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Let Hezekiah deceive you, saying, 'God will deliver you.' Did the gods of the nations each deliver his own land from the hand of the king of the Assyrians? Where is the god of Aetham and Arphad? and 146 where is the god of Sepharvaim? Was Samaria able to be delivered from my hand? Which of all the gods of these nations has delivered his own land from my hand, that he says, 'The Lord the God of Israel will deliver you from my hand'? And they were silent and no one answered him because the king had commanded that no one answer him. And Eliakim, the son of Chelkias, the steward, and Somnas the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah, with their tunics torn, and they reported to him the words of the Rabshakeh. And it came to pass when king Hezekiah heard it, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth, and went up into the temple of the Lord; and he sent Eliakim the steward and Somnas the scribe and the elders of the priests, clothed in sackcloth, to Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the prophet, and they said to him, Thus says Hezekiah. Today is a day of tribulation, and bondage, and rebuke, and wrath, because the pangs have come to her who is in labor, but she has no strength to give birth. May the Lord your God hear the words of the Rabshakeh, which the king of the Assyrians sent to reproach the living God and to reproach with words which the Lord your God has heard, and may you pray to the Lord your God concerning this remnant that is left. And the servants of the king came to Isaiah; and Isaiah said to them, Thus shall you say to your lord. 147 Thus says the Lord. Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the ambassadors of the king of the Assyrians have reproached me. And behold, I will put a spirit into him, and hearing a report he will return to his own country, and he will fall by the sword in his own land. And the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of the Assyrians besieging Lomna. And the king of the Assyrians heard that Thara, king of the Ethiopians, had come out to besiege him. And when he heard it he sent the Rabshakeh to meet him with a great force; and he himself, remaining, sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah. Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you, saying, 'Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hands of the king of the Assyrians.' Or have you not heard what the kings of the Assyrians have done to all the earth, and did the gods of the nations deliver them? Did not my fathers destroy both Gozan and Haran and Rapheis, which are in the country of Thaeman? Where are the kings of Aimath and Arphad and the city of Sepharvaim? And Hezekiah received the book from the messengers, and read it before the Lord; and Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying, O God of Israel who sits upon the Cherubim, for you alone are God, king of the world, who made the heaven 148 and the earth, hear, O Lord, look upon, O Lord, and see the words, which Sennacherib has sent, reproaching the living God. For in truth the kings of the Assyrians have laid waste the whole world and its countries, and have cast their idols into the fire; for they were not gods, but the works of men's hands, wood and stones; and they destroyed them. And now, O Lord our God, save us from their hand, so that every kingdom of the earth may know that you alone are God. And Isaiah, son of Amoz, was sent to Hezekiah, and said to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel. I have heard what you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib, king of the Assyrians. thus says the Lord against the king of the Assyrians. He shall not enter into this city, nor shall he shoot an arrow against it, nor shall he set up a shield against it, nor shall he surround it with a rampart, but by the way that he came, by it he shall return, for thus says the Lord. I will defend this city to save it for my own sake and for the sake of David, my servant. And an angel of the Lord went out at night, and slew from the camp of the Assyrians 185,000.

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ἀπατάτω Ἐζεκίας λέγων, Ὁ θεὸς ὑμᾶς ῥύσεται. μὴ ἐῤῥύσαντο οἱ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χώραν ἐκ χειρὸς βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων; ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς Αἰθὰμ καὶ Ἀρφάδ; καὶ 146 ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς Σεπφαρωθείμ; μὴ ἠδυνήθη Σαμάρεια ῥυσθῆναι ἐκ τῆς χειρός μου; τίς τῶν θεῶν πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν τούτων ἐῤῥύσατο τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γῆν ἐκ τῆς χειρός μου, ὅτι λέγει, Ῥύσεταί σε κύριος ὁ θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ χειρός μου; Καὶ ἐσιώπησαν καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ διὰ τὸ προστάξαι τὸν βασιλέα μηδένα ἀποκριθῆναι αὐτῷ. καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Ἐλιακεὶμ ὁ τοῦ Χελκίου ὁ οἰκονόμος καὶ Σομνᾶς ὁ γραμματεὺς καὶ Ἰωὰς ὁ τοῦ Ἀσὰφ ὁ ὑπομνηματογράφος πρὸς Ἐζεκίαν,ἐσχισμένοι τοὺς χιτῶνας, καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν αὐτῷ τοὺς λόγους Ῥαψάκου. καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἀκοῦσαι τὸν βασιλέα Ἐζεκίαν, ἔσχισε τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ σάκκον περιεβάλετο, καὶ ἀνέβη εἰς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ κυρίου· καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Ἐλιακεὶμ τὸν οἰκονόμον καὶ Σομνᾶν τὸν γραμματέα καὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῶν ἱερέων, περιβεβλημένους σάκκους, πρὸς Ἠσαΐαν, υἱὸν Ἀμώς, τὸν προφήτην, καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ, Τάδε λέγει Ἐζεκίας. Ἡμέρα θλίψεως, δεσμοῦ καὶ ἐλεγμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς ἡ σήμερον ἡμέρα, ὅτι ἥκει ἡ ὠδὶν τῇ τικτούσῃ, ἰσχὺν δὲ οὐκ ἔχει τοῦ τεκεῖν. εἰσακούσῃ κύριος ὁ θεός σου τοὺς λόγους Ῥαψάκου, οὓς ἀπέστειλε βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων ὀνειδίζειν θεὸν ζῶντα καὶ ὀνειδίζειν λόγοις οἷς ἤκουσε κύριος ὁ θεός σου, καὶ δεηθήσῃ πρὸς κύριον τὸν θεόν σου περὶ τῶν καταλελειμμένων τούτων. καὶ ἦλθον οἱ παῖδες τοῦ βασιλέως πρὸς Ἠσαΐαν· καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἠσαΐας, Οὕτως ἐρεῖτε πρὸς τὸν κύ 147 ριον ὑμῶν. Τάδε λέγει κύριος. Μὴ φοβηθῇς ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων ὧν ἤκουσας, οὓς ὠνείδισάν με οἱ πρέσβεις βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων. καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐμβαλῶ εἰς αὐτὸν πνεῦμα, καὶ ἀκούσας ἀγγελίαν ἀποστραφήσεται εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πεσεῖται μάχαιρα ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἀπέστρεψε Ῥαψάκης, καὶ κατέλαβε τὸν βασιλέα Ἀσσυρίων πολιορκοῦντα Λομνᾶ. καὶ ἤκουσε βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων ὅτι ἐξῆλθε Θάρα, βασιλεὺς Αἰθιόπων, πολιορκῆσαι αὐτόν. καὶ ἀκούσας ἀπέστειλεν εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτοῦ τὸν Ῥαψάκην μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς· καὶ αὐτὸς μείνας ἀπέστειλεν ἀγγέλους πρὸς Ἐζεκίαν λέγων, Οὕτως ἐρεῖτε Ἐζεκίᾳ, βασιλεῖ τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Μή σε ἀπατάτω ὁ θεός σου, ἐφ' ᾧ πεποιθὼς εἶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ, λέγων, Οὐ μὴ παραδοθῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς χεῖρας βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων. ἢ οὐκ ἤκουσας ἃ ἐποίησαν βασιλεῖς Ἀσσυρίων πάσῃ τῇ γῇ, καὶ μὴ ἐῤῥύσαντο αὐτοὺς οἱ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν; οὐχὶ οἱ πατέρες μου ἀπώλεσαν τήν τε Γωζὰν καὶ Χαρὰν καὶ Ῥαφεῖς, αἵ εἰσιν ἐν χώρᾳ Θαιμᾶν; ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ βασιλεῖς Αἰμὰθ καὶ Ἀρφὰδ καὶ πόλεως Σεπφαρείμ; Καὶ ἔλαβεν Ἐζεκίας τὸ βιβλίον παρὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων, καὶ ἀνέγνω αὐτὸ ἐναντίον κυρίου· καὶ προσηύξατο πρὸς κύριον Ἐζεκίας λέγων, Ὁ θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν Χερουβίμ, ὅτι σὺ θεὸς μόνος εἶ βασιλεὺς τῆς οἰκουμένης, ὁ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρα 148 νὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, εἰσάκουσον, κύριε, ἐπίβλεψον, κύριε, καὶ ἴδε τοὺς λόγους, οὓς ἀπέστειλε Σενναχηρείμ, ὀνειδίζων θεὸν ζῶντα. ἐπ' ἀληθείας γὰρ ἠρήμωσαν βασιλεῖς Ἀσσυρίων τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην καὶ τὰς χώρας αὐτῆς, καὶ ἔβαλον τὰ εἴδωλα αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ πῦρ· οὐ γὰρ θεοὶ ἦσαν, ἀλλ' ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων, ξύλα καὶ λίθοι· καὶ ἀπώλεσαν αὐτούς. καὶ νῦν, κύριε ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, σῶσον ἡμᾶς ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτῶν, ἵνα γνῷ πᾶσα βασιλεία τῆς γῆς ὅτι σὺ εἶ θεὸς μόνος. Καὶ ἀπεστάλη Ἠσαΐας, υἱὸς Ἀμώς, πρὸς Ἐζεκίαν, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς Ἰσραήλ. Ἤκουσα, ἃ προσηύξω πρός με περὶ Σενναχηρείμ, βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων. οὕτως λέγει κύριος ἐπὶ βασιλέα Ἀσσυρίων. Οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθῃ εἰς τὴν πόλιν ταύτην, οὐδὲ μὴ βάλῃ ἐπ' αὐτὴν βέλος, οὐδὲ μὴ στήσῃ ἐπ' αὐτὴν θυρεόν, οὐδὲ μὴ κυκλώσῃ ἐπ' αὐτὴν χάρακα, ἀλλὰ τῇ ὁδῷ ᾗ ἦλθεν, ἐν αὐτῇ ἀποστραφήσεται, ὅτι τάδε λέγει κύριος. Ὑπερασπιῶ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης τοῦ σῶσαι αὐτὴν δι' ἐμὲ καὶ διὰ ∆αβίδ, τὸν παῖδά μου. Καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἄγγελος κυρίου νυκτός, καὶ ἀνεῖλεν ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ρπεʹ χιλιάδας.