Baladan

Baladan was the father of Merodach-baladan, king of Babylon, mentioned in 2 Kings 20:12 and Isaiah 39:1. Merodach-baladan sent envoys with letters and a gift to King Hezekiah of Judah, ostensibly to congratulate him on his recovery from illness but likely also to explore an anti-Assyrian alliance. Baladan is known historically as Baladan II, and his son Merodach-baladan (Marduk-apla-iddina II) was a Chaldean prince who twice seized the Babylonian throne in the late eighth century BC.