| 1At that time, Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, the king of Babylonia, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah when he heard that he had been ill and had recovered. |
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אבָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֡וא שָׁלַ֡ח מְרֹאדַ֣ךְ בַּ֠לְאֲדָן בֶּן־בַּלְאֲדָ֧ן מֶֽלֶךְ־בָּבֶ֛ל סְפָרִ֥ים וּמִנְחָ֖ה אֶל־חִזְקִיָּ֑הוּ וַיִּשְׁמַ֕ע כִּ֥י חָלָ֖ה וַיֶּֽחֱזָֽק: |
| when he heard that he had been ill and had recovered: He was accustomed to eating after the first three hours of the day had elapsed and he would sleep until the ninth hour. Since the sphere of the sun had gone backwards because of Hezekiah, he awoke from his sleep after nine hours and found that it was morning. He sought to kill all his servants. He said, “You let me sleep a day and a night until morning!” They said to him, “It was the sphere of the sun that went backwards.” He said to them, “Who brought it back?” They said to him, “The God of Hezekiah, etc.” As is stated in Tanhuma (Ki Thissa 5) and in Pesikta (d’ Rav Kahana p. 14a). |
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וישמע כי חלה ויחזק:
היה למוד לאכול בשלש שעות וישן עד ט' כיון שחזר גלגל חמה לחזקיהו כשעמד משנתו בט' שעות מצא שהוא שחרית בקש להרוג את כל עבדיו אמר הנחתם אותי ישן יומם ולילה עד הבקר אמרו לו גלגל חמה הוא שחזר אמר להם ומי החזירו אמרו לו אלוהו של חזקיהו כו' כדאיתא בתנחומא ובפסיקתא:
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| 2And Hezekiah rejoiced over them, and he showed them his entire treasure-house, the silver, the gold, the spices, and the good oil, and the entire house in which he kept his vessels, and everything that was found in his treasures; there was nothing that Hezekiah did not show them in his palace and in his kingdom. |
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בוַיִּשְׂמַ֣ח עֲלֵיהֶם֘ חִזְקִיָּהוּ֒ וַיַּרְאֵ֣ם אֶת־בֵּ֣ית נְכֹתֹ֡ה אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף֩ וְאֶת־הַזָּהָ֨ב וְאֶת־הַבְּשָׂמִ֜ים וְאֵ֣ת | הַשֶּׁ֣מֶן הַטּ֗וֹב וְאֵת֙ כָּל־בֵּ֣ית כֵּלָ֔יו וְאֵ֛ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִמְצָ֖א בְּאֽוֹצְרֹתָ֑יו לֹֽא־הָיָ֣ה דָבָ֗ר אֲ֠שֶׁר לֹֽא־הֶרְאָ֧ם חִזְקִיָּ֛הוּ בְּבֵית֖וֹ וּבְכָל־מֶמְשַׁלְתּֽוֹ: |
| his entire treasure house: (נְכֹתֹה) the storehouse of his spices, like (Gen. 37:25) “spices (נְכֹאת), balm, and lotus.” |
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בית נכתה:
בית גנזיו של בשמים כמו (בראשית ל״ז:כ״ה) נכאת וצרי ולוט:
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| and the good oil: Some interpret this as the anointing oil (Ex. 30:22 33), and others say that it is balsam oil, which is found in Eretz Israel, and that is Pannag mentioned in Ezekiel (27:17): “Judah and the land of Israel, they were your merchants, with wheat of Minnith and Pannag.” I saw in the book of Josephon (book 4, ch. 22), Pannag is balsam, and it grows in Jericho. Therefore, it is called Jericho because of the aroma (רֵיחַ). |
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ואת השמן הטוב:
יש פותרים שמן המשחה, וי"א הוא שמן אפרסמון שהיה מצוי בא"י והוא פנג האמור (ביחזקאל כ״ז:י״ז) יהוד' וישראל המה רוכליך בחטי מנית ופנג וראיתי בספר יוסיפון שהוא אפרסמון וגדל ביריחו לכך נקרא יריחו על שם הריח:
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| there was nothing: Even the Scroll of the Law. |
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לא היה דבר:
אף ס"ת:
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| 3And Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, "What did these men say, and whence did they come to you? " And Hezekiah said, "They have come to me from a distant country-from Babylonia." |
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גוַיָּבֹא֙ יְשַׁעְיָ֣הוּ הַנָּבִ֔יא אֶל־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ חִזְקִיָּ֑הוּ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלָ֜יו מָה־אָֽמְר֣וּ | הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה וּמֵאַ֙יִן֙ יָבֹ֣אוּ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ חִזְקִיָּ֔הוּ מֵאֶ֧רֶץ רְחוֹקָ֛ה בָּ֥אוּ אֵלַ֖י מִבָּבֶֽל: |
| “They have come to me from a distant country”: This is one of three people whom the Holy One, blessed be He, tested and found to be a chamber pot: Cain, Hezekiah, and Balaam. Hezekiah should have replied, “You are a prophet of the Omnipresent. Yet you ask me?” Instead, he commenced to become haughty, and said, “They have come to me from a distant country.” Therefore, he was punished, and because he rejoiced over them and fed them on his table. Similarly, Balaam, to whom He said, “Who are these men with you?” (Num 22:9) And he replied and said, “Balak the son of Zippor sent them to me.” Similarly, Cain, to whom He said, “Where is your brother Abel?” (Gen. 4:9) He should have replied, “Lord of the Universe, are not all hidden things revealed to You?” As it is stated in Tanhuma. |
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מארץ רחוקה באו אלי:
זה אחד משלשה בני אדם שבדקן המקו' קין וחזקיהו ובלעם חזקיהו היה לו להשיב אתה נביאו של מקום ולי אתה שואל התחיל מתגאה ואומר מארץ רחוקה באו אלי לפיכך נענש ועל ששמח עליהן והאכילן על שלחנו וכן בלעם שאמר לו מי האנשים האלה עמך והשיב ואמר בלק בן צפור מלך מואב שלח אלי (במדבר כ״ב:י׳) וכן קין שאמר לו אי הבל אחיך (ברא' יד) היה לו לומר רבש"ע הלא כל הנסתרו' גלויו' לך כו' כדאית' בתנחומ':
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| 4And he said, "What did they see in your palace?" And Hezekiah said, "They saw everything that is in my palace. There was nothing that I did not show them in my treasuries. " |
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דוַיֹּ֕אמֶר מָ֥ה רָא֖וּ בְּבֵיתֶ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר חִזְקִיָּ֗הוּ אֵ֣ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֚ר בְּבֵיתִי֙ רָא֔וּ לֹֽא־הָיָ֥ה דָבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־הִרְאִיתִ֖ים בְּאֽוֹצְרֹתָֽי: |
| 5And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hearken to the word of the Lord of Hosts, |
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הוַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְשַׁעְיָ֖הוּ אֶל־חִזְקִיָּ֑הוּ שְׁמַ֖ע דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת: |
| 6'Behold a time shall come when everything in your palace and what your forefathers have stored up, shall be carried off to Babylonia; nothing shall remain,' said the Lord. |
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והִנֵּה֘ יָמִ֣ים בָּאִים֒ וְנִשָּׂ֣א | כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּבֵיתֶ֗ךָ וַֽאֲשֶׁ֨ר אָֽצְר֧וּ אֲבֹתֶ֛יךָ עַד־הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה בָּבֶ֑ל לֹֽא־יִוָּתֵ֥ר דָּבָ֖ר אָמַ֥ר יְהֹוָֽה: |
| nothing shall remain: You shall be paid in kind, corresponding to “There was nothing (v. 4).” (I.e., Hezekiah would be punished for showing off all his treasures, by having all those treasures carried off to Babylonia.) |
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לא יותר דבר:
מדה כנגד מדה כנגד לא היה דבר:
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| 7And they shall take [some] of your sons, who shall issue from you, whom you shall beget, and they shall be officers in the palace of the king of Babylonia." |
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זוּמִבָּנֶ֜יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֵֽצְא֧וּ מִמְּךָ֛ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תּוֹלִ֖יד יִקָּ֑חוּ וְהָיוּ֙ סָֽרִיסִ֔ים בְּהֵיכַ֖ל מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶֽל: |
| And…[some] of your sons: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. |
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ומבניך:
הם חנניה מישאל ועזריה:
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| 8And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good." For he thought, "For there shall be peace and truth in my days." |
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חוַיֹּ֚אמֶר חִזְקִיָּ֙הוּ֙ אֶל־יְשַׁעְיָ֔הוּ ט֥וֹב דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבַּ֑רְתָּ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר כִּ֥י יִהְיֶ֛ה שָׁל֥וֹם וֶֽאֱמֶ֖ת בְּיָמָֽי: |
| “The word of the Lord… is good”: since there will be peace in my days. |
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טוב דבר ה':
מאחר שבימי יהיה שלום:
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