Isaiah 38
New American Standard Bible
Hezekiah Healed
38 (A)In those days Hezekiah became [a]mortally ill. And (B)Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘(C)Set your house in order, for you are going to die and not live.’” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “(D)Please, Lord, just remember how I have (E)walked before You (F)wholeheartedly and in truth, and (G)have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah (H)wept [b]profusely.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add (I)fifteen years to your [c]life. 6 And I will (J)save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city.”’
7 “And this shall be the (K)sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will perform this word that He has spoken: 8 Behold, I will (L)make the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, go back ten steps.” So the (M)sun’s shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.
9 This is a writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and [d]recovery:
10 I said, “(N)In the middle of my [e]life
I am to enter the (O)gates of Sheol;
I have been (P)deprived of the rest of my years.”
11 I said, “I will not see the Lord,
The Lord (Q)in the land of the living;
I will no longer look on mankind among the inhabitants of the world.
12 Like a shepherd’s (R)tent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me;
As a (S)weaver I (T)rolled up my life.
He (U)cuts me off from the loom;
From (V)day until night You make an end of me.
13 I composed my soul until morning.
(W)Like a lion—so He (X)breaks all my bones,
From (Y)day until night You make an end of me.
14 (Z)Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter;
I (AA)moan like a dove;
My (AB)eyes look wistfully to the heights;
Lord, I am oppressed, be my (AC)security.
15 “(AD)What shall I say?
[f]For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it;
I will (AE)walk [g]quietly all my years because of the (AF)bitterness of my soul.
16 Lord, (AG)by these things people live,
And in all these is the life of my spirit;
[h](AH)Restore me to health and (AI)let me live!
17 Behold, for my own welfare I had great bitterness;
But You have [i](AJ)kept my soul from the pit of [j]nothingness,
For You have (AK)hurled all my sins behind Your back.
18 For (AL)Sheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down (AM)to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
19 It is the (AN)living who give thanks to You, as I do today;
A (AO)father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.
20 The Lord is certain to save me;
So we will (AP)play my songs on stringed instruments
(AQ)All the days of our life (AR)at the house of the Lord.”
21 Now (AS)Isaiah had said, “Have them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, so that he may recover.” 22 Then Hezekiah had said, “What is the (AT)sign that I will go up to the house of the Lord?”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 38:1 Lit sick to death
- Isaiah 38:3 Lit great weeping
- Isaiah 38:5 Lit days
- Isaiah 38:9 Lit he lived after his illness
- Isaiah 38:10 Lit days
- Isaiah 38:15 Targum and DSS And what shall I say for He
- Isaiah 38:15 Or slowly
- Isaiah 38:16 Lit You will
- Isaiah 38:17 As in some ancient versions; MT loved
- Isaiah 38:17 Or destruction
Yeshayah 38
Orthodox Jewish Bible
38 In those days was Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah) sick unto death. And HaNavi Yeshayah Ben Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith Hashem, Set thine bais in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Then Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah) turned his face toward the kir (wall), and davened unto Hashem,
3 And said, Remember now, Hashem, I beseech thee, how I have walked before Thee in emes and with lev shalem, and have done that which is tov in Thy sight. And Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah) wept with bekhi gadol (great weeping).
4 Then came the Devar Hashem to Yeshayah, saying,
5 Go, and say to Chizkiyahu, Thus saith Hashem Elohei Dovid Avicha, I have heard thy tefillah, I have seen thy tears; hineni, I will add unto thy days chamesh esreh shanah (fifteen years).
6 And I will deliver thee and this Ir out of the hand of Melech Ashur (Assyria); and I will defend HaIr Hazot.
7 And this shall be HaOt (the Sign) unto thee from Hashem, that Hashem will do this thing that He hath spoken;
8 Hineni, I will bring again the tzel (shadow) of the hama’alot (the steps), which has gone down with the shemesh on the Ma’alot Achaz (sundial of Ahaz), so that it goes eser ma’alot (ten steps) backward. So the shemesh went back eser maalot (ten steps) on the ma’alot on which it had gone down.
9 The writing of Chizkiyahu Melech Yehudah, when he had been ill, and was recovered from his illness:
10 I said in the cutting short of my yamim, I shall go to the Sha’arei Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my shanot.
11 I said, I shall not see Hashem, even Hashem, in the Eretz HaChayyim; I shall behold adam no more with the inhabitants of the world.
12 Mine dwelling is pulled up, and is sent into the Golus from me like ohel ro’i; As an oreg (weaver) I rolled up my life; He would have cut me loose from the roll; from yom even to lailah wilt Thou make an end of me.
13 I waited until boker, that, like an ari (lion), so will He break all my atzmot; from yom even to lailah wilt Thou make an end of me.
14 Like a swallow or a crane, so did I chirp; I did moan like a yonah; mine eyes grew weak from looking heavenward; Adonoi, I am oppressed; go surety for me.
15 What shall I say? He hath both promised me, and Himself hath done it; I shall walk quietly all my shanot in the mar (bitterness) of my nefesh.
16 Adonoi, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my ruach; so Thou recovered me to health, and made me to live.
17 Hinei, for shalom (benefit) did I have great bitterness; for Thou hast in love to my nefesh delivered it from the shachat (pit) of destruction; for Thou hast cast all my chatta’im behind Thy back.
18 For Sheol cannot thank Thee, mavet can not praise Thee; they that go down into the bor (pit) cannot hope for Thy emes.
19 The living, the living, he shall thank Thee, as I do today; av to banim shall make known Thy emes.
20 Hashem will save me; therefore we will sing with stringed instruments kol yemei chayyeinu (all the days of our life) in the Beis Hashem.
21 For Yeshayah had said, Let them take a cake of te’enim, and apply it upon the shechin (boil, inflamed spot), and he shall recover.
22 Chizkiyahu also had said, What is the Ot (Sign) that I shall go up to the Beis Hashem [See 2Kgs 20:8 which speaks about Yom HaShlishi and on Moshiach cf Isa 53:8 and Isa 38:10-11 and Ps 16 and Isa 38:17.]
Isaiah 38
New King James Version
Hezekiah’s Life Extended(A)
38 In (B)those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: (C)‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’ ”
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, (D)“Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a [a]loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your (E)sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. 6 I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and (F)I will defend this city.” ’ 7 And this is (G)the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which He has spoken: 8 Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.
9 This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
10 I said,
“In the prime of my life
I shall go to the gates of Sheol;
I am deprived of the remainder of my years.”
11 I said,
“I shall not see [b]Yah,
The Lord (H)in the land of the living;
I shall observe man no more [c]among the inhabitants of [d]the world.
12 (I)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.
13 I have considered until morning—
Like a lion,
So He breaks all my bones;
From day until night You make an end of me.
14 Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered;
(J)I mourned like a dove;
My eyes fail from looking upward.
O [e]Lord, I am oppressed;
[f]Undertake for me!
15 “What shall I say?
[g]He has both spoken to me,
And He Himself has done it.
I shall walk carefully all my years
(K)In the bitterness of my soul.
16 O 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.
17 Indeed 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.
18 For (L)Sheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.
19 The living, the living man, he shall praise You,
As I do this day;
(M)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.”
21 Now (N)Isaiah had said, “Let them take a lump of figs, and apply it as a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.”
22 And (O)Hezekiah had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 38:3 whole or peaceful
- 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
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

