In the parable of the rich man, he flattered himself about the increase of his fields. But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?^[1] It was the same way when King Hezekiah heard from Isaiah the sad doom of his kingdom after he had gloried before the envoys of Babylon in his treasures and the deposits of his precious things.

You^[1] juxtaposed [events] so that you might not grieve us and that you might save them. Those who had seized our silver brought gold.^[2] Those who had wounded our bodies brought myrrh. Those who had burned our sanctuary offered frankincense to your divinity.

The myrrh [of the Magi] intercedes for their swords with which they killed us. Their gold intercedes for our treasures, for they plundered the treasuries of the house of Hezekiah.^[3] Their frankincense appeases your divinity, for they had angered your Father. . . .

The Babylonians, too,^[4] came up [and] afflicted the children in Judah.^[5] By you the children have found peace, for by you the vicious have become worshipers. Those who despised old men honor a Child who is older than all.

Babylon, too, sent offerings to Hezekiah; the envoys who saw his treasures were amazed. What did you show to the Magi? You showed a wonder, for they rendered you homage although you were poor. However great was the ivory palace of the kings of our people,^[6] greater and more beautiful is the little cave in which I bore you.

Often the care of government when undertaken distracts the heart in many different directions. The ruler finds himself unequal to the task of dealing with particular things when his mind becomes confused, having its attention diverted by so many different things. . . . When one, because of this, neglects the business of self-examination, that person does not even consider the losses it is suffering or know how great they are. For neither did Hezekiah believe himself to be sinning^[1] when he showed to the strangers who came to him his storehouses of spices. He fell under the anger of the judge, however, and his future offspring were condemned because of what he supposed himself to be doing lawfully. Often, when means are abundant and many things can be done for subordinates to admire, the mind exalts itself in thought. But in so doing, it also provokes the anger of the judge, even though the acts of iniquity may have not been overt. For the one who judges us is within, as is that which is judged. When, then, in our hearts we transgress, what we are doing within ourselves is hidden from men. And yet in the eyes of the Judge we sin.

Now,^[1] when the Babylonians heard about Hezekiah’s healing from the sickness, they sent ambassadors to him, and not without reason. Indeed, on the day when the sun went backward, one extra hour was added to the duration of the day, which did not elude the Babylonians, who were skilled in their observation of the stars. And as they venerated the sun as divine, they perceived that it was turned back by a superior power. Therefore they were eager to investigate the cause of the phenomenon. Thus driven by curiosity, they learned that the God of the Hebrew people was great and that he was the Creator of the world. When Hezekiah was healed, through which also the miracle of the sun took place, they perceived what happened and strongly desired the friendship of Hezekiah as a man loved by God. That is the story of the Jewish teacher.

However, I grasped that all of the following events happened the same year: the attack of the Assyrians against the Jewish people, the defeat of the Assyrians by the angel of God, Sennacherib’s escape, the revolt of his subjects and the death of the son who succeeded him, which is not mentioned in this text. It is likely that the rumor about all those events reached the Babylonian king, who showed friendship toward Hezekiah and sent him gifts, an ambassador and letters.

Be quiet, you who exalt yourself. Do not think you are better than you are! For if your wealth has caused your heart to be proud, it still is not more abundant than that of Hezekiah. He went in and boasted of his wealth before the Babylonians, yet it was all carried away to Babylon. And, if you glory in your children, they shall be led away from you to the beast, as the children of King Hezekiah were led away, and became eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon.

Isaiah offered this thought by the word of God: Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: ‘A time will come when all this that is in your house, not you, but the goods acquired through the labor of your fathers, will be taken to Babylon, and some of your children will be made eunuchs in its royal court.’ From this the Hebrews want Daniel, Ananiah, Mishael, Hazariah (each of them belonging to the royal line, who were without doubt in the service of King Nebuchadnezzar) to be made eunuchs. This is why Hezekiah said, The word of the Lord which was spoken is good, a statement for which he is reproached by the Hebrews, who ask why he should not have imitated the goodness of Moses, who said to the Lord: Either forgive them for this crime or, if you will not, then remove me from the book which you have written.^[1] Thus also the apostle Paul wished to be anathema to Christ for his brethren who belong to Israel.^[2] Hezekiah, therefore, who subsequently said: Comfort, comfort my people, says your God, is not reproved by this address from God for not interceding that the people be consoled by the Lord’s mercy.