Isaiah 39
Revised Geneva Translation
39 At the same time, Merodach-Baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babel, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah. For he had heard that he had been sick and had recovered.
2 And Hezekiah was glad for them, and showed them the house of the treasures, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his kingdom, that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then came Isaiah the Prophet to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babel.”
4 Then he said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
5 And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the Word of the LORD of Hosts,
6 ‘Behold, the days come that all that is in your house, and which your fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babel. Nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD.
7 ‘And your sons who shall proceed out of you, which you shall beget, they shall take away. And they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babel.’”
8 Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, “The Word of the LORD which you have spoken is good.” And he said, “For there is peace and truth in my days.”
Isaiah 39
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 39
Hezekiah’s Foolishness.[a] 1 At that time the king of Babylon, Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, sent envoys with letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been ill but had recovered. 2 Hezekiah was delighted at this, and therefore he showed the envoys his entire treasury: the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his entire armory, and all that was in his storerooms. There was nothing in his palace or in his entire realm that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say to you? Where did they come from?” Hezekiah replied, “They came to me from a distant country, from Babylon.” 4 Isaiah then asked him, “What did they see in your palace?” Hezekiah said, “They have seen everything in my palace. There is nothing in my storerooms that I did not show them.”
5 Thereupon Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts. 6 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when everything in your palace, and everything that your ancestors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left. 7 Some of your own sons who were fathered by you will be taken away and forced to serve as eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 8 Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is comforting.” For he thought to himself, “There will be peace and security during my lifetime.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 39:1 The deportation of Jews to Babylonia over a century later, in 587 B.C., will be the tragic result of this policy; at least this is the view of the editor, who takes advantage of the episode to place a prophecy of exile on the lips of Isaiah himself.
Isaiah 39
International Standard Version
The Visit by Merodach-baladan
39 At that time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, when[a] he heard he had been sick and had survived.[b] 2 Hezekiah was delighted with them, and showed them everything in[c] his treasure-houses[d]—the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oils, his entire armory, and everything found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom[e] that Hezekiah did not show them.
Isaiah Rebukes Hezekiah
3 Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men have to say? And from where did they come to you?”
Hezekiah replied, “From a distant land—they came to me from Babylon.”
4 “What did they see in your palace?” he asked.
“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah replied. “There is nothing in my treasuries that I did not show them.”
5 Then Isaiah told Hezekiah, “Listen to this message[f] from the Lord of the Heavenly Armies: 6 ‘The days are surely coming when everything in your palace and all that your ancestors have stored up to this day will be carried off[g] to Babylon. They will come in, and[h] nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘Then some of your own sons, who will come from your loins,[i] whom you will father, will be taken away to become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”
8 “The message from the Lord that you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied to Isaiah, since he was thinking, “…at least there will be peace and security in my lifetime.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 39:1 So 1QIsaa 1QIsab MT; 4QIsab LXX read because
- Isaiah 39:1 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsab MT read had recovered
- Isaiah 39:2 So 1QIsaa MTmss; the Heb. lacks in
- Isaiah 39:2 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read treasure-house; MTqere reads his treasure-house
- Isaiah 39:2 So 1QIsaa; MT reads realm; LXX lacks kingdom
- Isaiah 39:5 Lit. word
- Isaiah 39:6 So 1QIsaa (pl.); cf. LXX; 1QIsab MT (sing.)
- Isaiah 39:6 So 1QIsaa LXX; the Heb. lacks and
- Isaiah 39:7 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT read from you
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