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ruler of the king of Babylon, your soul will live, and this city will not be burned with fire, and you will live, you and your house. But if you do not go out to the rulers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hands of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not be saved from their hand. These things he had said many times; but it is necessary to ask, why indeed does he promise salvation to those who go out, but threatens destruction to those who do not go out. Zedekiah had given oaths to Nebuchadnezzar, when he had appointed him as king, that he would pay the tribute, and would maintain goodwill toward the one who had appointed him; but after a short time had passed, having broken the agreements, he neither paid the tribute, and fled to the Egyptians. The Lord God therefore, since he did not make the oaths by lifeless idols, but by the Creator of all things himself, and he dared to break these, commands him to go out to the Chaldeans, and in this way to atone for the breaking of the oaths; Zedekiah, however, says to the prophet: 19. I am concerned about the Jews who have fled to the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hands, and they will mock me. I fear, he says, lest I become a laughingstock to the deserters; but nevertheless, again the prophet himself urges him, and to the one disobeying he offers the threat. 22. For behold, he says, all the women who were left in the house of the king of Judah are led out to the rulers of the kingdom of Babylon, and these say. They have deceived you, and your men of peace have prevailed against you, and they will overpower you at the slipping of your foot. You fear, he says, lest you become an object of malicious joy to the deserters; after this, when the city is taken, you will see women dragged from the palace, and reminding you of the deceit of the false prophets, and saying that those who promised peace have become the cause of these things for you, and those who enjoyed honor from you, and for this reason they have caused you to slip from the divine laws. 23. And they will bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans. And the city, he says, will be burned, and you will be led away captive. But the thunderstruck king continued to disobey. However, he instructed the prophet to report to none of the rulers the things that had been said; but to say that I entreated the king not to send me back to that most harsh prison. Then he relates how they came, and tried to learn the things that had been said to the king, and how he convinced them, by relating the matters concerning the prison. CHAPTER 39. Then from this point on he relates the events concerning the capture, and says that in the ninth year of the reign of Zedekiah the Babylonians marched against them; and in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth of the month, the wall was broken down, and the enemies rushed against the city. And when this happened, Zedekiah fled, and all who prided themselves on their strength. But the Chaldeans, pursuing him, overtook him, and captured him near the city of Jericho. And he says Araboth of Jericho is west of Jericho; "And they brought him to Riblah of Hamath." And this ends up near Emesa; so that it is clear that here he calls Hamath Emesa. "And he spoke judgments with him. That is, he convicted him of the breaking of the oaths, of the ill will and ingratitude toward his benefactor, and the one who had appointed him king. And having convicted him of the injustice, he inflicts the punishment; and first, as he was watching, he slaughters his children, and all those in authority and of highest rank; and having thus punished him with the sight of grievous things, he took away his sight. And he relates how they also burned the palace, and the other houses, and

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ἡγεμόνα βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος, ζήσεται ἡ ψυχή σου, καὶ ἡ πόλις αὕτη οὐ μὴ κατακαυθῇ ἐν πυρὶ, καὶ ζή σεις σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου. Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἐξέλθῃς σὺ πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ παραδοθήσεται ἡ πόλις αὕτη εἰς χεῖρας Χαλ δαίων, καὶ κατακαύσουσιν αὐτὴν ἐν πυρὶ, καὶ σὺ οὐ μὴ σωθῇς ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτῶν. Ταῦτα πολλάκις προείρηκεν· ἀναγκαῖον δὲ ζητῆσαι, τί δήποτε ἐξιοῦσι μὲν ὑπισχνεῖται τὴν σωτηρίαν, μὴ ἐξιοῦσι δὲ τὸν ὄλεθρον ἀπειλεῖ. Ὅρκους ὁ Σεδεκίας ἐδεδώκει τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, ἡνίκα αὐτὸν προυβάλετο εἰς βασι λέα, ὡς τὸν φόρον τελέσει, καὶ εὔνοιαν περὶ τὸν κεχειροτονηκότα φυλάξει· ὀλίγου δὲ χρόνου διελθόν τος, παραβὰς τὰ συγκείμενα, οὔτε τὸν δασμὸν ἐτέ λεσε, καὶ πρὸς Αἰγυπτίους κατέφυγεν. Ὁ ∆εσπότης τοίνυν Θεὸς, ἐπειδὴ οὐ κατ' εἰδώλων ἀψύχων τοὺς ὅρκους ἐποιήσατο, ἀλλὰ κατ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων ∆ημιουργοῦ, καὶ τούτους παραβῆναι τετόλμηκεν, ἐξ ελθεῖν κελεύει πρὸς τοὺς Χαλδαίους, καὶ ταύτῃ θερα πεῦσαι τὴν τῶν ὅρκων παράβασιν· ὁ μέντοι Σεδε κίας τῷ προφήτῃ φησίν· ιθʹ. Ἐγὼ λόγον ἔχω τῶν Ἰουδαίων τῶν προσπεφευγότων πρὸς τοὺς Χαλδαίους, μὴ δώσειν με εἰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν, καὶ καταμωκήσονται μου. ∆έδια, φησὶ, μὴ τοῖς αὐτομόλοις καταγέλαστος γένω μαι· ἀλλ' ὅμως πάλιν αὐτὸς ὁ προφήτης προτρέ πει, καὶ ἀπειθοῦντι προσφέρει τὴν ἀπειλήν. κβʹ. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶ, πᾶσαι αἱ γυναῖκες, αἱ καταλειφθεῖσαι ἐν οἴκῳ βασιλέως Ἰούδα, ἐξ άγονται πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας βασιλείας Βαβυλῶ νος, καὶ αὗται λέγουσιν. Ἠπάτησάν σε, καὶ ἠδυνήθησάν σοι ἄνδρες εἰρηνικοί σου, καὶ κατ ισχύσουσί σου ἐν ὀλισθήματι ποδός σου. ∆έδιας, φησὶ, μὴ τοῖς αὐτομόλοις ἐπίχαρτος γένῃ· ὄψῃ μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς πόλεως ἁλούσης, ἐκ τῶν βασι λείων γυναῖκας ἑλκομένας, καὶ ἀναμιμνησκούσας σε τῆς τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν ἀπάτης, καὶ λεγούσας, ὅτι Τούτων σοι γεγένηνται πρόξενοι οἱ τὴν εἰρήνην ὑποσχόμενοι, καὶ τῆς παρὰ σοῦ τιμῆς ἀπολαύσαν τες, καὶ διὰ ταύτην σε τὴν αἰτίαν ἐκ τῶν θείων νόμων ὀλισθῆσαι παρασκευάσαντες. κγʹ. Καὶ πάσας τὰς γυναῖκάς σου, καὶ τὰ τέκνα σου ἐξάξουσι πρὸς τοὺς Χαλδαίους. Καὶ ἡ πόλις δὲ, φησὶν, ἐμπρησθήσεται, καὶ σὺ δορυάλωτος ἀπ αχθήσῃ. Ἀλλ' ὁ ἐμβρόντητος βασιλεὺς ἀπειθῶν διετέ λεσε. Τῷ μέντοι προφήτῃ παρηγγύησε, μηδενὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων μηνύσαι τὰ εἰρημένα· εἰπεῖν δὲ, ὡς Ἠντι βόλησα τὸν βασιλέα, μὴ εἰς ἐκείνην μεταπέμψαι με τὴν χαλεπωτάτην εἱρκτήν. Εἶτα διηγεῖται, ὡς ἀφ ίκοντο, καὶ μαθεῖν ἐπειράθησαν τὰ εἰρημένα τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ ὡς ἔπεισεν αὐτοὺς τὰ περὶ τοῦ δεσμω τηρίου διεξελθών. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΘʹ. Ἐντεῦθεν λοιπὸν τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν διηγεῖται, καί φησι τῷ μὲν ἐννάτῳ ἔτει τῆς Σεδεκίου βασι λείας τοὺς Βαβυλωνίους ἐπιστρατεῦσαι· τῷ δὲ ἑν δεκάτῳ ἔτει τοῦ Σεδεκίου, ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῷ τετάρτῳ, ἐννάτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς, τὸ μὲν τεῖχος καταβληθῆναι, τοὺς δὲ πολεμίους ὁρμῆσαι κατὰ τῆς πόλεως. Τούτου δὲ γενομένου, ἀπέδραμε Σεδεκίας, καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ ῥώμῃ σεμνυνόμενοι πάντες. Καταδιώξαντες δὲ οἱ Χαλδαῖοι ἔφθασαν αὐτὸν, καὶ συνέλαβον παρὰ τὴν Ἱεριχὼ πόλιν. Ἀραβὸθ δὲ Ἱεριχὼ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν τῆς Ἱεριχὼλέγει· "Ἀπήγαγον δὲ αὐτὸν εἰς Ῥεβλαθὰ τῆς Ἐμάθ." Τελεῖ δὲ τοῦτο ὑπὸ τὴν Ἔμεσαν· ὡς εἶναι δῆλον, ὅτι Ἐμὰθ ἐνταῦθα τὴν Ἔμεσαν καλεῖ. "Καὶ ἐλάλησε μετ' αὐτοῦ κρίματα. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, διήλεγξε τὴν τῶν ὅρκων παράβασιν, τὴν περὶ τὸν εὐεργετηκότα, καὶ βασιλέα κεχειροτονηκότα, δύσνοιάν τε καὶ ἀχαριστίαν. ∆ιελέγξας δὲ τὴν ἀδικίαν, ἐπι φέρει τὴν τιμωρίαν· καὶ πρῶτον μὲν, ὁρῶντος αὐτοῦ, κατασφάττει τοὺς παῖδας, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐν τέλει καὶ ἀξιωτάτους· οὕτω δὲ αὐτὸν κολάσας τῇ τῶν ἀνιαρῶν θεωρίᾳ, τὸ βλέπειν ἀφείλετο. ∆ιηγεῖται δὲ ὅπως καὶ τὰ βασίλεια, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους οἴκους ἐν έπρησαν, καὶ