aIn those days
Hezekiah
became
1mortally
ill
. And bIsaiah
the prophet
the son
of Amoz
came
to him and said
to him, "Thus
says
the LORD
, ` cSet
your house
in order
, for you shall die
and not live
.' "
Then Hezekiah turned
his face
to the wall
and prayed
to the LORD
,
and said, " aRemember
now
, O
LORD
, I beseech
You, how
I have bwalked
before
You in truth
and with a cwhole
heart
, and dhave done
what
is good
in Your sight
." And Hezekiah
ewept
1bitterly
.
Then the word of the LORD
came
to Isaiah
, saying
,
"Go and say
to Hezekiah
, `Thus
says
the LORD
, the God
of your father
David
, "I have heard
your prayer
, I have seen
your tears
; behold
, I will add
afifteen
years
to your 1life
.
"I will adeliver you and this
city
from the hand
of the king
of Assyria
; and I will defend
this
city
."'
"This shall be the asign
to you from the LORD
, that the LORD
will do
this
thing
that He has spoken
:
"Behold, I will acause
the shadow
on the stairway
, which
has gone
down
with the sun
on the stairway
of Ahaz
, to go
back
ten
steps
." So the bsun's
shadow went
back
ten
steps
on the stairway
on which
it had gone
down
.
A writing of Hezekiah
king
of Judah
after his illness
and 1recovery
:
I said, " aIn the middle
of my 1life
I am to enter
the bgates
of Sheol
; I am to be cdeprived
of the rest
of my years
."
I said, "I will not see
the LORD
, The LORD
ain the land
of the living
; I will look
on man
no
more
among
the inhabitants
of the world
.
"Like a shepherd's atent
my dwelling
is pulled
up and removed
from me; As a bweaver
I crolled
up my life
. He dcuts
me off
from the loom
; From eday
until
night
You make
an end
of me.
"I composed my soul until
morning
. aLike a lion
--so
He bbreaks
all
my bones
, From cday
until
night
You make
an end
of me.
" aLike a swallow, like a crane
, so
I twitter
; I bmoan
like a dove
; My ceyes
look
wistfully
to the heights
; O Lord
, I am oppressed
, be my dsecurity
.
" aWhat shall I say
? 1For He has spoken
to me, and He Himself
has done
it; I will bwander
about all
my years
because
of the cbitterness
of my soul
.
"O Lord, aby these things men live
, And in all
these is the life
of my spirit
; 1 bO restore
me to health
and clet me live
!
"Lo, for my own welfare
I had
great
bitterness
; It is You who has 1 akept
my soul
from the pit
of 2nothingness
, For You have bcast
all
my sins
behind
Your back
.
"For aSheol cannot
thank
You, Death
cannot praise
You; Those who go
down
bto the pit
cannot
hope
for Your faithfulness
.
"It is the aliving who give
thanks
to You, as I do today
; A bfather
tells
his sons
about
Your faithfulness
.
"The LORD will surely save
me; So we will aplay
my songs
on stringed
instruments bAll
the days
of our life
cat the house
of the LORD
."
Now aIsaiah had said
, "Let them take
a cake
of figs
and apply
it to the boil
, that he may recover
."
Then Hezekiah had said
, "What
is the asign
that I shall go
up to the house
of the LORD
?"