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and put me to death, lest they ever say that a woman killed him." And so the child killed him. After Abimelech, Tola judged for 23 years, and after Tola, Jephthah for 6 years, and after Jephthah, Ibzan for 7 years, and after Ibzan, Elon for 10 years, and after Elon, Samson for 20 years, in whose time also Heracles, the renowned among the Greeks, was known. After Samson there was anarchy for 40 years. After the judges, the high priest Eli judged the people for 20 years, and for the drunken violence and disorder of his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, concerning the sacrifices, divine justice came upon them; for they were terribly slain in the war, while he, falling backward from his chair and breaking his back, died at the age of 6. After Eli, Samuel the prophet and priest for 30 years. And the people gather to him at Armathaim asking for a king. And to him who was greatly grieved God said, "Listen to the voice of the people, because they have not rejected you but me, from reigning over them." And he gave them Saul from the tribe of Benjamin, anointing him as king. Therefore after Samuel, Saul reigned for 40 years, who having dared first to offer incense to God, then transgressed the commandment of God concerning the Amalekites, by keeping Agag their king alive, 13 heard from the prophet, "because it has been in vain for you, because you did not keep my commandment, which the Lord commanded you," and what follows. And after Saul, David from the tribe of Judah reigned for 40 years, who also did all the will of the Lord. And having struck Melcho, king of the Syrians, and having taken the great golden crown from his head, which had precious stones, he wore it, and it was a most beautiful ornament on his head, which he made known saying "O Lord, in your strength the king will rejoice" and the rest of the psalm. Therefore, having become an old man and full of days, and having made his son Solomon king, he said to him, "And now, Solomon, know the God of your fathers, and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing soul, for the Lord searches all hearts and knows every thought. And if you seek him, he will be found by you, and if you forsake him, he will forsake you forever." And he gave him the plan of the whole temple in writing, saying, "Be strong and courageous, for the Lord my God is with you." And after these things he died in a good old age with wealth and glory and piety, at the age of 70. And David was 30 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for 40 years. But he was first deemed worthy of the royal anointing by Samuel; for the history called the people's proclamations different anointings. Having died, therefore, he is buried in the city of Jerusalem in the greatest tomb, which his most wise son Solo 14 mon constructed, in which he also buried with his father many ten thousands of talents of gold, as Josephus says. And this is clear from what happened later; for the high priest Hyrcanus, when the city was besieged by Antiochus the son of Demetrius, opened the tomb and carried away 3 talents from there. And a talent holds 125 coins. After him Herod, knowing that Hyrcanus had done this, also opened the tomb, and he did not find money, but he took away very many golden ornaments and treasures. And when he tried to go further inside, where the bodies of David and Solomon were placed, a fire came out and destroyed two of his bodyguards. Therefore after David, Solomon his son reigned for 40 years, who having received the all-wonderful and God-given and superhuman wisdom built both the city and the temple of the Lord in seven years, in length 60 cubits, in width 20 cubits and in height 120 cubits; for it was of two stories, as Josephus says. And the provision of Solomon was daily 30 kors of fine flour, 60 kors of ground meal, 10 choice calves, 20 pasture-fed oxen and 100 sheep, besides harts and gazelles and choice and fatted fowl. And a kor made 30 modii. Becoming altogether 2700 modii. And Solomon died at the age of 73, and was buried with his father. In his time were Homer and Hesiod. 15 And after Solomon, Rehoboam his son reigned for 17 years, who did evil

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καὶ θανάτωσόν με, μή ποτε εἴπωσιν ὅτι γυνὴ αὐτὸν ἀπέκτεινεν." καὶ οὕτως ἀνεῖλεν αὐτὸν τὸ παιδίον. Μετὰ δὲ Ἀβιμέλεχ ἔκρινε Θολὰ ἔτη κγʹ, μετὰ δὲ Θολὰ Ἰεφθάε ἔτη ʹ, μετὰ δὲ Ἰεφθάε Ἀβεσὰ ἔτη ζʹ, μετὰ δὲ ἈβεσαἘλὼμ ἔτη ιʹ, μετὰ δὲ Ἐλὼμ Σαμψὼν ἔτη κʹ, ἐφ' οὗ καὶ Ἡρακλῆς ὁ παρ' Ἕλλησι διαβόητος ἐγνωρίζετο. Μετὰ δὲ Σαμψὼν ἐγένετο ἀναρχία ἔτη μʹ. Μετὰ δὲ τοὺς κριτὰς ἔκρινε τὸν λαὸν ἀρχιερεὺς Ἠλεὶ ἔτη κʹ, καὶ τῇ παροινίᾳ καὶ ἀταξίᾳ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ Ὀφνεὶ καὶ Φινεὲς τῇ ἐπὶ τῶν θυσιῶν ἐπῆλθεν αὐτοῖς ἡ θεία δίκη· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ δεινῶς ἀνῃρέθησαν, ὁ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ δίφρου πεσὼν ὀπισθίως καὶ τὸν νῶτον συντριβεὶς ἀπέθανεν ἐτῶν ʹ. Μετὰ δὲ Ἠλεὶ Σαμουὴλ ὁ προφήτης καὶ ἱερεὺς ἔτη λʹ. καὶ συναθροίζεται ὁ λαὸς πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰς Ἀρμαθαὶμ αἰτούμενος βασιλέα. τῷ δὲ σφόδρα λυπηθέντι εἶπεν ὁ θεός "ἄκουσον τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ λαοῦ, ὅτι οὐ σὲ ἐξουδενώσουσιν ἀλλ' ἐμέ, τοῦ μὴ βασιλεύειν ἐπ' αὐτῶν." καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὸν Σαοὺλ ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμίν, χρίσας αὐτὸν εἰς βασιλέα. Μετὰ οὖν Σαμουὴλ ἐβασίλευσε Σαοὺλ ἔτη μʹ, ὃς τολμήσας πρότερον μὲν θυμιᾶσαι τῷ θεῷ, εἶτα παραβὰς τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τοῖς Ἀμαληκίταις, ζωογονήσας Ἀγὰγ τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῶν, 13 ἤκουσε παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου "ὅτι μεματαίωταί σοι, ὅτι οὐκ ἐφύλαξας τὴν ἐντολήν μου, ἣν ἐνετείλατό σοι κύριος," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Μετὰ δὲ Σαοὺλ ἐβασίλευσε ∆αβὶδ ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα ἔτη μʹ, ὃς καὶ ἐποίησε τὰ θελήματα τοῦ κυρίου πάντα. πατάξας δὲ καὶ τὸν Μελχὼ βασιλέα τῶν Σύρων, καὶ λαβὼν τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ στέφανον χρυσοῦν μέγαν, ἔχοντα λίθους τιμίους, ἐφόρεσεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἦν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ κόσμος εὐπρεπέστατος, ὅπερ δηλῶν ἔφη "κύριε, ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου εὐφρανθήσεται ὁ βασιλεύς" καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ. πρεσβύτερος οὖν καὶ πλήρης ἡμερῶν γενόμενος, καὶ βασιλεύσας τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Σολομῶντα, εἶπεν αὐτῷ "καὶ νῦν, Σολομόν, γνῶθι τὸν θεὸν τῶν πατέρων σου, καὶ δούλευε αὐτῷ ἐν καρδίᾳ τελείᾳ καὶ ψυχῇ θελούσῃ, ὅτι καρδίας πάσας ἐτάζει κύριος καὶ πᾶν ἐνθύμημα γινώσκει. καὶ ἐὰν ζητήσῃς αὐτόν, εὑρεθήσεταί σοι, καὶ ἐὰν καταλείψῃς αὐτόν, καταλείψει σε εἰς τέλος." καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ τὸ παράδειγμα τοῦ ναοῦ παντὸς ἐν γραφῇ, λέγων "ἴσχυε καὶ ἀνδρίζου, ὅτι κύριος ὁ θεός μου μετὰ σοῦ." καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐτελεύτησεν ἐν γήρᾳ καλῷ πλούτῳ τε καὶ δόξῃ καὶ εὐσεβείᾳ, ἐτῶν οʹ. ἦν δὲ ἐτῶν λʹ ∆αβὶδ ἐν τῷ βασιλεύειν αὐτόν, ἐβασίλευσε δὲ καὶ ἔτη μʹ. ἀλλὰ τῆς μὲν βασιλικῆς χρίσεως διὰ Σαμουὴλ ἠξιώθη τὸ πρότερον· τὰς γὰρ τοῦ λαοῦ ἀναγορεύσεις ἡ ἱστορία χρίσεις διαφόρους ὠνόμασεν. τελευτήσας τοίνυν θάπτεται ἐν τῇ πόλει Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς τὸ μέγιστον μνῆμα, ὃ κατεσκεύασεν ὁ σοφώτατος υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Σο 14 λομῶν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ συγκατώρυξε τῷ πατρὶ πολλὰς μυριάδας ταλάντων χρυσίου, ὡς φησὶν Ἰώσηπος. καὶ δῆλον ἐκ τῶν εἰς ὕστερον γενομένων· ὁ γὰρ ἀρχιερεὺς Ὑρκανὸς πολιορκουμένης τῆς πόλεως ὑπ' Ἀντιόχου τοῦ ∆ημητρίου παιδὸς ἀνοίξας τὸ μνῆμα τάλαντα γʹ ἐκεῖθεν ἐξεφόρησεν. τὸ δὲ τάλαντον ἔχει νομίσματα ρκεʹ. μεθ' ὃν Ἡρώδης γνοὺς ὡς Ὑρκανὸς τοῦτο πεποίηκεν, ἤνοιξε καὶ αὐτὸς τὸν τάφον, καὶ χρήματα μὲν οὐχ εὗρεν, κόσμον δὲ καὶ κειμήλια χρύσεα πάμπολλα ἀνείλετο. πειραθέντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐνδοτέρω χωρεῖν, οὗ τὰ σώματα ∆αβίδ τε καὶ Σολομῶντος ἐτέθη, πῦρ ἐξελθὸν δύο τῶν δορυφόρων αὐτοῦ διέφθειρε. Μετὰ οὖν ∆αβὶδ ἐβασίλευσε Σολομῶν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἔτη μʹ, ὃς τὴν πανθαύμαστον καὶ θεόδοτον καὶ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον σοφίαν δεξάμενος ᾠκοδόμησε τήν τε πόλιν καὶ τὸν ναὸν κυρίου ἐν ἔτεσιν ἑπτά, μῆκος πήχεων ξʹ, εὖρος πήχεων κʹ καὶ ὕψος πήχεων ρκʹ· δίφορος γὰρ ἦν, ὡς φησὶν Ἰώσηπος. τὸ δὲ ἄριστον τοῦ Σολομῶντος ἦν καθ' ἡμέραν κόροι σεμιδάλεως λʹ, κόροι ἀλεύρου κεκοπανισμένου ξʹ, μόσχοι ἐκλεκτοὶ ιʹ, βόες νομάδες κʹ καὶ πρόβατα ρʹ, ἐκτὸς ἐλάφων καὶ δορκάδων καὶ ὀρνίθων ἐκλεκτῶν καὶ σιτευτῶν. ὁ δὲ κόρος ἐποίει μόδια λʹ. ὁμοῦ γινόμενα μόδια βψʹ. ἀπέθανε δὲ Σολομῶν ἐτῶν ογʹ, καὶ ἐτάφη μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ. ἐφ' οὗ ἦν Ὅμηρος καὶ Ἡσίοδος. 15 Μετὰ δὲ Σολομῶντα ἐβασίλευσε Ῥοβοὰμ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἔτη ιζʹ, ὃς τὸ πονηρὸν ἐποίησεν