1In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’” 2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the LORD, 3and said, “Remember now, O LORD, I beseech Thee, how I have walked before Thee in truth and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in Thy sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying, 5“Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6“And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city.”’ 7“And this shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that He has spoken: 8“Behold, I will cause the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, to go back ten steps.” So the sun’s shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.

     9A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after his illness and recovery:

     10I said, “In the middle of my life
            I am to enter the gates of Sheol;
            I am to be deprived of the rest of my years.”

     11I said, “I shall not see the LORD,
            The LORD in the land of the living;
            I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.

     12“Like a shepherd’s tent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me;
            As a weaver I rolled up my life.
            He cuts me off from the loom;
            From day until night Thou dost make an end of me.

     13“I composed my soul until morning.
            Like a lion—so He breaks all my bones,
            From day until night Thou dost make an end of me.

     14“Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter;
            I moan like a dove;
            My eyes look wistfully to the heights;
            O Lord, I am oppressed, be my security.

     15“What shall I say?
            For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it;
            I shall wander about all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.

     16“O Lord, by these things men live;
            And in all these is the life of my spirit;
            O restore me to health, and let me live!

     17“Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness;
            It is Thou who hast kept my soul from the pit of nothingness,
            For Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back.

     18“For Sheol cannot thank Thee,
            Death cannot praise Thee;
            Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Thy faithfulness.

     19“It is the living who give thanks to Thee, as I do today;
            A father tells his sons about Thy faithfulness.

     20“The LORD will surely save me;
            So we will play my songs on stringed instruments
            All the days of our life at the house of the LORD.”

     21Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs, and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” 22Then Hezekiah had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?”