Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: Yahweh tells Isaiah to give Hezekiah another message. The verb Go may be understood literally or figuratively. Good News Translation takes it in its literal sense by saying “go back” since it assumes Isaiah left Hezekiah before he received God’s message. If he remained with Hezekiah, then it emphasizes the verb say. For Thus says the LORD, see Isa 38.1. The God of David may mean “the God whom King David worshiped” or “the God who made a covenant with King David.” Your father means “your ancestor” (Good News Translation). Yahweh stresses that he will act favorably toward Hezekiah because of his eternal covenant with David and his descendants (see 37.35). Since Yahweh is speaking here, Good News Translation renders the God of David your father as “I … the God of your ancestor David,” which may be a helpful model for other languages.

I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears: Yahweh assures Hezekiah that he has heard his prayers and seen his tears, which implies he will respond.

Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life is the first part of Yahweh’s response. He will let Hezekiah live fifteen years longer. The word Behold calls Hezekiah’s attention to God’s response, but most versions omit it. It may be rendered “Now” or “actually” to express the emphasis. In the parallel text of 2 Kgs 20.5 Yahweh first promises to heal Hezekiah, so that he can go to the Temple three days later. Translators should not add this here (so Hebrew Old Testament Text Project).

There are three levels of quotation in this verse: the first level begins with Go and say to Hezekiah, the second level with Thus says the LORD, and the third level with I have heard your prayer. All three levels close at the end of the next verse. Good News Translation has only one level, which other languages may find helpful (see also the last two examples below). Bible en français courant has two levels, as in the first example below.

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• “Go and tell Hezekiah, that this is what Yahweh, the God worshiped by his ancestor David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. Now I will add fifteen years to your life.

• “Go and tell Hezekiah that Yahweh, whom David his ancestor worshiped, has heard his tearful plea. He will let him live another fifteen years.

• “Tell Hezekiah that I, Yahweh, have heard his tearful plea. I am the God whom the king’s ancestor David worshiped. I, Yahweh, say that I will let him live another fifteen years.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .