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would serve for seventy, until the Persians and Medes would destroy the rule of the Babylonians; and that then they would be released from captivity, and would rebuild the temple and the city again. These things Jeremiah said; but the king and those around him mocked his words. But as the prophet was going away to Anathoth his homeland, one of the rulers met him and, having seized him as a deserter, brought him to the rulers; who, having tortured him, kept him for punishment. And in the ninth year of the reign of Zedekiah, the Babylonian comes a second time against Jerusalem, and for a year and a half powerfully besieges the city. And with the siege, famine came about, and in addition to these things, plague. But Jeremiah, having been imprisoned, was urging the multitude to receive the Babylonian; for thus they would be saved; but if not, staying they would perish either by famine or by the sword; "And if anyone goes over to the enemies," he said, "he will escape death." The prophet, however, was not considered trustworthy by anyone, and the leaders also incited the king against him. But he, currying favor with them on account of the occasion, gave in to them to use the prophet as they wished. And they cast him into a muddy pit. But Zedekiah, learning of this, ordered him to be drawn up from there, and having secretly called him, asked what he said concerning the present dangers. And he advised to surrender the city to the Babylonian. But Zedekiah said he was afraid that he might be killed. But the prophet insisted that in so doing he would experience nothing grievous. 1.174 Therefore the king released him, but the Babylonian besieged the city with a fierce attack, and took it in the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah. And Zedekiah fled from the city with his wives and children and kinsmen and friends. But the enemies pursued him and caught him when he was alone; for his leaders and his friends were scattered. Therefore, having captured him and his children and his wives, they brought them to the Babylonian. And he reproached him for his ingratitude and faithlessness, and commanded his sons and his friends to be killed before his eyes; then, having blinded his eyes, he led him away as a prisoner to Babylon. And then he understood that both the prophets had foretold the truth. This was the end of those who had reigned from the seed of David. And they were all twenty-one in number, five hundred and fourteen years, six months, and sixteen days having passed since Saul ascended the throne. And Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard of the Babylonian, being sent, set fire to both the temple and the palace, and razed the city, and plundered all the things of the temple. And the temple was burned four hundred and seventy years, six months, and ten days from the time it was built, and from the migration of the Hebrews out of Egypt, after one thousand and sixty-two years and six months and ten days, and from the flood, after one thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven years and six months and ten days; and from the creation of the first man until then, three thousand five hundred and thirteen years, six months and ten days had passed. 1.175 And Nebuzaradan, having razed Jerusalem, brought the people and the high priest Sabaeus and the holy vessels to Babylon. And Nebuchadnezzar dedicated the vessels of God to his own gods, and settled the captives in his own land. And Nebuzaradan, having left in Judea those who had deserted to the Babylonians during the siege, and the poor, appointed Gedaliah as ruler over them, a man of noble birth, both gentle and just, and he commanded them to work the land, and ordered them to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar. And he urged the prophet Jeremiah to go away to Babylon; but he wished to remain in the ruins of his homeland. And he left him there, having commanded Gedaliah to take all care of him. And he released to him also his disciple Baruch, who was exceptionally educated in his native tongue. And as many as had fled from Jerusalem on account of the siege came to Gedaliah. And he

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δουλεύσοντα ἑβδομήκοντα, μέχρις ου Πέρσαι καὶ Μῆδοι τὴν Βαβυλωνίων ἀρχὴν καταλύσουσι· τότε δὲ λυθῆναι τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας αὐτούς, καὶ τὸν ναὸν αυθις καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀνοικοδομῆσαι. ταῦτ' ελεγεν ̔Ιερεμίας· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς καὶ οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ ἐμυκτήριζον. ἀπιόντι δὲ τῷ προφήτῃ πρὸς ̓Αναθὼθ τὴν πατρίδα συναντήσας τις τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ κατασχὼν ὡς αὐτόμολον ηγαγε πρὸς τοὺς αρχοντας· οι αἰκισάμενοι αὐτὸν ἐτήρουν εἰς κόλασιν. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ ενατον ετος τῆς βασιλείας Σεδεκίου επεισι τὸ δεύτερον κατὰ τῶν ̔Ιεροσολύμων ὁ Βαβυλώνιος, καὶ ἐφ' ενα πρὸς τῷ ἡμίσει ἐνιαυτὸν κραταιῶς τὴν πόλιν πολιορκεῖ. τῇ δὲ πολιορκίᾳ λιμὸς συνηνέχθη καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις λοιμός. ̔Ιερεμίας δὲ καθειργμένος δέξασθαι τὸν Βαβυλώνιον παρεκάλει τὸ πλῆθος· σωθήσεσθαι γὰρ ουτως· εἰ δ' ου, μένοντας ἀπολεῖσθαι η λιμῷ η μαχαίρᾳ· "εἰ δέ τις προσχωρήσει τοῖς πολεμίοις, τὸν θάνατον" ελεγε "διαφεύξεται." οὐδενὶ μέντοι πιστὸς ὁ προφήτης λελόγιστο, οἱ δ' ἡγεμόνες καὶ προσηρέθιζον κατ' ἐκείνου τὸν βασιλέα. ὁ δὲ διὰ τὸν καιρὸν αὐτοὺς θεραπεύων ἐνέδωκεν αὐτοῖς χρήσασθαι τῷ προφήτῃ ὡς βούλονται. κἀκεῖνοι αὐτὸν εἰς λάκκον βορβορώδη ἐνέβαλον. Σεδεκίας δὲ τοῦτο μαθὼν ἀνελκυσθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐκεῖθεν ἐκέλευσε, καὶ λάθρᾳ καλέσας ηρετο τί φησι πρὸς τὰ παρόντα δεινά. ὁ δὲ παραδοῦναι τὴν πόλιν συνεβούλευε τῷ Βαβυλωνίῳ. Σεδεκίας δὲ δεδιέναι ελεγε μὴ ἀναιρεθῇ. ὁ δὲ προφήτης οὐδενὸς αὐτὸν ουτω ποιοῦντα πειραθήσεσθαι δυσχεροῦς ἰσχυρίζετο. τὸν 1.174 μὲν ουν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπέλυσεν, ὁ δέ γε Βαβυλώνιος ἐπολιόρκει τὴν πόλιν μετὰ σφοδρᾶς ἐπιθέσεως, καὶ ειλε ταύτην τῷ ἑνδεκάτῳ ἐνιαυτῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς Σεδεκίου. Σεδεκίας δὲ μετὰ τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ τῶν τέκνων καὶ τῶν προσηκόντων καὶ τῶν φίλων εφευγεν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως. οἱ δὲ πολέμιοι κατεδίωξαν αὐτὸν καὶ κατέλαβον μονωθέντα· οἱ γὰρ ἡγεμόνες καὶ οἱ φίλοι αὐτοῦ διεσπάρησαν. ζωγρήσαντες ουν αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ηγαγον εἰς τὸν Βαβυλώνιον. ὁ δὲ ὠνείδισεν αὐτὸν εἰς ἀχαριστίαν καὶ ἀπιστίαν, ἐκέλευσέ τε τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς φίλους κτανθῆναι ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ· ειτα καὶ τὰ ομματα πηρώσας αὐτοῦ δέσμιον εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἀπήγαγεν. καὶ τότε συνῆκε καὶ αμφω τοὺς προφήτας ἀληθῆ προειπεῖν. ουτος τέλος ἐγένετο τῶν ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος τοῦ ∆αβὶδ βεβασιλευκότων. εικοσι δὲ καὶ εις ἐτύγχανον απαντες, ἐτῶν διελθόντων ἐξ οτου τῆς βασιλείας ἐπέβη Σαοὺλ πεντακοσίων δέκα καὶ τεσσάρων, μηνῶν εξ, ἡμερῶν δεκαέξ. Πεμφθεὶς δὲ Ναβουζαρδὰν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου τόν τε ναὸν καὶ τὰ βασίλεια ἐνέπρησε καὶ τὴν πόλιν κατέσκαψε καὶ τὰ τοῦ ναοῦ πάντα ἐσύλησεν. ἐμπέπρηστο δὲ ὁ ναὸς μετὰ τετρακόσια ετη καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα μῆνάς τε εξ καὶ ἡμέρας δέκα ἀφ' ου ἐδομήθη καιροῦ, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου τῶν ̔Εβραίων μεταναστεύσεως μετὰ ἑξήκοντα δύο ετη καὶ χίλια καὶ μῆνας εξ καὶ ἡμέρας δέκα, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ μετὰ χιλίους ἐνακοσίους πεντήκοντα ἑπτὰ ἐνιαυτοὺς καὶ μῆνας εξ καὶ ἡμέρας δέκα· ἐκ δὲ τῆς παραγωγῆς τοῦ πρώτου ἀνθρώπου μέχρι τότε τρισχίλια πεντακόσια δέκα καὶ τρία ετη παρήλθοσαν, μῆνες εξ καὶ ἡμέραι δέκα. 1.175 Ναβουζαρδὰν δὲ κατασκάψας τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ τόν τε λαὸν καὶ τὸν ἀρχιερέα Σαβαῖον καὶ τὰ σκεύη τὰ ἱερὰ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἐκόμισε. Ναβουχοδονόσορ δὲ τὰ σκεύη τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ θεοῖς ἀνατέθεικε, τοὺς δὲ αἰχμαλώτους εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν χώραν κατῴκισε. τοὺς δ' αὐτομολήσαντας ἐν τῇ πολιορκίᾳ πρὸς τοὺς Βαβυλωνίους ἐν ̓Ιουδαίᾳ καταλιπὼν ὁ Ναβουζαρδὰν καὶ τοὺς πένητας, ἡγεμόνα τούτοις ἐπέστησε Γοδολίαν, ανδρα τῶν ευ γεγονότων ἐπιεικῆ τε καὶ δίκαιον, καὶ τὴν χώραν ἐργάζεσθαι αὐτοῖς ἐνετείλατο, καὶ δασμοφορεῖν τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἐπέταξε. τῷ δὲ προφήτῃ ̔Ιερεμίᾳ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἀπελθεῖν προετρέπετο· ὁ δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐρειπίοις τῆς πατρίδος ηθελε διατρίβειν. καὶ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ, τῷ Γοδολίᾳ ἐπιτάξας πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ ποιεῖσθαι πρόνοιαν. ἀπέλυσε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τὸν φοιτητὴν Βαρούχ, τῇ πατρίῳ γλώττῃ διαφερόντως πεπαιδευμένον. οσοι δ' ἐκ τῆς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ διὰ τὴν πολιορκίαν ἀπέδρασαν ηκον πρὸς Γοδολίαν. ὁ δὲ