Isaiah 39
New English Translation
Messengers from Babylon Visit Hezekiah
39 At that time Merodach Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been ill and had recovered. 2 Hezekiah welcomed[a] them and showed them his storehouse with its silver, gold, spices, and high-quality olive oil, as well as his whole armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom.[b] 3 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say? Where do they come from?” Hezekiah replied, “They come from the distant land of Babylon.” 4 Isaiah[c] asked, “What have they seen in your palace?” Hezekiah replied, “They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything in my treasuries.” 5 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the message of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: 6 ‘Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors[d] have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father[e] will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s message that you have announced is appropriate.”[f] Then he thought,[g] “For[h] there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Isaiah 39:2 tn Heb “was happy with”; NAB, NASB “was pleased”; NIV “received the envoys gladly.”
- Isaiah 39:2 tn Heb “there was nothing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in all his kingdom.”
- Isaiah 39:4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Isaiah 39:6 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV).
- Isaiah 39:7 tn Heb “Some of your sons, who go out from you, whom you father.”
- Isaiah 39:8 tn Heb “good” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “favorable.”
- Isaiah 39:8 tn Heb “and he said.” The verb אָמַר (ʾamar, “say”) is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself).
- Isaiah 39:8 tn Or “surely”; cf. CEV “At least.”
Isaiah 39
Common English Bible
The Babylonian king’s messengers
39 At that time, Babylon’s King Merodach-baladan, Baladan’s son, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been ill and had recovered. 2 Hezekiah was pleased, and he showed them his treasury—the silver and the gold, the spices and fine oil—and everything in his armory, all that was found in his storerooms. There wasn’t a thing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah didn’t show them.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say? Where did they come from?”
Hezekiah replied, “They came to me from a distant land, from Babylon.”
4 So Isaiah said, “What did they see in your house?”
Hezekiah said, “They saw everything in my house. There was nothing in my storerooms that I didn’t show them.”
5 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of heavenly forces: 6 Days are coming when all that is in your house, which your ancestors have stored up until this day, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 7 Some of your sons, your own descendants whom you fathered, will be taken to become eunuchs in the king of Babylon’s palace.”
8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word that you delivered is good,” since he thought, That means there will be peace and security in my lifetime.
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