THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
ISAIAH
Isaiah 38 ©
Hezekiah, being very sick, is told by the prophet Isaiah that he shall die, v. 1. But upon his mournful prayer he obtains a lengthening of fifteen years, which God confirms by a special miracle, 4, etc. Hezekiah’s prayer and song of praise unto God, 9, etc. Compare 2 Kings 20 and 2 Chron. 32:24.
IN1 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.
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and 2prayed unto the LORD,
And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have 3done 4that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah 5wept sore.
¶Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,
Go, 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 6unto thy days fifteen years.
And 7I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.
And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do 8this thing that he hath spoken;
9Behold, 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.
¶The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was 10recovered of his sickness:
11I said 12in the cutting off of my days, I 13shall go to the gates of the grave: 14I am deprived of the residue of my years.
I said, I shall not see 15the LORD, even the LORD, 16in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more 17with the inhabitants of the world.
18Mine age is 19departed, and is removed from me as 20a shepherd’s tent: I have 21cut off like 22a weaver my life: 23he will cut me off 24with pining sickness: 25from day even to night wilt 26thou make 27an end of me.
I 28reckoned 29till morning, that, as a lion, so will 30he break all my 31bones: 32from day even to night wilt thou make an end of 33me.
Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: Ia did 34mourn as a dove: mine eyes 35fail with looking upward: O LORD, 36I am oppressed; 37undertake for me.
38What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go 39softly 40all my years 41in the bitterness of my soul.
O Lord, 42by these things men live, and in all these things is the life 43of my spirit: so wilt thou 44recover me, and make me to live.
Behold, 45for peace I had great bitterness: 46but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from 47the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast 48all my sins 49behind thy back.
For 50the grave cannot praise thee, 51death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot 52hope for thy truth.
The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known 53thy truth.
The LORD 54was 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.
For Isaiah had said, Letb them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister 55upon the boil, and he shall recover.
Hezekiah also had said, 56What is the sign 57that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?