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of Hystaspes, in the second year of his reign, having removed those who were hindering, he permits the complete construction of the temple. and it is completed in another four years, so that it was finished in a total of 46 years. Cambyses, also called Artaxerxes, reigned for 8 years, Sphendanes and Cimerdius, the magi brothers, for 7 months. Darius, a descendant of Cyrus, and son of Hystaspes, having attacked the magi and prevailed, 1.253 reigned for six years until the completion of Jerusalem, and 1.253 in addition to these, another 30. in his time Hippocrates the physician was well-known. Xerxes the son of Darius reigned for 20 years, Artabanus for 7 months, Artaxerxes Longimanus for 40 years. in his time the events concerning Esther and Mordecai and Haman took place. in his time Jerusalem was built, with him having surrounded with arms those who were working. from the eighth year of this man must be numbered the seventy weeks of the vision of Daniel until the coming of the Lord. The events concerning Rome should have been placed before these as being more ancient, but because of the continuity of the sequence they were postponed, and they will be set down in order after the completion of the kingdom of the Assyrians and the captivity of the Hebrews. Xerxes son of Artaxerxes, surnamed Nothus, having killed Sogdianus, reigned for 19 years. Darius the son of Hystaspes and Parysatis for 36 years, in the year of the world #224992. This man, while still a private citizen, vowed to God that if he became king of the Persians, he would rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and return all the sacred things of the Jews along with the captives and their ancestral customs. Zerubbabel son of Salathiel, having been an auditor and counsellor of these vows, later reminded him, being an intimate. For the people had been sent away before, and after the foundations of the temple were laid, the building was stopped because of the slander 1.254 of the neighboring Samaritans. And they were in the same condition for 41 years until the second year of Darius. Then the temple is completed over six years through the reminder and hands of Zerubbabel and Jesus son of Jozadak, that is, in 47 total years from the first year of Cyrus. Therefore it was also said by the Jews to the Lord, "This temple was built in 46 years, and you will raise it in three days?" For Solomon constructed it in seven years. Those who returned from the Babylonian captivity were 24 thousand and 360, and 7,037 slaves. The reminder of Zerubbabel was of this sort. Three bodyguards of the king, having conversed among themselves, said, "Let us speak questions to the king, each about what is strongest in the world, which conquers all; and whoever is found to have conquered will be honored by the king." The first said, "Wine is stronger, and it conquers all." The second said, "The king conquers, having his will concurrent with his power." The third, who was also Zerubbabel, said, "Woman conquers, and above all, truth." He was praised, and a request was granted to him. And he reminded the king of his vow, and he released all the people, and built the city and the temple. In the second of the letters of Maccabees to the Jews in Egypt it is written concerning Nehemiah, that having rebuilt the temple and the altar and being about to offer a sacrifice, he sent 1.255 the descendants of the priests to the well, in which their fathers in the time of the captivity had hidden it, having taken it from the fire of the altar, as Jeremiah says, in order to bring fire from it. But those who went did not find fire, but thick water. And Nehemiah ordered them to bring some of this, and to sprinkle it on the wood that was laid for the sacrifice. And when the sun shone out from a cloud, a great fire was kindled upon the sacrifices and consumed them, so that all marveled and glorified God with prayer. That this Xerxes, having taken Egypt and come to Athens, having bridged the Hellespont, burned them. And in Rome a certain virgin Portila, having been condemned for unchastity, was buried alive. And laws were sent to Rome from Greece in twelve books. In these times the mountain Etna in Sicily erupted and fire came forth. And

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Ὑστάσπου, δευτέρῳ ἔτει τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας, τοὺς ἐμποδίζον τας ἀναστείλας τελείαν ἐπιτρέπει τοῦ ναοῦ τὴν κατασκευήν. καὶ συμπληροῦται ἐν ἄλλοις τέτρασιν ἔτεσιν, ὥστε συντελεσθῆναι αὐ τὸν ἐν ὅλοις ἔτεσι μ ϛʹ. Καμβύσης ὁ καὶ Ἀρταξέρξης ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη ηʹ, Σφενδάνης καὶ Κιμέρδιος ἀδελφοὶ μάγοι μῆνας ζʹ. ∆αρεῖος ὁ Κύρου ἀπό γονος, Ὑστάσπου δὲ υἱός, τοῖς μάγοις ἐπιθέμενος καὶ κρατή 1.253 σας ἐβασίλευσε μέχρι συμπληρώσεως Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔτη ἕξ, καὶ 1.253 πρὸς τούτοις ἕτερα λʹ. ἐπὶ τούτου Ἱπποκράτης ὁ ἰατρὸς ἐγνω ρίζετο. Ξέρξης ὁ ∆αρείου υἱὸς ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη κʹ, Ἀρτάβανος μῆ νας ζʹ, Ἀρταξέρξης ὁ μακρόχειρ ἔτη μʹ. ἐπὶ τούτου τὰ κατὰ Ἐσθὴρ καὶ Μαρδοχαῖον καὶ Ἀμᾶν ἐπράχθη. ἐπὶ τούτου ᾠκοδομήθη Ἱερουσαλήμ, ὅπλοις τοὺς ἐνεργοῦντας περιτειχίσαντος. ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀγδόου ἔτους τούτου ἀριθμεῖσθαι δεῖ τὰς ἑβδομή κοντα ἑβδομάδας τῆς τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ ὀπτασίας μέχρι τῆς τοῦ κυρίου παρουσίας. Ἔδει δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ῥώμην προταχθῆναι τούτων ὡς ἀρ χαιότερα, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν συνέχειαν τῆς ἀκολουθίας ὑπερετέθησαν, καὶ τεθήσονται καθεξῆς μετὰ τὴν συμπλήρωσιν τῆς τῶν Ἀσσυ ρίων βασιλείας καὶ τῆς τῶν Ἑβραίων αἰχμαλωσίας. Ξέρξης ὁ Ἀρταξέρξου, ἐπικληθεὶς Νόθος, ἀνελὼν Σογδα νὸν ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη ιθʹ. ∆αρεῖος ὁ Ὑστάσπου καὶ Παρυσάτιδος ἔτη λ ϛʹ, κόσμου ἔτη #22δ Ϡϟβʹ. οὗτος ἔτι ἰδιωτεύων ηὔξατο τῷ θεῷ, εἰ βασιλεύσει Περσῶν, ἀνεγεῖραι τὸν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ναὸν καὶ πάντα τὰ Ἰουδαίων ἀποδοῦναι ἱερὰ σὺν τοῖς αἰχμαλώτοις καὶ πατρῴοις ἔθεσι. τούτων τῶν εὐχῶν καὶ Ζοροβάβελ ὁ τοῦ Σαλα θιὴλ ἀκουστὴς καὶ σύμβουλος γεγονὼς ὕστερον ἀνέμνησε, συνή θης ὤν. καὶ γὰρ ἀπεστάλη μὲν καὶ πρῶτον ὁ λαός, καὶ τῶν θεμελίων τοῦ ναοῦ ὑποβληθέντων ἐπαύθη ἡ οἰκοδομὴ ἐκ διαβολῆς 1.254 τῶν προσοίκων Σαμαρειτῶν. καὶ ἦσαν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ σχήματι χρό νους μαʹ ἕως τοῦ δευτέρου ἔτους ∆αρείου. εἶτα πληροῦται ὁ ναὸς ἐπὶ ἓξ χρόνοις δι' ὑπομνήσεως καὶ χειρῶν Ζοροβάβελ καὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ἰωσεδέκ, ἤγουν ἐν μζʹ ὅλοις ἐνιαυτοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου ἔτους Κύρου. διὸ καὶ εἴρηται παρὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων πρὸς τὸν κύριον "ἐν μ ϛʹ ᾠκοδομήθη ὁ ναὸς οὗτος, καὶ σὺ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερεῖς αὐτόν;" ὁ γὰρ Σολομῶν ἐν ἑπτὰ ἔτεσι κατεσκεύασεν αὐτόν. ἦσαν δὲ οἱ ὑποστρέψαντες ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας Βαβυλῶνος χιλιάδες κδʹ καὶ τξʹ, δοῦλοι δὲ ἑπτακισχίλιοι λζʹ. Ἡ δὲ τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ ὑπόμνησις τοιαύτη ἦν. τρεῖς σωμα τοφύλακες τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς ἑαυτοὺς διαλεχθέντες εἶπον "λαλήσω μεν τῷ βασιλεῖ ζητήματα, ἕκαστος περὶ τοῦ τί ἐστιν ἰσχυρότερον ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, ὃ νικᾷ πάντα· καὶ οἷος ἂν εὑρεθῇ νικήσας, τιμη θήσεται παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως." ὁ πρῶτος εἶπεν "ἰσχυρότερος ὁ οἶνος, καὶ νικᾷ πάντα." ὁ δεύτερος εἶπε "νικᾷ ὁ βασιλεύς, τὸ βούλεσθαι ἔχων τῇ δυνάμει σύνδρομον." ὁ τρίτος ὁ καὶ Ζορο βάβελ εἶπε "νικᾷ ἡ γυνή, καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντα ἡ ἀλήθεια." ὃς ἐπῃνέ θη, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ αἴτησις. ὁ δὲ ὑπέμνησε τὸν βασιλέα τῆς εὐχῆς, καὶ ἀπέλυσε τὸν λαὸν πάντα, καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸν ναὸν ᾠκοδόμησεν. Ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῶν Μακκαβαϊκῶν ἐπιστολῶν τοῖς κατ' Αἴγυπτον Ἰουδαίοις γέγραπται περὶ Νεεμίου, ὅτι ἀνοικοδομήσας τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον καὶ μέλλων θυσίαν ἀναφέρειν ἔπεμψε 1.255 τοὺς ἐγγόνους τῶν ἱερέων ἐπὶ τὸ φρέαρ, ἐν ᾧ κατέκρυψαν οἱ πα τέρες αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας λαβόντες ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, ὡς Ἱερεμίας φησί, τοῦ ἀγαγεῖν πῦρ ἐξ αὐτοῦ. οἱ δὲ ἀπελθόντες οὐχ εὗρον πῦρ, ἀλλ' ὕδωρ παχύ. ἐκέλευσε δὲ Νεεμίας ἀγαγεῖν ἐκ τούτου, καὶ ἐπιρρᾶναι τοῖς ξύλοις τοῖς ὑποκει μένοις τῇ θυσίᾳ. τοῦ δὲ ἡλίου ἀπὸ νέφους λάμψαντος ἀνήφθη πυρὰ μεγάλη κατὰ τῶν θυσιῶν καὶ ἐδαπάνησεν αὐτάς, ὥστε θαυ μάσαι πάντας καὶ δοξάσαι τὸν θεὸν μετ' εὐχῆς. Ὅτι ὁ Ξέρξης οὗτος Αἴγυπτον παραλαβὼν καὶ εἰς Ἀθήνας ἐλθών, ζεύξας τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον, ἐνέπρησεν αὐτάς. ἐν δὲ Ῥώμῃ Πορτίλα τις παρθένος ἐπὶ διαφθορᾷ καταγνωσθεῖσα ζῶσα κατω ρύγη. καὶ νόμοι ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἀπὸ Ἑλλάδος διὰ δώδεκα βιβλίων ἐπέμφθησαν. ἐν τούτοις τοῖς χρόνοις ἐρράγη ἐν Σικελίᾳ τὸ Αἰτναῖον ὄρος καὶ ἐξῆλθε πῦρ. καὶ