New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, "Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover."
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In those days Hezekiah was ill and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, The Lord says, Put your house in order; for your death is near.
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord:
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And Hezekiah, turning his face to the wall, made his prayer to the Lord, saying,
3 "Remember now, O Lord, I implore you, how I have walked before you in faithfulness with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
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O Lord, keep in mind how I have been true to you with all my heart, and have done what is good in your eyes. And Hezekiah gave way to bitter weeping.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah:
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Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying,
5 "Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of your ancestor David: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.
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Go to Hezekiah, and say, The Lord, the God of David, your father, says, Your prayer has come to my ears, and I have seen your weeping: see, I will give you fifteen more years of life.
6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and defend this city.
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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.
7 "This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised:
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And Isaiah said, This is the sign the Lord will give you, that he will do what he has said:
8 See, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps." So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.
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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.
9 A writing of King Hezekiah of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
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The writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, after he had been ill, and had got better from his disease.
10 I said: In the noontide of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.
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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.
11 I said, I shall not see the Lord in the land of the living; I shall look upon mortals no more among the inhabitants of the world.
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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.
12 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd's tent; like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night you bring me to an end;
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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.
13 I cry for help until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end.
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I am crying out with pain till the morning; it is as if a lion was crushing all my bones.
14 Like a swallow or a crane I clamor, I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security!
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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.
15 But what can I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. All my sleep has fled because of the bitterness of my soul.
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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.
16 O Lord, by these things people live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh, restore me to health and make me live!
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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.
17 Surely it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but you have held back my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
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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.
18 For Sheol cannot thank you, death cannot praise you; those who go down to the Pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.
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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.
19 The living, the living, they thank you, as I do this day; fathers make known to children your faithfulness.
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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.
20 The Lord will save me, and we will sing to stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the Lord.
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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.
21 Now Isaiah had said, "Let them take a lump of figs, and apply it to the boil, so that he may recover."
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And Isaiah said, Let them take a cake of figs, and put it on the diseased place, and he will get well.
22 Hezekiah also had said, "What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?"
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And Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I will go up to the house of the Lord?
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.