01_van Wieringen_481-497_481-497 10/12/15 10:10 Pagina 496 496 ARCHIBALD VAN WIERINGEN 496 The open ending takes shape in three ways. Firstly, the narration in Isaiah 39 relates that Babel comes to Jerusalem and, in contrast to Assur, even enters into Jerusalem, but it does not mention that Babel ever departs. After the narration in Isaiah 39, Babel still seems to remain present in Jerusalem. Secondly, in v. 6, the prophet Isaiah announces an exile to Babel. This exile concerns the house to which Hezekiah belongs: both pos- sessions and sons are involved. However, in the narration itself, this announcement is not realized. The third element in the open ending of chapter 39 deals with the days of Hezekiah. Using the word ~wy in v. 8b, Hezekiah posi- tions himself between the two points in time found in Isaiah’s an- nouncement in v. 6, also indicated by the word ~wy: the ~yab ~ymy (“the days to come”) and the hzh ~wyh (“this day”). However, the end of these days of Hezekiah is not narrated 33. The word ~wy is an important expression in the Book of Isaiah. By means of the days of the Kings (used in the “headings”), the word ~wy determines the structure of chapters 1–39 34. In view of this, the open ending is also strengthened by the prepositional phrase found at the beginning of the narration, which uses not the standard word ~wy but the word t[ (“time”, v. 1). The word ~wy (“day”) is used in the poem in Isa 38,10-20 in a way parallel to how Hezekiah uses it. The poem places itself in a now-moment (“~wyh, today”, in v. 19), with which wnyyx ymy-lk (“all the days of our life”, v. 20) begins. The end of these days is not mentioned in the poem either. In sum, chapter 39 retains every aspect of the contact between Hezekiah / the “I”-figure and the Lord that occurs previously in chapters 36–38. The poem supports this reversal especially through the ellipsis found between vv. 14-15. Just as the poem uses this el- lipsis in dealing with the Lord, so chapter 39 uses an ellipsis in deal- ing with Babel. Whereas the effect of the ellipsis in the poem is the continuation of days of the living who form the community, includ- ing the “I”-figure (Isa 38,20), the effect of the ellipsis in chapter 39 is exile, however not for the entire community but only for Hezekiah’s house. To emphasize the contrast between the poem and 33 See VAN WIERINGEN, Isaiah 38–39, 32. 34 See VAN WIERINGEN, Reader-Oriented Unity, 55-66. The headings contain- ing the name of a King are found in Isa 1,1 (combined with the word ~wy); 38,9.