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This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
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I said, "In the prime of my life I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my years."
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I said, "I shall not see Yah, The Lord in the land of the living; I shall observe man no more among the inhabitants of the world.
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My life span is gone, Taken from me like a shepherd's tent; I have cut off my life like a weaver. He cuts me off from the loom; From day until night You make an end of me.
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I have considered until morning-- Like a lion, So He breaks all my bones; From day until night You make an end of me.
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Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered; I mourned like a dove; My eyes fail from looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; Undertake for me!
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"What shall I say? He has both spoken to me, And He Himself has done it. I shall walk carefully all my years In the bitterness of my soul.
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O Lord, by these things men live; And in all these things is the life of my spirit; So You will restore me and make me live.
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Indeed it was for my own peace That I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
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For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.
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The living, the living man, he shall praise You, As I do this day; The father shall make known Your truth to the children.