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with the tranquility of my good pleasure, put me into ecstasy. So I think these things have been said by the prophet personifying Babylon, and that the things spoken were brought forth as if from her or from the nation dwelling in her. the prophetic spirit is addressed to the Medes and the Elamites and to the ambassadors of the Persians, rousing and urging them to the war against the Babylonians. wherefore as to them he says: prepare the table; eat, drink; rising up, O princes, prepare the shields. and these things I, the prophet, say, he says, being moved by the prophetic spirit, because thus the Lord said to me, Go, set a watchman for yourself and what you see, report, or according to the other interpreters: what he sees, let him report, that is, the watchman. Then he says, the watchman was set according to the Lord’s command and he saw two horsemen riders, or according to Symmachus: and he saw a chariot with a pair of horses. So this he saw first, and after the pair of horses he sees two other riders, one mounted on a donkey, the other on a camel. and these were signs and symbols of the enemy battle line, of whom some advanced mounted on chariots, while others on pack animals were bringing the things necessary for their needs. So the watchman saw these things, whom God commanded the prophet: Hearken, he says, with much hearkening and call Uriah to the watchtower. He commands then to offer his ears to hear the word that is about to be spoken and to call Uriah to the watchtower. but instead of Uriah Aquila has lion, Symmachus lioness, and Theodotion gave Ariel. but none of these named Uriah, since neither did the Hebrew word mention Uriah. For when previously he made mention of "Uriah the priest", the man was denoted by other letters, but now with another word and other letters the Hebrew expression signifies the lion or the lioness according to Symmachus. The Lord therefore commands the prophet to hearken with much hearkening to what is about to be said, then to call either the lioness or Ariel, so that he too, having come, might be seen by the watchman, with the prophet watching along with the watchman. which indeed he signifies saying next: I have stood continually by day and on my watch I have stood whole nights; therefore the prophet also stood with the watchman, watching for the vision that was about to be seen by them of the lion or the lioness or Ariel. And having persevered for the entire time of the day and of the night, he adds: and behold, he himself comes. And who is this but Ariel mounted on a pair of horses? wherefore he says: and behold, he himself comes, a rider on a pair of horses. who then was this but some avenging angel, through whom the things of the siege of Babylon were about to be fulfilled? perhaps being named Ariel or being that one himself who "as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." and indeed having seen him, the prophet understood that being an avenging angel he will work the destruction of Babylon. wherefore he cries out, saying: Babylon has fallen, has fallen, and all its graven images and its handmade things have been broken to the ground; for as Ariel had been commanded to do these things, the prophet sent forth this voice. therefore through these things two watchmen are presented and two visions are seen; for the first watchman saw two horsemen riders and a rider of a donkey and a rider of a camel, but the second, being the prophet himself, no longer saw riders of camels nor of donkeys, but saw a rider of a pair of horses, the lion or Ariel, by which he was revealing the fall of Babylon and the destruction of her reputed gods. wherefore according to Symmachus it is said: Babylon has fallen, has fallen, and all the graven images of her gods have been broken. So the first watchman, being inferior to the prophet, saw the multitude of the enemy men who were about to come against Babylon, but the second, being the prophet himself, the

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με τὸ ἀτάραχον τῆς εὐδοκίας μου, ἐποίησέ με εἰς ἔκστασιν. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν οἶμαι λελέχθαι τῷ προφήτῃ προσωποποιοῦντι τὴν Βαβυλῶνα καὶ ὡς ἐξ αὐτῆς ἢ καὶ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ κατοικοῦντος ἔθνους τὰ εἰρημένα προενηνεγμένα. τὸ προφητικὸν πνεῦμα πρὸς τοὺς Μήδους καὶ τοὺς Ἐλαμίτας καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πρέσβεις τῶν Περσῶν ἀποτείνεται, διεγεῖρον καὶ παρορμῶν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὸν κατὰ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων πόλεμον. διὸ ὡς πρὸς αὐτούς φησιν· ἑτοίμασον τὴν τράπεζαν· φάγετε, πίετε· ἀναστάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες ἑτοιμάσατε θυρεούς. ταῦτα δὲ λέγω φησὶν ἐγὼ ὁ προφήτης τῷ πνεύματι τῷ προφητικῷ κινούμενος, ἐπειδήπερ ὅτι οὕτως εἶπε κύριος πρός με Βαδίσας στῆσον σεαυτῷ σκοπὸν καὶ ὃ ἂν ἴδῃς ἀπάγγειλον, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς· ὃ ἂν ἴδῃ ἀπαγγειλάτω, δηλονότι ὁ σκοπός. Εἶτά φησιν ἐστάθη ὁ σκοπὸς κατὰ τὸ πρόσταγμα κυρίου καὶ εἶδεν ἀναβάτας ἱππεῖς δύο, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· καὶ εἶδεν ἅρμα ζεῦγος ἵππων. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν πρῶτον ἐθεάσατο, μετὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν ἵππων συνωρίδα ἄλλους δύο ἱππεῖς ὁρᾷ, τὸν μὲν ὄνῳ ὀχούμενον, τὸν δὲ καμήλῳ. σημεῖα δὲ καὶ σύμβολα ἦν ταῦτα τῆς τῶν πολεμίων παρατάξεως, ὧν οἱ μὲν ἐφ' ἁρμάτων ὀχούμενοι ἐπῄεσαν, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ νωτοφόρων τὰ δέοντα πρὸς τὰς χρείας ἐπαγομένων. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἶδεν ὁ σκοπός, ὃν ἐκέλευσεν ὁ θεὸς τῷ προφήτῃ· ἀκρόασαί φησιν ἀκρόασιν πολλὴν καὶ κάλεσον Οὐρίαν εἰς τὴν σκοπιάν. προστάττει δὴ τὰ ὦτα ἑαυτοῦ παρασχεῖν εἰς τὸ ἀκοῦσαι τοῦ μέλλοντος ῥηθήσεσθαι λόγου καὶ καλέσαι Οὐρίαν εἰς τὴν σκοπιάν. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ Οὐρίαν ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας λέοντα, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος λέαιναν, ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων Ἀριὴλ ἐξέδωκεν. οὐδεὶς δὲ τούτων Οὐρίαν ὠνόμασεν, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ φωνὴ ἐμνημόνευσε τοῦ Οὐρία. ὅτε μὲν γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν «Οὐρίου τοῦ ἱερέως» μνήμην ἐποιεῖτο, ἄλλοις στοιχείοις ἐσημειοῦτο τὸν ἄνδρα, νῦν δ' ἄλλῃ φωνῇ καὶ ἑτέροις στοιχείοις ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ λέξις τὸν λέοντα σημαίνει ἢ τὴν λέαιναν κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον. προστάττει τοίνυν ὁ κύριος τῷ προφήτῃ ἀκροάσασθαι ἀκρόασιν πολλὴν τὴν ῥηθήσεσθαι μέλλουσαν ἔπειτα ἢ τὴν λέαιναν ἢ τὸν Ἀριὴλ καλέσαι, ὅπως καὶ αὐτὸς ἐλθὼν ὑπὸ τοῦ σκοποῦ θεαθείη τοῦ προφήτου ἅμα τῷ σκοπῷ θεωμένου. ὃ δὴ σημαίνει λέγων ἑξῆς· Ἔστην διὰ παντὸς ἡμέρας καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἐγὼ ἔστην ὅλην τὴν νύκτα· εἱστήκει τοίνυν καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἅμα τῷ σκοπῷ καραδοκῶν τὴν μέλλουσαν ὀφθήσεσθαι αὐτοῖς ὄψιν τοῦ λέοντος ἢ τῆς λεαίνης ἢ τοῦ Ἀριήλ. διακαρτερήσας δὲ τὸν πάντα τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τὸν τῆς νυκτὸς χρόνον ἐπιλέγει· καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ἔρχεται. τίς δὲ οὗτος ἢ ὁ Ἀριὴλ ἐπιβεβηκὼς συνωρίδι; διό φησι· καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ἔρχεται ἐπιβάτης συνωρίδος. τίς δὲ οὗτος ἄρα ἦν ἢ τιμωρός τις ἄγγελος, δι' οὗ τὰ τῆς πολιορκίας τῆς Βαβυλῶνος ἤμελλε πληροῦσθαι; τάχα που Ἀριὴλ ὀνομαζόμενος ἢ αὐτὸς ὢν ἐκεῖνος ὁ «ὡς λέων ὠρυόμενος καὶ περιπατῶν ζητεῖ τίνα καταπίῃ». καὶ δὴ θεασάμενος αὐτὸν ὁ προφήτης, συνεῖδεν ὡς τιμωρητικὸς ὢν ἄγγελος τὴν τῆς Βαβυλῶνος ἀπώλειαν ἐργάσεται. διὸ ἐπιβοᾷ λέγων· Πέπτωκε πέπτωκε Βαβυλών, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἀγάλματα αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ χειροποίητα αὐτῆς συνετρίβη εἰς τὴν γῆν· ὡς γὰρ ταῦτα πρᾶξαι κεκελευσμένου τοῦ Ἀριήλ, ταύτην ἠφίει τὴν φωνὴν ὁ προφήτης. δύο τοίνυν διὰ τούτων σκοποὶ παρίστανται καὶ δύο θεωρούμεναι ὄψεις· ὁ μὲν γὰρ πρῶτος σκοπὸς ἑώρα ἀναβάτας ἱππεῖς δύο καὶ ἀναβάτην ὄνου καὶ ἀναβάτην καμήλου, ὁ δὲ δεύτερος αὐτὸς ὢν ὁ προφήτης οὐκέτι ἀναβάτας καμήλων οὐδὲ ὄνων, ἀλλ' ἐπιβάτην συνωρίδος ἑώρα, τὸν λέοντα ἢ τὸν Ἀριήλ, ἐφ' ᾧ τὴν πτῶσιν τῆς Βαβυλῶνος καὶ τὴν συντριβὴν τῶν νομιζομένων αὐτῆς θεῶν ἐδήλου. διὸ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον εἴρηται· Πέπτωκε πέπτωκε Βαβυλών, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἀγάλματα τῶν θεῶν αὐτῆς συνετρίβη. ὁ μὲν οὖν πρῶτος σκοπὸς ὑποδεέστερος ὢν τοῦ προφήτου τὸ πλῆθος ἑώρα τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιέναι τῇ Βαβυλῶνι πολεμίων ἀνδρῶν, ὁ δὲ δεύτερος αὐτὸς ὢν ὁ προφήτης τὴν