Isaiah 38:9-20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
9 A writing of King Hezekiah 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.(A)
11 I said, I shall not see the Lord
in the land of the living;
I shall look upon mortals no more
among the inhabitants of the world.(B)
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 you bring me to an end;(C)
13 I cry for help[a] until morning;
like a lion he breaks all my bones;
from day to night you bring me to an end.(D)
14 Like a swallow or a crane[b] I clamor;
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weary with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security!(E)
15 But what can I say? For he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
All my sleep has fled[c]
because of the bitterness of my soul.(F)
16 O Lord, by these things people live,
and in all these is the life of my spirit.[d]
Oh, restore me to health and make me live!
17 Surely it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness,
but you have held back[e] my life
from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
behind your back.(G)
18 For Sheol cannot thank you;
death cannot praise you;
those who go down to the Pit cannot hope
for your faithfulness.(H)
19 The living, the living, they thank you,
as I do this day;
fathers make known to children
your faithfulness.(I)
20 The Lord will save me,
and we will sing to stringed instruments[f]
all the days of our lives,
at the house of the Lord.(J)
Isaiah 38:9-20
Lexham English Bible
9 A writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, when he was sick and had recovered from his sickness:
10 I was the one who said, “I must go in the quiet of my days;
I am summoned through the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.”
11 I said, “I shall not see Yah! Yah in the land of the living!
I shall no more look at humankind among the inhabitants of the world.
12 My dwelling place is pulled up and removed from me like the tent of my shepherd;
I have rolled up my life like a weaver.
He cuts me off from the thrum;
from day to night you bring me to an end.
13 I lie down[a] until morning;
like a lion, so he breaks all my bones;
from day to night you bring me to an end.
14 Like a horse or a crane, so I chirp;
I moan like a dove.
My eyes are weak toward the height.
Lord, I have oppression; lend me support!
15 What can I say? For[b] he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
I will walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
16 Lord, they live by them, and the life of my spirit belongs to all among them.
And restore me to health and keep me alive!
17 Look! Bitterness was bitter to me for peace.
And you were the one who loved[c] my life from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
18 For Sheol cannot praise you; death cannot praise you.
Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living one praises you like me today;
a father will make your faithfulness known to children.
20 Yahweh, save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives at the temple[d] of Yahweh.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 38:13 Or “cry out”
- Isaiah 38:15 Or “And”
- Isaiah 38:17 Or possibly “kept back,” which sounds similar in Hebrew
- Isaiah 38:20 Or “house”
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software