Isaiah 38:9-20
English Standard Version
9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
10 I said, (A)In the middle[a] 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 (B)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
(C)like a shepherd's tent;
(D)like a weaver (E)I have rolled up my life;
(F)he cuts me off from the loom;
(G)from day to night you bring me to an end;
13 (H)I calmed myself[b] until morning;
like a lion (I)he breaks all my bones;
from day to night you bring me to an end.
14 Like (J)a swallow or a crane I chirp;
(K)I moan like a dove.
(L)My eyes are weary with looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; (M)be my pledge of safety!
15 What shall I say? For he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
(N)I walk slowly all my years
because of the bitterness of my soul.
16 (O)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 (P)Behold, it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
(Q)but in love you have delivered my life
from the pit of destruction,
(R)for you have cast all my sins
behind your back.
18 (S)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;
(T)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,
(U)at the house of the Lord.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 38:10 Or In the quiet
- Isaiah 38:13 Or (with Targum) I cried for help
Isaiah 38:9-20
New Living Translation
Hezekiah’s Poem of Praise
9 When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem:
10 I said, “In the prime of my life,
must I now enter the place of the dead?[a]
Am I to be robbed of the rest of my years?”
11 I said, “Never again will I see the Lord God
while still in the land of the living.
Never again will I see my friends
or be with those who live in this world.
12 My life has been blown away
like a shepherd’s tent in a storm.
It has been cut short,
as when a weaver cuts cloth from a loom.
Suddenly, my life was over.
13 I waited patiently all night,
but I was torn apart as though by lions.
Suddenly, my life was over.
14 Delirious, I chattered like a swallow or a crane,
and then I moaned like a mourning dove.
My eyes grew tired of looking to heaven for help.
I am in trouble, Lord. Help me!”
15 But what could I say?
For he himself sent this sickness.
Now I will walk humbly throughout my years
because of this anguish I have felt.
16 Lord, your discipline is good,
for it leads to life and health.
You restore my health
and allow me to live!
17 Yes, this anguish was good for me,
for you have rescued me from death
and forgiven all my sins.
18 For the dead[b] cannot praise you;
they cannot raise their voices in praise.
Those who go down to the grave
can no longer hope in your faithfulness.
19 Only the living can praise you as I do today.
Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next.
20 Think of it—the Lord is ready to heal me!
I will sing his praises with instruments
every day of my life
in the Temple of the Lord.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
