Isaiah 39 (YLT)

Chapter Text

39:1 At that time hath Merodach-Baladan, son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah, when he heareth that he hath been sick, and is become strong.

39:2 And Hezekiah rejoiceth over them, and sheweth them the house of his spices, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the good ointment, and all the house of his vessels, and all that hath been found in his treasures; there hath not been a thing in his house, and in all his dominion, that Hezekiah hath not shewed them.

39:3 And Isaiah the prophet cometh in unto king Hezekiah, and saith unto him, `What said these men? and whence come they unto thee?' And Hezekiah saith, `From a land afar off they have come unto me--from Babylon.'

39:4 And he saith, `What saw they in thy house?' and Hezekiah saith, `All that <FI>is<Fi> in my house they saw; there hath not been a thing that I have not shewed them among my treasures.'

39:5 And Isaiah saith unto Hezekiah, `Hear a word of Jehovah of Hosts:

39:6 Lo, days are coming, and borne hath been all that <FI>is<Fi> in thy house, and that thy fathers have treasured up till this day, to Babylon; there is not left a thing, said Jehovah;

39:7 and of thy sons who come forth from thee, whom thou begettest, they take, and they have been eunuchs in a palace of the king of Babylon.'

39:8 And Hezekiah saith unto Isaiah, `Good <FI>is<Fi> the word of Jehovah that thou hast spoken;' and he saith, `Because there is peace and truth in my days.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "time", "hath", "merodach-baladan", "king", "babylon", "sent", and "letters". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "time" and "hath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local YLT text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "time" and "hath" carries the first interpretive weight. In The Suffering Servant Bears Iniquity, the local focus is the servant of the LORD, atonement, and judgment and restoration.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "time" and "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.