Isaiah 38:17

Forgiveness Salvation Sin Guilt and conscience

¹⁵ What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

¹⁶ O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.

Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

¹⁸ For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

¹⁹ The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Surely for my own welfare I had such great anguish; but Your love has delivered me from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
KJV: Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
WEB: 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.
ASV: Behold, [it was] for [my] peace [that] I had great bitterness: But thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
DARBY: Behold, instead of peace I had bitterness upon bitterness; but thou hast in love delivered my soul from the pit of destruction; for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
BLB: Behold, for my wellbeing great bitterness [was] unto me; and You have held back my soul from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast behind Your back all my sins.

ÅB: Se, til fred ble meg det bitre, ja det bitre, og kjærlig dro du min sjel opp av tilintetgjørelsens grav; for du kastet alle mine synder bak din rygg.
OTB: Sannelig var det til min fordel at jeg led slik bitterhet. I din kjærlighet har du holdt meg fra ødeleggelsens grav; du har kastet alle mine synder bak din rygg.
B1930: Se, til fred blev mig det bitre, ja det bitre, og kjærlig drog du min sjel op av tilintetgjørelsens grav; for du kastet alle mine synder bak din rygg.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Isaiah 43:25
I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Read in context
Micah 7:18–19
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Read in context
Jonah 2:6
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.
Read in context
Psalms 30:3
O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Read in context
Jeremiah 31:34
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Read in context
Psalms 86:13
For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
Read in context
Job 3:25–26
For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
Read in context
Psalms 30:6–7
And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
Read in context