Profeti om bortførelsen til Babylonien
1Nogen tid senere sendte Merodak-Baladan, som var søn af kong Baladan af Babylonien, nogle sendebud af sted med hilsener og en gave til Hizkija, for Babyloniens konge havde hørt om hans sygdom og helbredelse. 2Hizkija var beæret over det fine besøg og viste dem alle sine rigdomme, sit sølv og guld, sine røgelsesstoffer og forskellige aromatiske olier og sit våbenarsenal, ja, der var ikke den ting i hele riget, han ikke viste dem.
3Bagefter opsøgte Esajas kong Hizkija og spurgte ham: „Hvor kom de mænd fra, og hvad ville de?”
„De kom helt fra Babylonien!” svarede Hizkija.
4„Hvad så de i paladset?” spurgte Esajas.
„Det hele!” svarede Hizkija. „Jeg viste dem alle mine rigdomme.”
5„Hør Herren, den Almægtiges, ord,” sagde Esajas. 6„Der kommer en dag, hvor alt i det her palads skal føres bort til Babylonien, både de rigdomme, du selv har samlet, og det, dine forfædre har samlet—intet vil blive tilbage. 7Nogle af dine egne efterkommere vil blive bortført og gjort til tjenere ved den babyloniske konges hof.”
8„Det er godt at høre fra Herren,” sagde Hizkija. Han tænkte ved sig selv: „Der er i det mindste fred og ro, så længe jeg lever.”
Envoys From Babylon
1At 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. 2Hezekiah 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.
3Then 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.”
4The 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.”
5Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord Almighty: 6The 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. 7And 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.”
8“The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”
