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and he ate bread continually in his presence, all the days that he lived." Now this Jehoiakim is also Jeconiah; for Nebuchadnezzar, having killed Jehoiakim his father, in whose time Daniel was also taken captive, cast him outside the wall in Jerusalem. After Evil-Merodach, his brother Belshazzar reigned for three years; who, having defiled the sacred vessels of God at the banquet, which his father Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem, was slain by divine wrath. For at that time Daniel says to him, "the most high God gave the kingdom and the greatness to Nebuchadnezzar your father, and because of his greatness all peoples, tribes, and tongues were trembling and fearing before his face. And whom he would he slew, and whom he would he saved. And when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened to act proudly, he was shamed from the throne of his kingdom, and his honor was taken from him, and he was driven from men, and among the beasts 1.208 he was given, and with the wild asses was his dwelling, and they fed him grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the most high rules the kingdom of men, and to whomever he wills, he will give it. And you then, his son Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, and your great men and your companions and your concubines drink wine in the holy vessels." For this reason the knuckle of a hand was sent from his presence, and it inscribed its writing, as was written before. And after Belshazzar was slain, Darius the Mede, who is also Artaxerxes and Astyages, took over the kingdom, for 17 years. who had as wife Esther of Mordecai, chosen for her beauty from among the Hebrew maidens; who, having delivered her own Jewish people who were about to be slain by the plot of Haman the general, arranged for him to be impaled on the very wood on which he had planned to impale her uncle Mordecai, for not honoring and bowing down to him. For one of the great men says, "Behold, Haman has set up a gallows fifty cubits high for Mordecai." And the king said, "Let Haman be crucified there." And it happened thus according to the command of king Artaxerxes. Rightly, therefore, is the scripture fulfilled that says, "He who does evil things will be rolled into them, and whoever kindles wickedness will be destroyed by it. And whoever prepares a net in the face of his neighbor, will entangle his own feet in it. And he who digs a pit for his neighbor 1.209 will fall into it himself." and "by what things one sins, by these also is he punished." In the time of this Artaxerxes, who is also Astyages, the visions through the archangel were also seen by Daniel, and the time of Christ's coming was revealed. who, being envied by the great men because he was greatly honored by the king, was cast into the lions' den; who was also kept unharmed by the grace of God.

And after Darius, Cyrus the Persian reigned for 32 years, who, having killed Darius, ruled over all the earth. In the times of the judges, the Argonauts with Jason the Thessalonian and Polydeuces and Hylas and Telamon and the others, sailing out to Colchis, and wishing to cross to the Pontic Sea by sailing upstream, when Cyzicus the toparch in the Hellespont resisted them in a naval battle, they killed him, and they took Cyzicus, which was the metropolis of Hellespont. And learning that Cyzicus, who was slain by them, was a kinsman of theirs, they asked for forgiveness, and they build a marvelous temple of sorts. And having come to the oracle of the hot springs and having sacrificed, they inquired, "Prophesy to us, Phoebus Apollo, whose house would this be?" And they hear, "Whatever tends toward virtue and order, do. But I command to fear one only high-ruling God, whose imperishable Word will be pregnant in an unknowing maiden. 1.210 He, like a fire-bearing bow

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καὶ ἤσθιε διὰ παντὸς ἄρτον κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἃς ἔζησεν." Ἰωα κεὶμ δὲ οὗτος ἐστὶ καὶ Ἰεχονίας· Ἰωακεὶμ γὰρ τὸν τούτου πατέρα, ἐφ' οὗ καὶ ∆ανιὴλ ᾐχμαλωτίσθη, Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἀνελὼν ἐν Ἱε ρουσαλὴμ ἔρριψεν ἔξω τοῦ τείχους. Μετὰ δὲ Οὐλεμαροδὰχ ἐβασίλευσε Βαλτάσαρ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ἔτη τρία· ὃς μιάνας τὰ ἱερατικὰ σκεύη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ συμποσίῳ, ἅπερ ἤγαγεν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἐξ Ἱε ρουσαλήμ, ἀνῃρέθη κατὰ θείαν ὀργήν. φησὶ γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν τηνικαῦτα ∆ανιήλ "ὁ θεὸς ὁ ὕψιστος τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν μεγα λωσύνην ἔδωκε Ναβουχοδονόσορ τῷ πατρί σου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς μεγα λωσύνης αὐτοῦ πάντες οἱ λαοὶ φυλαὶ γλῶσσαι ἦσαν τρέμοντες, καὶ φοβούμενοι ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ. καὶ οὓς ἐβούλετο ἀνῄρει, καὶ οὓς ἤθελεν ἔσωζε. καὶ ὅτε ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἐκραταιώθη τοῦ ὑπερηφανεύεσθαι, κατῃσχύνθη ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ τιμὴ αὐτοῦ ἀφῃρέθη ἀπ' αὐ τοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐξεδιώχθη, καὶ μετὰ τῶν θηρίων 1.208 ἐδόθη, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ὀνάγρων ἡ κατοίκησις αὐτοῦ, καὶ χόρτον ὡς βοῦν ἐψώμιζον αὐτόν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δρόσου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἐβάφη, ἕως οὗ ἔγνω ὅτι κυριεύει ὁ ὕψιστος τῆς βασιλείας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ᾧ ἂν δόξῃ, δώσει αὐτήν. καὶ σὺ οὖν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Βαλτάσαρ οὐκ ἐταπείνωσας τὴν καρδίαν σου, καὶ οἱ μεγι στᾶνες καὶ οἱ παράκοιτοι καὶ αἱ παλλακαί σου οἶνον ἐπίνετε ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις σκεύεσι." διὰ τοῦτο ἀπεστάλη ἀστράγαλος χειρὸς ἐκ προσώπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν γραφὴν αὐτοῦ ἐνέταξεν, ὡς προε γράφη. Καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἀναιρεθῆναι Βαλτάσαρ ∆αρεῖος παρέλαβε τὴν βασιλείαν ὁ Μῆδος, ὁ καὶ Ἀρταξέρξης καὶ Ἀστυάγης, ἔτη ιζʹ. ὃς ἔσχε γυναῖκα τὴν τοῦ Μαρδὸχ Ἐσθήρ, ἐπιλεχθεῖσαν διὰ κάλ λος ἐκ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν νεανίδων· ἥτις καὶ τὸν ἴδιον λαὸν τὸν Ἰουδαϊκὸν ἀναιρεῖσθαι μέλλοντα ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς Ἀμὰν τοῦ ἀρχιστρατή γου λυτρωσαμένη, παρεσκεύασεν ἐκεῖνον ἀνασκολοπισθῆναι εἰς ὅπερ ξύλον ἐβουλεύσατο Μαρδοχαῖον τὸν ἑαυτῆς ἀνασκολοπίσαι θεῖον, μὴ τιμῶντα αὐτὸν καὶ προσκυνοῦντα. φησὶ γάρ τις τῶν μεγιστάνων "ἰδοὺ ξύλον ἔστησεν Ἀμὰν τῷ Μαρδοχαίῳ πηχῶν νʹ." καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς "σταυρωθήτω Ἀμὰν ἐκεῖ." καὶ ἐγένετο οὕ τως κατὰ τὴν κέλευσιν τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀρταξέρξου. εἰκότως οὖν πεπλήρωται ἡ γραφὴ ἡ λέγουσα "ὁ ποιῶν πονηρὰ εἰς αὐτὰ ἐγκυ λισθήσεται, καὶ ὃς δ' ἂν ἐκκαύσῃ κακίαν, ἀπολεῖται ὑπ' αὐτῆς. καὶ ὃς παρασκευάζεται δίκτυον ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τοῦ πλησίον, περι βαλεῖ αὐτὸ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ποσί. καὶ ὁ ὀρύσσων βόθρον τῷ πλησίον 1.209 εἰς αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖται." καὶ "δι' ὧν τις ἁμαρτάνει, δι' αὐτῶν καὶ κολάζεται." ἐφ' οὗ Ἀρταξέρξου, τοῦ καὶ Ἀστυάγου, καὶ τῷ ∆ανιὴλ ὡράθησαν αἱ διὰ τοῦ ἀρχαγγέλου ὀπτασίαι, καὶ ὁ χρόνος ἐδηλώθη τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας. ὅστις καὶ φθονηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν μεγιστάνων διὰ τὸ μεγάλως τιμᾶσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐβλήθη ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ τῶν λεόντων· ὃς καὶ ἀβλαβὴς διετηρήθη τῇ χάριτι τοῦ θεοῦ.

Μετὰ δὲ ∆αρεῖον ἐβασίλευσε Κῦρος ὁ Πέρσης ἔτη λβʹ, ὃς ἀνελὼν ∆αρεῖον πάσης γῆς ἐκράτησεν. Ἐν τοῖς χρόνοις τῶν κριτῶν καὶ οἱ Ἀργωναῦται οἱ περὶ Ἰάσονα τὸν Θεσσαλονικέα καὶ Πολυδεύκην καὶ Ὕλαν καὶ Τελαμῶνα καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς πρὸς τὴν Κολχίδα ἐκπλέοντες, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀνά πλου πρὸς τὴν Ποντικὴν θάλασσαν διαβῆναι θέλοντες, ἀντιστάν τος αὐτοῖς Κυζίκου τοῦ ἐν Ἑλλησπόντῳ τοπαρχοῦντος ἐν ναυμαχίᾳ, τὸν μὲν ἐφόνευσαν, τὴν δὲ Κύζικον ἔλαβον, μητρόπολιν οὖσαν Ἑλλησπόντου. καὶ μαθόντες ὅτι Κύζικος ὁ σφαγεὶς παρ' αὐτῶν συγγενὴς ἦν αὐτοῖς, συγγνώμην ᾐτοῦντο, καὶ κτίζουσιν ἱερὸν θαυ μάσιον οἷον. πρὸς δὲ τὸ τῶν θερμῶν μαντεῖον γενόμενοι καὶ θυσάμενοι ἐπύθοντο "προφήτευσον ἡμῖν, Φοῖβ' Ἄπολλον, τίνος ἂν εἴη δόμος οὗτος;" καὶ ἀκούουσιν "ὅσα μὲν πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ κόσμον ὄρωρε, ποιεῖτε. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐφετμέω τρεῖν ἕνα μοῦνον ὑψι μέδοντα θεόν, οὗ λόγος ἄφθιτος ἐν ἀδαεῖ κούρῃ ἔγκυος ἔσται. 1.210 οὗτος ὥσπερ τόξον πυριφόρον