Hezekiah Shows His Treasures
Babylonian envoys arrive with correspondence and gifts in response to news of Hezekiah's illness and recovery. Rather than holding back, Hezekiah welcomes them gladly and shows them everything under his control: silver, gold, spices, oil, armory, storehouses, palace, and the full extent of his dominion.
A1t that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard about Hezekiah’s illness and recovery. 2And Hezekiah welcomed the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his treasure house — the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, as well as his entire armory — all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his palace or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
Isaiah then comes to Hezekiah and asks where the men came from and what they have seen, pressing the king to state plainly what he exposed before foreign eyes. Once Hezekiah confirms that nothing was hidden, Isaiah delivers the word of the LORD of Hosts: the day is coming when everything stored in the palace and inherited from former generations will be taken to Babylon, and some of Hezekiah's own descendants will be removed to serve there as eunuchs.
3Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, “Where did those men come from, and what did they say to you?” 4“What have they seen in your palace?” Isaiah asked. 5Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of Hosts: 6The time will surely come when everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. 7And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
Hezekiah responds that the word of the LORD is good, but his reasoning is soberingly narrow: he is relieved that peace and security will remain during his own lifetime. The chapter therefore ends not with repentance or reform, but with a king whose acceptance of judgment is bounded by personal timeframe.
8But Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “At least there will be peace and security in my lifetime.”