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1 In those days was Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah) sick unto death. And HaNavi Yeshayah Ben Amotz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith Hashem, Set thine bais in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Then Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah) turned his face toward the kir (wall), and davened unto Hashem, 3 And said, Remember now, Hashem, I beseech thee, how I have walked before Thee in emes and with lev shalem, and have done that which is tov in Thy sight. And Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah) wept with bekhi gadol (great weeping).
4 Then came the Devar Hashem to Yeshayah, saying, 5 Go, and say to Chizkiyahu, Thus saith Hashem Elohei Dovid Avicha, I have heard thy tefillah, I have seen thy tears; hineni, I will add unto thy days chamesh esreh shanah (fifteen years). 6 And I will deliver thee and this Ir out of the hand of Melech Ashur (Assyria); and I will defend HaIr Hazot.
7 And this shall be HaOt (the Sign) unto thee from Hashem, that Hashem will do this thing that He hath spoken; 8 Hineni, I will bring again the tzel (shadow) of the hama'alot (the steps), which has gone down with the shemesh on the Ma'alot Achaz (sundial of Ahaz), so that it goes eser ma'alot (ten steps) backward. So the shemesh went back eser maalot (ten steps) on the ma'alot on which it had gone down.
9 The writing of Chizkiyahu Melech Yehudah, when he had been ill, and was recovered from his illness:
10 I said: In the cutting short of my yamim,
I shall go to the Sha'arei Sheol;*
I am deprived of the remainder of my shanot.
11 I said, I shall not see Hashem,
even Hashem, in the Eretz HaChayyim;
I shall behold adam no more
with the inhabitants of the world.
12 Mine dwelling is pulled up,
and is sent into the Golus from me like ohel ro'i;
As an oreg (weaver) I rolled up my life;
He would have cut me loose from the roll;
from yom even to lailah wilt Thou make an end of me.
13 I waited until boker, that, like an ari (lion),
so will He break all my atzmot;
from yom even to lailah wilt Thou make an end of me.
14 Like a swallow or a crane, so did I chirp;
I did moan like a yonah;
mine eyes grew weak from looking heavenward;
Adonoi, I am oppressed; go surety for me.
15 What shall I say?
He hath both promised me, and Himself hath done it;
I shall walk quietly all my shanot
in the mar (bitterness) of my nefesh.
16 Adonoi, by these things men live,
and in all these things is the life of my ruach;
so Thou recovered me to health, and made me to live.
17 Hinei, for shalom (benefit) did I have great bitterness;
for Thou hast in love to my nefesh
delivered it from the shachat (pit) of destruction;
for Thou hast cast
all my chatta'im behind Thy back.
18 For Sheol cannot thank Thee,
mavet can not praise Thee;
they that go down into the bor (pit)
cannot hope for Thy emes.
19 The living, the living,
he shall thank Thee, as I do today;
av to banim shall make known Thy emes.
20 Hashem will save me;
therefore we will sing with stringed instruments
kol yemei chayyeinu (all the days of our life) in the Beis Hashem.
21 For Yeshayah had said, Let them take a cake of te'enim, and apply it upon the shechin (boil, inflamed spot), and he shall recover.
22 Chizkiyahu also had said, What is the Ot (Sign) that I shall go up to the Beis Hashem?†
* 38:10 See Mt 16:18 † 38:22 See 2Kgs 20:8 which speaks about Yom HaShlishi and on Moshiach c.f. Isa 53:8 and Isa 38:10-11 and Ps 16 and Isa 38:17.