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the floodgates of heaven, this will not be.” But Elisha said, “behold, you will see it with your eyes, and you will not eat of it.” And four leprous men were sitting by the gate of the city, and not bearing the famine, they decided to desert to the enemy. And rising up in the darkness, they entered the camp of Syria. And behold, there was no man there, because the Lord had made the camp of Syria hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army. And they all fled in the darkness, leaving everything behind. And when the lepers announced it in the city, the king sent to know if the report was true. And going after the king of Syria as far as the Jordan, behold, the whole road was full of garments and equipment which they had thrown away in their panic. And when the messengers returned, the people of the city went out and plundered the camp of Syria, and a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord. And when the king had appointed the officer at the gate, the people trampled him (and he died) without having eaten of the grain, according to the word of the prophet. And indeed, he also healed the water of Jericho through prayer. For it was bitter by nature and bad to drink and an impediment to childbearing, 1.184 and deadly, and at times also unsuitable for irrigation; which, being changed into usefulness for humans and cattle, became a source of very great fertility and salvation for the land. For to this day it floods and fertilizes a very large plain, and nourishes gardens and different kinds of honey-bearing palm trees, most of which, when trodden and pressed, pour out much honey. For the land is very honey-bearing and spice-bearing, producing citron and ben-nuts and opobalsam in great abundance; which, through its few and desirable fruits for men, is very much likened in a way to paradise. After Joram, Jehu son of Nimshi reigned. When he was entering the city of Samaria, Jezebel, having adorned herself, looked out through the window; but the king ordered her eunuchs to throw her down. When this was done, Jezebel was trampled by the horses and eaten by the dogs. The king also struck down the seventy sons of Ahab and all his survivors in Samaria, according to the word of Elijah. And gathering all the multitude of the people, he said to them with cunning, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him much. And now call to me all the prophets and priests of Baal, for I have a great sacrifice to Baal; for whoever is missing will not live.” When all were gathered, therefore, and the temple of the idol was filled from mouth to mouth, 1.185 the king said to the servants of Baal, “search carefully if there is among you any of the servants of the Lord.” And when none was found, he commanded his ministers, and they struck them all with the edge of the sword; and he burned Baal and everything belonging to him. However, he did not keep to the end from walking in the law of the Lord, and he was slain in battle, having reigned for twenty-two years. After Jehu, Jehoahaz his son reigned, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he died, having reigned for 27 years. After Jehoahaz, Joash his son reigned, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he died, having reigned for 14 years. In his reign Elisha died, having prophesied to Joash the former victory against Syria through symbols, by permitting him to shoot five times at the ground; and the third time he shot accurately, but the fourth time he missed, and he prophesied to him that he would conquer the Syrians until the third engagement, but be defeated in the others. For if he had shot the arrows accurately up to the fifth, having drawn up for battle five times, he would have overthrown the rule of the Syrians. Therefore, the total years of those who reigned in Jerusalem from David to Zedekiah are 498. And the kings were 22 in number, and they were all from the one family of David. In whose time there were prophets,

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καταρράκτας τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οὐ μὴ ἔσται τοῦτο.» ὁ δὲ Ἐλισαῖος φησίν «ἰδοὺ ὄψει τοῖς ὀφθαλ μοῖς σου, καὶ ἐκεῖθεν οὐ μὴ φάγῃ.» καὶ ἄνδρες λεπροὶ τέσσαρες παρὰ τὴν πύλην τῆς πόλεως καθήμενοι, καὶ τὸν λιμὸν μὴ φέρον τες, ἐβουλεύσαντο πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους αὐτομολῆσαι. καὶ δια ναστάντες ἐν τῷ σκότει εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν Συρίας. καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν ἀνὴρ ἐκεῖ, ὅτι κύριος ἀκουστὴν ἐποίησε τὴν παρεμβολὴν Συρίας φωνὴν ἁρμάτων καὶ ἵππων καὶ δυνάμεως μεγάλης. καὶ ἀπέδρασαν ἐν τῷ σκότει πάντες, καταλείψαντες ἅπαντα. καὶ τῶν λεπρῶν διασαφησάντων ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἀπέστει λεν ὁ βασιλεὺς γνῶναι εἰ ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος. καὶ πορευθέντες ὀπίσω τοῦ βασιλέως Συρίας ἕως τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ἰδοὺ πᾶσα ἡ ὁδὸς πλή ρης ἱματίων καὶ σκευῶν ὧν ἔρριψεν ἐν τῷ θαμβεῖσθαι αὐτούς. καὶ ὑποστρεψάντων τῶν ἀπεσταλμένων, ἐξῆλθεν ὁ λαὸς τῆς πό λεως καὶ διήρπασε τὴν παρεμβολὴν Συρίας, καὶ ἐγένετο μέτρον σεμιδάλεως σίκλου καὶ δίμετρον κριθῆς σίκλου κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα κυ ρίου. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως καταστήσαντος τὸν τριστάτην ἐπὶ τῆς πύλης, συνεπάτησεν αὐτὸν ὁ λαὸς (καὶ ἀπέθανε) μὴ φαγόντα ἐκ τοῦ σίτου κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ προφήτου. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὸ Ἰεριχούντειον ὕδωρ δι' εὐχῆς ἰάσατο. πικρὸν γὰρ ἦν φύσει καὶ δύσποτον καὶ πρὸς τεκνογονίαν ἐμπόδιόν 1.184 τε καὶ θανατηφόρον, ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ πρὸς ἀρδείαν ἀνεπιτήδειον· ὅπερ εἰς εὐχρηστίαν ἀνθρώποις καὶ κτήνεσι μεταβληθὲν εὐκαρπίας μάλιστα πολλῆς καὶ σωτηρίας ὑπῆρχε τῇ χώρᾳ πρόξενον. ἄχρι γὰρ δεῦρο πλημμυροῦν μεγίστην πιαίνει πεδιάδα, καὶ τρέφει πα ραδείσους καὶ φοινίκων γένη διάφορα μελιτοφόρα, ὧν οἱ πλεῖστοι πατούμενοι καὶ ἀποθλιβόμενοι μέλι πολὺ ἐκχέουσιν. ἔστι γὰρ μελιτοφόρος καὶ ἀρωματοφόρος ἡ χώρα πάνυ, φέρουσα κίτρον καὶ μυροβάλανον καὶ ὀποβάλσαμον ὅτι πλεῖστον· ἥτις δι' ὀλίγων καρπῶν καὶ ἀνθρώποις ἐπιθυμητῶν εὖ μάλα τῷ παραδείσῳ πως παρεικάζεται. Μετὰ δὲ Ἰωρὰμ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἰηοῦ υἱὸς Ναμεσίου. τούτου εἰσερχομένου ἐν τῇ πόλει Σαμαρείας παρέκυψεν Ἰεζάβελ διὰ τῆς θυρίδος περικεκαλλωπισμένη· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς προσέταξε τοῖς εὐνού χοις αὐτῆς κατακρημνίσαι αὐτήν. τούτου δὲ γεγονότος Ἰεζάβελ κατεπατήθη ὑπὸ τῶν ἵππων καὶ κατεβρώθη ὑπὸ τῶν κυνῶν. ἐπά ταξε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τοὺς ἑβδομήκοντα υἱοὺς Ἀχαὰβ καὶ τοὺς περιλειφθέντας αὐτοῦ πάντας ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα Ἠλιοῦ. συναθροίσας δὲ ἅπαν τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ λαοῦ, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτοὺς μετὰ πανουργίας «Ἀχαὰβ μὲν ἐδούλευσε τῷ Βάαλ ὀλίγα, Ἰηοῦ δὲ πολλὰ δουλεύσει αὐτῷ. καὶ νῦν πάντας καλέσατε πρός με τοὺς προφήτας καὶ ἱερεῖς τοῦ Βάαλ, ὅτι μεγάλη μοι θυσία τῷ Βάαλ· πᾶς γὰρ ὃς ἂν ἀπολείψῃ, οὐ ζήσεται.» συναθροισθέντων οὖν πάντων, καὶ τοῦ εἰδωλείου πλησθέντος, στόμα πρὸς στόμα φησὶν 1.185 ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ Βάαλ «ἐρευνήσατε ἀκριβῶς εἰ ἔστι μεθ' ὑμῶν τις τῶν δούλων κυρίου.» καὶ μηδενὸς εὑρεθέντος ἐκέ λευσε τοῖς ὑπουργοῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπάταξαν πάντας ἐν στόματι ῥομφαίας· καὶ τὸν Βάαλ καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ πάντα ἐνέπρησε. πλὴν οὐκ ἐφύλαξεν εἰς τέλος τοῦ πορεύεσθαι ἐν νόμῳ κυρίου, καὶ ἐσφάγη ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, βασιλεύσας ἔτη εἴκοσι δύο. Μετὰ δὲ Ἰηοῦ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἰωάχαζ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐποίησε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον κυρίου, καὶ ἀπέθανε βασιλεύσας ἔτη κζʹ. μετὰ δὲ Ἰωάχαζ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἰωὰς ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐποίησε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον κυρίου, καὶ ἀπέθανε βασιλεύσας ἔτη ιδʹ. ἐφ' οὗ Ἐλισαιὲ ἐτελεύτησε, προφητεύσας τῷ Ἰωὰς τὴν προτέραν διὰ συμβόλων κατὰ Συρίας νίκην, ἐπιτρέψας αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τοξεῦ σαι πεντάκις· καὶ τὸ μὲν τρίτον εὐστόχως ἔρριψε, τὸ δὲ τέταρτον ἠστόχησε, καὶ προφητεύει αὐτῷ ἕως τρίτης συμβολῆς νικῆσαι τοὺς Σύρους, τὰς δὲ ἑτέρας ἡττηθῆναι. εἰ γὰρ ἄχρι τῶν πέντε τὰ βέλη εὐστόχως ἐβεβλήκει, πεντάκις ἂν παραταξάμενος τὴν Σύρων ἀρχὴν κατέβαλε. Γίνονται οὖν ὁμοῦ τῶν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ βασιλευσάντων ἀπὸ ∆αβὶδ ἕως Σεδεκίου ἔτη υ ϟηʹ. οἱ δὲ βασιλεῖς ὑπῆρχον τὸν ἀριθμὸν κβʹ, πάντες δὲ ἐξ ἑνὸς ἐγένοντο γένους τοῦ ∆αβίδ. ἐφ' ὧν ἦσαν προφῆται,