King James Bible | New Living Translation |
1In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. | 1About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the LORD says: ‘Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.’” |
2Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, | 2When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, |
3And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. | 3“Remember, O LORD, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly. |
4Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, | 4Then this message came to Isaiah from the LORD: |
5Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. | 5“Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life, |
6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city. | 6and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city. |
7And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken; | 7“‘And this is the sign from the LORD to prove that he will do as he promised: |
8Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down. | 8I will cause the sun’s shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!’” So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps. Hezekiah’s Poem of Praise |
9The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness: | 9When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem: |
10I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years. | 10I said, “In the prime of my life, must I now enter the place of the dead? Am I to be robbed of the rest of my years?” |
11I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. | 11I 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. |
12Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. | 12My 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. |
13I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. | 13I waited patiently all night, but I was torn apart as though by lions. Suddenly, my life was over. |
14Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me. | 14Delirious, 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!” |
15What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. | 15But 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. |
16O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. | 16Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You restore my health and allow me to live! |
17Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. | 17Yes, this anguish was good for me, for you have rescued me from death and forgiven all my sins. |
18For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. | 18For the dead cannot praise you; they cannot raise their voices in praise. Those who go down to the grave can no longer hope in your faithfulness. |
19The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. | 19Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next. |
20The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD. | 20Think 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. |
21For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover. | 21Isaiah had said to Hezekiah’s servants, “Make an ointment from figs and spread it over the boil, and Hezekiah will recover.” |
22Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD? | 22And Hezekiah had asked, “What sign will prove that I will go to the Temple of the LORD?” |
King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | 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. |
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