2 Kings 20:14
Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon. Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.
The meeting with the envoys took place after Hezekiah recovered from sickness. Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked what the men had said and from where they had come to him, and Hezekiah answered that they had come from a far country, even from Babylon. In connection with that visit he displayed to the strangers the riches and treasures of the Lord's house and of his kingdom and its advantages. He showed the Babylonian visitors the treasures and advantages of his kingdom because he thought the display would gain him influence with them.
God used the episode to try Hezekiah, and it served as a test that revealed what was in his heart, exposing pride and self-exaltation. The display tempted the king of Babylon to come and plunder the treasures, for the visitors left and began planning how to take those advantages for themselves. The disclosure was unwise and sinful, exposing God's people and their prosperity to the enemy and laying open what should have been kept from them, and as a heinous sin it brought a heavy curse. Hezekiah's beginning to give himself away in this way shows the danger of trusting unbelievers and forming alliances with them instead of relying on God. Like his exposure, opening an institution's books and internal resources and workings to outside citizens and the world is a serious mistake, and any promised financial contribution is small compared with the harm caused. The account warns against making unbelievers acquainted with the church's trials and weaknesses or involving them in settling church affairs, except when confessing a personal injury done to them.