But pride and vanity took possession of Hezekiah's heart, and in self-exaltation he laid open to covetous eyes the 345 treasures with which God had enriched His people. The king "showed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not." Isaiah 39:2. Not to glorify God did he do this, but to exalt himself in the eyes of the foreign princes. He did not stop to consider that these men were representatives of a powerful nation that had not the fear nor the love of God in their 346 hearts, and that it was imprudent to make them his confidants concerning the temporal riches of the nation.

Men Ezekias hjerte blev stolt og forfængeligt, og for at kaste glans over sig selv lod han de fremmedes grådige blikke betragte de rigdomme, som Gud havde skænket sit folk. Kongen "viste dem huset, hvor han havde sine skatte, sølvet og guldet, røgelsesstofferne, den fine olie, hele sit våbenoplag og alt, hvad der var i hans skatkammer; der var ikke den ting i hans hus og hele hans rige, som Ezekias ikke viste dem". Es. 39,2. Han gjorde det ikke for at ære Gud, men for at ophøje sig selv i de fremmede fyrsters øjne. Han tænkte ikke et øjeblik på, at disse mænd var repræsentanter for et mægtigt folk, som hverken frygtede Gud eller ejede kærlighed i hjertet, og at det var uklogt at vise dem landets timelige rigdomme.