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of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah king of Judah; the second, under Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakim; and the third, under Zedekiah, brother of Jehoiakim but uncle of Jeconiah, they necessarily obtained their return three times. For first Cyrus the Persian released them, then Darius the son of Hystaspes, then Artaxerxes son of Xerxes, when he sent first Ezra, and after him Nehemiah, to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Therefore, for the first captives, the seventy-year period is fulfilled under Cyrus the Persian; but for the desolation of the temple, this same period comes to an end in the second year of Darius the son of Hystaspes, so that both prophecies, that of Jeremiah and Zechariah, and likewise also the writing of Ezra, are unfailing and true. The blessed Daniel, he says, understanding this period, and having calculated and found it was approaching; γʹ. "I set my face," he says, "to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplication with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes." For, he says, I did not simply wait for the release from captivity, but offered supplication to the Master, asking for freedom for my kinsmen. For even if he promises 81.1460 good things ten thousand times, yet we make ourselves unworthy of the gift, we become an obstacle to the divine generosity. And this God also says through Ezekiel the prophet: "I will speak concerning a nation and a kingdom, to build and to plant, and it shall be, if that nation turns and does evil, I will not bring upon it all the good things that I have spoken." Having been taught these things, the blessed Daniel, "with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes," having given wings to his prayer, offered it to God. δʹ. "And I prayed," he says, "to the Lord my God, and I made my confession, and said: O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and mercy with those who love you, and with those who keep your commandments." And he calls him great and awesome, as being able to do great and awesome things. For the divine men are accustomed to give divine names based on his works. "And he said that he keeps the covenant and mercy for those who love him," recalling the promises to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. And praying with all exactness, he teaches that he does not simply keep it, but "for those who love him, and keep his commandments. "For if anyone," he says, "transgresses your commandments, he makes himself unworthy of your promises." And this has also happened to us. εʹ. "For we have sinned," he says, "we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and have turned aside from your commandments, and from your judgments." And having very appropriately applied to God those honorable and wonderful names, he has applied to themselves those that are diametrically opposite. But he was not content with saying we have sinned, but also added "we have committed iniquity and done wickedly," having become ungrateful for your benefactions. And we have done wickedly, choosing other gods instead of you, lifeless, senseless, possessing no strength. Then, showing the continuous care of God for them, and the great insensibility of the people, he added: ʹ. "Neither have we listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, and to our princes, and to our fathers, and to all the people of the land." For your grace did not cease watching over us and speaking through the prophets; sometimes to kings and rulers, sometimes to priests and teachers (for he called these fathers), and often also to all the people; but even when these things were happening, we continued to contradict. Wherefore he rightly added: ζʹ. "To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, and to us shame 81.1461 of face, as it is this day, to the man of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, to those who are near and to those who are far off, in all the land where you have scattered them, because of their trespass which they have trespassed against you, O Lord." For the things done by you, O Master, he says, proclaim your righteousness; but we, because of our great lawlessness

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Ἰωακεὶμ, τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἰωσίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα, τὸ δὲδεύτερον ἐπὶ Ἰεχονίου, τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ, τὸ δὲ τρίτον ἐπὶ Σεδεκίου, τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μὲν τοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ, θείου δὲ τοῦ Ἰεχονίου, ἀναγκαίως τρὶς καὶ τῆς ἐπαν όδου τυγχάνουσι. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἀφίησιν αὐτοὺς Κῦρος ὁ Πέρσης, εἶτα ∆αρεῖος ὁ υἱὸς Ὑστάσπου, ἔπειτα Ἀρταξέρξης ὁ Ξέρξου, ἡνίκα πρότερον μὲν τὸν Ἔσδραν, μετ' ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν Νεεμίαν ἀπέστειλεν, ὥστε τὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀνοικοδομῆσαι τείχη. Τῶν μὲν οὖν πρώτων αἰχμαλώτων γεγενημένων ὁ ἑβδομηκονταέτης πληροῦται χρόνος ἐπὶ Κύρου τοῦ Πέρσου· τῆς δὲ τοῦ ναοῦ ἐρημίας ὁ αὐτὸς οὗτος χρόνος λαμβάνει τέλος ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ ἔτει ∆αρείου τοῦ Ὑστάσπου, ὡς εἶναι προφητείαν ἑκατέραν, τὴν Ἱερεμίου τε καὶ Ζαχαρίου, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἔσδρα συγγραφὴν, ἀψευδῆ τε καὶ ἀληθῆ. Τοῦτον, φησὶ, τὸν χρόνον ὁ μακάριος ∆ανιὴλ συνιεὶς, καὶ ἀριθμήσας, καὶ εὑρὼν πλησιάζοντα· γʹ. "Ἔδωκα τὸ πρόσωπόν μου, φησὶ, πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν, τοῦ ἐκζητῆσαι προσευχὴν καὶ δέησιν ἐν νηστείαις, καὶ σάκκῳ καὶ σποδῷ." Οὐ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἁπλῶς ἀνέμενον τὴν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἀπαλλαγὴν, ἀλλ' ἱκετείαν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ προσέφερον, τὴν ἐλευθε ρίαν τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις αἰτῶν. Κἂν γὰρ μυριάκις ὑπό 81.1460 σχηται ἀγαθὰ, ἀναξίους δὲ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς τῆς δωρεᾶς καταστήσωμεν, ἐμπόδιον γινόμεθα τῇ θείᾳ φιλοτι μίᾳ. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ δι' Ἐζεκιὴλ τοῦ προφήτου φησὶν ὁ Θεός· "Πέρας λαλήσω ἐπὶ ἔθνος καὶ βασιλείαν, τοῦ ἀνοικοδομεῖν καὶ καταφυτεύειν, καὶ ἔσται, ἐὰν στραφὲν τὸ ἔθνος ἐκεῖνο ποιήσῃ πονηρὰ, οὐ μὴ ἐπ αγάγω ἐπ' αὐτὸ πάντα τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἃ ἐλάλησα." Ταῦτα πεπαιδευμένος ὁ μακάριος ∆ανιὴλ, "νηστείᾳ, καὶ σάκκῳ, καὶ σποδῷ," τὴν προσευχὴν πτερώσας προσέφερεν τῷ Θεῷ. δʹ. "Καὶ προσηυξάμην, φησὶ, πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεόν μου, καὶ ἐξωμολογησάμην, καὶ εἶπον· Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ μέγας καὶ θαυμαστὸς, ὁ φυλάσσων τὴν δια θήκην καὶ τὸν ἔλεον τοῖς ἀγαπῶσί σε, καὶ φυλάτ τουσι τὰ προστάγματά σου." Καλεῖ δὲ μέγαν καὶ θαυμαστὸν, ὡς μεγάλα καὶ θαυμαστὰ ποιεῖν δυνά μενον. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν ἐνεργειῶν οἱ θεῖοι ἄνδρες τὰς θείας προσηγορίας τιθέναι φιλοῦσι. "Φυλάττειν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν ἔφη τὴν διαθήκην καὶ τὸν ἔλεον τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν," τῶν πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ Ἰακὼβ ἀναμιμνήσκων ἐπαγγελιῶν. Μετὰ πάσης δὲ ἀκριβείας εὐχόμενος, διδάσκει, ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς φυλάττει, ἀλλὰ "τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν, καὶ φυλάτ τουσι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ. "Εἰ γάρ τις, φησὶ, παραβῇ σου τὰ προστάγματα, ἀνάξιον ἑαυτὸν τῶν ὑποσχέ σεών σου καθίστησι. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν συνέβη. εʹ. "Ἡμάρτομεν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἠδικήσαμεν, ἠσεβή σαμεν καὶ ἐξεκλίναμεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐντολῶν σου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν κριμάτων σου." Σφόδρα δὲ προσφόρως ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς ἐντίμους ἐκείνας καὶ θαυμαστὰς τεθεικὼς προσηγορίας, τὰς ἐκ διαμέτρου ἐναντίας σφίσιν αὐ τοῖς ἐπιτέθεικεν. Οὐκ ἠρκέσθη δὲ τῷ εἰπεῖν ἡμάρ τομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ "ἠδικήσαμεν καὶ ἠσεβήσαμεν" προσέθηκεν, ἀγνώμονες περὶ τὰς σὰς εὐεργεσίας γενόμενοι. Ἠσεβήσαμεν δὲ, ἄλλους ἀντὶ σοῦ θεοὺς προελόμενοι, ἀψύχους, ἀναισθήτους, οὐδεμίαν κεκτη μένους ἰσχύν. Εἶτα δεικνὺς τὴν διηνεκῶς εἰς αὐτοὺς γινομένην τοῦ Θεοῦ κηδεμονίαν, καὶ τὴν πολλὴν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀναλγησίαν, ἐπήγαγε· ʹ. "Καὶ οὐκ εἰσηκούσαμεν τῶν δούλων σου τῶν προφητῶν, οἳ ἐλάλουν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου πρὸς τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἡμῶν, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας ἡμῶν, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν, καὶ πρὸς πάντα τὸν λαὸν τῆς γῆς." Οὐ γὰρ ἐπαύσατό σου ἡ χάρις ἐποπτεύουσά τε ἡμᾶς, καὶ διὰ τῶν προφητῶν διαλεγο μένη, ποτὲ μὲν βασιλεῦσι καὶ ἄρχουσι, ποτὲ δὲ ἱε ρεῦσι καὶ διδασκάλοις (τούτους γὰρ πατέρας ἐκάλεσε), πολλάκις δὲ καὶ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ· ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτων οὕτω γενομένων ἡμεῖς διετελέσαμεν ἀντιλέγοντες. ∆ιὸ εἰκότως προστέθεικεν· ζʹ. "Σοὶ, Κύριε, ἡ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ ἡμῖν ἡ αἰσχύνη 81.1461 τοῦ προσώπου, ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, ἀνδρὶ Ἰούδα, καὶ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ παντὶ Ἰσραὴλ, τοῖς ἐγγὺς καὶ τοῖς μακρὰν, ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ, οὗ διέσπειρας αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ ἐν ἀθετήσει αὐτῶν, ᾗ ἠθέτη σάν σε, Κύριε." Τὰ μὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑπὸ σοῦ γε γενημένα, ∆έσποτα, τὴν σὴν κηρύττει δικαιο σύνην· ἡμεῖς δὲ διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἡμῶν παρανομίαν