Passage

Isaiah 38

Book: Isaiah · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"1. In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. 2. Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto Jehovah, 3. and said, Remember now, O Jehovah, 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. 4. Then came the word of Jehovah to Isaiah, saying, 5. Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith Jehovah, 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. 6. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city. 7. And this shall be the sign unto thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do this thing that he hath spoken: 8. behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps on the dial whereon it was gone down. 9. The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness. 10. I said, In the noontide of my days I shall go into the gates of Sheol: I am deprived of the residue of my years. 11. I said, I shall not see Jehovah, even Jehovah in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. 12. My dwelling is removed, and is carried away from me as a shepherd's tent: I have rolled up, like a weaver, my life; he will cut me off from the loom: From day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. 13. I quieted myself until morning; as a lion, so he breaketh all my bones: From day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. 14. Like a swallow or a crane, so did I chatter; I did moan as a dove; mine eyes fail with looking upward: O Lord, I am oppressed, be thou my surety. 15. What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul. 16. O Lord, by these things men live; And wholly therein is the life of my spirit: Wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live. 17. Behold, it was for my peace that I had great bitterness: But thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. 18. For Sheol cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. 19. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: The father to the children shall make known thy truth. 20. Jehovah is ready to save me: Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments All the days of our life in the house of Jehovah. 21. Now Isaiah had said, Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover. 22. Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Jehovah?" (Isaiah 38:1-22, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. In those days was Hezekiah sick and near death. Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, ‘Set your house in order, for you will die, and not live.’” 2. Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh, 3. and said, “Remember now, Yahweh, I beg you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight.” Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4. Then Yahweh’s word came to Isaiah, saying, 5. “Go, and tell Hezekiah, ‘Yahweh says, 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. 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 the sign to you from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do this thing that he has spoken. 8. Behold, I will cause the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down on the sundial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps on the sundial on which it had gone down.”’” 9. The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and had recovered of his sickness. 10. I said, “In the middle of my life I go into the gates of Sheol. I am deprived of the residue of my years.” 11. I said, “I won’t see Yah, Yah in the land of the living. I will see man no more with the inhabitants of the world. 12. My dwelling is removed, and is carried away from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up, like a weaver, my life. He will cut me off from the loom. From day even to night you will make an end of me. 13. I waited patiently until morning. He breaks all my bones like a lion. From day even to night you will make an end of me. 14. I chattered like a swallow or a crane. I moaned like a dove. My eyes weaken looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed. Be my security.” 15. What will I say? He has both spoken to me, and himself has done it. I will walk carefully all my years because of the anguish of my soul. 16. Lord, men live by these things; and my spirit finds life in all of them: you restore me, and cause me to live. 17. Behold, for peace I had great anguish, but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back. 18. For Sheol can’t praise you. Death can’t celebrate you. Those who go down into the pit can’t hope for your truth. 19. The living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do today. The father shall make known your truth to the children. 20. Yahweh will save me. Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life in Yahweh’s house. 21. Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.” 22. Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I will go up to Yahweh’s house?”" (Isaiah 38:1-22, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. In 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. ^{Set: Heb. Give charge concerning thy house} 2. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, 3. And 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. ^{sore: Heb. with great weeping} 4. Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, 5. 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 unto thy days fifteen years. 6. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city. 7. And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken; 8. Behold, 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. ^{sun dial: Heb. degrees by, or, with the sun} 9. The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness: 10. I 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. 11. I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. 12. Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. ^{with: or, from the thrum} 13. I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. 14. Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me. ^{undertake: or, ease me} 15. What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly 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: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. 17. Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. ^{for peace: or, on my peace came great bitterness} ^{thou hast in: Heb. thou hast loved my soul from the pit} 18. For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. 19. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. 20. The LORD was 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. 21. For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon 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 38:1-22, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. In those days hath Hezekiah been sick unto death, and come in unto him doth Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, and saith unto him, 'Thus said Jehovah: Give a charge to thy house, for thou [art] dying, and dost not live.' 2. And Hezekiah turneth round his face unto the wall, and prayeth unto Jehovah, 3. and saith, 'I pray thee, O Jehovah, remember, I pray Thee, how I have walked habitually before Thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and that which [is] good in thine eyes I have done;' and Hezekiah weepeth, a great weeping. 4. And a word of Jehovah is unto Isaiah, saying, 5. Go, and thou hast said to Hezekiah, Thus said Jehovah, God of David thy father, 'I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tear, lo, I am adding to thy days fifteen years, 6. and out of the hand of the king of Asshur I deliver thee and this city, and have covered over this city. 7. And this [is] to thee the sign from Jehovah, that Jehovah doth this thing that He hath spoken. 8. Lo, I am bringing back the shadow of the degrees that it hath gone down on the degrees of Ahaz, by the sun, backward ten degrees:' and the sun turneth back ten degrees in the degrees that it had gone down. 9. A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah concerning his being sick, when he reviveth from his sickness: 10. 'I, I said in the cutting off of my days, I go in to the gates of Sheol, I have numbered the remnant of mine years. 11. I said, I do not see Jah, Jah! In the land of the living, I do not behold man any more, With the inhabitants of the world. 12. My sojourning hath departed, And been removed from me as a shepherd's tent, I have drawn together, as a weaver, my life, By weakness it cutteth me off, From day unto night Thou dost end me. 13. I have set [Him] till morning as a lion, So doth He break all my bones, From day unto night Thou dost end me. 14. As a crane, a swallow, so I chatter, I mourn as a dove, Drawn up have been mine eyes on high, O Jehovah, oppression [is] on me, be my surety. 15., What do I say? seeing He said to me, And He Himself hath wrought, I go softly all my years for the bitterness of my soul. 16. Lord, by these do [men] live, And by all in them [is] the life of my spirit, And Thou savest me, make me also to live, 17. Lo, to peace He changed for me bitterness, And Thou hast delighted in my soul without corruption, For Thou hast cast behind Thy back all my sins. 18. For Sheol doth not confess Thee, Death doth not praise Thee, Those going down to the pit hope not for Thy truth. 19. The living, the living, he doth confess Thee. 20. Like myself to-day, a father to sons Doth make known of Thy faithfulness, O Jehovah, to save me: And my songs we sing all days of our lives In the house of Jehovah.' 21. And Isaiah saith, 'Let them take a bunch of figs, and plaster over the ulcer, and he liveth.' 22. And Hezekiah saith, 'What [is] the sign that I go up to the house of Jehovah!'" (Isaiah 38:1-22, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: TBD
Audience: TBD
Location: TBD
Time period: TBD

Theological reading

Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

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Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.