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evildoer. He has prepared his sons for slaughter because of the iniquity of their fathers, so that they might not rise up and inherit the earth, and fill the face of the inhabited world with cities. These things are said according to Symmachus, but the versions of Aquila and Theodotion, which agree with these, suggest a deeper meaning; for it says that the king of Babylon himself corrupted his own land. Therefore it says: that you have corrupted your land, and it teaches that he has killed his own people, but also has prepared his sons for slaughter. And above again according to Symmachus it was said: he who made the inhabited world as a desert and overthrew his cities, not releasing his captives. But when did the Babylonian overthrow his own cities, and what captives of his did he not release, and how did he corrupt his own land and kill his own people, and prepare his own sons for slaughter? This would be a task to investigate. For if it is said according to the Seventy: 'Because you have destroyed my land and have killed my people,' nothing would be sought; for it is clear that the Babylonian, having come upon the land of Israel, besieged it and subdued the people formerly called the people of God, but since according to the other interpreters and according to the Hebrew language itself he is said to have corrupted his own land and to have killed his own people, and to have brought about slaughter for his own children. See if perhaps through these things it hints at the invisible and unseen power set over the nation of the Babylonians, since the prophet Daniel also teaches that certain such angels are set over the nations. For Gabriel, the angel who spoke to him, is introduced by him saying: 'And behold, against me came the prince of the kingdom of the Persians, and the prince of the kingdom of the Greeks, and the prince of the kingdom of the Medes, and there was no one with me except Michael your prince.' It is likely, then, that certain princes preside over each nation, which indeed the writing of Moses also presents, saying: 'When the Most High divided the nations, when he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.' So, as long as Babylon stood, and there was a kingdom and a great dynasty of those ruling there, perhaps also the presiding power was cooperating with them in great things; but when the kingdom of the nation was destroyed and the prince set over them, as if having fulfilled his times, was taken into the place of those like him, where all those called Rephaim, or the giants, met him. And these themselves were likely certain powers of other nations who in their times did not lead rightly. Perhaps, then, this very prince of Babylon, having once been, corrupted his own land, being considered a god among them, and thus also killed his own people and delivered his own sons to slaughter, having become a cause of destruction for those ruled under him, because he was considered among them to be a god? But if these things are so, it is time also to refer the whole word of the prophecy, the one brought forth concerning the king of Babylon, to that power, which, since having acquired the glory of God among those it ruled it became very proud, is fittingly refuted by the words of those who say: But you said in your mind, 'I will ascend into heaven, above the stars of heaven I will place my throne, I will be like the Most High.' And you will apply the rest for yourself to the interpretation given, along with also fitting what is revealed through the prophecy to the readily understood, tangible king. But indeed, having prophesied these things and what is said in addition to them concerning the ruler of Babylon and concerning its city, and concerning the nation of the Assyrians, the prophet continues in order: Thus says the Lord Sabaoth, 'In the manner I have said, so it shall be, to destroy the Assyrians upon my land and upon my mountains,' teaching that the country of the Babylonians and the mountains upon it were not foreign to him; 'For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.' they will be

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κακοποιόν. ἡτοίμασε τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ σφαγὴν διὰ τὴν ἀνομίαν τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ ἀναστάντες κληρονομήσωσι γῆν καὶ πληρώσωσι τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς οἰκουμένης πόλεων. ταῦτα κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον εἰρημένα, τὰ Ἀκύλου δὲ καὶ τὰ Θεοδοτίωνος τούτοις συνᾴδοντα βαθύτερον ὑποβάλλει νοῦν· τὸν γὰρ βασιλέα τῆς Βαβυλῶνος αὐτὸν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φησι γῆν διεφθαρκέναι. λέγει δ' οὖν· ὅτι τὴν γῆν σου διέφθειρας καὶ τὸν λαὸν δὲ ἑαυτοῦ ἀπεκταγκέναι διδάσκει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡτοιμακέναι τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ εἰς σφαγήν. καὶ ἀνωτέρω πάλιν κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον ἐλέγετο· ὁ τάξας τὴν οἰκουμένην ὡς τὴν ἔρημον καὶ τὰς πόλεις αὐτοῦ καθελών, τοὺς δεσμίους αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀπολύσας. πότε δὲ ὁ Βαβυλώνιος τὰς ἑαυτοῦ πόλεις καθεῖλε, ποίους δὲ δεσμίους αὑτοῦ οὐκ ἀπέλυσε, πῶς δὲ τὴν γῆν ἑαυτοῦ διέφθειρεν καὶ τὸν λαὸν αὑτοῦ ἀπέκτεινε, τούς τε υἱοὺς αὑτοῦ ἡτοίμασεν εἰς σφαγήν, ἔργον ἂν εἴη ἐπισκέψασθαι. ἐὰν μὲν γὰρ λέγηται κατὰ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα· διότι τὴν γῆν μου ἀπώλεσας καὶ τὸν λαόν μου ἀπέκτεινας, οὐδὲν ἂν ζητηθείη· δῆλον γὰρ ὡς ἐπελθὼν ὁ Βαβυλώνιος τὴν γῆν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπολιόρκησε καὶ τὸν πάλαι χρηματίζοντα λαὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐχειρώσατο, ἐπεὶ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς καὶ κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν Ἑβραϊκὴν φωνὴν τὴν γῆν ἑαυτοῦ διεφθαρκέναι λέγεται καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἀπεκταγκέναι, σφαγήν τε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ τέκνοις προξενῆσαι. ὅρα μήποτε τὴν ἐφεστῶσαν ἀφανῆ καὶ ἀόρατον δύναμιν τῷ Βαβυλωνίων ἔθνει διὰ τούτων αἰνίττεται, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ προφήτης ∆ανιὴλ τοιούτους τινὰς ἀγγέλους τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐφεστώτας διδάσκει. Γαβριὴλ γοῦν ὁ χρηματίζων αὐτῷ ἄγγελος εἰσάγεται παρ' αὐτῷ λέγων· «καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐξ ἐναντίας μου ἤρχετο ἄρχων βασιλείας Περσῶν καὶ ἄρχων βασιλείας Ἑλλήνων καὶ ἄρχων βασιλείας Μήδων, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἦν σὺν ἐμοὶ εἰ μὴ Μιχαὴλ ὁ ἄρχων ὑμῶν». εἰκὸς οὖν καθ' ἕκαστον ἔθνος ἄρχοντάς τινας ἐπιστατεῖν, ὃ δὴ καὶ ἡ Μωσέως παρίστη γραφὴ λέγουσα· «ὅτε διεμέριζεν ὁ ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ὡς διέσπειρεν υἱοὺς Ἀδάμ, ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων θεοῦ». ἕως μὲν οὖν συνειστήκει ἡ Βαβυλών, βασίλειόν τε ἦν καὶ δυναστεία μεγάλη τῶν αὐτόθι κρατούντων, τάχα που καὶ ἡ ἐπιστατοῦσα δύναμις αὐτοῖς τὰ μεγάλα συνέπραττεν· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἠφάνιστο ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ ἔθνους καὶ ὁ ἐφεστὼς αὐτοῖς ἄρχων, ὡσπερεὶ πληρώσας τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ χρόνους, εἰς τὸν τῶν ὁμοίων αὐτοῦ χῶρον παρελαμβάνετο, ἐν ᾧ συνήντησαν αὐτῷ πάντες οἱ ῥαφαεὶμ καλούμενοι ἢ οἱ γίγαντες. οὗτοι δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ δυνάμεις τινὲς ὡς εἰκὸς ἦσαν ἑτέρων ἐθνῶν κατὰ χρόνους οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἡγησάμεναι. μήποτ' οὖν αὐτὸς οὗτος ὁ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος ἄρχων ποτὲ γεγονὼς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γῆν διέφθειρε, θεὸς παρ' αὐτοῖς νομισθείς, οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λαὸν ἀπέκτεινε καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ υἱοὺς σφαγῇ παρέδωκεν, αἴτιος ἀπωλείας τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἀρχομένοις, διὰ τὸ νομισθῆναι παρ' αὐτοῖς θεὸς εἶναι γεγονώς; εἰ δ' ἔχοι ταῦτα οὕτως, ὥρα καὶ πάντα τὸν τῆς προφητείας λόγον, τὸν περὶ τοῦ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος προενηνεγμένον, εἰς ἐκείνην ἀναφέρειν τὴν δύναμιν, ἥτις, ἐπειδὴ θεοῦ δόξαν παρὰ τοῖς ἀρχομένοις κτησαμένη μέγα ἐφρόνησεν, εἰκότως ἀπελέγχεται πρὸς τοὺς φάσκοντας λόγον· σὺ δὲ εἶπας ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ σου Εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβήσομαι, ἐπάνω τῶν ἀστέρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θήσω τὸν θρόνον μου, ἔσομαι ὅμοιος τῷ ὑψίστῳ. καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ παρὰ σαυτῷ ἐφαρμόσεις τῷ ἀποδοθέντι λόγῳ μετὰ τοῦ καὶ τῷ προχείρως νοουμένῳ αἰσθητῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ διὰ τῆς προφητείας δηλούμενα προσαρμόττειν. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἐπιλεγόμενα περὶ τοῦ ἄρχοντος Βαβυλῶνος καὶ περὶ τῆς πόλεως αὐτῆς, περί τε τοῦ Ἀσσυρίων ἔθνους θεσπίσας ὁ προφήτης ἑξῆς ἐπάγει· τάδε λέγει κύριος σαβαώθ Ὃν τρόπον εἴρηκα, οὕτως ἔσται, τοῦ ἀπολέσαι τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τῆς ἐμῆς καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων μου, διδάσκων ὡς καὶ ἡ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων χώρα, τά τε ἐπ' αὐτῆς ὄρη οὐκ ἦν ἀλλότρια αὐτοῦ· «τοῦ γὰρ κυρίου ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς». ἔσονται