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he says; 6. And you shall lie on your right side a second time, and you shall bear the iniquities of the house of Judah for forty days; I have appointed them to you, a day for a year. For greater was the lawlessness of the so-called Israel; for having completely fallen away from God, at one time they served the heifers, and at another they worshipped all kinds of idols. For this reason He sets apart one hundred and fifty days for that one, but for Judah forty, with each day being reckoned as a year. And the forty days for Judah signify the forty years remaining of the seventy years. For God declared through the prophet Jeremiah that they would spend seventy years in Babylon; but thirty years had already passed; for in the thirtieth year of the captivity the divine Ezekiel began his prophecy, and from the fifth year of the captivity of Jeconiah, until the first year of the reign of Cyrus the Persian, 81.857 the remaining forty years are completed; and this is possible to deduce not only from the chronicles, but also to learn from the divine Scriptures; for both the blessed prophet Jeremiah and the book of Chronicles teach that in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Joachim, also known as Jeconiah, Evil-merodach raised up his head and brought him out of the prison house in the year of his reign; and after him Belshazzar reigned over the Babylonians for not a long time; for having acted impiously, he was slain; he ruled for about three years; for in the third year of his reign Daniel saw the one vision; and after him Darius the son of Ahasuerus, being of the seed of the Medes, received the kingdom; and he himself also ruled for a short time. And the blessed Daniel teaches us this, having said, in the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus. "In the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood by the books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishment of the desolations of Jerusalem, seventy years." Therefore, the forty days appointed for Judah signify the number of the remaining forty years, and the one hundred and fifty for Israel, the number of one hundred and fifty years, after which the city was built, and became full of inhabitants, having been walled, and having recovered its enclosures, and the other cities of both Israel and Judah were restored, having received many inhabitants. And this happened in the twentieth year of the reign of Artaxerxes son of Xerxes, under whom Nehemiah, having become his cupbearer and having asked a favor of the king, took possession of Judea with great eagerness, and did all the aforementioned things. And the writing of Ezra clearly teaches this. But if anyone wishes to learn the number of the years precisely, let him take as the beginning of the number the fifth year of the captivity of Jeconiah. For from that point we have also numbered the forty; for you will find forty until the first year of Cyrus the Persian, from there the remaining twenty-nine of Cyrus, then seven of Cambyses, then thirty-five of Darius son of Hystaspes; in addition to these, twenty of Xerxes, and nineteen of Artaxerxes; for in the twentieth year he commanded the walls of the city to be rebuilt. And let no one say that the building of Jerusalem was of no concern to Israel, which had long ago been separated from the tribe of Judah; for after the return the division did not remain, but all those who had achieved the return continued in harmony, having Jerusalem as their metropolis. 7. And toward the siege of Jerusalem, he says, you shall prepare your face, and you shall strengthen your arm, and you shall prophesy against it. "Preparation of the face" signifies indignation, and "strengthening of the arm" the punishment that is brought on. 81.860 8. And behold, I have put bonds upon you, and you shall not turn from your one side to your other side, until the days of your siege are completed. For they must learn through what you are practicing, that before the appointed time they will obtain no recall. Therefore

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φησι· ϛʹ. Καὶ κοιμηθήσῃ ἐπὶ τὸ πλευρόν σου τὸ δε ξιὸν ἐκ δευτέρου, καὶ λήψῃ τὰς ἀδικίας τοῦ οἴκου Ἰούδα τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας, ἡμέραν εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν ἔθηκά σοι αὐτάς. Πλείων γὰρ ἡ παρα νομία τοῦ καλουμένου Ἰσραήλ· παντελῶς γὰρ ἀπο στάντες τοῦ Θεοῦ, ποτὲ μὲν ἐλάτρευον ταῖς δαμάλεσι, ποτὲ δὲ τὰ παντοδαπὰ εἴδωλα προσεκύνουν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκείνῳ μὲν ἑκατὸν πεντήκοντα ἀφορίζει ἡμέ ρας, τῷ δὲ Ἰούδᾳ τεσσαράκοντα, ἑκάστης ἡμέρας εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν λογιζομένης. Σημαίνουσι δὲ αἱ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέραι τοῦ Ἰούδᾳ τὰ λειπόμενα τοῖς ἐβδομήκοντα ἔτεσι τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη. Ἀπεφήνατο γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἱερεμίου, ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη διατελέ σειν αὐτοὺς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι· ἀλλὰ τριάκοντα ἤδη παρ εληλύθει ἔτη· ἐν γὰρ τῷ τριακοστῷ ἔτει τῆς αἰ χμαλωσίας ἤρξατο τῆς προφητείας ὁ θεῖος Ἰεζεκιήλ, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ πέμπτου ἔτους τῆς Ἰεχονίου αἰχμαλω σίας, μέχρι πρώτου τῆς Κύρου τοῦ Πέρσου βασι 81.857 λείας, τὰ λοιπὰ τεσσαράκοντα συμπληροῦνται ἔτη· καὶ τοῦτο δυνατὸν οὐ μόνον ἀπὸ τῶν χρονικῶν συν αγαγεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν καταμα θεῖν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ μακάριος Ἱερεμίας ὁ προφήτης, καὶ ἡ τῶν παραλειπομένων βίβλος διδάσκει, ὡς ἐν τῷ τριακοστῷ καὶ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας Ἰωακεὶμ, τοῦ καὶ Ἰεχονίου, ὕψωσε τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ Εὐϊλαδμαρωδὰχ, καὶ ἐξέβαλεν αὐτὸν ἐξ οἴκου φυλακῆς ἐν τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ· μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον ἐβασίλευσε Βαβυλωνίων ὁ Βαλτάσαρ οὐ μακρὸν χρόνον· δυσσεβήσας γὰρ ἀνῃρέθη· περὶ δὲ τὰ τρία ἐκράτησεν ἔτη· καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας αὑτοῦ τὴν μίαν ὀπτασίαν ὁ ∆ανιὴλ ἐθεάσατο· μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον ∆αρεῖος ὁ Ἀσουήρου, ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος ὑπάρχων τῶν Μήδων, ἐδέξατο τὴν βασιλείαν· ὀλίγον δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἡγήσατο χρόνον. Καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ὁ μακάριος διδάσκει ∆ανιὴλ εἰρη κὼς, ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ ἔτει ∆αρείου τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἀσουήρου. "Ἐν ἔτει ἑνὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ, ἐγὼ ∆ανιὴλ συνῆκα ἐν ταῖς βίβλοις τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἐτῶν, ὃς ἐγενήθη λόγος Κυρίου πρὸς Ἱερεμίαν τὸν προφή την, εἰς συμπλήρωσιν ἐρημώσεως Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐβδομήκοντα ἔτη." Οὐκοῦν αἱ μὲν τῷ Ἰούδᾳ ἀφορι σθεῖσαι τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέραι τῶν λειπομένων τεσ σαράκοντα ἐτῶν σημαίνουσι τὸν ἀριθμὸν, αἱ δὲ ἑκα τὸν πεντήκοντα τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, ἑκατὸν πεντήκοντα ἐτῶν ἀριθμὸν, μεθ' ὃν ἥ τε πόλις ᾠκοδομήθη, καὶ οἰκητόρων πλήρης ἐγένετο, τειχισθεῖσα, καὶ ἀπολαβοῦσα τοὺς περιβόλους, καὶ αἱ ἄλλαι τοῦ τε Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα πόλεις ἀνεῤῥώσθησαν πολλοὺς ἐνοίκους δεξάμεναι. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐγένετο τῷ εἰκοστῷ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας Ἀρταξέρξου τοῦ Ξέρξου, ἐφ' οὗ Νεεμίας οἰνοχόος αὐτῷ γεγονὼς, καὶ χάριν αἰτήσας τὸν βασιλέα, σὺν πολλῇ προθυμίᾳ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν κατέλαβε, καὶ τὰ προ ειρημένα πάντα πεποίηκε. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφῶς ἡ τοῦ Ἔσδρα διδάσκει συγγραφή. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἐτῶν ἀκριβῶς μαθεῖν βούλεται, ἀρχὴν τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ λαβέτω τὸν πέμπτον τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας Ἰεχονίου. Ἐξ ἐκείνου γὰρ καὶ τὰ τεσσαράκοντα ἠριθμήσαμεν· εὑρήσεις γὰρ τεσσαράκοντα μὲν ἕως πρώτου ἔτους Κύρου τοῦ Πέρσου, ἐκεῖθεν ὑπόλοιπα Κύρου εἴκοσι καὶ ἐννέα, εἶτα Καμβύσου ἑπτὰ, ἔπειτα ∆αρείου τοῦ Ὑστάσπου τριάκοντα καὶ πέντε· πρὸς τούτοις Ξέρξου εἴκοσι, καὶ Ἀρταξέρξου ἐννεακαίδεκα· τῷ γὰρ εἰκοστῷ ἔτει προσέταξεν ἀνοικοδομηθῆναι τὰ τείχη τῆς πόλεως. Καὶ μηδεὶς λεγέτω, ὅτι τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἡ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκοδομία οὐδαμῶς διέφερεν πάλαι διαιρεθέντι τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς· μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἐπάνοδον οὐκ ἔμεινεν ἡ διαίρεσις, ἀλλ' ὁμοφρονοῦντες διετέλουν ἅπαντες οἱ τῆς ἐπανόδου τετυχηκότες, τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ μητρόπολιν ἔχοντες. ζʹ. Καὶ εἰς τὸν συγκλεισμὸν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, φησὶν, ἑτοιμάσεις τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ τὸν βραχίονά σου στερεώσεις, καὶ προφητεύσεις ἐπ' αὐτήν. "Προσώπου ἑτοιμασία" τὴν ἀγανάκτησιν σημαίνει, "βραχίονος δὲ στερέωσις" τὴν ἐπαγομένην παιδείαν 81.860 ηʹ. Καὶ ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ἐπὶ σὲ δεσμοὺς, καὶ οὐ μὴ στραφήσῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ πλευροῦ σου ἐπὶ τὸ πλευ ρόν σου, ἕως οὗ συντελεσθῶσιν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ συγκλεισμοῦ σου. ∆εῖ γὰρ αὐτοὺς μαθεῖν δι' ὧν ἐπιτηδεύεις, ὡς πρὸ τοῦ ὡρισμένου καιροῦ οὐδεμιᾶς ἀνακλήσεως τεύξονται. ∆ιὸ