116 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
116 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
Hezekiah's Sickness and Recovery
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# Chapter 38
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1.
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About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: "This is what the LORD says: 'Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.'"
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2. When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
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3. "Remember, 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.
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4. Then this message came to Isaiah from the LORD:
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5. "Go 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,
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6. and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city.
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7. "'And this is the sign from the LORD to prove that he will do as he promised:
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8. I 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.
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Hezekiah's Poem of Praise
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9. When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem:
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10. I said, "In the prime of my life,
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must I now enter the place of the dead?
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Am I to be robbed of the rest of my years?"
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11. I said, "Never again will I see the Lord God
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while still in the land of the living.
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Never again will I see my friends
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or be with those who live in this world.
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12. My life has been blown away
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like a shepherd's tent in a storm.
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It has been cut short,
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as when a weaver cuts cloth from a loom.
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Suddenly, my life was over.
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13. I waited patiently all night,
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but I was torn apart as though by lions.
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Suddenly, my life was over.
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14. Delirious, I chattered like a swallow or a crane,
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and then I moaned like a mourning dove.
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My eyes grew tired of looking to heaven for help.
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I am in trouble, Lord.
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Help me!"
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15. But what could I say?
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For he himself sent this sickness.
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Now I will walk humbly throughout my years
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because of this anguish I have felt.
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16. Lord, your discipline is good,
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for it leads to life and health.
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You restore my health
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and allow me to live!
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17. Yes, this anguish was good for me,
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for you have rescued me from death
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and forgiven all my sins.
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18. For the dead cannot praise you;
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they cannot raise their voices in praise.
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Those who go down to the grave
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can no longer hope in your faithfulness.
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19. Only the living can praise you as I do today.
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Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next.
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20. Think of it--the LORD is ready to heal me!
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I will sing his praises with instruments
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every day of my life
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in the Temple of the LORD.
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21. Isaiah had said to Hezekiah's servants, "Make an ointment from figs and spread it over the boil, and Hezekiah will recover."
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22. And Hezekiah had asked, "What sign will prove that I will go to the Temple of the LORD?"
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