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Isaiah 39
A short, ominous coda to the Hezekiah cycle. Merodach-baladan of Babylon sends letters and a gift after hearing of the king's recovery, and a flattered Hezekiah shows the envoys everything: silver, gold, spices, oil, his whole armory and all his treasures, holding nothing back. Isaiah's question is pointed, what did they see, and the answer becomes the hinge of the entire book: all of it will one day go to Babylon.
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At that time, Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick, and had recovered.
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Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his precious things, the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, 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 dominion, that Hezekiah didn’t show them.
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Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and asked him, “What did these men say? From where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come from a country far from me, even from Babylon.”
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Then he asked, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
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Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of Armies:
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‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up until today, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the LORD.
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‘They will take away your sons who will issue from you, whom you shall father, and they will be eunuchs in the king of Babylon’s palace.’”
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Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The LORD’s word which you have spoken is good.” He said moreover, “For there will be peace and truth in my days.”
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EN aquel tiempo Merodach-baladán, hijo de Baladán, rey de Babilonia, envió cartas y presentes á Ezechîas; porque había oído que había estado enfermo, y que había convalecido.
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Y holgóse con ellos Ezechîas, y enseñóles la casa de su tesoro, plata y oro, y especierías, y ungüentos preciosos, y toda su casa de armas, y todo lo que se pudo hallar en sus tesoros: no hubo cosa en su casa y en todo su señorío, que Ezechîas no les mostrase.
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Entonces Isaías profeta vino al rey Ezechîas, y díjole: ¿Qué dicen estos hombres, y de dónde han venido á ti? Y Ezechîas respondió: De tierra muy lejos han venido á mí, de Babilonia.
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Dijo entonces: ¿Qué han visto en tu casa? Y dijo Ezechîas: Todo lo que hay en mi casa han visto, y ninguna cosa hay en mis tesoros que no les haya mostrado.
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Entonces dijo Isaías á Ezechîas: Oye palabra de Jehová de los ejércitos:
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He aquí, vienen días en que será llevado á Babilonia todo lo que hay en tu casa, y lo que tus padres han atesorado hasta hoy: ninguna cosa quedará, dice Jehová.
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De tus hijos que hubieren salido de ti, y que engendraste, tomarán, y serán eunucos en el palacio del rey de Babilonia.
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Y dijo Ezechîas á Isaías: La palabra de Jehová que has hablado, es buena. Y añadió: A lo menos, haya paz y verdad en mis días.
The hinge from Assyria to Babylon
Hezekiah, who spread Assyria's threatening letter before the LORD in chapter 37, now eagerly displays his wealth to a Babylonian embassy. Isaiah foretells that everything stored up will be carried to Babylon and that Hezekiah's own descendants will become eunuchs in that king's palace.
The king's reply, that the LORD's word is good because there will be peace in his days, is unsettling rather than pious; he hears judgment on his children and is content with his own respite. This chapter ends the historical section and turns the book toward exile, the very setting chapter 40 will address.
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