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1.168 eunuchs for the king of Babylon." And Hezekiah, since it was not possible for the word of God to fail, said, "Let there be peace in my days." And having lived out the time added to him, he dies peacefully, having completed his fifty-fourth year in life, and having reigned for twenty-nine. And his son Manasseh, succeeding to the rule, first displayed every form of evil and impiety, both defiling the temple and not even sparing the prophets. But God, angered by these things, stirred up the army of the Babylonians against Judea, which both plundered the country and captured Manasseh. And he, understanding himself to be the cause of the disaster, turned to repentance and beseeched God to release him from his difficulties. And God, hearing him, both releases him from captivity and restores him to his kingdom. And having returned, he himself pursued piety and persuaded the people to pursue it. And having lived thus, he became an object of emulation because of his piety, and he died having reigned for fifty-five years, having lived sixty-seven in all. And the kingdom passed to Amon his son, who imitated the deeds of his father's youth. But he died by a conspiracy, having lived for twenty-four years, and having reigned for two. But the multitude punished those who had killed him and appointed his son Josiah king, who was completing his eighth year of age; who became pious and persuaded the people to be pious. And wishing to repair 1.169 the temple, he urged those under his authority to give as much as each one wished for the repair. And thus with the money collected, the temple was restored, and what was left over he used for bowls and libation vessels and cups, with Hilkiah the high priest overseeing these things. Who, while taking the silver out of the sacred treasury, came upon the holy books of Moses, which had been laid up there, and sends them through the scribe to the king. And when they were read to him, he tore his robe and sent the high priest Hilkiah and others to the prophetess Huldah, the wife of Shallum, asking her to propitiate God. And she said that the divine had already passed judgment against the country and the people who had acted impiously, but on account of the king, who was righteous, he would not bring the evils now, but after he had passed away the things decreed would happen. And he, hearing these things, gathered the people to Jerusalem, and had the holy books read in the hearing of all. Then he required oaths from all to keep the laws and to worship God. And by sacrificing, the people propitiated the Lord. And he burned the offerings of the idols, and put their priests to death, and burned the bones of the false prophets on the altar which Jeroboam had erected, according to the prophecy of the prophet who had approached him as he was sacrificing and foretold that a descendant of David, Josiah, would do these things after three hundred and sixty-one years. And Josiah, going to the Israelites, as many as had escaped the captivity, urged them to worship their ancestral God and to live according to the laws. And having removed the idols from the whole country, he gathered the multitude to Jerusalem, and celebrated the feast of unleavened bread, which 1.170 they call Passover. And having led a peaceful life, at the end he ended his life, having been shot by an arrow. For Necho, the king of the Egyptians, was going off to wage war on the Medes, but Josiah prevented him from passing through his country. And he declared to him that he was not campaigning against him. But Josiah did not let him pass. Therefore they were already drawn up to fight, and an Egyptian, shooting Josiah as he was arranging his own people, ended the war. And the king, having withdrawn to Jerusalem, dies, having reigned for thirty-one years, and having lived eight before his reign. In his time was Jeremiah the prophet, who foretold the terrible things that were about to happen to Jerusalem and its capture by the Romans. Not only did he write beforehand about these things, but Ezekiel also first left two books about these things. And both were of the priestly tribe. And when Josiah died, his son Jehoahaz ruled, being twenty-three years of age, an impious

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1.168 εὐνούχους τῷ βασιλεῖ Βαβυλῶνος." ̓Εζεκίας δέ, ἐπεὶ μὴ διαπεσεῖν τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ δυνατόν, "εστω" φησίν "εἰρήνη ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις μου." ἐπιβιοὺς δὲ τὸν προστεθέντα αὐτῷ χρόνον εἰρηνικῶς θνήσκει, πεντηκοστὸν καὶ τέταρτον ετος ἀνύσας ἐν τῇ ζωῇ, ἐννέα δὲ βασιλεύσας καὶ εικοσι. ∆ιαδεξάμενος δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Μανασσῆς πᾶν ειδος κακίας καὶ ἀσεβείας πρότερον ἐπεδείξατο, μιάνας τε τὸν ναὸν καὶ μηδὲ τῶν προφητῶν φεισάμενος. ὀργισθεὶς δὲ διὰ ταῦτα ὁ θεὸς τὴν τῶν Βαβυλωνίων στρατιὰν κατὰ τῆς ̓Ιουδαίας ἐκίνησεν, η τήν τε χώραν ἐληίσατο καὶ τὸν Μανασσῆν ἐχειρώσατο. ὁ δὲ συνεὶς ἑαυτὸν τῆς συμφορᾶς αιτιον, ἀπέκλινεν εἰς μετάνοιαν καὶ ἱκέτευε τὸν θεὸν λῦσαί οἱ τὰ δυσχερῆ. καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐπακούσας αὐτοῦ λύει τε τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν ἀποκαθίστησιν. ἐπανελθὼν δὲ ἐκεῖνος εὐσέβειαν αὐτός τε μετῄει καὶ τὸν λαὸν μετιέναι ἀνέπειθεν. ουτω δὲ ζήσας ζηλωτὸς ἐγένετο διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, καὶ ἐτελεύτησε βασιλεύσας ἐνιαυτοὺς πέντε πρὸς πεντήκοντα, βιώσας δὲ τοὺς πάντας ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἑπτά. ̔Η βασιλεία δὲ πρὸς ̓Αμὼς μετῆλθε τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ, μιμησάμενον τὰ τῆς νεότητος τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ. ἀπέθανε δὲ ἐπιβουλευθείς, ζήσας ἐνιαυτοὺς ἐπὶ τέσσαρσιν εικοσι, δύο δὲ βασιλεύσας. τοὺς δὲ αὐτὸν ἀνελόντας ἐτιμωρήσατο ἡ πληθὺς καὶ βασιλέα τὸν υἱὸν ἐκείνου ἀνέδειξεν ̓Ιωσίαν, ογδοον τῆς ἡλικίας ἀνύοντα χρόνον· ος εὐσεβὴς ἐγένετο καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἀνέπειθεν εὐσεβεῖν. ἐπισκευάσαι δὲ βουληθεὶς 1.169 τὸν ναὸν παρῄνει τοῖς ὑπὸ χεῖρα διδόναι εἰς τὴν ἐπισκευὴν οσον εκαστος βούλεται. καὶ ουτω συναχθέντων χρημάτων ο τε ναὸς ἀνεκαινίσθη καὶ τοῖς περιττεύσασιν εἰς κρατῆρας καὶ σπονδεῖα καὶ φιάλας ἐχρήσατο, τοῦ ἀρχιερέως Χελκίου τούτοις ἐπιστατοῦντος. ος ἐντυγχάνει ταῖς ἱεραῖς τοῦ Μωυσέως βίβλοις ἐν τῷ ἐξάγειν τοῦ ἱεροῦ ταμείου τὸ ἀργύριον, ἀποκειμέναις ἐκεῖ, καὶ στέλλει ταύτας διὰ τοῦ γραμματέως τῷ βασιλεῖ. ὡς δ' ἀνεγνώσθησαν αὐτῷ, τὴν ἐσθῆτα διέρρηξε καὶ πρὸς τὴν προφῆτιν ̓Ολδὰν γυναῖκα Σελοὺμ επεμψε τὸν ἀρχιερέα Χελκίαν καὶ αλλους, ἱλεώσασθαι τὸν θεὸν ἀξιῶν αὐτήν. ἡ δὲ τὸ μὲν θεῖον ηδη ψῆφον ειπεν ἐξενεγκεῖν κατὰ τῆς χώρας καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ ἀσεβήσαντος, διὰ δὲ τὸν βασιλέα δίκαιον οντα οὐκ ἐπάξει νῦν τὰ κακά, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ παρελθόντος γενήσεται τὰ ἐψηφισμένα. ὁ δὲ τούτων ἀκούσας συνήγαγε τὸν λαὸν εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα, καὶ εἰς ἐπήκοον πάντων τὰς ἱερὰς βίβλους ἀναγνωσθῆναι πεποίηκεν. ειτα ορκους ἐκ πάντων ἀπῄτησε φυλάττειν τοὺς νόμους καὶ σέβεσθαι τὸν θεόν. καὶ θύων ὁ λαὸς ἐξιλεοῦτο τὸν κύριον. ἐνέπρησε δὲ καὶ τὰ ἀναθήματα τῶν εἰδώλων, καὶ τοὺς ἱερεῖς αὐτῶν ἐθανάτωσε, καὶ τὰ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν ὀστᾶ κατέκαυσεν ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ ον ἀνέστησεν ̔Ιεροβοὰμ κατὰ τὴν πρόρρησιν τοῦ προφήτου, ος θυσιάζοντι προσῆλθεν ἐκείνῳ καὶ προεῖπε ταῦτα ποιήσειν ἀπόγονον τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ̓Ιωσίαν μετὰ τριακόσια ετη καὶ ἑξήκοντα πρὸς τῷ ἑνί. καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ̓Ισραηλίτας δὲ πορευθεὶς ̓Ιωσίας, οσοι τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν διέφυγον, τὸν πάτριον παρῄνει θρησκεύειν θεὸν καὶ κατὰ νόμους βιοῦν. καὶ ἐξ ἁπάσης τῆς χώρας ἀφανίσας τὰ ειδωλα, εἰς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ τὸ πλῆθος συνήγαγε, καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀζύμων ἑορτήν, ην 1.170 πάσχα καλοῦσιν, ἑώρτασε. βίον δὲ εἰρηνικὸν διαγαγών, τοξευθεὶς ἐπὶ τέλει τὸν βίον κατέστρεψεν. ὁ γὰρ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων βασιλεὺς Νεχαὼ Μήδους πολεμήσων ἀπῄει, ειργε δὲ αὐτὸν ̓Ιωσίας διὰ τῆς χώρας αὐτοῦ παρελθεῖν. ὁ δὲ μὴ ἐπ' αὐτὸν στρατεύειν ἐδήλου αὐτῷ. ̓Ιωσίας δὲ οὐ μεθίετο. ηδη ουν παρετάσσοντο μαχεσόμενοι, καὶ ̓Ιωσίαν διατάσσοντα τὸν οἰκεῖον λαὸν τοξεύσας Αἰγύπτιος τὸν πόλεμον ελυσεν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀναζεύξας εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα τελευτᾷ, βασιλεύσας ετη τριάκοντα πρὸς ἑνί, ζήσας δὲ πρὸ τῆς βασιλείας ὀκτώ. ἐπὶ τούτου ̔Ιερεμίας ην ὁ προφήτης, ος καὶ τὰ συμβήσεσθαι μέλλοντα τῇ ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ δεινὰ προηγόρευσε καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ ̔Ρωμαίων αὐτῆς αλωσιν. οὐ μόνον δὲ ουτος περὶ τούτων προέγραψεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ̓Ιεζεκιὴλ πρῶτος περὶ τούτων δύο βιβλία κατέλιπεν. ησαν δὲ αμφω τῆς ἱερατικῆς φυλῆς. Τελευτήσαντος δὲ ̓Ιωσίου ̓Ιωάχαζ ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ ηρξεν, εικοσιν ἐπὶ τρισὶν ἐνιαυτῶν ων, ἀσεβὴς