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A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and ^[d]recovery:

I said, "⁽ⁿ⁾In the middle of my ^[e]life I am to enter the ^(o)gates of Sheol; I am to be ^(p)deprived of the rest of my years."

I said, "I will not see the Lord , The Lord ^(q)in the land of the living; I will look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.

"Like a shepherd's ^(r)tent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me; As a ^(s)weaver I ^(t)rolled up my life. He ^(u)cuts me off from the loom; From ^(v)day until night You make an end of me.

"I composed my soul until morning. ^(w)Like a lion—so He ^(x)breaks all my bones, From ^(y)day until night You make an end of me.

"^(z)Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter; I ^(aa)moan like a dove; My ^(ab)eyes look wistfully to the heights; O Lord, I am oppressed, be my ^(ac)security.

"^(ad)What shall I say? ^[f]For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it; I will ^(ae)wander about all my years because of the ^(af)bitterness of my soul.

"O Lord, ^(ag)by these things men live, And in all these is the life of my spirit; ^[g](ah)O restore me to health and ^(ai)let me live!

"Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; It is You who has ^[h](aj)kept my soul from the pit of ^[i]nothingness, For You have ^(ak)cast all my sins behind Your back.

"For ^(al)Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down ^(am)to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

"It is the ^(an)living who give thanks to You, as I do today; A ^(ao)father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.

"The Lord will surely save me; So we will ^(ap)play my songs on stringed instruments ^(aq)All the days of our life ^(ar)at the house of the Lord ."