Study Desk

^(C1)In those days Hezekiah became ^(F1)mortally ill. And ^(C2)Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: '^(C3)Set your house in order, for you are going to die and not live.'"

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,

and said, "^(C1)Please, LORD, just remember how I have ^(C2)walked before You ^(C3)wholeheartedly and in truth, and ^(C4)have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah ^(C5)wept ^(F1)profusely.

Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying,

"Go and say to Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David says: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add ^(C1)fifteen years to your ^(F1)life.

"And I will ^(C1)save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city."'

"And this shall be the ^(C1)sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will perform this word that He has spoken:

"Behold, I will ^(C1)make the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, go back ten steps." So the ^(C2)sun's shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.

This is a writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and ^(F1)recovery:

I said, "^(C1)In the middle of my ^(F1)life I am to enter the ^(C2)gates of Sheol; I have been ^(C3)deprived of the rest of my years."

I said, "I will not see the LORD, The LORD ^(C1)in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind among the inhabitants of the world.

-"Like a shepherd's ^(C1)tent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me; As a ^(C2)weaver I ^(C3)rolled up my life. He ^(C4)cuts me off from the loom; From ^(C5)day until night You make an end of me.

-"I composed my soul until morning. ^(C1)Like a lion—so He ^(C2)breaks all my bones, From ^(C3)day until night You make an end of me.

-"^(C1)Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter; I ^(C2)moan like a dove; My ^(C3)eyes look wistfully to the heights; Lord, I am oppressed, be my ^(C4)security.

"^(C1)What shall I say? ^(F1)For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it; I will ^(C2)walk ^(F2)quietly all my years because of the ^(C3)bitterness of my soul.

-"Lord, ^(C1)by these things people live, And in all these is the life of my spirit; ^(F1)(C2)Restore me to health and ^(C3)let me live!

-"Behold, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; But You have ^(F1)(C1)kept my soul from the pit of ^(F2)nothingness, For You have ^(C2)hurled all my sins behind Your back.

-"For ^(C1)Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down ^(C2)to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

-"It is the ^(C1)living who give thanks to You, as I do today; A ^(C2)father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.

-"The LORD is certain to save me; So we will ^(C1)play my songs on stringed instruments ^(C2)All the days of our life ^(C3)at the house of the LORD."

Now ^(C1)Isaiah had said, "Have them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, so that he may recover."

Then Hezekiah had said, "What is the ^(C1)sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?"