Isaiah 38:9-20
New American Standard Bible
9 This is a writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and [a]recovery:
10 I said, “(A)In the middle of my [b]life
I am to enter the (B)gates of Sheol;
I have been (C)deprived of the rest of my years.”
11 I said, “I will not see the Lord,
The Lord (D)in the land of the living;
I will no longer look on mankind among the inhabitants of the world.
12 Like a shepherd’s (E)tent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me;
As a (F)weaver I (G)rolled up my life.
He (H)cuts me off from the loom;
From (I)day until night You make an end of me.
13 I composed my soul until morning.
(J)Like a lion—so He (K)breaks all my bones,
From (L)day until night You make an end of me.
14 (M)Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter;
I (N)moan like a dove;
My (O)eyes look wistfully to the heights;
Lord, I am oppressed, be my (P)security.
15 “(Q)What shall I say?
[c]For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it;
I will (R)walk [d]quietly all my years because of the (S)bitterness of my soul.
16 Lord, (T)by these things people live,
And in all these is the life of my spirit;
[e](U)Restore me to health and (V)let me live!
17 Behold, for my own welfare I had great bitterness;
But You have [f](W)kept my soul from the pit of [g]nothingness,
For You have (X)hurled all my sins behind Your back.
18 For (Y)Sheol cannot thank You,
Death cannot praise You;
Those who go down (Z)to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
19 It is the (AA)living who give thanks to You, as I do today;
A (AB)father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.
20 The Lord is certain to save me;
So we will (AC)play my songs on stringed instruments
(AD)All the days of our life (AE)at the house of the Lord.”
Footnotes
- 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
Isaiah 38:9-20
Revised Standard Version
9 A writing of Hezeki′ah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
10 I said, In the noontide 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
in the land of the living;
I shall look upon man no more
among the inhabitants of the world.
12 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
like a shepherd’s tent;
like a weaver I have rolled up my life;
he cuts me off from the loom;
from day to night thou dost bring me to an end;[a]
13 I cry for help[b] until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones;
from day to night thou dost bring me to an end.[c]
14 Like a swallow or a crane[d] I clamor,
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; be thou my security!
15 But what can I say? For he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
All my sleep has fled[e]
because of the bitterness of my soul.
16 O Lord, by these things men live,
and in all these is the life of my spirit.[f]
Oh, restore me to health and make me live!
17 Lo, it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
but thou hast held back[g] my life
from the pit of destruction,
for thou hast cast all my sins
behind thy back.
18 For Sheol cannot thank thee,
death cannot praise thee;
those who go down to the pit cannot hope
for thy faithfulness.
19 The living, the living, he thanks thee,
as I do this day;
the father makes known to the children
thy faithfulness.
20 The Lord will save me,
and we will sing to stringed instruments[h]
all the days of our life,
at the house of the Lord.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 38:12 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 38:13 Cn: Heb obscure
- Isaiah 38:13 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 38:14 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 38:15 Cn Compare Syr: Heb I will walk slowly all my years
- Isaiah 38:16 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 38:17 Cn Compare Gk Vg: Heb loved
- Isaiah 38:20 Heb my stringed instruments
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.