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homeland, but he will receive punishment there. So when these things were fulfilled, that Rabshakeh turned back and, having abandoned the siege, he found the king who had sent him |145 a| besieging Libnah—this is a city of Judea—for, it says, having left Lachish, he had gone against it. Then the prophetic word teaches us that when the raging king learned that the king of the Ethiopians had come against him, he withdrew according to the divine prediction, but he did not cease from his rage; rather, through certain messengers, he declared these things to Hezekiah: 10Do not let your God deceive you, in whom you trust, saying: Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hands of the king of the Assyrians. Then again he enumerates the nations and the cities and their gods, and says that all these were destroyed by him and by his fathers. Foreshadowing this madness of his, the prophet, or rather the God of the prophet, said: 'I will punish the great mind, the king of the Assyrians, and the haughtiness of the glory of his eyes. For he said: By the strength of my hand I will do it, and by the wisdom of my understanding; I will remove the boundaries of nations, and I will plunder their strength, and I will shake inhabited cities, and I will seize the whole world like a nest,' and the rest, so that I do not go through everything. But the wonderful king, having received these impious letters and seeing the blasphemy contained in them, ran again to the divine temple and, unfolding them, showed them to the reproached God and offers this supplication: 16O Lord Sabaoth, the God of Israel, who sits upon the cherubim, you are the only God of all the <βασιλείας τῆς> world. The Assyrian, he says, considers you one of the falsely-named gods, but I know you as Lord of the powers and master of Israel, having a throne not somewhere below and lying on the earth but resting upon the cherubim. Of the whole world and the kings in it I know you as both God and master and, in addition to these things, the creator of all. For he added this: You made the heaven and the earth. 17Incline your ear, O Lord, and hearken, O Lord; open your eyes, O Lord, and see, O Lord, and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he sent to reproach the living God. Since, therefore, the divine scripture calls the long-suffering of God sleep, the wonderful king rightly entreats, saying. Open your eyes and incline your ear and hearken to the blasphemy and behold the reproaches, and teach him that you are not one of the so-called gods. For their weakness led him to this madness; for since he has prevailed over them, he boasts that he will prevail over your power too. And the following makes this clear: 18For in truth, O Lord, the kings of the Assyrians have laid waste the whole world and their land 19and have cast their idols into the fire. And these things show the wisdom of the king; for he called the things that became food for the fire idols. And showing the cause of their defeat he added: For they were not gods, but the works of men’s hands, and they destroyed them. Rightly, he says, those things have vanished and been consumed by the fire; for their being was bestowed on them by human craft. 20But now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, so that every kingdom of the world may know that you alone are God. Our salvation, he says, will become an occasion for the knowledge of God; for when they see the others defeated, but us alone victorious, they will know the difference and will learn that you alone are God. When Hezekiah had offered this supplication, God speaks to him through the prophetic tongue and says: 21I have heard what you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of the Assyrians, I have accepted the supplication, take courage that you will obtain your request. 22This is the word which God spoke concerning him: She has despised you and mocked you, the virgin daughter of Zion; she has shaken her head at you, the daughter of Jerusalem. And he calls her daughter, showing the intimacy. And he calls the same both Zion and Jerusalem. He considered you insignificant, he says, and an easy captive as not even of two thousand

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πατρίδα, δέξεται δὲ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐκεῖ. Οὕτω τούτων συμπληρωθέντων ἀπέστρεψεν ἐκεῖνο ς ὁ Ῥαψάκης καὶ τὴν πολιορκίαν καταλιπὼν τὸν πεπομφότα κατέλαβε |145 a| βασιλέα τὴν Λόβναν πολιορκοῦντα-πόλις δὲ αὕτη τῆς Ἰουδαίας-, καταλιπὼν γάρ φησι τὴν Λαχὶς κατ' ἐκείνης ἐχώρησεν. Εἶτα ὁ προφητικὸς ἡμᾶς διδάσκει λόγος, ὡς μαθὼν ὁ μεμηνὼς βασιλεὺς τῶν Αἰθιόπων τὸν βασιλέα κατ' αὐτοῦ κεχωρηκέναι κατὰ τὴν θείαν ἀνεχώρησε πρόρρησιν, οὐ μὴν τῆς λύττης ἐπαύσατο ἀλλὰ ταῦτα διά τινων τῷ Ἐζεκίᾳ δεδήλωκεν· 10Μή σε ἀπατάτω ὁ θεός σου, ἐφ' ᾧ σὺ πέποιθας ἐπ' αὐτῷ λέγων· Οὐ μὴ παραδοθῇ ἡ Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς χεῖρας βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων. Εἶτα πάλιν ἀπαριθμεῖται τὰ ἔθνη καὶ τὰς πόλεις καὶ τοὺς τούτων θεοὺς καὶ λέγει ταύτας ἁπάσας ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν πατέρων καταλυθῆναι. Ταύτην αὐτοῦ τὴν μανίαν προδιαγράφων ὁ προφήτης, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ τοῦ προφήτου θεός, ἔφη· «Ἐπισκέψομαι ἐπὶ τὸν νοῦν τὸν μέγαν, τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ὕψος τῆς δόξης τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ. Εἶπε γάρ· Τῇ ἰσχύι τῆς χειρός μου ποιήσω καὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ τῆς συνέσεώς μου, ἀφελῶ ὅρια ἐθνῶν καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῶν προνομεύσω καὶ σείσω πόλεις κατοι κουμένας καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην καταλήψομαι ὡς νοσσιάν» καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, ἵνα μὴ πάντα διεξέρχωμαι. Ὁ μέντοι θαυμάσιος βασιλεὺς τὰ δυσσεβῆ ταῦτα δεξάμενος γράμματα καὶ τὴν ἐγκειμένην αὐτοῖς βλασφημίαν ἰδὼν πάλιν ἔδραμεν εἰς τὸν θεῖον νεὼν καὶ ἀναπτύξας ὑπέδειξε τῷ ὀνειδισθέντι θεῷ καὶ τήνδε τὴν ἱκετείαν προσφέρει· 16Κύριε Σαβαὼθ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβίμ, σὺ εἶ ὁ θεὸς μόνος πάσης τῆς <βασιλείας τῆς> οἰκουμένης. Ὁ Ἀσσύριός φησιν ἕνα σε τῶν ψευδωνύμων νομίζει θεῶν, ἐγὼ δέ σε οἶδα τῶν δυνάμεων κύριον καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ δεσπότην, θρόνον ἔχοντα οὐ κάτω που καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς κείμενον ἀλλὰ τοῖς χερουβὶμ ἐπικείμενον. Πάσης τῆς οἰκουμένης καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ βασιλέων οἶδά σε καὶ θεὸν καὶ δεσπότην καὶ πρὸς τούτοις τῶν ὅλων δημιουργόν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγεν· Σὺ ἐποίησας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. 17Κλῖνον κύριε τὸ οὖς σου καὶ εἰςάκουσον κύριε, ἄνοιξον κύριε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ ἴδε κύριε καὶ ἄκουσον τοὺς λόγους Σενναχηρίμ, οὓς ἀπέστειλεν ὀνειδίζειν θεὸν ζῶντα. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ μακροθυμίαν ὕπνον ἡ θεία προσαγορεύει γραφή, εἰκότως ὁ θαυμάσιος βασιλεὺς ἀντιβολεῖ λέγων. Ἄνοιξον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου καὶ κλῖνον τὸ οὖς σου καὶ τῆς βλασφημίας ἐπάκουσον καὶ τὰ ὀνείδη βλέπε τε καὶ δίδαξον αὐτόν, ὡς οὐχ εἷς εἶ τῶν καλουμένων θεῶν. Εἰς ταύτην γὰρ αὐτὸν τὴν μανίαν ἤγαγεν ἡ ἐκείνων ἀσθένεια· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκείνων κεκράτηκε, καὶ τῆς σῆς δυνάμεως κρατήσειν νεανιεύεται. Τοῦτο δὲ δηλοῖ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· 18Ἐπ' ἀληθείας γὰρ κύριε ἠρήμωσαν βασιλεῖς Ἀσσυρίων τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅλην καὶ τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν 19καὶ ἐνέβαλον τὰ εἴδωλα αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ πῦρ. Καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν σοφίαν δηλοῖ· εἴδωλα γὰρ ἐκάλεσε τὰ γενόμενα τροφὴν τοῦ πυρός. Καὶ δεικνὺς τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἥττης ἐπήγαγεν· Οὐ γὰρ ἧσαν θεοὶ ἀλλ' ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἀπώλεσαν αὐτούς. Εἰκότως φησὶν ἐκεῖνα φροῦδα γεγένηται καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς δεδα πάνηται· τέχνῃ γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνῃ τὸ εἶναι δεδώρηται. 20Νῦν δὲ κύριε ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν σῶσον ἡμᾶς ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτοῦ, ἵνα γνῷ πᾶσα ἡ βασιλεία τῆς οἰκουμένης ὅτι σὺ εἶ θεὸς μόνος. Πρόφασίς φησι θεογνωσίας ἡ ἡμετέρα σωτηρία γενήσεται· ὅταν γὰρ τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἴδωσιν ἡττηθέντας, ἡμᾶς δὲ μόνους κεκρατηκότας, εἴσονται τὸ διάφορον καὶ μαθήσονται ὅτι σὺ μόνος ὑπάρχεις θεός. Ταύτην τοῦ Ἐζεκίου προσενηνοχότος τὴν ἱκετείαν διὰ τῆς πρ οφητικῆς γλώττ ης πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς διαλέγεται καί φησιν· 21Ἤκουσα ἃ προσηύξω πρός με περὶ Σενναχηρὶμ βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων, Ἐδεξάμην τὴν ἱκετείαν, θάρρησον ὡς τῆς αἰτήσεως τεύξῃ. 22Οὗτος ὁ λόγος ὃν ἐλάλησε περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁ θεός· Ἐφαύλισέ σε καὶ ἐμυκτήρισέ σε, παρθένος θύγατερ Σιών, κεφαλὴν ἐπὶ σοὶ ἐκίνησε, θύγατερ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Θυγατέρα δὲ αὐτὴν ὀνομάζει τὴν οἰκειότητα δεικνύς. Τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ καλεῖ καὶ Σιὼν καὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Εὐτελῆ σέ φησιν ἐνόμισε καὶ εὐχείρωτον ὡς οὐδὲ δισχιλίων