15He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is transliterated as “Hezekiah” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “king” and “facing the wall” referring to Isaiah 38:2. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that signifies a model, a parameter for his life, referring to “he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, just as his ancestor David had done” of 2 Kings 18:3. (Source: Missão Kophós )
In Malay, the pronoun beta for the royal “I” (or “my” or “me”) that is used by royals when speaking to people of lower rank, subordinates or commoners to refer to themselves in these verses. This reflects the “language of the court because the monarchy and sultanate in Malaysia are still alive and well. All oral and printed literature (including newspapers and magazines) preserve and glorify the language of the court. Considering that the language of the court is part of the Malaysian language, court language is used sparingly where appropriate, specifically with texts relating to palace life.” (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 263ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 20:15:
Kupsabiny: “Then Isaiah asked again, ‘So what did those people see in your home?’ He said, ‘They saw everything that is in my homestead.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “The prophet asked, "What-all did they see in your palace?" Hezekiah said, "They saw everything in my palace. There is nothing of my treasures that I did not show them."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The prophet still indeed asked, ‘What did- they -see in your (sing.) palace?’ Hezekia replied, ‘They saw everything in my palace. There-is-nothing at-all among my wealth that I did- not -show to them.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Isaiah asked, ‘What did they see in your palace?’ Hezekiah replied, ‘They saw everything. I showed them absolutely everything that I own—all my valuable things.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Once again, the verb said may be better translated “asked” in this context.
The word house refers, of course, to the royal palace and in those languages that have a special term for the residence of the king, that term should probably be used here.
There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them: It may not be desirable to try to imitate this statement that contains two negatives. The same idea may be stated positively as “I showed them absolutely everything in my storehouses.” The word storehouses may have to be translated by several words, for example, “the houses where I keep my treasures.” Compare verse 13.
The direct quotation used for Hezekiah’s response may be made into indirect discourse if this is more natural in the language of translation. A possible model for this is as follows:
• Hezekiah responded that there was absolutely nothing that he did not show them. He insisted that they had seen all of his treasures.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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