Book of Isaiah, Chapter 38
Isaiah 38 NWT - New World TranslationChapter 38 of Isaiah—New World Translation (NWT)
- ¶ In those days Hez·e·kiʹah got sick to the point of dying.1 Accordingly Isaiah2 the son of Aʹmoz the prophet came in to him and said to him: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Give commands to your household,3 for you yourself will indeed die and will not live.’”4
- At that Hez·e·kiʹah turned his face to the wall5 and began to pray to Jehovah6
- and to say: “I beseech you, O Jehovah, remember,7 please, how I have walked8 before you in truthfulness9 and with a complete heart,10 and what was good in your eyes I have done.” And Hez·e·kiʹah began to weep profusely.[a]11
- ¶ And the word12 of Jehovah now occurred to Isaiah, saying:
- “Go,[b] and you must say to Hez·e·kiʹah, ‘This is what Jehovah the God of David your forefather13 has said: “I have heard your prayer.14 I have seen your tears.15 Here I am adding onto your days fifteen years;16
- and out of the palm of the king of As·syrʹi·a I shall deliver you and this city, and I will defend this city.17
- And this is the sign for you from Jehovah that Jehovah will perform this word that he has spoken:18
- Here I am making the shadow of the steps that had gone down on the steps [of the stairs] of Aʹhaz by the sun19 retrace backward ten steps.”’”20 And the sun gradually went back ten steps on the steps [of the stairs] that it had gone down.21
- ¶ A writing of Hez·e·kiʹah the king of Judah, when he got sick22 and revived from his sickness.23
- ¶ I myself said: “In the midst of my days I will go into the gates24 of Sheʹol.
I must be deprived of the remainder25 of my years.” - ¶ I have said: “I shall not see Jah, even Jah,[c] in the land of the living ones.26
I shall no more look on mankind[d]—with the inhabitants of [the land of] cessation.[e] - ¶ My own habitation[f] has been pulled out27 and removed from me like the tent of shepherds.[g]
I have rolled up my life just like a loom worker;
¶ One proceeds to cut me off28 from the very threads of the warp.[h]
From daylight till night you keep handing me over.29 - ¶ I have soothed myself[i] until the morning.30
Like a lion, so he keeps breaking all my bones;31
From daylight till night you keep handing me over.32 - ¶ Like the swift, the bulbul, so I keep chirping;33
I keep cooing like the dove.34
¶ My eyes have looked languishingly to the height:35
‘O Jehovah,[j] I am under oppression. Stand good for me.’36 - ¶ What shall I speak, and [what] will he actually say to me?37
He himself has also acted.38
I keep walking solemnly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.39 - ¶ ‘O Jehovah,[k] on that account they keep living; and as with everybody, thereby is the life of my spirit.40
And you will restore me to health and certainly preserve me alive.41 - ¶ Look! For peace I had what was bitter, yes, bitter;42
And you yourself have become attached to my soul[l] [and kept it] from the pit of disintegration.43
For you have thrown behind your back all my sins.44 - ¶ For it is not Sheʹol that can laud you;45 death itself cannot praise you.46
Those going down into the pit cannot look hopefully to your trueness.47 - ¶ The living, the living, he is the one that can laud you,48
Just as I can this day.49
The father himself can give knowledge50 to his own sons concerning your trueness. - ¶ O Jehovah, [undertake] to save me,51 and we shall play my string selections52
All the days of our life at the house of Jehovah.’”53 - ¶ And Isaiah proceeded to say: “Let them take a cake of pressed dried figs and rub [it] in upon the boil,54 that he may revive.”55
- Meantime, Hez·e·kiʹah said: “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Jehovah?”56
FOOTNOTES
- ^ Lit., “with a great weeping.”
- ^ Lit., “Let there be a going.” In Heb. this is a verb in the infinitive absolute, indefinite as to time and impersonal. See Jer 2:2 ftn, “Go.”
- ^ “Jah, even Jah.” Heb., Yah Yah; Sy, “Jehovah”; T, “the fear-inspiring One, Jehovah”; Lat., Doʹmi·num Doʹmi·num. See Ex 15:2 ftn, “Jah”; Ps 68:4 ftn.
- ^ Or, “earthling man.” Heb., ʼa·dhamʹ.
- ^ “Inhabitants of the system of things,” eight Heb. mss.
- ^ Or, “[circular] tent camp”; or, “generation.”
- ^ By a slight correction; M, “of my shepherd.”
- ^ Or, “from the thrum.”
- ^ “I have cried for help,” by a slight correction of M.
- ^ One of 134 scribal changes from YHWH to ʼAdho·naiʹ. See App 1B.
- ^ See vs 14 ftn.
- ^ “You yourself have held back my soul,” by changing one letter in M to agree with LXXVg.
REFERENCES
- ^ 2Ch 32:24
- ^ 2Ki 19:20; Is 1:1
- ^ 2Sa 17:23
- ^ 2Ki 20:1
- ^ 1Ki 8:30; 2Ki 20:2; Mt 6:6
- ^ Ps 50:15; 91:15
- ^ Ne 13:22; Ps 20:3; 1Co 15:58; Heb 6:10
- ^ Ge 5:22; 1Ki 2:4; 2Ch 31:20
- ^ Ps 51:6; 145:18
- ^ 2Ch 31:21
- ^ 2Ki 20:3
- ^ 2Ki 20:4
- ^ 2Ch 34:2
- ^ 2Ki 19:20; Pr 15:29; 1Jo 5:14
- ^ 2Ki 20:5; Ps 39:12; 56:8
- ^ 2Ki 20:6; Ps 91:16
- ^ 2Ki 19:34; 2Ch 32:22
- ^ 2Ki 20:8
- ^ Jos 10:12
- ^ 2Ki 20:9; 2Ch 32:24
- ^ 2Ki 20:11
- ^ 2Ki 20:1
- ^ De 32:39; 1Sa 2:6
- ^ Jb 38:17; Ps 9:13; 107:18
- ^ Ps 90:10; Ec 3:2; 7:17
- ^ Ps 6:5; Ec 9:5
- ^ Ps 146:4; Ec 8:8
- ^ Jb 14:2
- ^ Jb 17:1
- ^ Ps 130:6; 131:2
- ^ Da 6:24; Ho 5:14
- ^ Ps 39:10
- ^ Ps 102:7; Je 8:7
- ^ Is 59:11; Eze 7:16; Na 2:7
- ^ Ps 39:7; 119:82
- ^ Ps 119:123
- ^ Ps 39:12
- ^ 1Pe 5:7
- ^ 2Ki 4:27; Jb 7:11; 21:25; Lu 22:62
- ^ Jb 33:28; Ps 71:20
- ^ 1Sa 2:6; Ps 86:13
- ^ Ps 30:5
- ^ Ps 28:1; 30:3; 86:13; 88:5; Jon 2:6
- ^ Is 43:25; Mc 7:18; Ro 4:8
- ^ Ps 30:9; 88:10; 146:4
- ^ Ps 6:5; 115:17; Ec 9:10
- ^ Ec 9:5; Is 38:11
- ^ Ps 63:4; 146:2
- ^ Jn 9:4
- ^ Ge 18:19; De 4:9; Jos 4:21; Ps 78:3
- ^ Ps 27:5
- ^ Ps 30:12; 150:4
- ^ 2Ki 20:5; Ps 84:2
- ^ Jb 2:7
- ^ 2Ki 20:7
- ^ 2Ki 20:8
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