he shatters all my bones;
you turn day into night and end my life.[u]
14 Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp,
I coo[v] like a dove;
my eyes grow tired from looking up to the sky.[w]
O Lord,[x] I am oppressed;
help me![y]
15 What can I say?
He has decreed and acted.[z]
I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief.[aa]
16 O Lord, your decrees can give men life;
may years of life be restored to me.[ab]
Restore my health[ac] and preserve my life.’
17 “Look, the grief I experienced was for my benefit.[ad]
You delivered me[ae] from the Pit of oblivion.[af]
For you removed all my sins from your sight.[ag]
18 Indeed[ah] Sheol does not give you thanks;
death does not[ai] praise you.
Those who descend into the Pit do not anticipate your faithfulness.
19 The living person, the living person, he gives you thanks,
as I do today.
A father tells his sons about your faithfulness.
20 The Lord is about to deliver me,[aj]
and we will celebrate with music[ak]
for the rest of our lives in the Lord’s temple.”[al]
21 [am] (Isaiah ordered, “Let them take a fig cake and apply it to the ulcerated sore and he will get well.” 22 Hezekiah said, “What is the confirming sign that I will go up to the Lord’s temple?”)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 38:1 tn Heb “was sick to the point of dying”; NRSV “became sick and was at the point of death.”
- Isaiah 38:3 tn Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254.
- Isaiah 38:3 tn Heb “and with a complete heart”; KJV, ASV “with a perfect heart.”
- Isaiah 38:3 tn Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.”
- Isaiah 38:3 tn Heb “wept with great weeping”; NCV “cried loudly”; TEV “began to cry bitterly.”
- Isaiah 38:5 tn Heb “father” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).
- Isaiah 38:7 tn The words “Isaiah replied” are supplied in the translation for clarification. In the present form of the Hebrew text v. 7 is joined directly to v. 6, but vv. 21-22, if original to Isaiah 38, must be inserted here. See 2 Kgs 20:7-8.
- Isaiah 38:8 tn Heb “the shadow on the steps which it [the sun] had gone down, on the steps of Ahaz, with the sun, back ten steps.”sn These steps probably functioned as a type of sundial. See HALOT 614 s.v. מַעֲלָה and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 256.
- Isaiah 38:8 tn Heb “and the sun returned ten steps on the steps which it had gone down.”
- Isaiah 38:10 tn Or “I said” (KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
- Isaiah 38:10 tn The precise meaning of the phrase בִּדְמִי יָמַי (bidmi yamay, “in the [?] of my days”) is uncertain. According to HALOT 226 s.v. דְּמִי this word is a hapax legomenon meaning “half.” Others derive the form from דַּמִי (dami, “quiet, rest, peacefulness”).
- Isaiah 38:10 tn The precise meaning of the verb is uncertain. The Pual of of פָּקַד (paqad) occurs only here and in Exod 38:21, where it appears to mean “passed in review” or “mustered.” Perhaps the idea is, “I have been called away for the remainder of my years.” To bring out the sense more clearly, one can translate, “I am deprived of the rest of my years.”
- Isaiah 38:11 tn The Hebrew text has יָהּ יָהּ (yah yah, the abbreviated form of יְהוָה [yehvah] repeated), but this probably should be emended to יְהוָה.
- Isaiah 38:11 tc The Hebrew text has חָדֶל (khadel), which appears to be derived from a verbal root meaning “to cease, refrain.” But the form has probably suffered an error of transmission; the original form (attested in a few medieval Hebrew mss) was likely חֶלֶד (kheled, “world”).
- Isaiah 38:12 tn According to HALOT 217 s.v. דּוֹר this noun is a hapax legomenon meaning “dwelling place,” derived from a verbal root meaning “live” (see Ps 84:10). For an interpretation that understands the form as the well-attested noun meaning “generation,” see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:679, n. 4.
- Isaiah 38:12 tn The verb form appears to be a Niphal from גָּלָה (galah), which normally means “uncovered, revealed” in the Niphal. Because of the following reference to a shepherd’s tent, some prefer to emend the form to וְנָגַל, a Niphal from גָלָל (galal, “roll”) and translate “is rolled [or “folded”] up.”
- Isaiah 38:12 tn Heb “I rolled up, like a weaver, my life” (so ASV).
- Isaiah 38:12 sn For a discussion of the imagery employed here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:684.
- Isaiah 38:12 tn Heb “from day to night you bring me to an end.”
- Isaiah 38:13 tn The verb form in the Hebrew text is a Piel from שָׁוַה (shavah). There are two homonyms שָׁוַה, one meaning in the Piel “level, smooth out,” the other “set, place.” Neither fits in v. 13. It is likely that the original reading was שִׁוַּעְתִּי (shivvaʿti, “I cry out”) from the verbal root שָׁוַע (shavaʿ), which occurs exclusively in the Piel.
- Isaiah 38:13 tn Heb “from day to night you bring me to an end.”
- Isaiah 38:14 tn Or “moan” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); KJV, CEV “mourn.”
- Isaiah 38:14 tn Heb “my eyes become weak, toward the height.”
- Isaiah 38:14 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in v. 16 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
- Isaiah 38:14 tn Heb “stand surety for me.” Hezekiah seems to be picturing himself as a debtor who is being exploited; he asks that the Lord might relieve his debt and deliver him from the oppressive creditor.
- Isaiah 38:15 tn Heb “and he has spoken and he has acted.”
- Isaiah 38:15 tn Heb “because of the bitterness of my soul.”
- Isaiah 38:16 tn The translation offered here is purely speculative. The text as it stands is difficult and obscure. It reads literally, “O Lord, on account of them [the suffix is masculine plural], they live, and to all in them [the suffix is feminine plural], life of my spirit.”
- Isaiah 38:16 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as indicative, “you restore my health,” but the following imperatival form suggests it be understood as an imperfect of request.
- Isaiah 38:17 tn Heb “Look, for peace bitterness was to me bitter”; NAB “thus is my bitterness transformed into peace.”
- Isaiah 38:17 tc The Hebrew text reads, “you loved my soul,” but this does not fit syntactically with the following prepositional phrase. חָשַׁקְתָּ (khashaqta, “you loved”), may reflect an aural error; most emend the form to חָשַׂכְת, (khasakht, “you held back”).
- Isaiah 38:17 tn בְּלִי (beli) most often appears as a negation, meaning “without,” suggesting the meaning “nothingness, oblivion,” here. Some translate “decay” or “destruction.”
- Isaiah 38:17 tn Heb “for you threw behind your back all my sins.”
- Isaiah 38:18 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
- Isaiah 38:18 tn The negative particle is understood by ellipsis in this line. See GKC 483 §152.z.
- Isaiah 38:20 tn The infinitive construct is used here to indicate that an action is imminent. See GKC 348-49 §114.i, and IBHS 610 §36.2.3g.
- Isaiah 38:20 tn Heb “and music [or perhaps, “stringed instruments”] we will play.”
- Isaiah 38:20 tn Heb “all the days of our lives in the house of the Lord.”sn Note that vv. 21-22 have been placed between vv. 6-7, where they logically belong. See 2 Kgs 20:7-8.
- Isaiah 38:21 tc If original to Isaiah 38, vv. 21-22 have obviously been misplaced in the course of the text’s transmission, and would most naturally be placed here, between Isa 38:6 and 38:7. See 2 Kgs 20:7-8, where these verses are placed at this point in the narrative, not at the end. Another possibility is that these verses were not in the original account, and a scribe, familiar with the 2 Kgs version of the story, appended vv. 21-22 to the end of the account in Isaiah 38.
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