UST ISA Chapter 38

◄ ISA 38 ► ║ ═ ©

38 Around that time, Hezekiah became so sick that he was in danger of dying. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and told him, “Yahweh says that you are not going to recover from this illness. Instead, you are going to die. So you should tell the people in your palace what you want them to do after you die.” 2 Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall so that he could have privacy and prayed to Yahweh. 3 He said, “Yahweh, please do not forget that I have served you loyally and I have devoted myself entirely to you. I have done things that pleased you.” Then Hezekiah started to cry loudly. 4 Yahweh then gave Isaiah a message. He said, 5 “Go back to Hezekiah and tell him that I, Yahweh, say this. I am the God whom his ancestor King David worshiped. I have heard what he prayed. I have seen how he has been crying. Tell him that I will heal him and enable him to live for 15 more years. 6 Promise him that I will prevent the king of Assyria from defeating him and conquering this city. I will defend this city. 7 I, Yahweh, am going to do something that will prove to him that I will do what I have promised. 8 On the stairway that King Ahaz had his workers build as a sundial, the shadow of the sun has gone down ten steps. I am going to make it go back up those ten steps.” And the sun did go back up the ten steps that it had gone down.

9 When King Hezekiah was almost well again, he wrote this song:

10 I said to myself, “In the middle of my life,

I am about to die and go to the place where dead people are.

Yahweh is not going to allow me to live a full lifetime.

11 I said, “I will never see Yahweh again

in this world where people are alive.

I will not see my friends again

or any other people who now are alive in this world.

12 It is as if my life is a tent

that a shepherd has taken down and carried away.

When a weaver has finished weaving a piece of cloth,

he cuts it off from the loom and rolls it up.

It felt as if Yahweh had cut off my life in the same way.

It felt as if the sickness he allowed was steadily killing me.

13 I could not sleep, but I waited patiently for morning.

I was in such pain that I felt as if a lion were tearing me apart.

It felt as if the sickness Yahweh allowed was steadily killing me.

14 I moaned painfully so that I sounded like

a swallow or a crane chirping or a dove cooing.

I looked up toward heaven for help for so long that my eyes became tired.

I called out, ‘Lord, I am suffering such distress! Please help me!’

15 But there was really nothing that I could say to him,

since he had told me that he had decided to allow this illness.

I felt very sad that I was going to die,

and I knew that I should behave humbly for as long as I was alive.

16 Lord, what you say and do enables all people to live,

and what you have said and done just now has enabled me to live.

Yes, you have healed me

and allowed me to continue living!

17 I suffered badly, but in fact, that was good for me.

You forgave all of my sins,

and you rescued me from dying and not existing anymore.

18 After all, in the place where dead people are,

no one sings songs to praise you.

Those who have gone down into that place

can not expect you to do things for them faithfully.

19 Only people who are still alive thank you,

as I am doing now.

People who are alive tell their children

how you helped them because you are faithful.

20 Yahweh will enable me to recover fully.

Then we will sing songs to praise him

while others play musical instruments.

We will praise Yahweh in his temple for as long as we live.”

21 Isaiah had told Hezekiah’s servants, “Make a paste from figs and put it on the sore place on Hezekiah’s body. Then he will recover.” 22 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah when he told him that Yahweh would heal him, “What sign will Yahweh give me to show that he is going to heal me and that I will be able to go and worship him in his temple?”