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having cast up a palisade sought to meet with Hezekiah. but he was too afraid to go out, and sent three of the honored men from under him. And they said, "If Hezekiah trusts in the Egyptians, he is as foolish as a man leaning on a reed staff, and a broken one at that, which would not help the one holding it, but he himself has fallen down and the reed has pierced his hand. Such is Pharaoh the Egyptian." These things the Rabshakeh spoke in Hebrew to those who were sent. But they asked him to speak to them in the Syrian dialect, so that the multitude might not understand what was being said. But he, raising his voice even more, spoke again in Hebrew in the hearing of all, "Let not Hezekiah deceive you, say1.166 ing, 'The Lord will deliver us.' Did he deliver Samaria?" And they reported these things to Hezekiah. And when he heard, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth, and falling down he besought God, asking for help in hopeless circumstances; and sending to Isaiah the prophet, he exhorted him to pray to God that he might be merciful to the people. And he foretold that the enemies would be defeated without a fight and that Sennacherib would be killed, having returned from Egypt without success. And Sennacherib also sent a letter to Hezekiah, "Let not your God on whom you trust deceive you that Jerusalem will not be delivered into my hands; consider where are the kings of the nations whom my fathers destroyed." Having read this letter, Hezekiah laid it in the temple and supplicated God, saying, "Behold, Lord, and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent, reproaching you, the living God, and save us from his hand." And Isaiah encouraged the king, saying that God had heard him. And during the night an angel in the camp of the Assyrians killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand, and in the morning their dead bodies were found. And the remnant of the army departed from Jerusalem. And Sennacherib, besieging Pelusium, broke off the siege, mice having devoured in one night the bows of the Assyrians and the rest of their weapons. This is not written in the book of Kings, but Josephus relates it, having found it in Herodotus. And he says that Berossus, who wrote the Chaldean history, says that Sennacherib, having returned from the war with the Egyptians, found the army with the Rabshakeh at Jerusalem; and God having sent a pestilential disease upon the Assy1.167 rians, in one night eighteen myriads and five thousand were destroyed, along with their leaders and commanders. Therefore, fearing for the rest of his army, he departed from there with the remaining force and went to Nineveh. And after a short time, having been plotted against by his elder sons, he was killed, and those who killed him fled, while his son Nachordan succeeded to the rule. And Hezekiah, being delivered from the fear, gave thanks to God. And after a short time, when he had fallen ill, Isaiah came to him by the command of God and said, "Set your house in order; for you shall not live." And to him the expectation of dying, and that because he had no children he was about to leave the kingdom desolate of a legitimate succession, made the calamity greater, and being despondent at these things he wept, begging God that life might be lavished upon him. And Isaiah, coming again, announces to him good news of health after the third day and an addition of fifteen years of life. But he, considering the extraordinary nature of the miracle, asked the prophet to show him a sign for the confirmation of what was promised. And when the prophet supplicated God for a sign to happen, the sun, having already declined ten degrees and made a shadow, returned backward ten steps. Thenceforth Hezekiah was delivered from the disease. And the king of the Babylonians, Baladan, having sent an embassy to Hezekiah and sending gifts, desired to have him as an ally and friend. And he showed the ambassadors his treasures and his weapons and all the royal magnificence, and sending back gifts to the Babylonian, he dismissed them. And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Days will come, and the wealth which you have displayed will be carried away to Babylon, and your sons will be in

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βαλόμενοι χάρακα ἐντυχεῖν ἐζήτουν τῷ ̓Εζεκίᾳ. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἀπεδειλίασεν ἐξελθεῖν, τρεῖς δὲ τιμωμένους τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν επεμψε. κἀκεῖνοι "εἰ ἐπὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους πέποιθεν ̓Εζεκίας" εφησαν, "μωραίνει ἐπ' ισης ἀνθρώπῳ καλαμίνῃ ῥάβδῳ ἐρειδομένῳ, καὶ αὐτῇ τεθλασμένῃ, η οὐδὲν ημυνε τῷ κατέχοντι, ἀλλ' αὐτός τε συμπέπτωκε καὶ ὁ κάλαμος τὴν αὐτοῦ χεῖρα διέτρησε. τοιοῦτός ἐστι Φαραὼ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος." ταῦτα ἑβραϊστὶ ὁ ̔Ραψάκης τοῖς πεμφθεῖσιν ὡμίλει. οἱ δὲ τῇ τῶν Σύρων διαλέκτῳ ὁμιλεῖν αὐτοῖς ἠξίουν αὐτόν, ινα μὴ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν λεγομένων συνίησιν. ὁ δὲ μᾶλλον τὴν φωνὴν ἐπάρας ἑβραϊστὶ πάλιν ελεγεν εἰς ἐπήκοον πάντων "μὴ ἀπατάτω ὑμᾶς ̓Εζεκίας λέ1.166 γων, κύριος ῥύσεται ἡμᾶς. μὴ ἐρρύσατο Σαμάρειαν;" καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν ταῦτα τῷ ̓Εζεκίᾳ. ὁ δὲ ἀκούσας διέρρηξε τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ περιεβάλετο σάκκον, καὶ πεσὼν ἐδέετο τοῦ θεοῦ, βοήθειαν ἐπ' ἀνελπίστοις αἰτῶν· καὶ πρὸς ̔Ησαΐαν τὸν προφήτην πέμψας παρεκάλει αὐτὸν δέεσθαι τοῦ θεοῦ ιν' ιλεως εσοιτο τῷ λαῷ. ὁ δὲ ἀμαχητὶ τοὺς πολεμίους προέλεγεν ἡττηθήσεσθαι καὶ τὸν Σεναχηρεὶμ κτανθῆναι απρακτον ἀπ' Αἰγύπτου ἐπανελθόντα. ἐπέστειλε δὲ καὶ Σεναχηρεὶμ τῷ ̓Εζεκίᾳ "μὴ ἐπαιρέτω σε ὁ θεός σου ἐφ' ῳ πέποιθας μὴ παραδοθῆναι τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ εἰς χεῖράς μου· ἀναλόγισαι ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν ους διέφθειραν οἱ πατέρες μου." ταύτην τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀναγνοὺς ̓Εζεκίας κατέθετο εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ ἱκέτευσε τὸν θεόν "ιδε" λέγων "κύριε, καὶ ακουσον τοὺς λόγους Σεναχηρείμ, ους εστειλεν ὀνειδίζων σε τὸν ζῶντα θεόν, καὶ σῶσον ἡμᾶς ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτοῦ." ̔Ησαΐας δὲ παρεθάρρυνε τὸν βασιλέα, ἐπακοῦσαι φάσκων αὐτοῦ τὸν θεόν. καὶ τῇ νυκτὶ αγγελος ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ τῶν ̓Ασσυρίων ἀνεῖλεν ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε χιλιάδας, καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν νεκρὰ τὰ τούτων σώματα εὑρέθησαν. καὶ ἀπῆρε τὸ περιλειφθὲν τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐξ ̔Ιερουσαλήμ. Σεναχηρεὶμ δὲ πολιορκῶν τὸ Πηλούσιον ελυσε τὴν πολιορκίαν, μυῶν ἐν νυκτὶ μιᾷ καταφαγόντων τὰ τόξα τῶν ̓Ασσυρίων καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν οπλων αὐτῶν. τοῦτο ἐν μὲν τῇ τῶν Βασιλειῶν οὐκ ἀναγράφεται βίβλῳ, ̓Ιώσηπος δὲ ἱστορεῖ ἐν ̔Ηροδότῳ εὑρών. τὸν δὲ Βηρωσὸν τὰ Χαλδαϊκὰ συγγραψάμενον φάσκειν φησὶν ὡς ἐπανελθὼν ὁ Σεναχηρεὶμ ἀπὸ τοῦ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων πολέμου κατέλαβε τὴν σὺν τῷ ̔Ραψάκῃ στρατιὰν εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα· καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ λοιμώδη νόσον ἐνσκήψαντος τοῖς ̓Ασσυ1.167 ρίοις, ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ μυριάδες ὀκτωκαίδεκα φθείρονται καὶ πεντακισχίλιοι σὺν ἡγεμόσι καὶ ταξιάρχαις. δείσας ουν ἐκεῖνος περὶ τῇ λοιπῇ στρατιᾷ, ἀπαίρει ἐκεῖθεν μετὰ τῆς περιλειφθείσης δυνάμεως καὶ απεισιν εἰς Νινευί. καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον ἐπιβουλευθεὶς παρὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων παίδων ἀνῃρέθη, τῶν μὲν ἀνῃρηκότων αὐτὸν φυγόντων, Ναχορδὰν δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν διαδεξαμένου. ̓Εζεκίας δὲ τοῦ φόβου ἀπαλλαγεὶς τῷ θεῷ ηὐχαρίστει. καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον νοσήσαντι αὐτῷ προσελθὼν ̔Ησαΐας κατ' ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ειπε "τάξαι τῷ οικῳ σου· οὐ γὰρ ζήσῃ." τῷ δὲ ἡ τοῦ θνήσκειν ἐλπίς, καὶ οτι παῖδας μὴ εχων ερημον εμελλε τὴν βασιλείαν καταλιπεῖν γνησίας διαδοχῆς, ἐποίει μείζω τὴν συμφοράν, καὶ ἀθυμῶν ἐπὶ τούτοις εκλαυσε, ζωὴν ἐπιδαψιλευθῆναι αὐτῷ ἐξαιτούμενος τὸν θεόν. ἐλθὼν δὲ αυθις ̔Ησαΐας ὑγείαν αὐτῷ μετὰ τρίτην ἡμέραν εὐαγγελίζεται καὶ προσθήκην ζωῆς ἐτῶν πεντεκαίδεκα. ὁ δὲ τὸ ὑπερφυὲς τοῦ θαύματος λογιζόμενος, σημεῖον ῃτει τὸν προφήτην δεῖξαι αὐτῷ εἰς πίστωσιν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων. τοῦ δὲ προφήτου τὸν θεὸν ἱκετεύσαντος σημεῖον γενέσθαι, ηδη ἐπὶ δέκα βαθμοὺς ἀποκλίνας ὁ ηλιος καὶ σκιὰν ποιήσας, ἐπέστρεψεν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω δέκα ἀναβαθμούς. ἐντεῦθεν ̓Εζεκίας τῆς νόσου ἀπήλλακτο. ὁ δὲ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων βασιλεὺς Βαλαδὰν πρὸς ̓Εζεκίαν πρεσβείαν ποιησάμενος καὶ δῶρα στείλας, σύμμαχον αὐτὸν εχειν καὶ φίλον ἠξίου. ὁ δὲ τοῖς πρέσβεσι τοὺς θησαυροὺς ὑπέδειξε καὶ τὰ οπλα καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν βασιλικὴν πολυτέλειαν, καὶ ἀνταποστείλας δῶρα τῷ Βαβυλωνίῳ ἀπέλυσεν αὐτούς. ̔Ησαΐας δὲ ειπε τῷ ̓Εζεκίᾳ "ἐλεύσονται ἡμέραι, καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος ον ἐθεάτρισας εἰς Βαβυλῶνα μετατεθήσεται, καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου εσονται εἰς