Isaiah chapter 38
English Standard Version
1In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. 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, you shall not recover." 2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3and said, "Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 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. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city.
7"This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: 8Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps." So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.
10I said, In the middle of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years. 11I said, I shall not see the Lord, the Lord in the land of the living; I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world. 12My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd 's tent; like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night you bring me to an end; 13 I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end. 14Like a swallow or a crane I chirp; I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety! 15What shall I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul. 16 O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live! 17 Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. 18 For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness. 19The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness. 20The Lord will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the Lord. 21Now Isaiah had said, "Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover." 22Hezekiah also had said, "What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?"
New International Version
2Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3"Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5"Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. 6And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
7" ‘This is the Lord’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: 8I 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.
10I said, "In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death and be robbed of the rest of my years?" 11I said, "I will not again see the Lord himself in the land of the living; no longer will I look on my fellow man, or be with those who now dwell in this world. 12Like a shepherd’s tent my house has been pulled down and taken from me. Like a weaver I have rolled up my life, and he has cut me off from the loom; day and night you made an end of me. 13I waited patiently till dawn, but like a lion he broke all my bones; day and night you made an end of me.
14I cried like a swift or thrush, I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens. I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!" 15But what can I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul. 16Lord, by such things people live; and my spirit finds life in them too. You restored me to health and let me live. 17Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back. 18For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.
New American Standard Bible
1In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, 'This is what the Lord says: ‘Set your house in order, for you are going to die and not live.’?' 2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3and said, 'Please, Lord, just remember how I have walked before You wholeheartedly and in truth, and have done what is good in Your sight.' And Hezekiah wept profusely.
4Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 5Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: 'I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6And I will save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city.'?’
7And this shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will perform this word that He has spoken: 8Behold, I will make the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, go back ten steps.' So the sun’s shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.
10I said, 'In the middle of my life I am to enter the gates of Sheol; I have been deprived of the rest of my years.' 11I said, 'I will not see the Lord, The Lord in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind among the inhabitants of the world. 12Like a shepherd’s tent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me; As a weaver I rolled up my life. He cuts me off from the loom; From day until night You make an end of me. 13I composed my soul until morning. Like a lion—so He breaks all my bones, From day until night You make an end of me. 14Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter; I moan like a dove; My eyes look wistfully to the heights; Lord, I am oppressed, be my security. 15'What shall I say? For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it; I will walk quietly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul. 16Lord, by these things people live, And in all these is the life of my spirit; Restore me to health and let me live! 17Behold, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; But You have kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have hurled all my sins behind Your back. 18For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. 19It is the living who give thanks to You, as I do today; A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness. 20The Lord is certain to save me; So we will play my songs on stringed instruments All the days of our life at the house of the Lord.'
Christian Standard Bible
2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord. 3He said, "Please, Lord, remember how I have walked before you faithfully and wholeheartedly, and have done what pleases you." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5"Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add fifteen years to your life. 6And I will rescue you and this city from the grasp of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city. 7This is the sign to you from the Lord that he will do what he has promised: 8I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on the stairway of Ahaz go back by ten steps.’" So the sun’s shadow went back the ten steps it had descended.
10I said: In the prime of my life I must go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the rest of my years. 11I said: I will never see the Lord, the Lord in the land of the living; I will not look on humanity any longer with the inhabitants of what is passing away. 12My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver; he cuts me off from the loom. By nightfall you make an end of me. 13I thought until the morning: He will break all my bones like a lion. By nightfall you make an end of me.
14I chirp like a swallow or a crane; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed; support me. 15What can I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk along slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul. 16Lord, by such things people live, and in every one of them my spirit finds life; you have restored me to health and let me live. 17Indeed, it was for my own well-being that I had such intense bitterness; but your love has delivered me from the Pit of destruction, for you have thrown all my sins behind your back. 18For Sheol cannot thank you; Death cannot praise you. Those who go down to the Pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. 19The living, only the living can thank you, as I do today; a father will make your faithfulness known to children. 20The Lord is ready to save me; we will play stringed instruments all the days of our lives at the house of the Lord.
New Living Translation
2When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3Remember, 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 this message came to Isaiah from the Lord: 5Go 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 rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city.
7‘And this is the sign from the Lord to prove that he will do as he promised: 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.
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, '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. 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 waited patiently all night, but I was torn apart as though by lions. Suddenly, my life was over. 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!'
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. 16Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You restore my health and allow me to live! 17Yes, this anguish was good for me, for you have rescued me from death and forgiven all my sins. 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. 19Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next. 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.
King James Version
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. 2Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto 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.
4Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, 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. 6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and 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; 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. 9The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness: 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.
New King James Version
2Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, 3and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 5“Go and tell 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. 6I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.” ’ 7And this is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which He has spoken: 8“Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.
10I said, “In the prime of my life I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my years.” 11I said, “I shall not see YAH, The Lord in the land of the living; I shall observe man no more among the inhabitants of the world. 12 My life span is gone, Taken from me like a shepherd’s tent; I have cut off my life like a weaver. He cuts me off from the loom; From day until night You make an end of me. 13I have considered until morning— Like a lion, So He breaks all my bones; From day until night You make an end of me. 14Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered; I mourned like a dove; My eyes fail from looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; Undertake for me! 15“What shall I say? He has both spoken to me, And He Himself has done it. I shall walk carefully all my years In the bitterness of my soul. 16O Lord, by these things men live; And in all these things is the life of my spirit; So You will restore me and make me live. 17Indeed it was for my own peace That I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back. 18For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth. 19The living, the living man, he shall praise You, As I do this day; The father shall make known Your truth to the children. 20“The Lord was ready to save me; Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments All the days of our life, in the house of the Lord.”
What does Isaiah chapter 38 mean?
The events of Isaiah 38 and 39 seem to occur before the defeat of the Assyrian army described in the previous chapters. Most scholars place Hezekiah's illness roughly ten years before Sennacherib attacked Jerusalem. If so, Hezekiah was about thirty-nine years old, seriously ill, and still without an heir. Isaiah places these events out of strict chronological order to maintain a smoother transition to later references to the Messiah.King Hezekiah is sick. Scripture doesn't say exactly what the condition is other than comparing it to a boil (Isaiah 38:21). This might have been a tumor of some kind. Either way, the Lord sends Isaiah with a message. It's bad news: the disease is currently fatal. Hezekiah should not expect to recover. Instead, He should set his affairs in order by arranging for inheritances, naming a successor, and so forth. Overwhelmed, the king turns away from the prophet to mourn and pray. He asks the Lord to remember that he has lived in faith and done what is right (2 Kings 18:5–6). This is an indirect plea for more time (Isaiah 38:1–3).
As Isaiah walks away from the king, the Lord sends him back. Isaiah turns before reaching the outer court and brings Hezekiah another message: God has heard Hezekiah's prayer and seen his tears. The Lord will add fifteen years to his life and will also deliver Jerusalem from the king of Assyria when that threat comes (Isaiah 37:36–38). God knew Hezekiah would pray as he did, but the earlier message about dying was still true. The Lord had previously promised that David's lineage would always rule Israel (2 Samuel 7:16). But had Hezekiah not prayed, the sickness would have taken his life (Isaiah 38:4–6).
God offers Hezekiah a miraculous sign to confirm this promise (2 Kings 20:8–9). The sign ironically references Hezekiah's father, who refused to consider a sign from God (Isaiah 7:10–12). The "Stairway of Ahaz" seems to be a type of sundial. Presumably, a shadow was cast on a series of steps representing hours of the day. In the book of 2 Kings, Hezekiah chooses to see the shadow move backwards, as this would be even more miraculous (2 Kings 20:10–11). God will make the shadow move backwards, as if time were reversing. Scripture does not explain how God does this, only that He does. The sign confirms the message, and Hezekiah recovers (Isaiah 38:7–8).
In response, Hezekiah writes a psalm describing his thoughts when he expected to die. He felt he was being taken in the prime of life. He dreads the idea of passing into the land of the dead, referred to as "Sheol." Before Christ's resurrection, God's people understood sheol as a dim place where the dead waited without clarity about their future. The king regrets that he will no longer be able to worship the Lord or enjoy time with other people. Like a collapsed tent, or a severed weaving, his life will suddenly vanish. He compares this to being mauled by a predator. Hezekiah looks to God with pleading eyes, like a helpless and frightened bird (Isaiah 38:9–14).
The psalm continues with a shift in tone (Psalm 103:2–5) after the Lord restores King Hezekiah's health. He sees that his suffering ultimately brought him good. God saved him from destruction and provided forgiveness. Severe illness was the mechanism which God used to bring Hezekiah to Him in total dependence. What seemed bad at first was just what Hezekiah needed to get his mind right. The healed king rejoices that sheol cannot praise God, but the living can. Those who remain alive may give thanks, trust God's faithfulness, and teach the next generation (Deuteronomy 6:6–7) about His character (Isaiah 38:15–20).
Hezekiah ends his celebration with renewed devotion. Since the Lord has saved him, he plans to spend his remaining years worshiping in the temple and joining in praise. Isaiah instructs the king's attendants on how to treat the condition. The end of this chapter records Hezekiah's faithful question about the Lord's sign. The parallel account (2 Kings 20:1–11) places these statements nearer to the beginning of the story (Isaiah 38:21–22).
