בָּתַר דְּשָׁכִיב, לָא הֲוָה בַּר נָשׁ דְּהֲוָה לֵיהּ מַרְעִין, דְּלָא מִית. עַד דְּאָתָא חִזְקִיָּה, מָה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ, (ישעיהו ל״ח:א׳) בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם חָלָה חִזְקִיָּהוּ לָמוּת וְגוֹ'. תָּא חֲזִי, מָה כְּתִיב וַיַסֵּב חִזְקִיָּהוּ פָּנָיו אֶל הַקִּיר וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל יְיָ', אָמַר לֵיהּ, אִי נִיחָא קָמָךְ דְּיִתְּסוּן בְּנֵי נָשָׁא מִבֵּי מַרְעֵיהוֹן, וְיוֹדוּן שְׁמָךְ, וְיִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעוּן, וִיתוּבוּן לְבָתַר בְּתִיּוּבְתָא שְׁלֵימָתָא, וְיִשְׁתַּכְּחוּן בְּנֵי עָלְמָא זַכָּאִין קֳדָמָךְ. אָמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, יֵאוֹת הוּא, אַתּ תְּהֵא סִימָנָא בְּעָלְמָא, וְכַךְ הוּא, מַאי דְּלָא הֲוָה מִקַּדְמַת דְּנָא. הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב, (ישעיהו ל״ח:ט׳) מִכְתָּב לְחִזְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה בַּחֲלוֹתוֹ וַיְחִי מֵחָלְיוֹ. וְתָאנָא, הַהוּא יוֹמָא אִתְחָזַר שִׁמְשָׁא עֶשֶׂר דַּרְגִּין. From the death of Jacob until the time of King Hezekiah, no man ever recovered from an illness, but of Hezekiah it is written, “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death” (Isa. 38, 1), and later, “Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed unto the Lord” (V. 2). He said unto Him: “May it be Thy pleasure that men should be enabled to recover from their maladies, so that they may praise Thy Name and acknowledge Thee and turn unto Thee with perfect repentance, and thus be found worthy before Thee.” And the Holy One replied: “So be it! And thou shalt be the first sign thereof.” So Hezekiah experienced something which no human being had previously experienced, concerning which it is written: “The writing of Hezekiah King of Judah, and he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness” (Ibid. 5, 9). We are also told that on that day the sun went backward ten degrees.

קָם וְכָתַב כְּתָבוֹי, שְׁלָם לְחִזְקִיָּהוּ מַלְכָּא דִּיהוּדָה וּשְׁלָם לְאֱלָהֵיהּ וּשְׁלָם לִיְרוּשָׁלַ ם קַרְתָּא קַדִּישָׁא. לְבָתַר אַמְלִיךְ וְקָם מִכֻּרְסְיָה, וּפָסַע תְּלַת פְּסִיעָן, וְכָתַב אַחֲרָנִין, שְׁלָם לֶאֱלָהָא רַבָּא דְּבִיְרוּשָׁלַ ם וּשְׁלָם לְחִזְקִיָּהוּ מַלְכָּא דִּיהוּדָה וּשְׁלָם לִיְרוּשָׁלַ ם קַרְתָּא קַדִּישָׁא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אַנְתְּ פָּסַעְתְּ בְּגִין יְקָרִי תְּלַת פְּסִיעָן, חַיֶּיךָ, מִינָךְ יִפְקוּן תְּלַת מַלְכִּין שַׁלִּיטִין, קַסְטִירִין רוּפִינִין דְּשָׁלִיטִין בְּכָל עָלְמָא, וְקַדְמָאָה מִנַּיְיהוּ נְבוּכַדְנֶצַר הֲוָה. The King rose from his throne, and wrote: “Peace be to Hezekiah the King of Judah, peace be to his God, and peace be to Jerusalem, the holy city.” Presently he again rose up from his throne, and retiring three steps as though in a king’s presence, wrote: “Peace be to the great God in Jerusalem, peace be to Hezekiah the King of Judah, and peace be to Jerusalem the holy city.” Then the Holy One spake to him and said: “Thou hast stepped back in my honour three paces. By thy life! three august kings who shall rule over the whole world will descend from thee!” And so it was. The first was Nebuchadnezzar.

תָּא חֲזֵי, מַאי אֲמַר לֵיהּ דָּנִיאֵל, (דניאל ב׳:ל״ח-ל״ט) אַנְּתּ הוּא רֵאשָׁה דִּי דַּהֲבָא. וּבַתְרָךְ תְּקוּם מַלְכוּ אָחֳרִי אֲרַע מִינָךְ וּמַלְכוּ תְּלִיתָאָה אָחֳרִי וְגוֹ'. מַה כְּתִיב (דניאל ג׳:א׳) נְבוּכַדְנְצַר מַלְכָּא עֲבַד צְלֵם דִּי דְהַב רוּמֵיהּ אַמִּין שִׁתִּין פְּתָיֵהּ אַמִּין שִׁית. אֲמַר נְבוּכַדְנֶצַר צֻלְמָא דַּחֲמֵינָא, הֲוָה רֵישָׁא דִּי דַּהֲבָא, מֵעוֹי דְּכֶסֶף, אֲנָא אַעֲבִיד כֹּלָּא דְּדַהֲבָא, דְּלִהוֵי קַּזְפִּירָא דְּדַהֲבָא בְּרֵישָׁא. Of him Daniel says: “Thou art this head of gold, and after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass which shall bear rule over all the earth” (Dan. 2, 38, 39). And it says further: “Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was three score cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits” (Ibid. 3, 1). Said Nebuchadnezzar: “The image which I saw in my dream had a head of gold on a body of silver, but I want to make an image all of gold and a golden crown on its head.”

וְתָאנָא, הַהוּא יוֹמָא כָּנַשׁ כָּל אוּמַיָּא וַעֲמַמְיָא וְלִישָׁנַיָיא לְמִפְלַח לְהַהוּא צַלְמָא, וְנָטַל מָאנָא מִמָּאנִי מַקְדְּשָׁא, דְּהֲוָה גָּלִיף בֵּיהּ שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא, וְעָיִיל לֵיהּ בְּפוּמֵיהּ דְּהַהוּא צַלְמָא, וּבְהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא הֲוָה מְמַלֵּל רַבְרְבָן, עַד דְּאָתָא דָּנִיאֵל, וְקָרִיב גַּבֵּי דְּהַהוּא צַלְמָא, וְאָמַר אֲנָא שְׁלִיחָא דְּמָארָא עִלָּאָה, גּוֹזְרָנִי עָלָךְ לְמֵפַק מֵהָכָא. אִדְכַּר שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא, וְנָפַק הַהוּא מָאנָא, וְנָפַל צַלְמָא וְאִתְבַּר. הַיְינוּ דִּכְתִּיב וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶת בִּלְעוֹ מִפִּיו וְלֹא יִנְהֲרוּ אֵלָיו עוֹד גּוֹיִם. קָם רִבִּי יְהוּדָה וּנַשְׁקֵיהּ עַל רֵישֵׁיהּ, אָמַר אִי לָא דְּקָרִיבְנָא בְּקּוּטְפַיָיא הָכָא, לָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדַעְנָא בָּךְ. וַהֲווּ דַּחֲלִין קַמֵּיהּ מֵהַהוּא יוֹמָא. And so we are told that on that day Nebuchadnezzar summoned all nations, peoples, and tongues, in order that they might worship that image, and he took one of the vessels of the Sanctuary on which the Holy Name was engraved and put it into the mouth of that image. Then he spoke boastful words until Daniel appeared, and came close to the image, and said: “I am an ambassador of the highest Lord: He has decreed through me that thou shouldst depart from here!” and uttered the Holy Name. Immediately the vessel departed and the image fell and broke in pieces. This, then, is the meaning of the words: “I will bring out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up, and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him.” ‘ Then R. Judah stood up and kissed young Rab Huna on his head, and said: ‘Had I not drawn thee near to me, I should not have discovered thy wisdom.’ From that time the students treated him with great respect.