Isaiah 39:3
1 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.
2 And 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.
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 to me from a distant land,” Hezekiah replied, “from Babylon.”
4 “What have they seen in your palace?” Isaiah asked. “They have seen everything in my palace,” answered Hezekiah. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of Hosts:
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
- 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 to me from a distant land,” Hezekiah replied, “from Babylon.”
- KJV
- 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.
- WEB
- Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and asked him, “What did these men say? From where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come from a country far from me, even from Babylon.”
- ASV
- 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.
- DARBY
- Then came the prophet Isaiah to king Hezekiah, and said to him, What said these men? and from whence came they to thee? And Hezekiah said, They came from a far country to me, from Babylon.
- BLB
- And Isaiah the prophet came to king Hezekiah and said to him,” “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you? And Hezekiah said, “From a land” far off—they have come to me from Babylon.”
- ÅB
- Da kom profeten Jesaja til kong Hiskia og sa til ham: Hva sa disse menn, og hvorfra kommer de til deg? Hiskia svarte: De er kommet til meg fra et land langt borte, fra Babel.
- OTB
- Da kom profeten Jesaja til kong Hiskia og spurte: “Hva sa disse mennene, og hvorfra kom de til deg?” Hiskia svarte, “De kom til meg fra et fjernt land, fra Babylon.”
- B1930
- Da kom profeten Esaias til kong Esekias og sa til ham: Hvad sa disse menn, og hvorfra kommer de til dig? Esekias svarte: De er kommet til mig fra et land langt borte, fra Babel.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Deuteronomy 28:49
The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,
Read in context2 Samuel 12:1
Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.
Read in contextJeremiah 5:15
Behold, I am bringing a distant nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. “It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.
Read in context2 Chronicles 16:7
At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and told him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.
Read in context2 Chronicles 25:15
Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet, who said, “Why have you sought this people’s gods, which could not deliver them from your hand?”
Read in contextJeremiah 22:1–2
This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there,
Read in contextJoshua 9:6
They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land; please make a treaty with us.”
Read in contextIsaiah 38:5
“Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.
Read in context