¹In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death . Isaiah the prophet , the son of Amoz, came to him , and said to him , “The LORD says , ‘Set your house in order , for you will die , and not live .’”

²Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD ,

³and said, “Remember now , LORD , 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 .” Then Hezekiah wept bitterly .

⁴Then the LORD ’s word came to Isaiah , saying ,

⁵“Go , and tell Hezekiah , ‘The LORD , the God of David your father, says , “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 I will defend this city .

⁷This shall be the sign to you from the LORD , that the LORD will do this thing that he has spoken .

⁸Behold , 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 .

⁹The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah , when he had been sick , and had recovered of his sickness :

¹⁰I said, “In the middle of my life I go into the gates of Sheol .[#38:10 Sheol is the place of the dead.]

I am deprived of the residue of my years .”

¹¹I said, “I won’t see the LORD ,

the LORD in the land of the living .

I will see man no more with the inhabitants of the world .

¹²My dwelling is removed ,

and is carried away from me like a shepherd ’s tent.

I have rolled up my life like a weaver.

He will cut me off from the loom .

From day even to night you will make an end of me .

¹³I waited patiently until morning .

He breaks all my bones like a lion.

From day even to night you will make an end of me .

¹⁴I chattered like a swallow or a crane .

I moaned like a dove .

My eyes weaken looking upward .

Lord, I am oppressed .

Be my security .”

¹⁵What 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 .

¹⁶Lord, men live by these things ;

and my spirit finds life in all of them .

You restore me , and cause me to live .

¹⁷Behold , 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 .

¹⁸For Sheol can ’t praise you .[#38:18 Sheol is the place of the dead.]

Death can ’t celebrate you .

Those who go down into the pit can ’t hope for your truth .

¹⁹The living , the living , he shall praise you , as I do today .

The father shall make known your truth to the children .

²⁰The LORD will save me .

Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life in the LORD ’s house .

²¹Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs , and lay it for a poultice on the boil , and he shall recover .”

²²Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I will go up to the LORD ’s house ?”