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you shall worship at this altar. Using evil art and cunning, he did not immediately resort to blasphemy, but for the time being weaves an accusation against the pious king that is not displeasing to the majority of his subjects. For the majority wished to sacrifice without fear and laid bare their mind in the time of both Ahaz and Manasseh and of the others who in their time chose error. However, it must be noted that Rabshakeh does not mention the destruction of the idols, but of the altars dedicated to God in the high places. For I think that these so-called high places were dedicated to God, but were dedicated contrary to the law; for before the building of the temple, both in Hebron and in Gibeon and in Mizpah and in many other places they offered sacrifices to God, but after the building, those who lived according to the law did not tolerate sacrificing outside the divine temple, while those who were bestial and walked outside the divine path offered sacrifices in the high places, not to idols, as I think, but to God. And the history of the books of Kings and of Chronicles makes this clear to us; for those who wrote those books, having praised both Asa and Jehoshaphat, also said these things: “And Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord his God and removed the foreign altars and the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the groves.” “But the people still sacrificed in the high places.” For they destroyed the places of the idols, but left those dedicated to God for the sake of appearance. But only Hezekiah and Josiah also prevented this transgression. Rabshakeh considered this admirable zeal of Hezekiah worthy of accusation and exhorts them not to trust in God, saying that He is angry because the altars dedicated to him have been torn down from their foundations and his worship has been restricted to the dedicated temple alone. Then he says: Trusting in your strength, give a test of your power; I will provide the horses, and you provide two thousand riders. But if even this is impossible for you, 9how can you turn back the face of one of the toparchs of the least of my master's servants? You are not able, he says, to receive the attack of one of his insignificant toparchs. They are servants who trust in Egypt, in horse and rider. But the Three Interpreters have rendered this thus: “And he trusted for himself in Egypt and in chariots and horses.” But according to the Seventy it must be understood thus, that they are slaves and fugitives who trust in the Egyptians; for since Ahaz paid some tribute to the Assyrians out of fear of the Syrians, but Hezekiah, trusting in his piety, despised it and did not pay the tribute, he called them servants who had fled to the Egyptians. Then he adds another lie to what was said, wishing to deceive those standing on the wall: 10And now, have we come up against this land to wage war on it without the Lord? The Lord said to me: Go up to this land and destroy it. It is clear that this thrice-wretched man, being a Hebrew and knowing that God often, exacting punishment for their impiety, handed them over to foreign nations, used these words. And one of two things: either having deserted he went over to them, or having been led away captive, when they enslaved the ten tribes, he embraced their impiety. To these things, however, those around Eliakim answered, asking him not to use the Hebrew but the Syrian tongue: For we understand their language also; for it is not fitting for all to understand what is being said. But he says: I was not sent to you nor to your master but to this people, who are worthy of all dishonor. Then leaving these men and using a very loud voice he tries to deceive the crowd, saying that the great king had declared: 14Let not Hezekiah deceive you with words by which he will not be able to deliver you; 15and let not Hezekiah say to you that God will deliver you and this city will not be handed over into the hands of the king of the Assyrians; 16do not listen to Hezekiah. Neither this rage nor

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θυσιαστηρίου τούτου προσκυ νεῖτε. Κακοτεχνίᾳ καὶ πανουργίᾳ χρώμενος οὐκ εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὴν βλασφημίαν ἐχώρησεν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς βασιλέως τέως ὑφαίνει κατηγορίαν τοῖς πολλοῖς τῶν ὑπηκόων οὐκ ἀπαρέσκουσαν. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ πλείους ἀδεῶς θύειν ἐβούλοντο καὶ τὴν γνώμην ἐγύμνωσαν ἐπί τε τοῦ Ἄχαζ καὶ τοῦ Μανασσῆ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν κατ' ἐκείνους προελομένων τὴν πλάνην. ∆εῖ μέντοι ἐπισημήνασθαι ὡς οὐ τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων κατα λύσεως ὁ Ῥαψάκης μέμνηται ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς τόποις ἀνακειμένων τῷ θεῷ θυσιαστηρίων. Ἡγοῦμαι γὰρ ταῦτα τὰ καλούμενα ὑψηλὰ τῷ θεῷ μὲν ἀνατεθῆναι, παρὰ δὲ τὸν νόμον ἀνατεθῆναι· πρὸ γὰρ τῆς οἰκοδομίας τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ ἐν τῇ Χεβρὼν καὶ ἐν τῇ Γαβαὼν καὶ ἐν τῇ Μασσηφὰ καὶ ἐν πολλοῖς ἑτέροις τόποις θυσίας προσέφερον τῷ θεῷ, μετὰ δέ γε τὴν οἰκοδομίαν οἱ κατὰ νόμον πολιτευόμενοι οὐκ ἠνείχοντο θύειν ἔξω τοῦ θείου νεώ, οἱ δὲ κτηνώδεις καὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς θείας ἔξω βαίνοντες ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς τόποις προσέφερον τὰς θυσίας οὐκ εἰδώλοις ὡς οἶμαι ἀλλὰ τῷ θεῷ. Καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον ἡμῖν ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν καὶ ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων ἱστορία ποιεῖ· καὶ τὸν Ἀσὰ γὰρ καὶ τὸν Ἰωσαφὰτ ἐπαινέσαντες οἱ ἐκεῖνα συγγράψαντες καὶ ταῦτα ἔφασαν· «Καὶ ἐποίησεν Ἀσὰ τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέστησε τὰ θυσιαστήρια τὰ ἀλλότρια καὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ καὶ συνέτριψε τὰς στήλας καὶ ἐξέκοψε τὰ ἄλση.» «Πλὴν ἔτι ἐθυμία ὁ λαὸς ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς.» Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ τῶν εἰδώλων κατέλυον τόπους, τοὺς δὲ τῷ θεῷ ἀνακειμένους κατελίμπανον ἐπὶ σχήματος. Μόνοι δέ γε Ἐζεκίας καὶ Ἰωσίας καὶ ταύτην τὴν παρανομίανἐκώλυσαν. Ταύτην τὴν ἀξιάγαστον τοῦ Ἐζεκίου σπουδὴν κατηγορίας ἀξίαν ὁ Ῥαψάκης ἐνόμισε καὶ παρεγγυᾷ μὴ θαρρεῖν τῷ θεῷ, ἀγανακτεῖν αὐτὸν λέγων ὡς τῶν ἀνακει μένων αὐτῷ θυσιαστηρίων ἐκ βάθρων ἀνεσπασμένων καὶ περιορισθείσης αὐτῷ τῆς θεραπείας μόνῳ τῷ ἀφιερωμένῳ ναῷ. Εἶτά φησιν· Ἐπὶ τῇ ῥώμῃ θαρρήσαντες δότε τῆς δυνάμεως πεῖραν· ἐγὼ τοὺς ἵππους παρέξω, καὶ ὑ μεῖς δισχιλίους ἐπιβάτας παράσχετε. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ὑμῖν ἀδύνατον, 9πῶς δύνασθε ἀποστρέψαι εἰς πρόσωπον τῶν τοπαρχῶν ἑνὸς τῶν δούλων τοῦ κυρίου τῶν μικρῶν; Οὐ δύνασθέ φησιν ἑνὸς αὐτοῦ εὐτελοῦς τοπάρχου δέξασθαι προσβολήν. Οἰκέται εἰσὶν οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ' Αἴγυπτον, ἐφ' ἵππον καὶ ἀναβάτην. Οἱ δὲ Τρεῖς Ἑρμηνευταὶ οὕτως τοῦτο τεθείκασιν· «Καὶ ἐθάρρησεν ἑαυτῷ εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ εἰς ἅρματα καὶ ἵππους.» Κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα οὕτω νοητέον, ὅτι δοῦλοι καὶ φυγάδες εἰσὶν οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ' Αἰγυπτίοις· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ Ἄχαζ δασμόν τινα παρεῖχε τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις διὰ τὸ δέος τῶν Σύρων, ὁ δὲ Ἐζεκίας τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ θ αρρήσας κατεφρόνησε καὶ τὸν φόρον οὐκ ἔδωκεν, οἰκέτας αὐτοὺς ἐκάλεσεν Αἰγυπτίοις προσπεφευγότας. Εἶτα προσ τίθησι τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ ἕτερον ψεῦδος τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ τείχους ἑστῶτας ἀποβουκολῆσαι βουλόμενος· 10Καὶ νῦν μὴ ἄνευ κυρίου ἀνέβημεν ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν ταύτην πολεμῆσαι αὐτήν; Κύριος εἶπε πρός με· Ἀνάβηθι ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ταύτην καὶ διάφθειρον αὐτήν. ∆ῆλός ἐστιν ὁ τρισάθλιος οὗτος ὡς Ἑβραῖος ὢν καὶ εἰδὼς ὅτι πολλάκις αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς δίκας τῆς ἀσεβείας πραττόμενος ἀλλοφύλοις παρέδωκεν ἔθνεσι τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις ἐχρήσατο. Καὶ δυοῖν θάτερον· ἢ αὐτομολήσας προσεχώρησεν ἐκείνοις ἢ αἰχμάλωτος ἀπαχθείς, ἡνίκα τὰς δέκα φυλὰς ἠνδραπόδισαν, ἠσπάσατο τὴν ἐκείνων ἀσέβειαν. Πρὸς ταῦτα μέντοι ἀπεκρίναντο οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἐλιακ ὶμ παρακαλοῦντες μὴ τῇ Ἑβραίων ἀλλὰ τῇ Σύρων κεχρῆσθαι φωνῇ· Ἐπαΐομεν γὰρ καὶ τῆς τούτων γλώττης· οὐ γὰρ προσήκει πᾶσι τὰ λαλούμενα δῆλα γενέσθαι. Ὁ δέ φησιν· Οὐ πρὸς ὑμᾶς οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸν ὑμέτερον ἀπεστάλην δεσπότην ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον τὸν πάσης ἄξιον ἀτιμίας. Εἶτα τούτους κατα λιπὼν καὶ βοῇ μεγίστῃ χρησάμενος ἐξαπατᾶν πειρᾶται τὸ πλῆθος τὸν μέγιστον βασι λέα λέγων δεδηλωκέναι· 14Μὴ ἀπατάτω ὑμᾶς Ἐζεκίας λόγοις οἷς οὐ μὴ δύνηται ῥύσασθαι ὑμᾶς· 15καὶ μὴ λεγέτω ὑμῖν Ἐζεκίας ὅτι ῥύσεται ὑμᾶς ὁ θεὸς καὶ οὐ μὴ παραδοθῇ ἡ πόλις αὕτη εἰς χεῖρας βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων· 16μὴ ἀκούετε Ἐζεκίου. Οὔτε οὗτος λύττης οὔτε