Isaiah 39, Visitors from Babylon

After Hezekiah recovers from his illness, he entertains visitors from Babylon. This is unwise. Babylon will eventually take over Assyria as the power in the ancient Near East.

Isaiah 39:1-2, Gifts and visit

At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

Hezekiah, possibly experiencing the afterglow of his escape from death, welcomes the visitors from Babylon. Marduk-Baladan, a future king of Babylon, has been identified with Marduk-apla-iddina II.

Grogan suggests that this visit occurs before Sennacherib's siege and so there may have been discussions on some type of alliance against the Assyrians.

Isaiah 39:3-4, What did they see?

Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

“From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came to me from Babylon.”

The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”

“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

Isaiah is concerned and quizzes Hezekiah. "Really, did you show them everything?" shouts Isaiah. "All the treasures?" It is not good to show a foreign nation the gold in your treasury.

Isaiah 39:5-8, Some day! 

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD Almighty: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

“The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”

Isaiah warns Hezekiah that all the treasury will be taken away from Jerusalem on some future day. Hezekiah's biological descendants will be prisoners, led away to become eunuchs in Babylon. Hezekiah appears to be relieved -- at least it won't happen to him!