Bible in Basic English
The writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, after he had been ill, and had got better from his disease.
I said, In the quiet of my days I am going down into the underworld: the rest of my years are being taken away from me.
I said, I will not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living: I will not see man again or those living in the world.
My resting-place is pulled up and taken away from me like a herdsman's tent: my life is rolled up like a linen-worker's thread; I am cut off from the cloth on the frame: from day even to night you give me up to pain.
I am crying out with pain till the morning; it is as if a lion was crushing all my bones.
I make cries like a bird; I give out sounds of grief like a dove: my eyes are looking up with desire; O Lord, I am crushed, take up my cause.
What am I to say? seeing that it is he who has done it: all my time of sleeping I am turning from side to side without rest.
O Lord, for this cause I am waiting for you, give rest to my spirit: make me well again, and let me come back to life.
See, in place of peace my soul had bitter sorrow. but you have kept back my soul from the underworld; for you have put all my sins out of your memory.
For the underworld is not able to give you praise, death gives you no honour: for those who go down into the underworld there is no hope in your mercy.
The living, the living man, he will give you praise, as I do this day: the father will give the story of your mercy to his children.
O Lord, quickly be my saviour; so we will make my songs to corded instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the Lord.
And Isaiah said, Let them take a cake of figs, and put it on the diseased place, and he will get well.
And Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I will go up to the house of the Lord?
— Isaiah 38:9-1964, Bible in Basic English
“The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness: 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 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. 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 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 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? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. 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 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 the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. 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 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. For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover. Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord? ”
“Hezekiah’s Song of Thanks This is the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah when he was sick and then recovered from his illness: “I thought,‘In the middle of my life I must walk through the gates of Sheol, I am deprived of the rest of my years.’ “I thought,‘I will no longer see the LORD in the land of the living, I will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world. My dwelling place is removed and taken away from me like a shepherd’s tent. I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth; from the loom he cuts me off. You turn day into night and end my life. I cry out until morning; like a lion he shatters all my bones; you turn day into night and end my life. Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp, I coo like a dove; my eyes grow tired from looking up to the sky. O Lord, I am oppressed; help me! What can I say? He has decreed and acted. I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief. O Lord, your decrees can give men life; may years of life be restored to me. Restore my health and preserve my life.’ “Look, the grief I experienced was for my benefit. You delivered me from the Pit of oblivion. For you removed all my sins from your sight. Indeed Sheol does not give you thanks; death does not praise you. Those who descend into the Pit do not anticipate your faithfulness. The living person, the living person, he gives you thanks, as I do today. A father tells his sons about your faithfulness. The LORD is about to deliver me, and we will celebrate with music for the rest of our lives in the LORD’s temple.” Isaiah ordered,“Let them take a fig cake and apply it to the ulcerated sore and he will get well.” Hezekiah said,“What is the confirming sign that I will go up to the LORD’s temple?””
“The writing of Ezechias king of Juda, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness. I said: In the midst of my days I shall go to the gates of hell: I sought for the residue of my years. I said: I shall not see the Lord God in the land of the living. I shall behold man no more, nor the inhabitant of rest. My generation is at an end, and it is rolled away from me, as a shepherd's tent. My life is cut off, as by a weaver: whilst I was yet but beginning, he cut me off: from morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me. I hoped till morning, as a lion so hath he broken all my bones: from morning even to night thou wilt make an end of me. I will cry like a young swallow, I will meditate like a dove: my eyes are weakened looking upward: Lord, I suffer violence, answer thou for me. What shall I say, or what shall he answer for me, whereas he himself hath done it? I will recount to thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul. O Lord, if man's life be such, and the life of my spirit be in such things as these, thou shalt correct me, and make me to live. Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter: but thou hast delivered my soul that it should not perish, thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. For hell shall not confess to thee, neither shall death praise thee: nor shall they that go down into the pit, look for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall give praise to thee, as I do this day: the father shall make the truth known to the children. O Lord, save me, and we will sing our psalms all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. Now Isaiah had ordered that they should take a lump of figs, and lay it as a plaster upon the wound, and that he should be healed. And Ezechias had said: What shall be the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord? ”
“The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness: 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 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. 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 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 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? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. 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 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 the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. 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 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. For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover. Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord? ”
And I will keep you and this town safe from the hands of the king of Assyria: and I will keep watch over this town.
And Isaiah said, This is the sign the Lord will give you, that he will do what he has said:
See, I will make the shade which has gone down on the steps of Ahaz with the sun, go back ten steps. So the shade went back the ten steps by which it had gone down.
The writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, after he had been ill, and had got better from his disease.
I said, In the quiet of my days I am going down into the underworld: the rest of my years are being taken away from me.
I said, I will not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living: I will not see man again or those living in the world.
My resting-place is pulled up and taken away from me like a herdsman's tent: my life is rolled up like a linen-worker's thread; I am cut off from the cloth on the frame: from day even to night you give me up to pain.
I am crying out with pain till the morning; it is as if a lion was crushing all my bones.
I make cries like a bird; I give out sounds of grief like a dove: my eyes are looking up with desire; O Lord, I am crushed, take up my cause.
What am I to say? seeing that it is he who has done it: all my time of sleeping I am turning from side to side without rest.
O Lord, for this cause I am waiting for you, give rest to my spirit: make me well again, and let me come back to life.
See, in place of peace my soul had bitter sorrow. but you have kept back my soul from the underworld; for you have put all my sins out of your memory.
For the underworld is not able to give you praise, death gives you no honour: for those who go down into the underworld there is no hope in your mercy.
The living, the living man, he will give you praise, as I do this day: the father will give the story of your mercy to his children.
O Lord, quickly be my saviour; so we will make my songs to corded instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the Lord.
And Isaiah said, Let them take a cake of figs, and put it on the diseased place, and he will get well.
And Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I will go up to the house of the Lord?