Isaiah 39
Envoys from Babylon
1At 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.
2Hezekiah 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.
3Then 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.”
4Then 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.”
5Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of Armies:
6‘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.
7‘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.’”
8Then 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.”
King Hezekiah receives envoys from Babylon and proudly displays all his royal treasures and armaments to them. When the prophet Isaiah learns of this, he delivers a sobering prophecy that everything Hezekiah showed the Babylonians will one day be carried away to Babylon, and his descendants will serve in the Babylonian palace. Hezekiah accepts this judgment with resignation, finding comfort only that peace will continue during his own lifetime.
Context
This chapter concludes the historical narrative section of Isaiah (chapters 36-39) and sets up the book's shift toward prophecies of exile and restoration in chapters 40-66.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-2Babylonian Embassy ArrivesMerodach-baladan sends envoys to congratulate Hezekiah on his recovery, and the king proudly shows them all his treasures and military resources.
- 3-4Isaiah's InvestigationThe prophet Isaiah questions Hezekiah about the visitors and learns that the king revealed everything to the Babylonian delegation.
- 5-7Prophecy of Babylonian ExileIsaiah delivers God's judgment that all of Hezekiah's treasures and descendants will eventually be taken to Babylon.
- 8Hezekiah's ResponseThe king accepts the prophecy as just, expressing relief that the judgment will not come during his own reign.
Envoys from Babylon
39:1–39:8Hezekiah unwisely shows Babylonian envoys his treasures, prompting Isaiah's prophecy of future Babylonian exile and captivity.
person_contrast
Hezekiah's fatal hospitality transforms him from a king receiving divine deliverance to an unwitting architect of his dynasty's destruction, as Isaiah's prophecy reverses the chapter's opening celebration into exile's certainty.
Isaiah 39:1
2 Kings 20:12lexicalAt that time Berodach Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had he…
1 Kings 15:23lexicalNow the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, aren’t they…
Isaiah 39:2
2 Kings 20:13lexicalHezekiah listened to them, and showed them all the storehouse of his precious things—the silver, the gold, the spices, a…
2 Chronicles 32:27lexicalHezekiah had exceedingly great riches and honor. He provided himself with treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious…
2 Chronicles 25:24lexicalHe took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in God’s house with Obed-Edom, and the treasures of…
2 Kings 14:14lexicalHe took all the gold and silver and all the vessels that were found in the LORD’s house and in the treasures of the king…
2 Chronicles 9:24lexicalThey each brought tribute: vessels of silver, vessels of gold, clothing, armor, spices, horses, and mules every year.
Isaiah 39:3
2 Kings 20:14lexicalThen Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? From where did they come to you…
2 Kings 20:1lexicalIn those days Hezekiah was sick and dying. Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “The LORD sa…
2 Chronicles 32:32lexicalNow the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, t…
Isaiah 38:1lexicalIn those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, “The…
2 Chronicles 32:20lexicalHezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this, and cried to heaven.
Interlinear
Word-by-word original language
Historical Context
Places and events in this chapter