52 lines
2.9 KiB
Markdown
52 lines
2.9 KiB
Markdown
# Chapter 38
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1 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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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. 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?” |