The next king was the priest of Hephaestus whose name was Sethos. He despised and had no regard for the warrior Egyptians, thinking he would never need them; besides otherwise dishonoring them, he took away the chosen lands which had been given to them, twelve fields to each man, in the reign of former kings.

So when presently king Sanacharib Sennacherib's attack on Hezekiah of +Judaea (region (general)), Israel, Asia Judaea was made on his march to Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt.—II , xviii. came against Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt, with a great force of Arabians and Assyrians, the warrior Egyptians would not march against him.

The priest, in this quandary, went into the temple shrine and there before the god's image bitterly lamented over what he expected to suffer. Sleep came on him while he was lamenting, and it seemed to him the god stood over him and told him to take heart, that he would come to no harm encountering the power of Arabian Peninsula [45,25] (region (general)), AsiaArabia: “I shall send you champions,” said the god.

So he trusted the vision, and together with those Egyptians who would follow him camped at +Pelusium (deserted settlement), Shamal Sina', Desert, Egypt, Africa Pelusium, where the road comes into Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt; and none of the warriors would go with him, but only merchants and craftsmen and traders.

Their enemies came there, too, and during the night were overrun by a horde of field miceThis is Hdt.'s version of the Jewish story of the pestilence which destroyed the Assyrian army before +Jerusalem [35.233,31.766] (inhabited place), Jerusalem, Israel, Asia Jerusalem. Mice are a Greek symbol of pestilence; it is Apollo Smintheus (the mouse god) who sends and then ends the plague in Hom. Il. 1. It has long been known that rats are carriers of the plague. that gnawed quivers and bows and the handles of shields, with the result that many were killed fleeing unarmed the next day.