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Friday, August 15th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

Wycliffe Bible

Isaiah 38:2

And Esechie turnede his face to the wal, and preiede the Lord, and seide, Lord, Y biseche;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Disease;   Hezekiah;   Prayer;   Thompson Chain Reference - Hezekiah;   Prayer;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Life, Natural;   Sickness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Dial;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Hezekiah;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Death;   Text, Versions, and Languages of Ot;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Hezekiah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ararat;   Hezekiah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Life;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hezekiah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord.
Hebrew Names Version
Then Hizkiyahu turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the LORD,
King James Version
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord ,
English Standard Version
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord ,
New American Standard Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
New Century Version
Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed to the Lord ,
Amplified Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
World English Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Yahweh,
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord,
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh
Berean Standard Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
Contemporary English Version
Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed,
Complete Jewish Bible
Hizkiyahu turned his face toward the wall and prayed to Adonai :
Darby Translation
And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Jehovah,
Easy-to-Read Version
Hezekiah turned toward the wall that faced the Temple and began praying to the Lord .
George Lamsa Translation
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying,
Good News Translation
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed:
Lexham English Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh,
Literal Translation
And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Jehovah,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then Ezechias turned his face towarde the wall, & prayed vnto the LORDE,
American Standard Version
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto Jehovah,
Bible in Basic English
And Hezekiah, turning his face to the wall, made his prayer to the Lord, saying,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
King James Version (1611)
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed vnto the Lord,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then Hezekia turned his face toward the wall, and prayed vnto the Lorde,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Ezekias turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,
English Revised Version
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
Update Bible Version
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Yahweh,
Webster's Bible Translation
Then Hezekiah turned his face towards the wall, and prayed to the LORD,
New English Translation
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord ,
New King James Version
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD,
New Living Translation
When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord ,
New Life Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord,
New Revised Standard
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord :
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face unto the wall, - and prayed unto Yahweh;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Ezechias turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord,
Revised Standard Version
Then Hezeki'ah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the LORD,
Young's Literal Translation
And Hezekiah turneth round his face unto the wall, and prayeth unto Jehovah,
THE MESSAGE
Hezekiah turned away from Isaiah and, facing the wall, prayed to God : " God , please, I beg you: Remember how I've lived my life. I've lived faithfully in your presence, lived out of a heart that was totally yours. You've seen how I've lived, the good that I have done." And Hezekiah wept as he prayed—painful tears.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,

Contextual Overview

1 In tho daies Esechie was sijk `til to the deth; and Isaie, the profete, the sone of Amos, entride to hym, and seide to hym, The Lord seith these thingis, Dispose thi hous, for thou schalt die, and thou schalt not lyue. 2 And Esechie turnede his face to the wal, and preiede the Lord, and seide, Lord, Y biseche; 3 haue thou mynde, Y biseche, hou Y yede bifore thee in treuthe, and in perfit herte, and Y dide that that was good bifore thin iyen. And Ezechye wept with greet wepyng. 4 And the word of the Lord was maad to Isaie, and seide, 5 Go thou, and seie to Ezechye, The Lord God of Dauid, thi fadir, seith these thingis, I haue herd thi preier, and Y siy thi teeris. Lo! Y schal adde on thi daies fiftene yeer; 6 and Y schal delyuere thee and this citee fro the hond of the kyng of Assiriens, and Y schal defende it. 7 Forsothe this schal be to thee a signe of the Lord, that the Lord schal do this word, which he spak. 8 Lo! Y schal make the schadewe of lynes, bi which it yede doun in the orologie of Achas, in the sunne, to turne ayen backward bi ten lynes. And the sunne turnede ayen bi ten lynes, bi degrees bi whiche it hadde go doun.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

turned: Hezekiah's couch was probably placed in a corner, which is the place of honour in the East; in which, turning on either side, he must turn his face to the wall; by which he would withdraw himself from those attending him in his apartment. 1 Kings 8:30, Psalms 50:15, Psalms 91:15, Matthew 6:6

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 18:42 - put his face 2 Kings 20:2 - he turned Esther 8:3 - besought him with tears Psalms 120:1 - my distress

Cross-References

Genesis 3:6
Therfore the womman seiy that the tre was good, and swete to ete, and fair to the iyen, and delitable in bi holdyng; and sche took of the fruyt therof, and eet, and yaf to hir hosebande, and he eet.
Genesis 6:2
the sones of God seiyen the douytris of men that thei weren faire, and token wyues to hem of alle whiche thei hadden chose.
Genesis 6:4
Sotheli giauntis weren on erthe in tho daies, forsothe aftir that the sones of God entriden to the douytris of men, and tho douytris gendriden; these weren myyti of the world and famouse men.
Genesis 24:3
that Y coniure thee bi the Lord God of heuene and of erthe, that thou take not a wijf to my sone of the douytris of Chanaan, among whiche Y dwelle;
Genesis 34:2
And whanne Sichem, the sone of Emor Euey, the prince of that lond, hadde seyn hir, he louede hir, and rauyschide, and sclepte with hir, and oppresside the virgyn bi violence.
Genesis 46:12
The sones of Juda, Her and Onam, and Sela, and Fares, and Zara. Forsothe Her and Onam dieden in the lond of Canaan; and the sones of Fares weren borun, Esrom, and Amul.
Judges 14:2
and he stiede, and telde to his fadir and `to his modir, and seide, Y siy a womman in Thannatha of the `douytris of Filistees, and Y biseche, that ye take hir a wijf to me.
Judges 16:1
Also Sampson yede in to Gazam, and he siy there a womman hoore, and he entride to hir.
2 Samuel 11:2
While these thingis weren doon, it befelde, that Dauid roos in a dai fro his bed after mydday, and walkide in the soler of the kyngis hows; and he siy a womman waischynge hir silf euen ayens on hir soler; sotheli the womman was ful fair.
1 Chronicles 2:3
The sones of Juda weren Her, Onam, Sela; these thre weren borun to hym of Sue, a douyter of Canaan. Sotheli Her, the first gendrid sone of Juda, was yuel bifor the Lord, and he killide hym.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall,.... Not figuratively to the wall of his heart, as Jerom; but literally, either to the wall of his bedchamber where he lay sick, that his tears might not be seen, and his prayers interrupted, and that he might deliver them with more privacy, freedom, and fervency; or else to the wall of the temple, as the Targum, towards which good men used to look when they prayed, 1 Kings 8:38, which was a type of Christ, to whom we should have respect in all our petitions, as being the only Mediator between God and man: and prayed unto the Lord; as follows:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall - The wall of the room in which he was lying He was probably lying on a couch next the wall of his room. Eastern houses usually have such couches or ottomans running along on the sides of the room on which they recline, and on which they lie when they are sick. Hezekiah probably turned his face to the wall in order that his emotion and his tears might not be seen by the bystanders, or in order that he might compose himself the better for devotion. His prayer he wished, doubtless, to be as secret as possible. The Chaldee renders this, ‘Turned his face to the wall of the house of the sanctuary;’ that is, of the temple, so that it might appear that be prayed toward the temple. Thus Daniel; when in Babylon, is said to have prayed with his windows opened toward Jerusalem Daniel 6:10. The Mahometans pray everywhere with their faces turned toward Mecca. But there is no evidence in the Hebrew text that Hezekiah prayed in that manner. The simple idea is, that he turned over on his couch toward the wall of his room, doubtless, for the greater privacy, and to hide his deep emotion.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 38:2. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall — The furniture of an eastern divan or chamber, either for the reception of company or for private use, consists chiefly of carpets spread on the floor in the middle; and of sofas, or couches ranged on one or more sides of the room, on a part raised somewhat above the floor. On these they repose themselves in the day, and sleep at night. It is to be observed that the corner of the room is the place of honour. Dr. Pococke, when he was introduced to the Sheikh of Furshout, found him sitting in the corner of his room. He describes another Arab Sheikh "as sitting in the corner of a large green tent, pitched in the middle of an encampment of Arabs; and the Bey of Girge as placed on a sofa in a corner to the right as one entered the room." - Harmer's Observ. ii. p. 60. Lady Mary Montague, giving an account of a visit which she made to the Kahya's lady at Adrianople, says, "She ordered cushions to be given me; and took care to place me in the corner, which is the place of honour." - Letter xxxiii. The reason of this seems to be, that the person so placed is distinguished, and in a manner separated, from the rest of the company, and as it were guarded by the wall on each side. We are to suppose Hezekiah's couch placed in the same situation; in which turning on either side, he must turn his face to the wall; by which he would withdraw himself from those who were attending upon him in his apartment, in order to address his private prayer to God.

Isaiah 38:3. And he said, I beseech thee, O JEHOVAH, remember now how I have endeavoured to walk before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart; and have done that which is good in thine eyes. And Hezekiah wept, and lamented grievously. - L.

Isaiah 38:4. Now [before Isaiah was gone out into the middle court] the word of JEHOVAH came unto him, saying, Go [back,] and say unto Hezekiah, Thus saith JEHOVAH the God of David thy father, I have heard thy supplication; I have seen thy tears. Behold [I will heal thee; and on the third day thou shalt go up into the house of JEHOVAH.

Isaiah 38:5. And] I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee, and this city, from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city. And [Hezekiah said, By what sign shall I know that I shall go up into the house of JEHOVAH?

Isaiah 38:7. And Isaiah said,] This shall be the sign unto thee from JEHOVAH, that JEHOVAH still bring to effect this word which he hath spoken.

The words in the translation included within crotchets are supplied from the parallel place, 2 Kings 20:4-5, to make the narration more perfect. I have also taken the liberty, with Houbigant, of bringing forward the two last verses of this chapter, and inserting them in their proper places of the narration with the same mark. Kimchi's note on these two verses is as follows: "This and the following verse belong not to the writing of Hezekiah; and I see no reason why they are written here after the writing; for their right place is above, after And I will protect this city, Isaiah 38:6. And so they stand in the book of Kings," 2 Kings 20:7-8. The narration of this chapter seems to be in some parts an abridgment of that of 2 Kings 20:1-6. The abridger, having finished his extract here with the eleventh verse, seems to have observed, that the seventh and eighth verses of 2 Kings 20:7-8 were wanted to complete the narration: he therefore added them at the end of the chapter, after he had inserted the song of Hezekiah, probably with marks for their insertion in their proper places; which marks were afterwards neglected by transcribers. Or a transcriber might omit them by mistake, and add them at the end of the chapter with such marks. Many transpositions are, with great probability, to be accounted for in the same way.


 
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