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the house of the king and all the remaining houses, he burned, the divine house having stood for 442 years from its first building, and after breaking into pieces the two great bronze pillars and the bronze sea and the twelve calves beneath it and the stands and all the bronze in the temple of the Lord, he carried it away to Babylon, and moreover also the golden bowls and the silver ones and the bronze ones. And there was no weight for the bronze of all the vessels which the chief cook took. And of the remaining Jews, he led away the prominent men to Nebuchadnezzar and put some to death and handed over others as slaves. And he condemned Zedekiah, having set him in darkness, to grind at the mill. Under whom the complete and first capture of Jerusalem occurred, no longer being ruled by Jews, but being held by the Chaldeans. Therefore, Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem a third time, first, when in the third year of Eliakim he came up and took, along with the others, the three holy children and Daniel, in the first year of his reign, and second when in the third month of Jechonias, who is also Joachim, when he took Jechonias himself and his mother and Ezekiel the prophet, in the eighth year of his own reign, and third when in the eleventh year of Zedekiah he burned the temple and blinded Zedekiah and slaughtered his sons and led the multitude away captive 1.203 for seventy years, in the nineteenth year of his reign. And after the aforementioned kings of the Assyrians, Nebuchadnezzar reigned, as has been said, for 24 years, who also held Jerusalem for seven years, and built a very great city in Babylon, from baked brick and hewn stones, having a width of three cubits each, and a length of six cubits each. And he made its perimeter 40 stadia, which becomes 406 miles, and the height of the wall 80 cubits and the width 30 cubits, and the height of the towers 100 cubits and the width 60. And the gates being of bronze, their height was 50 cubits, and the width 20 cubits. And near the city he dug a reservoir, and walled it in a noteworthy fashion; its depth was 40 fathoms, and its perimeter 40 stadia. And above it he planted all kinds of trees, so that it resembled the most thickly wooded mountains; which he also named the hanging paradise; in it he would walk about with his wives, and looking down on those below from a vantage point, he was seen by none of those from below. Journeying there, he said with a proud mouth, "Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, for the honor of my glory?" And while the word was still in his mouth, a voice came from heaven, "To you it is said, Nebuchadnezzar: your kingdom has passed from you, and they will drive you out from men, and your dwelling will be with beasts, and 1.204 they will feed you grass like an ox, and seven times will pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He wishes." And in that very hour the word was fulfilled, and he was driven out from men, and he took shelter in deserts and mountains; for his front parts along with his head became like an ox, and his feet along with his hind parts like a lion. And it was revealed to the holy Daniel concerning this, that because of his irrational love of pleasure and hard-heartedness he came under the yoke of Beliar like an ox, and like a lion because of his tyrannical and rapacious and most beastly manner; for the powerful have this beginning, but in the end they seize like wild beasts, destroying and killing. And he ate grass like an ox, and his hairs grew long, and his nails became like a bird's, and in seven times his flesh grew thick and was blackened by his hardship, and his tongue was taken so that he could not speak. And understanding, he immediately wept, and from weeping his eyes became like flesh. And many going out did not see him, except for the holy Daniel; for he, during the whole time of the transformation

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οἶκον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τοὺς πε ριλειφθέντας πάντας οἴκους ἐνέπρησε, διαρκέσαντα τὸν θεῖον οἶκον ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης οἰκοδομῆς ἔτεσι υμβʹ, τοὺς δὲ χαλκοῦς δύο μεγά λους στύλους καὶ τὴν χαλκῆν θάλασσαν καὶ τοὺς ὑποκάτω αὐτῆς δώδεκα μόσχους καὶ τὰ ὑποστηρίγματα καὶ πάντα τὸν ἐν ναῷ κυ ρίου χαλκὸν συντρίψας ἀπήγαγεν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὰς χρυσᾶς φιάλας καὶ τὰς ἀργυρᾶς καὶ τὰς χαλκᾶς. καὶ οὐκ ἦν σταθμὸς τοῦ χαλκοῦ τῶν σκευῶν πάντων ὧν ἔλαβε ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος. τῶν δὲ ἐπιλοίπων Ἰουδαίων τοὺς ἐπισήμους ἀπαγαγὼν πρὸς Να βουχοδονόσορ τοὺς μὲν ἐθανάτωσε τοὺς δὲ δούλους παρέδωκε. τὸν δὲ Σεδεκίαν ἐπὶ σκότει καθίσας μυλωθρεῖν κατεδίκασεν. ἐφ' οὗ ἡ παντελὴς καὶ πρώτη ἅλωσις τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ γέγονεν, οὐκέτι βασιλευθείσης ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῶν Χαλδαίων κρατηθεί σης. τοιγαροῦν τρίτον Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἐπόρθησε τὴν Ἱερουσα λήμ, πρῶτον μὲν ὅτε ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ ἔτει Ἐλιακεὶμ ἀνῆλθε καὶ ἔλαβε σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους τρεῖς παῖδας καὶ ∆ανιήλ, ἔτος ἄγων τῆς βασιλείας πρῶτον, δεύτερον δὲ ὅτε ἐν τῷ τρίτῳ μηνὶ Ἰεχονίου τοῦ καὶ Ἰωακείμ, ὅτε ἔλαβεν αὐτόν τε τὸν Ἰεχονίαν καὶτὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ τὸν προφήτην, ἔτος ἄγων αὐτὸς τῆς βασιλείας ὄγδοον, καὶ τρίτον ὅτε ἐν τῷ ἑνδεκάτῳ ἔτει τοῦ Σε δεκίου τὸν ναὸν ἐνέπρησε καὶ τὸν Σεδεκίαν ἐξετύφλωσε καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ κατέσφαξε καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ἀπήγαγε αἰχμάλωτον 1.203 ἐπὶ ἔτη ἑβδομήκοντα, ἔτος ἄγων τῆς βασιλείας ἐννεακαιδέ κατον. Μετὰ καὶ τοὺς προειρημένους τῶν Ἀσσυρίων βασιλεῖς ἐβασίλευσεν, ὡς εἴρηται, Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἔτη κδʹ, ὃς καὶ τῆς Ἱερου σαλὴμ ἐκράτησεν ἔτη ἑπτά, καὶ πόλιν μεγίστην εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἔκτισεν, ἐξ ὀπτῆς πλίνθου καὶ λίθων λελαξευμένων, ἐχόντων ἀνὰ τρεῖς πήχεις τὸ πλάτος, καὶ μῆκος ἀνὰ πήχεις ἕξ. τὸ δὲ περί μετρον αὐτῆς ἐποίησε στάδια μʹ, γινόμενα μίλια ϛυʹ, τὸ δὲ ὕψος τοῦ τείχους πήχεις πʹ καὶ τὸ πλάτος πήχεις λʹ, τὸ δὲ ὕψος τῶν πύργων πηχέων ρʹ καὶ τὸ πλάτος ξʹ. τῶν δὲ πυλῶν χαλκῶν οὐ σῶν τὸ ὕψος ἦν πηχέων νʹ, τὸ δὲ πλάτος πηχέων κʹ. ἔγγιστα δὲ τῆς πόλεως ὤρυξε κινστέρναν, καὶ περιετείχισεν ἀξιολόγως· τὸ βάθος αὐτῆς ὀργυιαὶ μʹ, τὸ δὲ περίμετρον αὐτῆς στάδια μʹ. ὕπερ θεν δὲ αὐτῆς κατεφύτευσε δένδρα παντοδαπά, ὡς παρομοιοῦσθαι δασυτάτοις ὄρεσιν· ὃ καὶ κρεμαστὸν παράδεισον ὠνόμασεν· ἐν αὐτῷ μετὰ τῶν γυναικῶν αὐτοῦ περιπολῶν, καὶ τοὺς κάτω καθο ρῶν ἐξ ἀπόπτου, ὑπ' οὐδενὸς τῶν κάτωθεν ὡρᾶτο. ἐκεῖσε δια πορευόμενος στόματι ὑπερηφάνῳ εἶπεν "οὐχ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ Βαβυ λὼν ἡ μεγάλη, ἣν ἐγὼ εἰς οἶκον βασιλείας ἐν τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος μου, εἰς τιμὴν τῆς δόξης μου ᾠκοδόμησα;" καὶ ἔτι τοῦ λόγου ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ ὄντος φωνὴ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ γέγονε "σοὶ λέγεται Ναβουχοδονόσορ· ἡ βασιλεία σου παρῆλθεν ἀπὸ σοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἐκδιώξουσί σε, καὶ μετὰ θηρίων ἡ κατοίκησίς σου, καὶ 1.204 χόρτον ὡς βοῦν ψωμιοῦσί σε, καὶ ἑπτὰ καιροὶ ἀλλαγήσονται ἐπί σε, ἕως οὗ γνῷς ὅτι κυριεύει ὁ ὕψιστος τῆς βασιλείας τῶν ἀνθρώ πων, καὶ ᾧ ἂν δόξῃ δώσει αὐτήν." καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ὁ λόγος συνετελέσθη, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξεδιώχθη, καὶ ἐν ἐρήμοις ηὐλίσθη καὶ ὄρεσι· γέγονε γὰρ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ σὺν τῇ κεφα λῇ ὡς βοῦς, καὶ οἱ πόδες σὺν τοῖς ὀπισθίοις ὡς λέων. ἀπεκα λύφθη δὲ τῷ ἁγίῳ ∆ανιὴλ περὶ τούτου, ὅτι διὰ τὴν ἄλογον αὐτοῦ φιληδονίαν καὶ σκληροκαρδίαν ὑπὸ ζυγὸν ὡς βοῦς ἐγένετο τῷ Βε λιάρ, λέων δὲ διὰ τὸν τυραννικὸν καὶ ἁρπακτικὸν καὶ θηριωδέστα τον αὐτοῦ τρόπον· οἱ γὰρ δυνάσται ταύτην ἔχουσι τὴν ἀρχήν, ἐπὶ τέλει δὲ ὡς θῆρες ἁρπάζουσιν ὀλοθρεύοντες καὶ ἀναιροῦντες. καὶ ὡς βοῦς ἤσθιε χόρτον, καὶ αἱ τρίχες αὐτοῦ ηὐξήθησαν, καὶ οἱ ὄνυχες ἐγένοντο ὡς ὀρνέου, καὶ ἡ σὰρξ ἐν ἑπτὰ καιροῖς ἐπαχύνθη καὶ ἐμελανώθη τῇ κακοπαθείᾳ, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτοῦ ἤρθη τοῦ μὴ λαλεῖν. καὶ νοῶν εὐθὺς ἐδάκρυε, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ κλαίειν οἱ ὀφθαλ μοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐγένοντο ὡς κρέας. καὶ πολλοὶ ἐξιόντες οὐχ ἑώρων αὐ τὸν πλὴν τοῦ ὁσίου ∆ανιήλ· οὗτος γὰρ πάντα τὸν χρόνον τῆς ἀλ λοιώσεως