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Having said that the first captivity occurred in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, he now added: "In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar a dream was dreamed." He did not add these things simply, but so that we might also learn the time precisely. For this reason, the divine prophets, when mentioning the kings, also record the number of the years. "Therefore in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar he dreamed a dream, and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep departed from him. (2.) And the king said to call the enchanters, and the magicians, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to declare to the king his dream." Therefore, the economy of God is clear to the prudent; for wishing to make his dream known to his own prophet, so that he might receive from it good and saving counsels, He frightens him with the dream, but takes away the memory of the dream. But just as the providence of the God of all is clear, so also is the king's madness known to all the pious. For how is it not a matter of extreme derangement to seek the memory of the dream from others? But nevertheless, having been called, it says, "they came, and stood before the king." 3, 4. "And the king said to them: I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. And the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Syriac, and said: O king, live for ever: you tell the dream to your servants, and we will declare its interpretation." And they made their request, which was indeed reasonable; but their promise was boastful; for it was not for human intellect to interpret divine revelations without assistance from above. The Chaldeans spoke in Syriac, since they were gathered from various nations, and while each had its own tongue, they all used the language of the Syrians in common, wishing to show the reasonableness of their response. But not even so did they persuade the arrogant king not to demand from men things contrary to nature. 5, 6. "For the king answered at once, and said to the Chaldeans: The word has departed from me; if therefore you do not make known to me the dream, and its interpretation, you shall be destroyed, and your houses 81.1288 shall be plundered. But if you make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards, and great honor; but declare to me the dream and its interpretation." These things show not only his rash and brutish nature, but also his great foolishness; for it is of the utmost folly to think that, either by the threat of evils, or by the promise of good things, greater knowledge would come to the Chaldeans. (7.) Therefore they immediately said to him: "Tell your dream to your servants, and we will declare its interpretation." For we confess our servitude, he says, but we also know our nature; and we shall be able to interpret the dream, if we learn it, but to tell it, which was made known to you and then given over to forgetfulness, we are not able. But the vain man nonetheless insisted, seeking the recollection of the dream. For the king answered, it says, and said: 8. "Of a truth I know that you are buying time, because you saw that the matter has departed from me. (9.) If therefore you do not declare the dream to me, your decree is one, and I know that you have conspired to speak a false and corrupt word before me, until the time passes; tell me my dream, and I shall know that you will declare to me its interpretation." Of these words, the demand is arrogant and mad, but the accusation is very true; For you wish, he says, to learn the dream, so that by jointly fabricating some false interpretation, you might deceive me as usual, taking the length of time as an accomplice, and awaiting the time of the outcome. Having heard these things, the Chaldeans (for as it seems, these had greater boldness before him than the others) then speak declaratively, and completely give up on the recollection of the dream. 10. "For there is not, they said, a man upon the dry land, who will be able

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τὴν πρώτην αἰχμαλωσίαν εἰρηκὼς γεγενῆσθαι ἐν ἔτει τρίτῳ τῆς βασιλείας Ἰωακεὶμ βασιλέως Ἰούδα, ἐπήγαγε νῦν· "Ἐν τῷ ἔτειτῷ δευτέρῳ τῆς βασιλείας Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἐνυπνιά σθη ἐνύπνιον." Ταῦτα δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς προστέθεικε, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ τὸν χρόνον ἀκριβῶς καταμάθωμεν. Τούτου χάριν καὶ οἱ θεῖοι προφῆται, μεμνημένοι τῶν βασιλέων, καὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἐτῶν ἀναγράφουσιν. "Ἐν τῷ ἔτει τοίνυν τῷ δευτέρῳ τῆς βασιλείας Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἐνυπνιάσθη ἐνύπνιον, καὶ ἐξέστη τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ ὕπνος ἀπέστη ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. (βʹ.) Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ καλέσαι τοὺς ἐπαοιδοὺς, καὶ τοὺς μάγους, καὶ τοὺς φαρμακοὺς, καὶ τοὺς Χαλ δαίους, τοῦ ἀναγγεῖλαι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸ ἐνύπνιον αὐτοῦ." Ἡ μὲν οὖν τοῦ Θεοῦ οἰκονομία τοῖς ἐχέφροσι δήλη· γνώριμον γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐνύπνιον ποιῆσαι βουλόμε νος τὸν οἰκεῖον προφήτην, ἵνα τὰς ἀγαθὰς καὶ σω τηρίους ἐντεῦθεν δέξηται παραινέσεις, δεδίττεται μὲν αὐτὸν τῷ ἐνυπνίῳ, ἀφαιρεῖται δὲ τοῦ ἐνυπνίου τὴν μνήμην. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ δήλη τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἡ προμήθεια, οὕτω γνώριμος ἅπασι τοῖς εὐσεβέσι καὶ ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως παράνοια. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄκρας παραπληξίας τὸ παρ' ἑτέρων ζητεῖν τοῦ ἐνυπνίου τὴν μνήμην; Ἀλλ' ὅμως, κληθέντες, φησὶν, "ἦλ θον, καὶ ἔστησαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως." γʹ, δʹ. "Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ βασιλεύς· Ἐνυπνιά σθην ἐνύπνιον, καὶ ἐξέστη τὸ πνεῦμά μου τοῦ γνῶναι τὸ ἐνύπνιον. Καὶ ἐλάλησαν οἱ Χαλδαῖοι τῷ βασιλεῖ Συριστὶ, καὶ εἶπον· Βασιλεῦ, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ζῆθι· σὺ εἰπὲ τὸ ἐνύπνιον τοῖς παισί σου, καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ ἀπαγγελοῦμεν." Καὶ τὴν μὲν αἴτησιν τῷ ὄντι ἀκόλουθον ἐποιήσαντο· ἀλαζονικὴν δὲ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν· οὔτε γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνης ἦν διανοίας θείας ἑρμηνεύειν ἀποκαλύψεις δίχα τῆς ἄνωθεν συνεργείας. Συριστὶ δὲ τὴν διάλεξιν οἱ Χαλδαῖοι πεποίηνται, ὡς ἐκ διαφόρων συνειλεγμέ νοι ἐθνῶν, καὶ ἰδίαν μὲν γλῶτταν ἐχόντων ἑκά στου, κοινῇ δὲ πάντων τῇ Σύρων χρωμένων, διδάξαι βουλόμενοι τὸ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως ἀκόλουθον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως ἔπεισαν τὸν ἀλαζόνα βασιλέα μὴ ἀπαιτεῖν παρ' ἀνθρώπων τὰ παρὰ τὴν φύσιν. εʹ, ϛʹ. "Ἀπεκρίθη γὰρ εὐθὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ εἶπε τοῖς Χαλδαίοις· Ὁ λόγος ἀπέστη μου· ἐὰν οὖν μὴ γνωρίσητέ μοι τὸ ἐνύπνιον, καὶ τὴν σύγ κρισιν αὐτοῦ, εἰς ἀπώλειαν ἔσεσθε, καὶ οἱ οἶκοι 81.1288 ὑμῶν διαρπαγήσονται. Ἐὰν δὲ τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ γνωρίσητέ μοι, δόματα καὶ δω ρεὰς, καὶ τιμὴν πολλὴν λήψεσθε παρ' ἐμοῦ· πλὴν τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ ἀπαγγείλατέ μοι." Ταῦτα δὲ οὐ μόνον αὐτοῦ τὸ θρασὺ καὶ θηριῶδες, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ λίαν ἀνόητον ὑποδείκνυσιν· ἀνοίας γὰρ ἐσχάτης τὸ νομίσαι, ἢ τῇ ἀπειλῇ τῶν κακῶν, ἢ τῇ ὑποσχέσει τῶν ἀγαθῶν, πλείονα τοῖς Χαλδαίοις ἐγ γενήσεσθαι γνῶσιν. (ζʹ.) Αὐτίκα τοίνυν ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφησαν· "Εἰπὲ τὸ ἐνύπνιόν σου τοῖς παισί σου, καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ ἀπαγγελοῦμεν." Τὴν μὲν γὰρ δουλείαν, φησὶν, ὁμολογοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν φύσιν γινώσκομεν· καὶ ἑρμηνεῦσαι μὲν, εἰ μάθοιμεν, τὸ ἐνύπνιον δυνησόμεθα, ἐρεῖν δὲ αὐτὸ, σοὶ μὲν γνωρισθὲν, εἶτα λήθῃ παραδοθὲν, οὐ δυνά μεθα. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἧττον ὁ μάταιος ἐπέκειτο τοῦ ἐνυπνίου ζητῶν τὴν ἀνάμνησιν. Ἀπεκρίθη γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ εἶπεν· ηʹ. "Ἐπ' ἀληθείας οἶδα, ὅτι καιρὸν ὑμεῖς ἐξαγο ράζετε, καθότι εἴδετε ὅτι ἀπέστη ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ῥῆμα. (θʹ.) Ἐὰν οὖν τὸ ἐνύπνιον μὴ ἐπαγγείλητέ μοι, ἕν ἐστι τὸ δόγμα ὑμῶν, καὶ οἶδα ὅτι ῥῆμα ψευδὲς καὶ διεφθαρμένον συνέθεσθε εἰπεῖν ἐνώπιόν μου, ἕως οὗ ὁ καιρὸς παρέλθῃ· τὸ ἐνύπνιόν μου εἴπατέ μοι, καὶ γνώσομαι ὅτι τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγελεῖτέ μοι." Τούτων δὲ τῶν λόγων ἡ μὲν ἀπαίτησις αὐθάδης καὶ μανικὴ, ἡ δὲ κατηγορία λίαν ἀληθής· Βούλεσθε γὰρ, φησὶ, μαθεῖν τὸ ἐνύπνιον, ἵνα κοινῇ τινα πλασάμενοι ἑρμηνείαν ψευδῆ, φενακίσητέ με συνήθως, συνεργὸν λαμβάνοντες τοῦ χρόνου τὸ μῆκος, καὶ τῆς ἐκβάσεως τὸν καιρὸν ἀναμένοντες. Τούτων ἀκούσαντες οἱ Χαλδαῖοι (ὡς γὰρ ἔοικεν, οὗτοι πλείονα τῶν ἄλλων εἶχον παρ' αὐτῷ παῤῥησίαν), ἀποφαντικῶς λοιπὸν διαλέγον ται, καὶ παντελῶς ἀπαγορεύουσι τοῦ ἐνυπνίου τὴν ἀνάμνησιν. ιʹ. "Οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ, ἔλεγον, ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τῆς ξηρᾶς, ὅστις δυνήσεται