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and rising in the morning they found all the bodies dead; and the king of the Assyrians turned back and departed, and he dwelled in Nineveh. and while he was worshipping in the house of Sarach the patriarch Adrammelech and 149 Sarsar, his sons, struck him with swords, and they themselves escaped into Armenia. And Nachordan, his other son, reigned over the Assyrians. After the reign of Hezekiah, Manasseh reigned over the Jews for 55 years. Therefore, all the years from Adam until Manasseh are 5321. And in these years the Rhodians, as men subject to none in wars, but being autonomous and ruling the sea, being well-disposed, erected on the same island a bronze pillar to the Sun, very large; which they called a colossus, as a fearsome sight, and from that time they called themselves Colossians. And after Manasseh, Eliakim and Joachim, his brothers, reigned over Judaea for 44 years. Therefore, all the years from Adam become 5365. SIXTH ACCOUNT OF THE TIMES OF THE KINGDOM OF THE ASSYRIANS AND OF AENEAS ASCANIUS. Therefore, in the reign of king Joachim, Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, having armed himself against the Jews, came up; and he took Jerusalem and all the land of Judaea, just as the prophets had foretold to Israel. And he led Joachim, king of the Jews, away captive and all the royal vessels and he made all prisoners of war, and no longer did a king of the Jews reign, nor Jerusalem, a city of Judaea, nor Samaria. And henceforth the kingdom of the Jews was delivered into the hands of the Assyrians, and they ruled over them. And in the fifth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, the entire captivity of the Jews took place in Babylon, as Eusebius Pamphili chronicled. 151 And in the same times the Lydians took the kingdoms, that is, the toparchies, by force from the other nations that were nearby. And Ardeus was the first to reign over the Lydians for 36 years. who also subjugated the nearby nations and kingdoms, and lived in arrogance. After the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, Belshazzar his son reigned. who was served from the sacred vessels of the Jews; and he also poured wine into them for his concubines and for all who ate with him, profaning them. and as he was reclining in madness and dining, he saw where he was reclining on the opposite wall of the palace suddenly the knuckle of a man's hand writing, Mane, thekel, phares. and after writing these things the knuckle of the hand became invisible. But Belshazzar, having read the letters, called all the enchanters and magi and astronomers and dream-interpreters of his country, asking them, "What is this power of the knuckle or what is the interpretation of the things written by it?" And no one was able to interpret for him. And hearing that his father had held Daniel in great honor, who was from the Hebrew captivity, who interpreted his visions, he sent for Daniel and says to him, "Since the grace of God is with you, interpret for me what I saw with my own eyes, and clarify for me the meaning of the letters." But Daniel, having heard and 152 having seen the meaning of the letters, says to him, "Be patient with me, O king, and do not be angry, and I will interpret for you the meaning of the letters." And he swore an oath not to do him harm for interpreting. And Daniel says to him, "The God of heaven and earth, being indignant against you, has fulfilled your kingdom." And hearing this he sent him away to see if he was telling the truth. And after some days Darius the Mede, being of years

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καὶ ἀναστάντες τὸ πρωὶ ηὗρον πάντα τὰ σώματα νεκρά· καὶ ἀποστραφεὶς ἀπῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ ᾤκησε τὴν Νινευή. καὶ ἐν τῷ αὐτὸν προσκυνεῖν ἐν οἴκῳ Σαρὰχ τὸν πάτραρχον Ἀδραμέλεχ καὶ 149 Σαρσάρ, υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐπάταξαν αὐτὸν μαχαίραις, αὐτοὶ δὲ διεσώθησαν εἰς Ἀρμενίαν. καὶ ἐβασίλευσε Ναχορδάν, ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἄλλος, Ἀσσυρίων. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν Ἐζεκίου ἐβασίλευσε τῶν Ἰουδαίων Μανασσῆς ἔτη νεʹ. Εἰσὶν οὖν τὰ πάντα ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ ἕως Μανασσῆ ἔτη ετκαʹ. Ἐν τοῖς ἔτεσι δὲ τούτοις οἱ Ῥόδιοι, ὡς μηδενὶ ὑποταγέντες ἐν πολέμοις, ἀλλ' αὐτονομοῦντες καὶ θαλασσοκρατοῦντες, εὐχαρίστως φερόμενοι, ἀνέστησαν ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ νήσῳ στήλην χαλκῆν τῷ Ἡλίῳ μεγάλην πάνυ· ἥντινα ἐκάλεσαν κολοσσόν, ὡς φοβερὸν θέαμα, καὶ ἐχρημάτισαν ἑαυτοὺς ἔκτοτε Κολοσσαεῖς. Μετὰ δὲ Μανασσῆν ἐβασίλευσε τῆς Ἰουδαίας Ἐλιακεὶμ καὶ Ἰωακείμ, ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ, ἔτη μδʹ. Γίνεται οὖν ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ τὰ πάντα ἔτη ετξεʹ. ΛΟΓΟΣ ΕΚΤΟΣ ΧΡΟΝΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑΣ ΑΣΣΥΡΙΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΑΙΝΕΙΟΥ ΑΣΚΑΝΙΟΥ. Ἐπὶ οὖν τῆς βασιλείας Ἰωακεὶμ βασιλέως ὁπλισάμενος κατὰ Ἰουδαίων ἀνῆλθε Ναβουχοδονόσορ, βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων· καὶ παρέλαβε τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καθὼς οἱ προφῆται προέλεγον τῷ Ἰσραήλ. καὶ ἀπήγαγε τὸν Ἰωακείμ, βασιλέα τῶν Ἰουδαίων, αἰχμάλωτον καὶ πάντα τὰ βασιλικὰ σκεύη καὶ πάντας δοριαλώτους ἐποίησε, καὶ οὐκέτι ἐβασίλευσε τῶν Ἰουδαίων οὔτε Ἱερουσαλήμ, πόλις τῆς Ἰουδαίας,οὔτε Σαμάρεια. καὶ λοιπὸν παρεδόθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν Ἰουδαίων εἰς χεῖρας Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ ἐκυρίευσαν αὐτῶν. ἐν δὲ τῷ πέμπτῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας Ναβουχοδονόσορ πᾶσα ἡ αἰχμαλωσία τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐγένετο ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, καθὼς Εὐσέβιος ὁ Παμφίλου ἐχρονογράφησεν. 151 Ἐν δὲ τοῖς αὐτοῖς χρόνοις οἱ Λυδοὶ ἔλαβον τὰς βασιλείας, ἤτοι τοπαρχίας, δυνάμει ἀπὸ τῶν πλησίον ὄντων ἄλλων ἐθνῶν. καὶ ἐβασίλευσε τῶν Λυδῶν πρῶτος ὁ Ἀρδεὺς ἔτη λςʹ. ὅστις καὶ ὑπέταξε τὰ πλησίον ἔθνη καὶ βασίλεια, καὶ διῆγεν ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν Ναβουχοδονόσορ, βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων, ἐβασίλευσε Βαλτάσαρ, ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ. ὅστις εἰς τὰ ἱερατικὰ σκεύη τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὑπηρετεῖτο· ἐκίρνα δὲ καὶ ταῖς παλλακαῖς αὐτοῦ εἰς αὐτὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς συνεσθίουσιν αὐτῷ, ἐνυβρίζων αὐτά. καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀνακεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ἐν ἀπονοίᾳ καὶ δειπνεῖν ἑώρα ἔνθα ἀνέκειτο ἐν τῷ κατέναντι τοίχῳ τοῦ παλατίου ἐξαίφνης ἀστράγαλον χειρὸς ἀνθρώπου γράφοντα, Μανῆ, θεκέλ, φαρές. καὶ ταῦτα γράψας ὁ ἀστράγαλος τῆς χειρὸς ἀφανὴς ἐγένετο. ὁ δὲ Βαλτάσαρ ἀναγνοὺς τὰ γράμματα ἐκάλεσε πάντας τοὺς ἐπαοιδοὺς καὶ μάγους καὶ ἀστρονόμους καὶ ὀνειροκρίτας τῆς χώρας αὐτοῦ, ἐπερωτῶν αὐτούς, Τίς ἐστιν ἡ δύναμις αὕτη τοῦ ἀστραγάλου ἢ τίς ἡ ἑρμηνεία τῶν γραφέντων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ; καὶ οὐδεὶς ἠδυνήθη ἑρμηνεῦσαι αὐτῷ. καὶ ἀκούσας ὅτι ὁ αὐτοῦ πατὴρ ἐν πολλῇ τιμῇ εἶχε τὸν ∆ανιήλ, ὄντα ἐκ τῆς Ἑβραίων αἰχμαλωσίας, ὅστις τὰ ὁράματα αὐτοῦ ἡρμήνευε, μετεστείλατο τὸν ∆ανιὴλ καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Ἐπειδὴ χάρις ἐστὶ θεοῦ παρά σοι, ἑρμήνευσόν μοι ὅπερ εἶδον τοῖς ἐμοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ τὴν τῶν γραμμάτων δύναμιν σαφήνισόν μοι. ὁ δὲ ∆ανιὴλ ἀκούσας καὶ 152 ἑωρακὼς τὴν δύναμιν τῶν γραμμάτων, λέγει αὐτῷ, Μακροθύμησον ἐπ' ἐμοί, βασιλεῦ, καὶ μὴ ὀργισθῇς, καὶ ἑρμηνεύσω σοι τὴν τῶν γραμμάτων δύναμιν. ὁ δὲ ἐπωμόσατο μὴ ποιεῖν αὐτῷ κακὸν ἑρμηνεύοντι. καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ∆ανιήλ, Ὁ θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς ἀγανακτήσας κατά σου ἐπλήρωσε τὴν βασιλείαν σου. καὶ τοῦτο ἀκούσας ἀπέλυσεν αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν εἰ ἀληθεύει. καὶ μεθ' ἡμέρας ∆αρεῖος ὁ Μῆδος, ὢν ἐτῶν