Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
Isaiah 38 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was near death. Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, “YHWH says, ‘Set your house in order, for you will die, and not live.’”
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to YHWH, and said, “Please YHWH, remember how I have walked before you in truth and with a whole heart, and have done that which is good in your sight.” Then Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Then the word of YHWH came to Isaiah, saying, “Go, and tell Hezekiah, ‘YHWH, the God of your father David, says, “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Look, I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city. This will be the sign to you from YHWH, that YHWH will do this thing that he has said. Look, I will make the shadow cast by the sun that has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz return backward ten steps.”’” So the sun returned ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.
The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and had recovered of his sickness:
I said, “In the middle of my life I go into the gates of Sheol. I am deprived of the rest of my years.” I said, “I won’t see Y’H, Y’H in the land of the living. I will no longer look on humanity with the inhabitants of the world. My 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. I waited patiently until morning. He breaks all my bones like a lion. From day even to night you will make an end of me. I chattered like a swallow or a crane. I moaned like a dove. My eyes weaken looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed. Be my security.” What will I say? Hᴇ has both spoken to me, and ʜɪᴍꜱᴇʟꜰ has done this. I will walk carefully all my years because of the anguish of my soul. Lord, people live by these things; and my spirit finds life in all of them. You restore me, and cause me to live. Look, it was for my own welfare that I had great anguish, but in love you have delivered my soul from the pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back. For Sheol cannot praise you. Death cannot celebrate you. Those who go down into the pit cannot hope for your truth. The living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do today. The father will make known your truth to the children. YHWH will save me. Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of YHWH.Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs, and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.” Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I will go up to the house of YHWH?”