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Isaiah Chapter 39 (JPS)

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Isaiah Chapter 39 - Hezekiah Shows His Treasures to Babylon
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1 At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent a letter and a present to Hezekiah; for he heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.

2 And Hezekiah was glad of them, and showed them his treasure-house, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures; there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not.

3 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him: 'What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee?' And Hezekiah said: 'They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.'

4 Then said he: 'What have they seen in thy house?' And Hezekiah answered: 'All that is in my house have they seen; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.'

5 Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah: 'Hear the word of HaShem of hosts:

6 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, saith HaShem.

7 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, whom thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be officers in the palace of the king of Babylon.'

8 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah: 'Good is the word of HaShem which thou hast spoken.' He said moreover: 'If but there shall be peace and truth in my days.'

Frequently Asked Questions

What's Isaiah chapter 39 about?
After his recovery, Hezekiah proudly shows Babylonian envoys all his treasures and armory (v1-2); Isaiah then warns that everything shown to them - and even some of Hezekiah's own descendants - will one day be carried off to Babylon (v5-7).
What does Hezekiah's response in verse 8, 'there shall be peace and truth in my days,' reveal?
It's a somewhat self-focused reaction to a prophecy of future disaster, a disaster later fulfilled when Babylon actually carried off the temple's treasures, as recorded in 2 Kings 25:13-15.
Why does Isaiah rebuke Hezekiah in this chapter?
Because Hezekiah revealed the full extent of his kingdom's wealth to foreign visitors from Babylon (v2, 4) - the same nation Isaiah then says will eventually plunder that wealth (v6).

Today's Verse

And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after him.

Mark 1:20 | ASV

Verse Of The Day

Isaiah confronts him afterward, prophesying that everything Hezekiah displayed, along with his own sons, will one day be carried off to Babylon, a warning that later plays out as told in 2 Kings 25:13-15. The book's tone shifts to comfort in Isaiah 40.