A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:

10 I said, “In the prime of my life(A)
    must I go through the gates of death(B)
    and be robbed of the rest of my years?(C)
11 I said, “I will not again see the Lord himself(D)
    in the land of the living;(E)
no longer will I look on my fellow man,
    or be with those who now dwell in this world.
12 Like a shepherd’s tent(F) my house
    has been pulled down(G) and taken from me.
Like a weaver I have rolled(H) up my life,
    and he has cut me off from the loom;(I)
    day and night(J) you made an end of me.
13 I waited patiently(K) till dawn,
    but like a lion he broke(L) all my bones;(M)
    day and night(N) you made an end of me.
14 I cried like a swift or thrush,
    I moaned like a mourning dove.(O)
My eyes grew weak(P) as I looked to the heavens.
    I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”(Q)

15 But what can I say?(R)
    He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.(S)
I will walk humbly(T) all my years
    because of this anguish of my soul.(U)
16 Lord, by such things people live;
    and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
    and let me live.(V)
17 Surely it was for my benefit(W)
    that I suffered such anguish.(X)
In your love you kept me
    from the pit(Y) of destruction;
you have put all my sins(Z)
    behind your back.(AA)
18 For the grave(AB) cannot praise you,
    death cannot sing your praise;(AC)
those who go down to the pit(AD)
    cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living—they praise(AE) you,
    as I am doing today;
parents tell their children(AF)
    about your faithfulness.

20 The Lord will save me,
    and we will sing(AG) with stringed instruments(AH)
all the days of our lives(AI)
    in the temple(AJ) of the Lord.

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Hezekiah’s Prayer

A composition by King Hezekiah of Judah, following his illness and recovery:

10 I said, “Must I leave in the prime of my life?
    Must I be consigned to the control[a] of Sheol?[b]
        Bitter are[c] my years!”
11 I said, “I won’t see the Lord[d] in the land of the living;
    and[e] I’ll no longer observe human beings
        among the denizens of the grave.[f]
12 My house has been plucked up and vanishes[g] from me
    like a shepherd’s tent;
like a weaver, I’ve taken account of[h] my life,
    and he cuts me off from the loom—
        day and night you make an end of me.
13 I’ve been swept bare[i] until morning;
    just like a lion, he breaks all my bones—
        day and night you make an end of me.
14 Like a swallow or a crane I chirp,
    I moan like a dove.
My eyes look weakly upward.
    O Lord,[j] I am oppressed, so[k] stand up for me!
15 What can I say, so I tell myself,[l]
    since he has done this to me?[m]
I will walk slowly all my years
    because of my soul’s anguish.

16 “My Lord is against them, yet they live,
    and among all of them who live is his spirit.[n]
Now you have restored me to health,
    so let me live!
17 Yes, it was for my own good
    that I suffered extreme anguish.[o]
But in love you have held back[p] my life
    from the Pit[q] in which it has been confined;[r]
you have tossed all my sins
    behind your back.
18 For Sheol[s] cannot thank you,
    death cannot[t] sing your praise;
and[u] those who go down to the Pit[v] cannot hope
    for your faithfulness.
19 The living—yes the living—they thank you,
    just as I am doing today;
fathers will tell their children
    about your faithfulness.
20 The Lord will save me,[w]
    and we will play my music on strings
all the days of our lives
    in the Lord’s Temple.[x]

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 38:10 Lit. gates; i.e. the place where legal cases were adjudicated
  2. Isaiah 38:10 I.e. the realm of the afterlife
  3. Isaiah 38:10 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read the rest of
  4. Isaiah 38:11 Lit. Yah; So 1QIsaa; MT reads Yah Yah; MTmss read Lord
  5. Isaiah 38:11 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks and
  6. Isaiah 38:11 Lit. cessation; or the end; So 1QIsaa MT; MTmss read the world
  7. Isaiah 38:12 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT read and has been taken away
  8. Isaiah 38:12 So 1QIsaa; MT reads have rolled up
  9. Isaiah 38:13 So 1QIsaa; or I cried for help; MT reads I was composed; cf. Targ
  10. Isaiah 38:14 So 1QIsaa MT; 1QIsab reads Lord
  11. Isaiah 38:14 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks so
  12. Isaiah 38:15 So 1QIsaa; MT reads for he has spoken to me
  13. Isaiah 38:15 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and it is he who has done it
  14. Isaiah 38:16 So 1QIsaa; MT reads is the life of my spirit
  15. Isaiah 38:17 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT read bitter, bitter
  16. Isaiah 38:17 So 1QIsaa; cf. LXX; MT reads you have loved
  17. Isaiah 38:17 I.e. the realm of punishment in the afterlife
  18. Isaiah 38:17 So 1QIsaa; MT reads pit of destruction
  19. Isaiah 38:18 I.e. the realm of the afterlife
  20. Isaiah 38:18 So 1QIsaa LXX; implied in 1QIsab MT
  21. Isaiah 38:18 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks and
  22. Isaiah 38:18 I.e. the realm of punishment in the afterlife
  23. Isaiah 38:20 At this point a later scribe inserted into 1QIsaa a repetition of v. 19 and the beginning of v. 20, but with some different spellings and a word missing.
  24. Isaiah 38:20 The same second scribe continued with the rest of this verse; not originally in 1QIsaa.