2 Kings 20:12-21

Living Bible

¹² At that time Merodach-baladan (the son of King Baladan of Babylon) sent ambassadors with greetings and a present to Hezekiah, for he had learned of his sickness. ¹³ Hezekiah welcomed them and showed them all his treasures—the silver, gold, spices, aromatic oils, the armory—everything.

¹⁴ Then Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men want? Where are they from?”

“From far away in Babylon,” Hezekiah replied.

¹⁵ “What have they seen in your palace?” Isaiah asked.

And Hezekiah replied, “Everything. I showed them all my treasures.”

¹⁶ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the word of the Lord: ¹⁷ The time will come when everything in this palace shall be carried to Babylon. All the treasures of your ancestors will be taken—nothing shall be left. ¹⁸ Some of your own sons will be taken away and made into eunuchs who will serve in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

¹⁹ “All right,” Hezekiah replied, “if this is what the Lord wants, it is good.” But he was really thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during the remainder of my own life!”

²⁰ The rest of the history of Hezekiah and his great deeds—including the pool and conduit he made and how he brought water into the city—are recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. ²¹ When he died, his son Manasseh became the new king.