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and they provoked the living word of God, but according to Aquila: because they rejected the law of the Lord of hosts and reviled the oracle of the Holy One of Israel, but according to Symmachus: because they repudiated the law of the Lord of powers and provoked the word of the Holy One of Israel. For this reason he adds: and the Lord Sabaoth was angered with wrath against his people, whom he himself intended to be and be called his own people, but they were not willing. and he laid his hand upon them and struck them, and all these things for the reasons given. And he adds to these things, saying: and the mountains were provoked, and their carcasses became as dung in the middle of the road. and in all these things his anger was not turned away, but still his hand is high. And through these things he also signifies an attack of enemies and a multitude of the slain, so that the very mountains are filled with dead bodies, and the whole country becomes full of their carcasses. But the anger of God against them being persistent was not turned away after showing them so many things, but still the hand of God was high against them on account of the persistence of their unbelief. But observe how it is said: still his hand is high; for it is said as if the wrath of God remains against them even until now. Which indeed the Apostle also represents, saying: “But wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.” And from where the mountains and the country were to be filled with their carcasses he represents next through these things. 1.40 He describes a battle array and an assault of nations against the people who did not accept the new law and the word of the Lord Sabaoth, and he represents from where the mountains were provoked, or rather according to Aquila were shaken, and were troubled according to Symmachus. teaching from where their carcasses became as dung in the middle of the road, that all these things happened to them from the assault of the enemies, which they did not make of their own accord, but God led them, as it were dragging and pulling them to the siege of the accused. For the word signifies this, saying: Therefore he will raise a standard among the nations that are far off and will hiss for them from the end of the earth. And through these things he signifies the Roman army setting out from the western parts against Jerusalem. For if ever he wants to speak of Babylonians or Assyrians, he is accustomed to mention them by name or calls them “from the north” because they live in the more northern parts of the land of the Jews, but now as in a history of the Roman array he calls the multitude nations standing far off and living at the ends of the earth. Then he describes the spirits of fighting men, and he represents vividly of spears and swords and the other weapons of war, and in addition to these the preparation of horses and chariots. To which he adds concerning the besiegers: they rush like lions and stand ready like a lion's whelps; and he will seize and will roar like the voice of a surging sea. Here it is fitting to apply the mind, how he likens the multitude of the enemies to the voice of a surging sea, so that if ever such things might be said as concerning the sea, we may have, from this point, to take the testimony of the contemplation. These things, then, have been said about the besiegers, but concerning those who will be besieged: and they will look upon the earth, and behold, harsh darkness in their distress. And this is the end of the prophecy according to king Uzziah, beginning indeed from: “Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken,” and continuing until the present passage, through which the final war against them is threatened and the coming darkness for those who provoked the oracle of the Lord and were not willing to accept the law of his new covenant. But the things brought forward next after these, after the death “of king Uzziah,” are considered in the times “of Jotham;” for he is recorded to have succeeded to the kingdom “of Uzziah.” 1.41 The prophet himself sees the Lord Sabaoth upon his temple, whom he often proclaimed, with his own eyes. And he goes through the things set before him

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καὶ τὸν ζῶντα τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον παρώξυναν, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· ὅτι ἀπέρριψαν τὸν νόμον κυρίου στρατιῶν καὶ τὸ λόγιον τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰσραὴλ διέσυραν, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· ὅτι ἀπεδοκίμασαν τὸν νόμον κυρίου τῶν δυνάμεων καὶ τὸν λόγον τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰσραὴλ παρώξυναν. Τούτου χάριν ἐπιλέγει· καὶ ἐθυμώθη ὀργῇ κύριος σαβαὼθ ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, ὃν αὐτὸς μὲν ἐβουλεύετο εἶναι οἰκεῖον αὐτοῦ λαόν τε καὶ χρηματίζειν, οἱ δ' οὐκ ἐβούλοντο. καὶ ἐπέβαλεν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτούς, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα διὰ τὰς ἀποδοθείσας αἰτίας προστίθησι δὲ τούτοις λέγων· καὶ παρωξύνθη τὰ ὄρη, καὶ ἐγενήθη τὰ θνησιμαῖα αὐτῶν ὡς κοπρία ἐν μέσῳ ὁδοῦ. καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις οὐκ ἀπεστράφη ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἡ χεὶρ ὑψηλή. σημαίνει δὲ καὶ διὰ τούτων πολεμίων ἔφοδον καὶ πλῆθος τῶν ἀναιρουμένων, ὡς καὶ αὐτὰ πληροῦσθαι τὰ ὄρη νεκρῶν σωμάτων, καὶ τὴν χώραν ἅπασαν τῶν θνησιμαίων αὐτῶν μεστὴν γίνεσθαι. ἐπίμονος δὲ ὢν ὁ θυμὸς τοῦ θεοῦ κατ' αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀπεστράφη τοσαῦτα αὐτοῖς ἐνδειξάμενος, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἡ χεὶρ τοῦ θεοῦ κατ' αὐτῶν ὑπῆρχεν ὑψηλὴ διὰ τὸ ἐπίμονον αὐτῶν τῆς ἀπιστίας. τήρει δέ πως εἴρηται τό· ἔτι ἡ χεὶρ ὑψηλή· ὡς γὰρ παραμενούσης κατ' αὐτῶν εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ὀργῆς λέλεκται. ὃ δὴ καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος παρίστησιν εἰπών· «ἔφθασεν δὲ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος». πόθεν δὲ ἤμελλεν πληροῦσθαι τὰ ὄρη καὶ ἡ χώρα τῶν θνησιμαίων αὐτῶν ἑξῆς παρίστησιν διὰ τούτων. 1.40 Πολεμικὴν παράταξιν καὶ ἔφοδον ἐθνῶν ὑπογράφει κατὰ τοῦ μὴ παραδεξαμένου τὸν καινὸν νόμον καὶ τὸν λόγον τοῦ κυρίου σαβαὼθ λαοῦ, παρίστησίν τε πόθεν τὰ ὄρη παρωξύνθη, μᾶλλον δὲ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν ἐκλονήθη, ἐταράχθη δὲ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον. πόθεν δὲ τὰ θνησιμαῖα αὐτῶν ἐγενήθη ὡς κοπρία ἐν μέσῳ ὁδοῦ διδάσκων, ὡς πάντα αὐτὰ αὐτοῖς συμβέβηκεν ἐκ τῆς τῶν πολεμίων ἐφόδου, ἣν οὐκ ἐξ ἑαυτῶν ἐποιήσαντο, θεὸς δὲ ἦγεν αὐτοὺς μονονουχὶ σύρων καὶ ἕλκων ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν κατηγορηθέντων πολιορκίαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει φάσκων ὁ λόγος· τοιγαροῦν ἀρεῖ σύσσημον ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν τοῖς μακρὰν καὶ συριεῖ αὐτοὺς ἀπ' ἄκρου τῆς γῆς. σημαίνει δὲ διὰ τούτων τὸ Ῥωμαϊκὸν στρατόπεδον ἀπὸ τῶν δυτικῶν μερῶν ὁρμῆσαν κατὰ τῆς Ἰερουσαλήμ. εἴ ποτε γοῦν Βαβυλωνίους ἢ Ἀσσυρίους βούλεται λέγειν, ὀνομαστὶ τούτων μνημονεύειν εἴωθεν ἢ τοὺς «ἀπὸ βορρᾶ» καλεῖ διὰ τὸ ἐν τοῖς βορειοτέροις τῆς Ἰουδαίων χώρας οἰκεῖν, νυνὶ δὲ ὥσπερ ἐν ἱστορίᾳ τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς παρατάξεως τὸ πλῆθος ἔθνη καλεῖ μακρὰν ἀφεστῶτα καὶ ἐν ἄκροις τῆς γῆς οἰκοῦντα. εἶτα διαγράφει θυμοὺς πολεμικῶν ἀνδρῶν, ἐμφαντικῶς τε παρίστησιν δοράτων καὶ ξιφῶν καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν πολεμικῶν ὅπλων, ἵππων τε πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ἁρμάτων παρασκευήν. οἷς ἐπιλέγει περὶ μὲν τῶν πολιορκητῶν· ὁρμῶσιν ὡς λέοντες καὶ παρεστήκασιν ὡς σκύμνοι λέοντος· καὶ ἐπιλήψεται καὶ βοήσει ὡς φωνὴ θαλάσσης κυμαινούσης. ἔνθα προσήκει ἐπιστῆσαι τὸν νοῦν, ὡς τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πολεμίων φωνῇ θαλάσσης κυμαινούσης ἐξομοιοῖ, ἵν' εἴ ποτε λέγοιτό τινα τοιαῦτα ὡς περὶ θαλάσσης ἔχοιμεν, ἐντεῦθεν τῆς θεωρίας τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐκλαμβάνειν. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἴρηται περὶ τῶν πολιορκητῶν, περὶ δὲ τῶν πολιορκηθησομένων· καὶ ἐμβλέψονται εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἰδοὺ σκότος σκληρὸν ἐν τῇ ἀπορίᾳ αὐτῶν. καὶ τοῦτο τέλος τῆς κατὰ Ὀζίαν τὸν βασιλέα προφητείας ἀρξαμένης μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ· «Ἄκουε, οὐρανέ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου, γῆ, ὅτι κύριος ἐλάλησεν», διαρκεσάσης δὲ μέχρι τῆς παρούσης περικοπῆς, δι' ἧς ὁ τελευταῖος κατ' αὐτῶν πόλεμος ἠπείληται καὶ τὸ ἐπελθὸν σκότος τοῖς παροξύνασιν τὸ λόγιον κυρίου καὶ μὴ θελήσασιν τὸν νόμον τῆς καινῆς αὐτοῦ διαθήκης παραδέξασθαι. τὰ δ' ἑξῆς τούτοις ἐπιφερόμενα μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν «Ὀζίου τοῦ βασιλέως» θεωρεῖται ἐπὶ τῶν χρόνων «Ἰωαθάμ»· οὗτος γὰρ τὴν «τοῦ Ὀζίου» βασιλείαν διαδέχεσθαι ἱστορεῖται. 1.41 Αὐτὸς ὁ προφήτης τὸν κύριον σαβαὼθ ἐπὶ τὸν ναὸν αὐτοῦ, ὃν πολλάκις ἀνεκήρυξεν, αὐτοψίᾳ θεωρεῖ. διεξέρχεταί τε τὰ προκείμενα