Bilingual reading

In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, “The LORD says, ‘Set your house in order, for you will die, and not live.’”

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

and said, “Remember now, LORD, I beg you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight.” Then Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Then the LORD’s word came to Isaiah, saying,

“Go, and tell Hezekiah, ‘The LORD, the God of David your father, says, “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.

I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.

This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he has spoken.

Behold, I will cause the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down on the sundial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps.”’” So the sun returned ten steps on the sundial on which it had gone down.

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

I said, “In the middle of my life I go into the gates of Sheol. I am deprived of the residue of my years.”

I said, “I won’t see the LORD, the LORD in the land of the living. I will see man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

My dwelling is removed, and is carried away from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver. He will cut me off from the loom. From day even to night you will make an end of me.

I waited patiently until morning. He breaks all my bones like a lion. From day even to night you will make an end of me.

I chattered like a swallow or a crane. I moaned like a dove. My eyes weaken looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed. Be my security.”

What will I say? He has both spoken to me, and himself has done it. I will walk carefully all my years because of the anguish of my soul.

Lord, men live by these things; and my spirit finds life in all of them. You restore me, and cause me to live.

Behold, for peace I had great anguish, but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

For Sheol can’t praise you. Death can’t celebrate you. Those who go down into the pit can’t hope for your truth.

The living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do today. The father shall make known your truth to the children.

The LORD will save me. Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life in the LORD’s house.

Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.”

Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I will go up to the LORD’s house?”

وفي تِلكَ الأَيَّامِ، مَرِضَ حِزقِيَّا مَرَض مَوت، فأتى إِلَيه أَشَعْيا بنُ آموصَ النَّبِيُّ وقالَ له: «هٰكذا يَقولُ الرَّبّ: نَظِّمْ أُمورَ بَيتِكَ، لِأَنَّكَ تَموتُ ولا تَعيش»

فحَوَّلَ حِزقِيَّا وَجهَه إِلى الحائِطِ وصَلَّى إِلى الرَّبِّ

قائلًا: «أُذكُرْ يا رَبِّ كَيفَ سِرتُ أَمامَكَ بِالحَقِّ وسَلامةِ القَلْب، وكَيفَ صَنَعتُ الخَيرَ في عَينَيكَ». وبَكى حِزقِيَّا بُكاءً شَديدًا

فكانَ كَلامُ الرَّبِّ إِلى أَشَعْيا قائلًا

«إِذهَبْ وقُلْ لِحِزقِيَّا: هٰكذا قالَ الرَّبُّ، إِلٰهُ داوُدَ أَبيكَ: إِنِّي قد سَمِعتُ صَلاتَكَ ورَأَيتُ دُموعَكَ، وهاءَنَذا أَزيدُكَ على أَيَّامِكَ خَمْسَ عَشرَةَ سَنَة

وأُنقِذُكَ مِن يَدِ مَلِكِ أَشُّور، أَنتَ وهٰذه المَدينة، وأَحْمي هٰذه المَدينة

وهٰذه آيَةٌ لَكَ مِن قِبَلِ الرَّبِّ على أَنَّ الرَّبَّ يُحَقِّقُ القَولَ الَّذي قالَه

هاءَنَذا أَرُدُّ الظِّلَّ مِنَ الدَّرَجاتِ الَّتي نَزَلَتها الشَّمسُ في دَرَجِ آحازَ عَشرَ دَرَجاتٍ إِلى الوَراء». فَرجَعَتِ الشَّمسُ عَشْرَ دَرَجاتٍ كانَت قد نَزَلَتها

كِتابَةٌ لِحِزقِيَّا، مَلِكِ يَهوذا، حينَ مَرِضَ وشُفِيَ مِن مَرَضِه

إِنِّي قُلتُ في مُنتَصَفِ أَيَّامي ذاهِبٌ إِلى أَبْوابِ مَثْوى الأَمْوات قد حُرِمتُ بَقِيَّةَ سِنِيَّ

قُلتُ: لا أَرى الرَّبّ الرَّبَّ في أَرضِ الأَحْياء ولا أَعودُ أَنظُرُ البَشَر بَينَ سُكَّانِ الفانِيَة

قدِ ٱنقَلَعَ مَسكِني ونُفِيَ عنِّي كَخَيمَةِ الرَّاعي. طَوَيتُ حَياتي كالحائِك فَصَلَني عنِ السَّدى. مِنَ النَّهارِ إِلى اللَّيلِ أَنتَ تُفْنيني

صَرَختُ حتَّى الصَّباح أَنَّه كالأَسَدِ يُهَشِّمُ جَميعَ عِظامي. مِنَ النَّهارِ إِلى اللَّيلِ أَنتَ تُفْنيني

أُزَقزِقُ كالسُّنونو الرَّحَّال وأَنوحُ كالحَمامة. قد كَلَّت عَينايَ مِنَ النَّظَرِ إِلى العَلاء يا رَبِّ، إِنِّي مَظْلوم، فكُنْ لي كَفيلًا

ماذا أَقولُ فإِنَّه تَكَلَّم وهو الَّذي فَعَل؟ سأَمْشي الهُوَينا جَميعَ سِنِيَّ بِمَرارةِ نَفْسي

أَيُّها السَّيِّد، لِيَحْيَ روحي مِن هٰذا الكلام وبِالنِّسبَةِ إِلى تِلكَ الأَفْعال فعافِني وأَحْيِني

ها إِنَّ مَرارتي تَحَوَّلَت إِلى هَناء لِأَنَّكَ نَجَّيتَ نَفْسي مِن هُوَّةِ الهَلاك ونَبَذتَ جَميعَ خَطايايَ وَراءَ ظَهرِكَ

فإِنَّ مَثْوى الأَمواتِ لا يَحمَدُكَ والمَوتَ لا يُسَبِّحُكَ والَّذينَ يَهبِطونَ إِلى الجُبِّ لا يَرْجونَ أَمانَتَكَ

بلِ الحَيُّ هو يَحمَدُكَ كما أَنا اليَوم والأَبُ يُعَرِّفُ البَنينَ أَمانَتَكَ

يا رَبِّ خَلِّصْني فنَعزِفَ بِذَواتِ أَوتارِنا جَميعَ أَيَّامِ حَياتِنا في بَيتِ الرَّبّ

(وقالَ أَشَعْيا: «لِيُؤخَذْ قُرصُ تين، ولْتُضَمَّدْ بِه القَرحَة، فيَبرَأ»

وقالَ حِزقِيَّا: «ما الآيةُ على أَنِّي سأَصعَدُ إِلى بَيتِ الرَّبّ؟»)