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he came to Gedaliah. Then the prophet relates how the rulers who had escaped, having learned the things concerning Gedaliah, ran together to him, and how Gedaliah persuaded them with an oath that they would suffer nothing grievous from the Chaldeans, and he urged them to gather the fruits from the land, and in peace to enjoy the good things of peace. And those who had fled to the Idumeans, and Moabites, and Ammonites also returned, when they learned that Gedaliah had become ruler. Then he teaches how Johanan with the other rulers reported to Gedaliah a certain plot being contrived by Ishmael; but having reported it they did not persuade him that they spoke the truth; and how Johanan secretly sought to slay Ishmael; "Lest he strike your soul, and all the Jews who are gathered to you be scattered, and the rest of the Jews perish." But Gedaliah, not even hearing these things, would not endure it, but forbids the attempt, calling the accusation a slander. CHAPTER 41. And when seven months had passed, Ishmael came again; and he happened to be of the royal family, and having shared a table with him, he killed Gedaliah, and all those left with him, both Chaldeans and Jews. And when two days had passed 5. There came, he says, men from Shechem, and from Salem, and from Samaria, eighty men with their beards shaven and their clothes torn, and beating themselves; and manna and frankincense in their hands, to bring into the house of the Lord. Salem he calls Shiloh, both the Hebrew and the Syrian. And he teaches how Ishmael struck down all these men as well, and threw their bodies into a cistern; but ten others who were left, themselves besought Ishmael to hold back the slaughter, promising to show him some treasures. And having done all these things, he went away, taking all those who were left, and fled to the Ammonites. But Johanan with the other rulers, learning what had happened, gathered a multitude and marched against Ishmael; and those who had been taken captive by Ishmael, seeing those who marched against him, were glad and went over to them; but Ishmael with eight men fled to the Ammonites; and these things also the divine decree brought upon the Jews. For when they thought they had escaped their enemies, they were delivered into each other's hands; Johanan, however, gathering the multitude of these, came to a certain village near Bethlehem, wishing to flee to Egypt; for he feared the Chaldeans, because of the slaughter of Gedaliah. 81.697 CHAPTER 42. However, all in common, both the rulers and the people, beseech the prophet, saying these things: 2, 3. Let our mercy fall before your face, and pray to the Lord your God for this remnant, because we are left few from many, as your eyes see us. And may the Lord your God declare to us the way in which we shall walk, and the word which we shall do. They indeed ask rightly, and desire to learn what should be done. But they disobey as usual, and speak against the divine laws; but the prophet promises both to supplicate and to report what is commanded; and they promised to yield in all things, and they confirmed the promise with an oath. 5, 6. For let the Lord, he says, be among us, as a just and faithful witness, that according to the word which the Lord God shall send you to us, so we will do. And whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it may be better for us, because we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God. The words are indeed full of piety, but their actions do not agree with their words. For after ten days had passed, the prophet received the answer; and I think the delay of the answer was for the benefit of those who asked; so that they might know how with difficulty God the supplication of the prophet

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Γοδολίαν ἀφίκετο. Εἶτα διηγεῖται ὁ προφήτης, ὡς τῶν ἀρχόντων οἱ ἀπο δράντες τὰ κατὰ τὸν Γοδολίαν μεμαθηκότες, συν έδραμον πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ ὡς ὅρκῳ αὐτοὺς ἔπεισεν ὁ Γοδολίας μηδὲν πείσεσθαι λυπηρὸν ὑπὸ τῶν Χαλ δαίων, καὶ προέτρεψε τοὺς ἀπὸ γῆς συλλέξαι καρ ποὺς, καὶ μετ' εἰρήνης τῶν τῆς εἰρήνης ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύειν. Ἐπανῆλθον δὲ καὶ οἱ πρὸς Ἰδουμαίους, καὶ Μωαβίτας, καὶ Ἀμμανίτας καταφυγόντες, ἐπειδὴ τὸν Γοδολίαν ἔμαθον ἄρχοντα γεγενῆσθαι. Εἶτα διδάσκει ὡς ὁ Ἰωανὰν σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἄρχουσιν ἐπιβουλήν τινα τυρευομένην ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰσμαὴλ, ἐμή νυσε τῷ Γοδολίᾳ· μηνύσαντες δὲ οὐκ ἔπεισαν, ὡς ἀληθῆ λέγουσι· καὶ ὡς Ἰωανὰν κρύβδην ἐζήτησε κατασφάξαι τὸν Ἰσμαήλ· "Μήποτε πατάξῃ ψυ χήν σου, καὶ διασκορπισθήσονται πάντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι οἱ συνηγμένοι πρὸς σὲ, καὶ ἀπολοῦνται οἱ ἐπίλοιποι Ἰουδαῖοι." Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ Γοδολίας ἠνέσχετο, ἀλλ' ἀπαγορεύει τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν, συκο φαντίαν τὴν κατηγορίαν καλῶν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΜΑʹ. Ἑπτὰ δὲ διεληλυθότων μηνῶν, ἀφίκετο πάλιν ὁ Ἰσμαήλ· ἐκ δὲ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ γένους ἐτύγχανεν ὢν, καὶ τραπέζης σὺν αὐτῷ κοινωνήσας, ἀνεῖλε τὸν Γοδολίαν, καὶ τοὺς συγκαταλειφθέντας σὺν αὐτῷ ἅπαντας, καὶ Χαλδαίους, καὶ Ἰουδαίους. ∆υοῖν δὲ διελθουσῶν ἡμερῶν εʹ. Ἦλθον, φησὶν, ἄνδρες ἀπὸ Συχὲμ, καὶ ἀπὸ Σαλὴμ, καὶ ἀπὸ Σαμαρείας, ὀγδοήκοντα ἄνδρες ἐξυρημένοι τοὺς πώγωνας καὶ διεῤῥω γότες τὰ ἱμάτια αὑτῶν, καὶ κοπτόμενοι· καὶ μάννα, καὶ λίβανος ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν, τοῦ εἰσενεγκεῖν εἰς οἶκον Κυρίου. Τὴν Σαλὴμ Σιλὼμ καλεῖ, καὶ ὁ Ἑβραῖος, καὶ ὁ Σύρος. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ, ὡς καὶ τούτους ἅπαντας ὁ Ἰσμαὴλ κατηκόντισε, καὶ εἰς φρέαρ τὰ τούτων ἔῤῥιψε σώματα· ἕτεροι δέ τινες δέκα περιπεσόντες, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἱκέτευσαν τὸν Ἰσμαὴλ, ἐπισχεῖν τὴν σφαγὴν, θησαυροὺς αὐτῷ τινας μηνύ σειν ἐπαγγελλόμενοι. Ταῦτα δὲ ἅπαντα δεδρακὼς, τοὺς ὑπολειφθέντας ἅπαντας ᾤχετο λαβὼν, καὶ πρὸς Ἀμμωνίτας κατέφυγεν. Ὁ δὲ Ἰωανὰν σὺν τοῖςἄλλοις ἄρχουσι, τὰ γεγενημένα μαθὼν, πλῆθος συν αγαγὼν ἐπεστράτευσε τῷ Ἰσμαήλ· οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰσμαὴλ ἐξανδραποδισθέντες, τοὺς κατ' αὐτοῦ στρα τεύσαντας θεασάμενοι, ἥσθησάν τε καὶ προσεχώρη σαν τούτοις· ὁ δὲ Ἰσμαὴλ σὺν ἀνδράσιν ὀκτὼ τοῖς Ἀμμωνίταις προσέφυγε· καὶ ταῦτα δὲ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἡ θεία ψῆφος προσέφερεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐνό μισαν τοὺς πολεμίους πεφευγέναι, ταῖς ἀλλήλων παρεδόθησαν δεξιαῖς· ὁ μέντοι Ἰωανὰν, τὸ πλῆθος τούτων συναγαγὼν, εἴς τινα κώμην τῇ Βηθλεὲμ πελάζουσαν παρεγένετο, εἰς Αἴγυπτον φυγεῖν βουλόμενος· ἐδεδίει γὰρ τοὺς Χαλδαίους, διὰ τὴν τοῦ Γο δολίου σφαγήν. 81.697 ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΜΒʹ. Κοινῇ μέντοι πάντες, οἵ τε ἄρχοντες καὶ ὁ λαὸς, τὸν προφήτην ἱκετεύουσι, ταῦτα λέγοντες· βʹ, γʹ. Πεσέτω ὁ ἔλεος ἡμῶν κατὰ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ πρόσευξαι πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου περὶ τῶν καταλοίπων τούτων, ὅτι κατελείφθημεν ὀλίγοι ἀπὸ πολλῶν, ὡς οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου βλέ πουσιν ἡμᾶς. Καὶ ἀναγγειλάτω ἡμῖν Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου τὴν ὁδὸν ἣν πορευσόμεθα ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ λόγον ὃν ποιήσωμεν. Ἀντιβολοῦσι μὲν ὀρθῶς, καὶ μαθεῖν τὸ πρακτέον ἐπιθυμοῦσιν. Ἀπει θοῦσι δὲ συνήθως, καὶ τοῖς θείοις ἀντιλέγουσι νόμοις· ὁ δέ γε προφήτης καὶ ἀντιβολήσειν ὑπισχνεῖται, καὶ μηνύσειν τὰ κελευόμενα· οἱ δὲ εἰς ἅπαντα εἴξειν ὑπέσχοντο, καὶ ὅρκῳ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἐκύρωσαν. εʹ, ϛʹ. Ἔστω γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος ἐν ἡμῖν, εἰς μάρτυρα δίκαιον καὶ πιστὸν, ὅτι κατὰ τὸν λό γον ὃν ἐὰν ἀποστείλῃ σε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς ἡμᾶς οὕτω ποιήσομεν. Καὶ ἐὰν ἀγαθὸν, καὶ ἐὰν κακὸν, καὶ τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, οὗ ἡμεῖς ἀποστέλλομέν σε πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀκουσό μεθα, ἵνα βέλτιον ἡμῖν γένηται, ὅτι ἀκουσόμεθα τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Τὰ μὲν ῥή ματα εὐσεβείας μεστὰ, οὐ συμφωνεῖ δὲ τοῖς λόγοις τὰ πράγματα. ∆έκα γὰρ διελθουσῶν ἡμερῶν τῆς ἀποκρίσεως ὁ προφήτης τετύχηκε· τὴν δὲ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως ἀναβολὴν γεγενῆσθαι νομίζω εἰς ὠφέ λειαν τῶν ᾐτηκότων· ἵνα γνῶσιν ὡς μόγις ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ προφήτου τὴν ἱκετείαν