2 Kings 20:12

¹⁰ “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps,” answered Hezekiah, “but not for it to go back ten steps.”

¹¹ So Isaiah the prophet called out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow back the ten steps it had descended on the stairway of Ahaz.

At 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.

¹³ And Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, as well as his 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.

¹⁴ Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, “Where did those men come from, and what did they say to you?” “They came from a distant land,” Hezekiah replied, “from Babylon.”

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: At 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.
KJV: At that time Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
WEB: At that time Berodach Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
ASV: At that time Berodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah; for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
DARBY: At that time Berodach-Baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent a letter and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
BLB: At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

ÅB: På den tid sendte Berodak Baladan, Baladans sønn, kongen i Babel, brev og gaver til Hiskia; for han hadde hørt at Hiskia hadde vært syk.
OTB: På den tiden sendte Berodak-Baladan, Baladans sønn, kongen av Babylon, brev og en gave til Hiskia, for han hadde hørt om Hiskias sykdom.
B1930: På den tid sendte Berodak Baladan, Baladans sønn, kongen i Babel, brev og gaver til Esekias; for han hadde hørt at Esekias hadde vært syk.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

2 Chronicles 32:31
And so when ambassadors of the rulers of Babylon were sent to him to inquire about the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone to test him, that He might know all that was in Hezekiah’s heart.
Read in context
Isaiah 39:1–8
At 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.
Read in context
Genesis 10:10
His kingdom began in Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Read in context
Genesis 11:9
That is why it is called Babel, for there the LORD confused the language of the whole world, and from that place the LORD scattered them over the face of all the earth.
Read in context
Isaiah 14:4
you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased, and how his fury has ended!
Read in context
Isaiah 13:1
This is the burden against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz received:
Read in context
Isaiah 13:19
And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Read in context
2 Samuel 10:2
And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent some of his servants to console Hanun concerning his father. But when they arrived in the land of the Ammonites,
Read in context