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royal gifts and tell the priest to learn if I will defeat the king of the Persians, Cyrus. But those who took the gifts went away to Delphi to the temple, and gave the paltry gifts, and said they were Egyptians, and that, “We have forgotten, which is why we came.” And when the priest heard this he was astonished, and receiving the paltry gifts, he entered and prayed, and received this response from the Pythia. “I know the number of the sand and the measures of the sea; I hear the one who does not speak and understand the deaf. But Croesus the king and his Lydians are trying to trick me.” And the priest came out and said to them, “You are not Egyptians, but Lydians, and you have not forgotten, but you have said these things making sport of divine matters.” And he handed to them the oracle written on tablets so that Croesus might know the wonder. And those who had departed, being astonished, handed over the other royal gifts to the priest, saying to him that, “Croesus the king sent us, since he has a war against Cyrus, the king of the Persians; but learn if he will defeat him.” And the priest, entering again and praying, received this oracle. “Croesus, by crossing the Halys river, will destroy a great 156 empire.” And having written this oracle also on tablets, he gave it to them to carry back to king Croesus; and he dismissed them. But the prophet Daniel went in to Cyrus, the king of the Persians; and says to him, “Tell me if I will defeat Croesus, the king of the Lydians.” And Daniel delayed to speak; and the king, being angry with him, cast him into a den of lions. And learning that he had suffered nothing from the beasts, he brought him up and fell down before him saying, “I have sinned against you; but pray to your God and tell me if I am able to stand against this plunderer and arrogant Croesus, because he has subdued all the earth and is not satisfied.” And Daniel, having prayed, said to him that “You will defeat Croesus and take him captive. For concerning you God who made all these visible things has spoken through the prophet Isaiah, ‘Thus says the Lord God to my anointed, Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to make nations listen before him, and I will break the strength of kings; I will open doors before him, and cities will not be shut. I will go before him and will level mountains and I will shatter bronze doors and I will break iron bars and I will give you dark, hidden treasures, I will open invisible things to you, so that you may know that I am the Lord God. I will raise him up with justice, all his ways 157 are straight. He himself will build my city and will return the captivity of my people not with ransom nor with gifts.’ said the Lord God Sabaoth.” But king Cyrus, hearing these things, fell at the feet of Daniel, saying, “As the Lord your God lives, I will release Israel from my land, so that they may worship their God in Jerusalem.” And having armed himself he arrayed himself for battle against Croesus. But king Croesus, hearing the response of the oracle, went out against Cyrus with a great force; and he passed the Halys, a river of Cappadocia. And he clashed with Cyrus when it was a great winter; and being defeated he wished to flee, he and his multitudes; and since the river flooded from the winter, he was not able to flee nor to cross; and he was taken captive, he and his multitudes, 400 thousands. And those of them who lived, Cyrus took as captives along with Croesus. And placing him on a wooden tripod on high, bound, he displayed him in triumph to his army. And he took him and brought him down to Persia. And these things the most wise Thales and Castor and Polybius have recorded, having written them down, and after them Herodotus the historiographer; which things the wise Theophilus also chronicled. But Cyrus the king of the Persians released from captivity all the sons of Israel immediately or only his own 158 royal ones

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βασιλικὰ δῶρα καὶ εἴπατε τῷ ἱερεῖ μαθεῖν εἰ νικῶ τὸν βασιλέα Περσῶν τὸν Κῦρον. οἱ δὲ λαβόντες τὰ δῶρα ἀπῆλθον εἰς ∆ελφοὺς εἰς τὸ ἱερόν, καὶ ἔδωκαν τὰ δῶρα τὰ εὐτελῆ, καὶ εἶπον ἑαυτοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, καὶ ὅτι Ἐληθαργήσαμεν διὸ ἤλθομεν. καὶ ἀκούσας ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐξεπλάγη, καὶ δεξάμενος τὰ δῶρα τὰ εὐτελῆ, εἰσελθὼν ηὔξατο, καὶ ἔλαβε τὴν ἀπόκρισιν ταύτην παρὰ τῆς Πυθίας. Οἶδα ψάμμου τὸν ἀριθμὸν καὶ μέτρα θαλάττης· οὐ λαλέοντος δὲ ἀκούω καὶ κωφοῦ ξυνίημι. παίζειν δέ με πειρᾶται Κροῖσος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ οἱ τούτου Λυδοί. καὶ ἐξελθὼν ὁ ἱερεὺς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Οὐκ ἐστὲ Αἰγύπτιοι, ἀλλὰ Λυδοί, καὶ οὐκ ἐληθαργήσατε, ἀλλὰ παίζοντες τὰ θεῖα εἰρήκατε ταῦτα. καὶ ἐπιδέδωκεν αὐτοῖς γράψας τὸν χρησμὸν ἐν διπτύχοις εἰς τὸ εἰδέναι Κροῖσον τὸ θαῦμα. ἐκπλαγέντες δὲ οἱ ἀπελθόντες ἐπιδεδώκασι καὶ τὰ ἄλλα βασιλικὰ δῶρα τῷ ἱερεῖ, εἰπόντες αὐτῷ ὅτι Κροῖσος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἡμᾶς ἔπεμψεν, ἐπειδὴ πόλεμον ἔχει πρὸς Κῦρον, τὸν Περσῶν βασιλέα· ἀλλὰ μάθε εἰ νικᾷ αὐτόν. καὶ εἰσελθὼν πάλιν ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ εὐξάμενος ἔλαβε τὸν χρησμὸν τοῦτον. Κροῖσος Ἅλυν ποταμὸν διαβὰς μεγάλην 156 ἀρχὴν καταλύσει. καὶ γράψας καὶ τοῦτον τὸν χρησμὸν ἐν διπτύχοις δέδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἀπενεγκεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ Κροίσῳ· καὶ ἀπέλυσεν αὐτούς. Ὁ δὲ προφήτης ∆ανιὴλ εἰσῆλθε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Περσῶν Κῦρον· καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Εἰπέ μοι εἰ νικῶ Κροῖσον τὸν βασιλέα Λυδῶν. καὶ ἀνεβάλετο τοῦ εἰπεῖν ὁ ∆ανιήλ· καὶ ἀγανακτήσας κατ' αὐτοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔβαλεν αὐτὸν εἰς λάκκον λεόντων. καὶ μαθὼν ὅτι οὐδὲν ἔπαθεν ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων, ἀνήνεγκεν αὐτὸν καὶ προσέπεσεν αὐτῷ λέγων, Ἥμαρτον εἰς σε· ἀλλ' εὖξαι τῷ θεῷ σου καὶ εἰπέ μοι εἰ δύναμαι ἀντιστῆναι τῷ ἅρπαγι τούτῳ καὶ ὑπερηφάνῳ Κροίσῳ, ὅτι πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ὑπέταξε καὶ οὐκ ἐκορέσθη. καὶ ὁ ∆ανιὴλ εὐξάμενος εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὅτι Νικᾷς τὸν Κροῖσον καὶ λαμβάνεις αὐτὸν αἰχμάλωτον. περὶ σοῦ γὰρ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας πάντα τὰ ὁρώμενα ταῦτα διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἠσαΐου, Οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῷ χριστῷ μου Κύρῳ, οὗ ἐκράτησα τῆς δεξιᾶς αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐπακοῦσαι ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ἔθνη, καὶ ἰσχὺν βασιλέων διαῤῥήξω· ἀνοίξω ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ θύρας, καὶ πόλεις οὐ συγκλεισθήσονται. ἐγὼ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ προπορεύσομαι καὶ ὄρη ὁμαλιῶ καὶ θύρας χαλκᾶς συντρίψω καὶ μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συγκλάσω καὶ δώσω σοι θησαυροὺς σκοτεινοὺς ἀποκρύφους, ἀοράτους ἀνοίξω σοι, ἵνα γνῷς ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός. ἐγὼ ἐγείρω αὐτὸν μετὰ δικαιοσύνης, πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐ 157 τοῦ εὐθεῖαι. αὐτὸς οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν μου καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐπιστρέψει οὐ μετὰ λύτρων οὐδὲ μετὰ δώρων. εἶπε κύριος ὁ θεὸς σαβαώθ. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Κῦρος ἀκούσας ταῦτα, ἔπεσε πρὸς τοὺς πόδας τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ λέγων, Ζῇ κύριος ὁ θεός σου, ἐγὼ ἀπολύσω ἐκ τῆς ἐμῆς γῆς τὸν Ἰσραήλ, ἵνα λατρεύσωσι τῷ θεῷ αὐτῶν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. καὶ ὁπλισάμενος παρετάξατο τῷ Κροίσῳ. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Κροῖσος ἀκούσας τὴν τοῦ χρησμοῦ ἀπόκρισιν, ἐξῆλθε κατὰ Κύρου μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς· καὶ παρῆλθε τὸν Ἅλυν, ποταμὸν τῆς Καππαδοκίας. καὶ συνέκρουσε Κύρῳ χειμῶνος ὄντος μεγάλου· καὶ ἡττηθεὶς ἠθέλησε φυγεῖν αὐτὸς καὶ τὰ πλήθη αὐτοῦ· καὶ πλημμυρήσαντος τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐκ τοῦ χειμῶνος, οὐκ ἠδυνήθη φυγεῖν οὐδὲ περᾶσαι· καὶ ἐλήφθη αἰχμάλωτος αὐτὸς καὶ τὰ πλήθη αὐτοῦ, χιλιάδες υʹ. τοὺς δὲ ζήσαντας ἐξ αὐτῶν ἔλαβεν αἰχμαλώτους ὁ Κῦρος ἅμα Κροίσῳ. καὶ στήσας αὐτὸν ἐν ξυλίνῳ τρίποδι ἐν ὕψει δεδεμένον ἐθριάμβευσεν αὐτὸν τῷ στρατῷ αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτὸν καὶ κατήγαγεν ἐν Περσίδι. ταῦτα δὲ ἱστόρησαν οἱ σοφώτατοι Θάλης καὶ Κάστωρ καὶ Πολύβιος συγγραψάμενοι καὶ μετ' αὐτοὺς Ἡρόδοτος ὁ ἱστοριογράφος· ἅτινα καὶ ὁ σοφὸς Θεόφιλος ἐχρονογράφησεν. Ὁ δὲ Κῦρος ὁ βασιλεὺς Περσῶν ἀπέλυσεν ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ πάντας εὐθέως ἢ μόνον τὰ βασίλεια 158 αὑτοῦ