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fell away into the impiety of the calves, with the kingdom being divided in two. 5. And Oholah, he says, committed harlotry away from me, and she lusted after her lovers. And he has used the name of lovers as of a woman; but he alludes to and signifies the demons, whom she continually served. Then he also teaches the forms of impiety. And the Assyrians, he says, who were near her. (6, 7) Clothed in hyacinth, governors and commanders, all of them choice young men, riding upon horses. And she bestowed her harlotry on them, on all the choice sons of the Assyrians after whom she lusted, with all their idols she was defiled. He speaks enigmatically of "choice young men clothed in hyacinth," meaning the idols thus painted and fashioned by them; for all the impious people of old were accustomed to place upon their own gods the forms current among them. For the Greeks, and the Romans, arm Ares according to their own fashion of equipment; and the Persians according to theirs; and the Indians in one way and the Ethiopians in another, and likewise also each of the so-called nations. Nevertheless, he teaches that they themselves first called the Assyrians for help, having scorned the alliance of God; for having summoned Pul (he was king of the Assyrians) for aid against the Syrians, they promised to bring him tribute and tax; from there, then, the intermingling introduced impiety. Then he adds: 8. And she did not forsake her harlotry from Egypt, for they lay with her in her youth, and they themselves deflowered her, and poured out their harlotry upon her. Having been joined, he says, to the Assyrians, and having absorbed their superstition, she did not neglect the Egyptian teachings either, but continued to observe those things very carefully as well. Having thus described the forms of impiety, he also points out the justice of the punishment. 9. Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the sons of the Assyrians on whom 81.1037 she doted. For since she did not tolerate my laws, and though dedicated to me loved others, I stripped her of my providence, and I handed her over to those whom she preferred to my fellowship. 10. They, he says, uncovered her shame, they took their sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword, and she became a byword among women, and they executed punishments in her against the daughters. Thus, he says, having been given over by me, she has learned by experience what my fellowship is, and what the wickedness of her lovers is. For at once, having taken her into their power, first they laid bare her harlotry by her punishment, and then they slaughtered her very cruelly and mercilessly; and her sons and daughters they led away captive, and every city tells the tale about her. For again by 'women' he figuratively named the cities. And not only against this one herself did they show cruelty; but also against her daughters; and he means the subject cities and villages. And the ten tribes endured these things; first under Tiglath-pileser; and then under Shalmaneser; and these were kings of the Assyrians. Having thus narrated the events concerning Samaria, he transfers the discourse to Jerusalem, and says: 11, 12. And her sister Oholibah saw, and she corrupted her lust more than she (and Aquila translated "lust" as "longing"), and multiplied her harlotry more than the harlotry of her sister. She lusted after the sons of the Assyrians, governors and commanders who were near her, and clothed in finely bordered garments, horsemen riding on horses, all of them choice young men. The same things, he says, Jerusalem has also done as Samaria; and likewise having trampled on the covenants with me, she has preferred the gods of the Syrians; for trusting in their alliance, and despising my help. For through the governors and commanders he alluded to the alliance that was made with them. 13. And I saw, he says, that they are defiled; one way for the two. Their practices, he says, are similar and comparable. 14-17. And she added

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εἰς τὴν τῶν δαμάλεων ἐξώκειλεν ἀσέβειαν, διχῆ τῆς βασιλείας διαιρεθεί σης. εʹ. Καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσε, φησὶν, ἡ Ὀολλὰ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ ἐπέθετο ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐραστὰς αὑτῆς. Ὡς ἐπὶ γυναικὸς δὲ τὸ τῶν ἐραστῶν ὄνομα τέθεικεν· αἰ νίττεται δὲ καὶ παραδηλοῖ τοὺς δαίμονας, οἷς λα τρεύουσα διετέλεσεν. Εἶτα καὶ τὰ εἴδη τῆς ἀσεβείας διδάσκει. Καὶ τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους, φησὶ, τοὺς ἐγγίζοντας αὐτῇ. (ʹ, ζʹ.) Ἐνδεδυκότας ὑακίνθινα ἡγουμέ νους, καὶ στρατηγοὺς, νεανίσκους ἐπιλέκτους πάντας, ἱππαζομένους ἐφ' ἵππων. Καὶ ἔδωκε τὴν πορνείαν αὑτῆς ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐπιλέκτους υἱοὺς Ἀσσυρίων πάντας ἐφ' οὓς ἐπέθετο, ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐνθυμήμασιν αὑτῆς ἐμιαίνετο. Λέγει μὲν αἰνιγματωδῶς "νεανίσκους ἐπιλέκτους ἐνδεδυκό τας ὑακίνθινα," τὰ οὕτως ὑπ' αὐτῶν γραφόμενά τε καὶ σχηματιζόμενα εἴδωλα· καὶ γὰρ εἰώθεισαν ἅπαντες οἱ πάλαι ἀσεβοῦντες τὰ πολιτευόμενα παρ' αὐτοῖς σχήματα τοῖς ἑαυτῶν περιτιθέναι θεοῖς. Ἕλληνες μὲν γὰρ, καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι, τὸν Ἄρηα κατὰτὸ ἴδιον αὑτῶν τῆς σκευῆς ἐξοπλίζουσι σχῆμα· Πέρσαι δὲ κατὰ τὸ σφέτερον· καὶ ἄλλως Ἰνδοὶ καὶ ἑτέρως Αἰθίοπες, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἕκαστον τῶν ὀνο μαζομένων ἐθνῶν. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ὅμως, καὶ ὅτι αὐτοὶ πρότεροι τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους ἐκάλεσαν εἰς βοήθειαν, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ συμμαχίας καταφρονήσαντες· τὸν γὰρ Φοὺλ, βασιλεὺς δὲ οὗτος ἦν Ἀσσυρίων, εἰς ἐπικουρίαν κατὰ τῶν Σύρων παρακαλέσαντες, δασμὸν αὐτῷ καὶ φόρον φέρειν ὑπέσχοντο· ἐντεῦθεν λοι πὸν ἡ ἐπιμιξία εἰσήγαγε τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Εἶτα ἐπάγει· ηʹ. Καὶ τὴν πορνείαν αὑτῆς τὴν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπεν, ὅτι μετ' αὐτῆς ἐκοιμῶντο ἐν νεότητι αὐτῆς, καὶ αὐτοὶ διεπαρθένευσαν αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐξέχεαν τὴν πορνείαν αὐτῶν ἐπ' αὐτήν. Συν αφθεῖσα, φησὶ, τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις, καὶ τὴν τούτων δει σιδαιμονίαν ἐκμαξαμένη, οὐδὲ τῶν Αἰγυπτιακῶν ἠμέλησε μαθημάτων, ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖνα λίαν ἐπιμελῶς φυλάττουσα διετέλεσεν. Οὕτω διηγησάμενος τῆς ἀσεβείας τὰ εἴδη, καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας τὸ δίκαιον ὑπο δείκνυσι. θʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο παρέδωκα αὐτὴν εἰς χεῖρας ἐρα στῶν αὐτῆς, εἰς χεῖρας υἱῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐφ' οὓς 81.1037 ἐπετίθετο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῶν μὲν ἐμῶν οὐκ ἠνείχετο νόμων, ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀνακειμένη ἑτέρων ἠράσθη, τῆς μὲν ἐμῆς αὐτὴν ἐγύμνωσα προνοίας, παρέδωκα δὲ αὐτὴν ἐκείνοις, οὓς τῆς ἐμῆς προείλετο κοινωνίας. ιʹ. Αὐτοὶ, φησὶν, ἀπεκάλυψαν τὴν αἰσχύνην αὐτῆς, υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας αὐτῶν ἔλαβον, καὶ αὐτὴν ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ ἀπέκτειναν, καὶ ἐγένετο λά λημα εἰς γυναῖκας, καὶ ἐκδικήσεις ἐποίησαν ἐν αὐτῇ εἰς τὰς θυγατέρας. Οὕτω, φησὶν, ὑπ' ἐμοῦ προεθεῖσα τῇ πείρᾳ μεμάθηκε, τίς μὲν ἡ ἐμὴ κοινω νία, τίς δὲ ἡ τῶν ἐραστῶν αὐτῆς πονηρία. Παραυτίκα γὰρ ὑποχείριον αὐτὴν λαβόντες, πρῶτον μὲν αὐτῆς τῇ τιμωρίᾳ τὴν πορνείαν ἐγύμνωσαν, ἔπειτα δὲ λίαν ὠμῶς καὶ ἀνηλεῶς κατέσφαξαν· τοὺς δὲ υἱοὺς αὐ τῆς, καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας δορυαλώτους ἀπήγαγον, πᾶσα δὲ πόλις τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν θρυλλεῖ. Γυναῖκας γὰρ πάλιν τροπικῶς τὰς πόλεις ὠνόμασε. Οὐ μόνον δὲ εἰς αὐ τὴν ταύτην ἔδειξαν τὴν ὠμότητα· ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ταύ της θυγατέρας· λέγει δὲ τὰς ὑπηκόους πόλεις καὶ κώμας. Ταῦτα δὲ ὑπέμειναν αἱ δέκα φυλαί· πρῶτον μὲν ὑπὸ Θεγλαθφαλάσαρ· ἔπειτα δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαλμα νάσαρ· Ἀσσυρίων δὲ οὗτοι βασιλεῖς. Οὕτω διηγησά μενος τὰ κατὰ τὴν Σαμάρειαν, ἐπὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον, καί φησι· ιαʹ, ιβʹ. Καὶ εἶδεν ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς ἡ Ὀολιβὰ, καὶ διέφθειρε τὴν ἐπίθεσιν αὑτῆς ὑπὲρ αὐτὴν (ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας τὴν ἐπίθεσιν, ἐπιπόθησιν ἡρμήνευσε), καὶ τὴν πορνείαν αὑτῆς ὑπὲρ τὴν πορνείαν τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὑτῆς ἐπλήθυνεν. Ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐπέθετο, ἡγουμένους καὶ στρατη γοὺς τοὺς ἐγγὺς αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐνδεδυκότας εὐ πάρυφα, ἱππεῖς ἱππαζομένους ἐφ' ἵππων, νεανί σκους ἐπιλέκτους πάντας. Ταὐτὰ, φησὶ, καὶ ἡ Ἱερουσαλὴμ τῇ Σαμαρείᾳ δέδρακε· καὶ ὁμοίως τὰς πρὸς ἐμὲ συνθήκας πατήσασα, τοὺς Σύρων θεοὺς προτετίμηκε· τῇ γὰρ τούτων συμμαχίᾳ θαῤῥήσασα, καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπικουρίας καταφρονήσασα. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τῶν ἡγεμόνων καὶ στρατηγῶν τὴν γενομένην αὐτοῖς συμμαχίαν ᾐνίξατο. ιγʹ. Καὶ εἶδον, φησὶν, ἐγὼ, ὅτι μεμίανται ὁδὸς μία τῶν δύο. Παραπλήσια, φησὶν, αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐφά μιλλα τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα. ιδʹ-ιʹ. Καὶ προσέθετο