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is the man of God, who prophesied these words against the altar of Bethel." and he said, "Leave him alone; let no one move his bones." And indeed he also removed the ventriloquists and the false prophets and every abomination and offense in Jerusalem; and he turned to the Lord with all his heart and strength and with all his soul according to the law 1.197 of Moses. Therefore he also celebrated such a Passover as had not been held since the days of Joshua the son of Nun and Samuel; at which he sacrificed 12 thousand oxen and 38 thousand sheep. And the works of Josiah, it says, were right in the sight of the Lord, in a heart full of piety; for indeed no one like him was born before him, and no one like him arose. Yet the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of his wrath, with which he was angered against Judah, for the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. In these times Byzantium was founded by Byzas, king of Thrace, or, as some say, by the Megarians. In these times also the Samian Sibyl was known. After Josiah, his son Jehoahaz reigned, who did evil in the sight of the Lord, and being taken by Necho king of Egypt was brought to Egypt, where he also died, having reigned for three months. In his time the Israelites, as Josephus says, because the tribe of Judah prevailed and inhabited the city of Jerusalem, were called Jews, and the city, also called Zion, was called Judaea, which was formerly called Jebus because the Jebusite inhabited that place. But David called it Jerusalem, having devised the name from what had happened; for it is built on a very high mountain, where the Lord appeared to David at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, during the destruction of the people on account of the senseless numbering. And the mountain in the Hebrew language is called Ar, and the city Salem. David therefore, preparing a new place for a 1.198 palace, named it Arsalem, which is place of peace. But having been brought into Greek it is called Jerusalem for the sake of euphony. After Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, also called Eliakim, his brother, reigned, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. And Nebuchadnezzar, the successor of Merodach, came, and having besieged Judaea, made it tributary. And when Jehoiakim rejected the tribute, Nebuchadnezzar came again to Jerusalem, and having captured him and killed him, and having ordered him to be thrown from the wall, he left him unburied for a long time, after he had reigned for eleven years. Concerning whom Jeremiah says: "Thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah: Woe to this man. They shall not lament for him, 'O brother,' nor shall they weep for him, 'Alas, lord,' and 'Alas, brother'; but he shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, and being swept up he shall be cast beyond the gate of Jerusalem." Then Daniel was also carried away, and the three youths, and many others of the people, and a part of the vessels of the Lord, to Babylon. And the holy three youths are sons of Hezekiah. For when he recovered from his illness, and Merodach son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent a letter and gifts to him (for he had heard that he had been sick and had recovered), he himself showed Merodach's messengers all his wealth and his treasures. To whom the prophet Isaiah, being grieved, said: "Hear the word of the Lord. Behold, the days are coming, and 1.199 all that is in your house, and whatever your fathers have stored up until this day, shall be taken, and they shall be carried off to Babylon. But also some of your sons who have come from you they shall take, and they shall make them eunuchs in the house of the king of Babylon." In the twentieth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, and in the four thousand and ninety-fourth year of the world, Daniel interpreted his dreams. And in the four thousand one hundred and tenth year, the things concerning the furnace of the three holy youths were done. For as Belshazzar, who was also called Riniglisarus, was drinking from the holy vessels of the house of the Lord with his nobles and his concubines at a banquet, he saw a man's

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ἄνθρωπος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστίν, ὁ προφητεύσας τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον Βεθήλ." καὶ εἶπεν "ἄφετε αὐτόν· μηδεὶς κινήσῃ τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτοῦ." καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοὺς ἐγ γαστριμύθους καὶ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας καὶ πᾶν βδέλυγμα καὶ προσόχθισμα ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐξῆρε· καὶ ἐπέστρεψε πρὸς κύριον ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ καὶ ἰσχύϊ καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὸν νόμον 1.197 Μωϋσέως. διὸ δὴ καὶ τὸ πάσχα τοιοῦτον ἐποίησεν οἷον οὐ γέγονεν ἀπὸ χρόνων Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ καὶ Σαμουήλ· ἐν ᾧ βόας μὲν ἔθυσε χιλιάδας ιβʹ, πρόβατα χιλιάδας ληʹ. καὶ κατωρθώθη, φησί, τὰ ἔργα Ἰωσίου ἐναντίον κυρίου, ἐν καρδίᾳ πλήρει εὐσεβείας· καὶ γὰρ ὅμοιος αὐτῷ οὐκ ἐγεννήθη ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέστη ὅμοιος αὐτοῦ. πλὴν οὐκ ἀπεστράφη κύριος ἀπὸ θυμοῦ τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ, οὗ ἐθυμώθη ἐν τῷ Ἰούδᾳ, ἐπὶ τοὺς παροργισμοὺς οὓς παρεώργισεν αὐτὸν Μανασσῆς. ἐφ' ὧν χρόνων καὶ τὸ Βυζάντιον ὑπὸ Βύζου βασιλέως τῆς Θρᾴκης ἐκτίσθη, ὡς δέ τινες, ὑπὸ Με γαρέων. ἐφ' ὧν καὶ Σίβυλλα ἡ Σαμωναία ἐγνωρίζετο. Μετὰ δὲ Ἰωσίαν ἐβασίλευσεν Ἰωάχαζ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, ὃς ἐποίησε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον κυρίου, καὶ ληφθεὶς ὑπὸ Νεχαὼβ βασιλέως Αἰγύπτου ἀπήχθη εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ἀπέθανε, βασιλεύσας μῆνας τρεῖς. ἐφ' οὗ οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται, καθώς φησιν Ἰώσηπος, ἐκ τοῦ κρατῆσαι τὴν τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλὴν καὶ κατοικῆσαι τὴν πόλιν Ἱερουσαλήμ, οὗτοι μὲν ἐκλήθησαν Ἰουδαῖοι, ἡ δὲ πόλις ἡ καὶ Σιὼν Ἰουδαία, ἥτις πάλαι μὲν Ἰεβοὺς ἐλέγετο διὰ τὸ τὸν Ἰεβουσσαῖονκατοικῆσαι τὸν τόπον ἐκεῖνον. ∆αβὶδ δὲ Ἱερουσαλὴμ προσηγό ρευσεν, ἐκ τοῦ συμβεβηκότος τεχνησάμενος τὸ ὄνομα· ἐν ὄρει γάρ ἐστιν ὑψηλοτάτῳ κατῳκοδομημένη, ἐν ᾧ κύριος ὤφθη τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἐν ἁλῶνι Ὀρνᾶ τοῦ Ἰεβουσσαίου, ἐν τῇ θραύσει τοῦ λαοῦδιὰ τὴν ἄλογον ἐπαρίθμησιν. καὶ τὸ μὲν ὄρος Ἑβραΐδι φωνῇ λέγεται Ἄρ, ἡ δὲ πόλις Σαλήμ. ὁ οὖν ∆αβὶδ νέον τόπον εἰς βα 1.198 σίλειον κατασκευάζων Ἀρσαλὴμ ὠνόμασεν, ὅ ἐστι τόπος εἰρήνης. Ἱερουσαλὴμ δὲ εἰς τὸ Ἑλληνικὸν παρενηνεγμένη κέκληται διὰ τὴν καλλιφωνίαν. Μετὰ δὲ Ἰωάχαζ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἰωακεὶμ καὶ Ἐλιακεὶμ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐποίησε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον κυρίου. καὶ ἐλθὼν Ναβουχοδονόσορ ὁ διάδοχος Μαροδάχ, καὶ πολιορκήσας τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, ὑπόφορον αὐτὴν ἐποίησεν. ἀθετήσαντος δὲ τὴν φορολο γίαν Ἰωακεὶμ ἦλθε πάλιν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, καὶ τοῦτον χειρωσάμενος καὶ ἀνελὼν καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους ῥιφῆναι κε λεύσας ἄταφον ἐπὶ πολὺν κατέλιπε χρόνον, βασιλεύσαντα ἔτη ἕν δεκα. περὶ οὗ φησὶν Ἱερεμίας "τάδε λέγει κύριος ἐπὶ Ἰωακεὶμ υἱὸν Ἰωσίου· οὐαὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον. οὐ μὴ κόψονται αὐτόν, ὦ ἀδελφέ, οὐδὲ μὴ κλαύσονται αὐτόν, οἴ μοι, κύριε, καὶ οἴ μοι, ἀδελφέ· ἀλλὰ ταφὴν ὄνου ταφήσεται, καὶ συμψηφισθεὶς ῥιφή σεται ἐπέκεινα τῆς πύλης Ἱερουσαλήμ." τότε καὶ ∆ανιὴλ ἀπήχθη καὶ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες καὶ ἄλλοι τοῦ λαοῦ πλεῖστοι καὶ μέρος τῶν σκευῶν κυρίου εἰς Βαβυλῶνα. οἱ δὲ ἅγιοι τρεῖς παῖδες υἱοὶ Ἐζεκίου εἰσίν. ἐν γὰρ τῷ ἀναστῆναι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς νόσου, ἀποστεῖ λαι δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν Μαροδὰχ υἱὸς Βαλαδὰν βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐπιστολὴν καὶ δῶρα (ἤκουσε γὰρ ὅτι ἠρρώστησε, καὶ ἀνέστη), ὑπέδειξεν αὐτὸς τοῖς ἀγγέλοις Μαροδὰχ πάντα τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς αὐτοῦ. πρὸς ὃν λυπούμενος εἶπεν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης "ἄκουσον λόγον κυρίου. ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, καὶ 1.199 ληφθήσονται πάντα τὰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ σου, καὶ ὅσα ἐθησαύρισαν οἱ πατέρες σου ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης, καὶ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἀπενεχθή σονται. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν σου τῶν ἐξεληλυθότων ἐκ σοῦ λήψονται καὶ ποιήσουσι σπάδοντας ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ βασιλέως Βα βυλῶνος." τῷ δὲ εἰκοστῷ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας Ναβουχοδονόσορ, τετρακισχιλιοστῷ δὲ καὶ ἐνενηκοστῷ τετάρτῳ τοῦ κόσμου, διεσά φησε τὰ ἐνύπνια αὐτοῦ ὁ ∆ανιήλ. τῷ δὲ τετρακισχιλιοστῷ ἑκα τοστῷ δεκάτῳ ἔτει τὰ κατὰ τὴν κάμινον τῶν ἁγίων τριῶν παίδων ἐπράχθησαν. τοῦ γὰρ Βαλτάσαρ, ὃς καὶ Ῥινιγλίσαρος ἐλέγετο, πίνοντος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς σκεύεσιν οἴκου κυρίου σὺν τοῖς μεγιστᾶσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ ταῖς παλλακαῖς ἐν δείπνῳ, εἶδεν ἀνθρώπου