God

"Therefore this is what ADONAI says concerning the king of Ashur: "'He will not come to this city or even shoot an arrow there; he will not confront it with a shield or erect earthworks against it.

"'By the way he came he will return; he will not come to this city,' says ADONAI.

'For I will defend this city and save it, both for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.'"

Then the angel of ADONAI went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of Ashur. Early the next morning, there they were, all of them, corpses - dead.

Around this time Hizkiyahu became ill to the point of death. Yesha'yahu the prophet, the son of Amotz, came and said to him, "Here is what ADONAI says: 'Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not live.'"

Hizkiyahu turned his face toward the wall and prayed to ADONAI:

"I plead with you, ADONAI, remember now how I have lived before you truly and wholeheartedly, and how I have done what you see as good." And he cried bitter tears.

Then the word of ADONAI came to Yesha'yahu:

"Go and tell Hizkiyahu that this is what ADONAI, the God of David your ancestor, says: 'I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; therefore I will add fifteen years to your life.

Also I will rescue you and this city from the power of the king of Ashur; I will defend this city.

The sign for you from ADONAI that ADONAI will do what he said is

that I will cause the shadow of the sundial, which has started going down on the sundial of Achaz, to go backward ten intervals.'" So the sun went back ten intervals of the distance it had already gone down.

"I said, 'I will never again see Yah, Yah in the land of the living; I will look on human beings no more or be with those who live in this world.

My home is uprooted and taken away from me like a shepherd's tent. Like a weaver, I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom. Between day and night you could finish me off.

I try to be strong like a lion till morning, but still my illness breaks all my bones - between day and night you could finish me off.

I make little chattering sounds like a swallow, I moan aloud like a dove, My eyes are weary with looking upward. Adonai, I am overwhelmed; guarantee my life!'

"What is there that I can say? He has spoken to me and acted! I will go humbly all my years, remembering how bitter I was.

Adonai, by these things people live; in all these is the life of my spirit. You're restoring my health and giving me life

though instead of peace, I felt very bitter. You desired my life and preserved it from the nothingness pit; for you threw all my sins behind your back.

"Sh'ol cannot thank you, death cannot praise you; those descending to the pit cannot hope for your truth.

The living, the living - they can thank you, as I do today; fathers will make their children know about your faithfulness.

ADONAI is ready to save me; hence we will make our stringed instruments sound all the days of our life in the house of ADONAI."

Hizkiyahu asked, "What sign will there be that I will be able to go up to the house of ADONAI?"

Yesha'yahu said to Hizkiyahu, "Hear what ADONAI-Tzva'ot says:

'The day will come when everything in your palace, along with everything your ancestors stored up until today, will be carried off to Bavel. Nothing will be left,' says ADONAI.