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Isaiah 38
Modern English Version
Isaiah 38
Modern English Version
Hezekiah’s Illness(A)
38 In those days Hezekiah was mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.”
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying: 5 “Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. Surely I will add to your days fifteen years. 6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.
7 “This shall be a sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that He has spoken: 8 I will cause the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, to go back ten steps.” So the sun’s shadow returned ten steps on the sundial by which it had gone down.
9 This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
10 I said: In the middle of my days,
I shall go to the gates of Sheol;
I am to be deprived of the rest of my years.
11 I said, I shall not see the Lord,
even the Lord, in the land of the living;
I shall see man no more
with the inhabitants of the world.
12 My dwelling is pulled up
and removed from me as a shepherd’s tent;
I rolled up my life like a weaver.
He cuts me off from the loom;
from day even to night You make an end of me.
13 I composed my soul until morning,
like a lion, so He breaks all my bones;
from day even to night You make an end of me.
14 Like a crane or a swallow, so I twitter;
I mourn as a dove;
my eyes look wistfully upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me.
15 What shall I say?
For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it.
I shall wander about all my years
in the bitterness of my soul.
16 O Lord, by these things men live,
and in all these things is the life of my spirit;
O restore me to health
and make me live!
17 Surely it was for my own peace
that I had great bitterness;
but You have kept my soul
from the pit of corruption,
for You have cast all my sins
behind Your back.
18 For Sheol cannot thank You,
death cannot praise You;
those who go down into the pit
cannot hope for Your faithfulness.
19 It is the living who give thanks to You,
as I do this day;
a father explains to his sons
about Your faithfulness.
20 The Lord shall surely save me;
therefore, we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments
all the days of our lives
in the house of the Lord.
21 For Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and lay it on the boil, and he shall recover.”
22 Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”
Isaiah 38
New International Version
Isaiah 38
New International Version
Hezekiah’s Illness(A)
38 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz(B) went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order,(C) because you are going to die; you will not recover.”(D)
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked(E) before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion(F) and have done what is good in your eyes.(G)” And Hezekiah wept(H) bitterly.
4 Then the word(I) of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David,(J) says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;(K) I will add fifteen years(L) to your life. 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend(M) this city.
7 “‘This is the Lord’s sign(N) to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: 8 I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.(O)
9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
10 I said, “In the prime of my life(P)
must I go through the gates of death(Q)
and be robbed of the rest of my years?(R)”
11 I said, “I will not again see the Lord himself(S)
in the land of the living;(T)
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(U) my house
has been pulled down(V) and taken from me.
Like a weaver I have rolled(W) up my life,
and he has cut me off from the loom;(X)
day and night(Y) you made an end of me.
13 I waited patiently(Z) till dawn,
but like a lion he broke(AA) all my bones;(AB)
day and night(AC) you made an end of me.
14 I cried like a swift or thrush,
I moaned like a mourning dove.(AD)
My eyes grew weak(AE) as I looked to the heavens.
I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”(AF)
15 But what can I say?(AG)
He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.(AH)
I will walk humbly(AI) all my years
because of this anguish of my soul.(AJ)
16 Lord, by such things people live;
and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
and let me live.(AK)
17 Surely it was for my benefit(AL)
that I suffered such anguish.(AM)
In your love you kept me
from the pit(AN) of destruction;
you have put all my sins(AO)
behind your back.(AP)
18 For the grave(AQ) cannot praise you,
death cannot sing your praise;(AR)
those who go down to the pit(AS)
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living—they praise(AT) you,
as I am doing today;
parents tell their children(AU)
about your faithfulness.
20 The Lord will save me,
and we will sing(AV) with stringed instruments(AW)
all the days of our lives(AX)
in the temple(AY) of the Lord.
21 Isaiah had said, “Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”
22 Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign(AZ) that I will go up to the temple of the Lord?”
Modern English Version (MEV)
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.