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This is a writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:

The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:

I said, "In the middle of my life I am to enter the gates of Sheol; I have been deprived of the rest of my years."

I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.

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

I said, I shall not see the Lord , even the Lord , in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

"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 You make an end of me.

Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

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

I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

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

Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O Lord , I am oppressed; undertake for me.

"What shall I say? For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it; I will walk quietly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.

What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

"Lord, by these things people live, And in all these is the life of my spirit; Restore me to health and let me live!

O Lord , by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.

"Behold, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; But You have kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have hurled all my sins behind Your back.

Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

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

For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

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

The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

"The LORD is certain to save me; So we will play my songs on stringed instruments All the days of our life at the house of the LORD."

The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord .