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he suspected, and still, remembering his virtues, did not allow him to fall completely, but sends him an illness leading to despair of death. And Isaiah the prophet, entering to him, says: "Set your house in order; for you shall die, and not live," at once destroying the two opinions from him. For some of the Jews said that the Christ would never die, while others said that he would die, but would rise from the dead. Therefore, by saying "you shall die" he destroyed the one from him, by which he believed himself would never die, and by adding and saying "and not live" he destroyed the other as well, by which others said that he rises from the dead; for through both he was taught not to be the Christ, as he had suspected himself to be. Then Hezekiah, understanding and weeping bitterly and repenting and turning on his bed toward the wall, where the temple happened to be, as is the custom for the Jews to do, seemingly attending to the temple, made his prayer. 8.7 But having turned back in his thoughts and his mind being set right, since he was heard and delivered from the illness and deemed worthy of an addition of fifteen years to his life and having been assured by another, more extraordinary sign, I mean the turning back of the sun, the cause of which I will speak of a little later, then he sang the ode to God, declaring in it each of the aforesaid things; for thus he says: "I said: In the height of my days I shall go," as if to say: I always kept this thought to myself, saying that I live forever and never die; for by saying "in the height of my days I shall go" he indicated that his days would never be cut short, and as if someone were speaking to him in silence, saying: While you were thinking these things, what has happened to you? he adds and says: "In the gates of Hades I shall leave the rest of my years," as if to say: While I was considering such things, suddenly falling into a terrible illness I knew no longer to hold to my former thought, but to spend the remaining years in Hades. 8.8 "I said: I shall no more see the salvation of God upon the earth"; "the salvation of God" here signifies the Christ; for so also Simeon in the Gospels, having received the Christ into his arms, besought God to be released from life, since his eyes had seen the salvation of God, as if the Christ himself; "for it had been revealed to him by the Spirit that he should not see death, until he had seen the Lord's Christ." Hezekiah, therefore, wishes to make this clear here, saying that: Not only have I departed from that thought and ceased imagining things beyond my station, but I am not even worthy to see the Christ himself upon the earth, having only fifteen remaining years to live. 8.9 "I shall no more see a man from among my kindred," so that he might say: For after the fifteen years of the appointed term of life, which I received from God, upon dying I am not worthy to see him anymore, nor any other human, not even of my own kindred. "I have left the remnant of my life," so that he might say: Therefore, casting off my former thought and considering what is necessary for the future, I knew that I would have an end of life. 8.10 "He has departed and gone away from me, like one who takes down a tent he has pitched," so that he might say: And so far has the former thought of pride departed from our mind, as one who, having pitched a tent, immediately takes it down. "My spirit became with me like a weaver's web about to be cut off," that is: And my very soul almost left me, like the web of a weaving woman ready to be cut. "In that day I was delivered up until morning as to a lion, so he broke all my bones; for from day until night I was delivered up," so that he might say: Therefore, in that time of my illness, as to a fearsome lion that breaks bones, so I was delivered up to the fever without ceasing, being broken by it from dawn until evening and from evening until dawn. 8.11 "Like a swallow, so will I cry, and like a dove, so will I meditate," that is: At that time I was letting out my voice, just as the swallow lets out sharp and trembling cries, and so I was lamenting in my pains, as is the custom for the

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ὑπώπτευσεν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ μνησθεὶς αὐτοῦ τῶν ἀρετῶν, οὐκ εἰς τέλος εἴασε καταπεσεῖν, ἀλλὰ πέμπει αὐτῷ ἀρρωστίαν εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν ἄγουσαν θανάτου. Καί φησιν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης εἰσελθὼν πρὸς αὐτόν· "Τάξαι περὶ τοῦ οἴκου σου· ἀποθνῄσκεις γὰρ σὺ καὶ οὐ ζήσῃ", ὁμοῦ τὰς δύο δόξας ἀνελὼν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἔλεγον μηδέποτε τὸν χριστὸν ἀποθνῄσκειν, οἱ δὲ ὅτι ἀποθνῄσκει μέν, ἀνίσταται δὲ ἀπὸ νεκρῶν. Τῷ οὖν εἰπεῖν ὅτι "ἀποθνῄσκεις σὺ" ἀνεῖλεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν μίαν, δι' ἧς ἐνόμιζεν ἑαυτὸν μὴ ἀποθνῄσκειν ποτέ, τῷ δὲ προσθεῖναι καὶ εἰπεῖν "καὶ οὐ ζήσῃ" ἀνεῖλε καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν, δι' ἣν ἕτεροι ἔλεγον ὅτι ἀνίσταται ἀπὸ νεκρῶν· δι' ἑκατέρων γὰρ ἐδιδάχθη μὴ εἶναι ὁ χριστός, ὡς ὑπώπτευσεν ἑαυτόν. Εἶτα συνιεὶς ὁ Ἐζεκίας καὶ κλαύσας πικρῶς καὶ μετανοήσας καὶ στραφεὶς ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ ἐπὶ τὸν τοῖχον, ἔνθα συνέβαινεν εἶναι τὸν ναόν, καθὼς ἔθος ἐστὶ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ποιεῖν, προσέχων δῆθεν τῷ ναῷ τὴν δέησιν ἐποιεῖτο. 8.7 Ἐπιστραφεὶς δὲ τοῖς λογισμοῖς καὶ ἀνορθωθεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν, ἅτε δὴ εἰσακουσθεὶς καὶ τῆς ἀρρωστίας ἀπαλλαγεὶς καὶ προσθήκης ζωῆς ἐτῶν δεκαπέντε ἀξιωθεὶς καὶ ἑτέρῳ σημείῳ παραδοξοτέρῳ πιστωθείς, λέγω δὴ τῷ ἀναποδισμῷ τοῦ ἡλίου, οὗ τὴν αἰτίαν μικρὸν ὕστερον ἐρῶ, τότε ᾖσε τὴν ᾠδὴν τῷ Θεῷ δηλῶν ἐν αὐτῇ ἕκαστα τῶν προειρημένων· φησὶ γὰρ οὕτως· "Ἐγὼ εἶπα· Ἐν τῷ ὕψει τῶν ἡμερῶν μου πορεύσομαι", ὡσανεί· Τοῦτον ἀεὶ τὸν λογισμὸν ἔσῳζον παρ' ἐμαυτῷ λέγων ὅτι ἀεὶ ζῶ καὶ οὐδέποτε τελευτῶ· τῷ γὰρ εἰπεῖν "ἐν τῷ ὕψει τῶν ἡμερῶν μου πορεύσομαι" ἐδήλωσεν ὡς οὐδέποτε κολοβωθήσονται αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὥς τινος κατὰ ἀποσιώπησιν αὐτῷ λέγοντος ὅτι· Ταῦτά σου ἐνθυμουμένου, τί σοι συμβέβηκεν; ἐπάγει καί φησιν· "Ἐν πύλαις ᾅδου καταλείψω τὰ ἔτη τὰ ἐπίλοιπα", ὡσανεί· Τοιαῦτά μου διαλογιζομένου, ἀθρόως ἀρρωστίᾳ δεινῇ περιπεσὼν ἔγνων μηκέτι τοῦ λογισμοῦ τοῦ προτέρου ἔχεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ διατρίβειν τὰ ἔτη τὰ ἐπίλοιπα. 8.8 "Εἶπα· Οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ ἴδω τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς"· τὸ "σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ" ἐνταῦθα τὸν Χριστὸν σημαίνει· οὕτως γὰρ καὶ Συμεὼν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις δεξάμενος τὸν Χριστὸν εἰς τὰς ἀγκάλας τὸν Θεὸν παρεκάλει ἀπολυθῆναι τῆς ζωῆς, ἐπεὶ ἑωράκασιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡσανεὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστόν· "ἦν γὰρ αὐτῷ κεχρηματισμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος μὴ ἰδεῖν θάνατον, ἕως ἴδῃ τὸν Χριστὸν Κύριον". Τοῦτο οὖν ἐνταῦθα ὁ Ἐζεκίας βούλεται δηλοῦν λέγων ὅτι· Οὐ μόνον ἀπέστην τοῦ λογισμοῦ ἐκείνου καὶ πέπαυμαι τὰ ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ φανταζόμενος, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὸν τὸν χριστὸν ἀξιοῦμαι ἰδεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πέντε καὶ δέκα μόνα ἔτη λοιπὰ ἔχων ζῆσαι. 8.9 "Οὐκέτι οὐ μὴ ἴδω ἄνθρωπον ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας μου", ἵνα εἴπῃ· Μετὰ γὰρ τὰ δεκαπέντε ἔτη τῆς προθεσμίας τῆς ζωῆς, ἧς ἔλαβον παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τελευτῶν οὐ μόνον ἔτι ἐκεῖνον οὐκ ἀξιοῦμαι ἰδεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐδέ τινα τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ τῆς συγγενείας μου. "Κατέλιπον τὸ λοιπὸν τῆς ζωῆς μου", ἵνα εἴπῃ· Ἀποβαλλόμενος τοίνυν τὸν πρότερον λογισμὸν καὶ τὸ δέον τοῦ λοιποῦ λογισάμενος ἔγνων ὅτι τέλος ζωῆς σχήσω. 8.10 "Ἐξῆλθε καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὥσπερ ὁ καταλύων σκηνὴν πήξας", ἵνα εἴπῃ· Καὶ τοσοῦτον ἀπέστη τῆς ἡμετέρας διανοίας ὁ πρότερος τῆς ὑπερηφανίας λογισμός, ὡς ἄν τις πήξας σκηνὴν εὐθέως αὐτὴν καταλύσῃ. "Τὸ πνεῦμά μου παρ' ἐμοὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἱστὸς ἐρίθου ἐγγιζούσης ἐκτεμεῖν", τουτέστι· Παρ' ὀλίγον δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ψυχή μου κατέλιπέ με, ὥσπερ ἱστὸς γυναικὸς ἐριθευομένης ἕτοιμος τοῦ τμηθῆναι. "Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ παρεδόθην ἕως πρωῒ ὡς λέοντι, οὕτως συνέτριψε πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς νυκτὸς παρεδόθην", ἵνα εἴπῃ· Ἐν ἐκείνῳ τοίνυν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀρρωστίας, ὥσπερ λέοντι φοβερῷ συντρίβοντι ὀστᾶ, οὕτως τῷ πυρετῷ παρεδόθην ἀδιαλείπτως, ἀφ' ἕωθεν ἕως ἑσπέρας καὶ ἀπὸ ἑσπέρας ἕως πρωῒ συντριβόμενος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. 8.11 "Ὡς χελιδών, οὕτω φωνήσω, καὶ ὡς περιστερά, οὕτως μελετήσω", τουτέστιν· Ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ καιρῷ οὕτως ἥμην ἀφιεὶς τὴν φωνήν, ὥσπερ ἡ χελιδὼν ἀφίησιν ὀξείας καὶ διατρόμους φωνάς, καὶ οὕτως ἥμην τοῖς πόνοις ὀδυρόμενος, ὥσπερ ἔθος ταῖς