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After three years God delivered the city, having shown both His own loving-kindness and that one's ingratitude. And entering with great ease, they burned the house of the Lord and the house of the king and the houses of Jerusalem, and the chief cook burned every great house, and he tore down the wall of Jerusalem, and everywhere there was barbarian fire, the oath of arson leading the way and carrying the flame everywhere; and the chief cook deported the remnant of the people in the city and those who had deserted to the king; And the Chaldeans cut down the bronze pillars in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the Chaldeans broke up the bronze sea in the house of the Lord, and the basins, and the meat-hooks, and the bowls, and the incense-burners, and all the bronze vessels in which they ministered, they took, and the fire-pans, and the gold and silver bowls they took, and of the two pillars, and of the bases, and of the sea, which Solomon made in the house of the Lord, Nebuzaradan the chief cook took; and he took Seraiah the first priest, and Shaphan the second priest, and the three who guarded the threshold, and from the city one eunuch who was appointed over the men who fought, and five men who saw the king's face, and Shaphan the general, and the scribe, and sixty men; and he took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon, and the king struck them, and put them to death. Remind me then of the flying sickle now, and of it alighting in the house of the one who swears, and destroying the walls and the wood and the stones; remind me, how this oath, having entered the city, destroyed both houses and temple and walls and magnificent buildings, and made the city a mound of earth, and neither the Holy of Holies, nor the sacred vessels, nor anything else averted that punishment and vengeance because the oath was broken. And the city was thus being miserably destroyed; but the king suffered things more miserable and more painful than these; and just as this flying sickle destroyed the buildings, so also did it destroy this one as he was fleeing. For the king went out, it says, by night by way of the gate, and the Chaldeans were surrounding the city, and a force of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and they overtook him, and they seized the king, and they brought him to the king of Babylon, and the king of Babylon passed judgment with Zedekiah, and he slaughtered his sons before him, and he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and he bound him in fetters, and took him away to Babylon. What is, "He passed judgment with him"? He demanded an accounting from him, he judged him, and first he slaughtered his sons, so that he might become a spectator of his own misfortune, and see that miserable tragedy, and then he blinded him. For what reason does this happen again? So that he might depart as a teacher to the barbarians and to the Jews dwelling there, and so that those who see might learn through the one who was blinded, how great an evil an oath is; and not only they, but also all who live along the road, seeing him bound and blinded, might learn through the misfortune the magnitude of the 49.195 sin. For this reason one of the prophets says, "He will not see Babylon"; but the other says, that "He will be led away to Babylon." And the prophecy seems to be contradictory; but it is not, but both of these are true. For indeed he did not see Babylon, and he was led away to Babylon. How then did he not see Babylon? Because he underwent the blinding in Judea; for where the oath was broken, there also he was punished and he himself endured the vengeance. But how was he led away to Babylon? Having become a captive. For since there were two punishments, blinding and captivity, the prophets divided them, and one says, "He will not see Babylon?"; the

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μετὰ τρία ἔτη τὴν πόλιν παρέδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν ἐπιδείξας καὶ τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην τὴν ἐκείνου. Καὶ εἰσελθόντες μετ' εὐκολίας πολλῆς ἐνέπρησαν τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τοὺς οἴκους Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ πάντα οἶκον μέγαν ἐνέπρησεν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος, καὶ τὸ τεῖχος Ἱερουσαλὴμ καθεῖλε, καὶ πανταχοῦ πῦρ ἦν βαρβαρικὸν, τοῦ ὅρκου τῶν ἐμπρησμῶν στρατηγοῦντος καὶ τὴν φλόγα πανταχοῦ περιάγοντος· καὶ τὸ καταλειφθὲν τοῦ λαοῦ ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ τοὺς προσκεχωρηκότας τῷ βασιλεῖ μετῴκισεν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος· Καὶ τοὺς στύλους τοὺς χαλκοῦς τοὺς ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου κατέκοψαν οἱ Χαλδαῖοι, καὶ τὰς βάσεις, καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν χαλκῆν τὴν ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου συνέκοψαν οἱ Χαλδαῖοι, καὶ τοὺς λέβητας, καὶ τὰς κρεάγρας, καὶ τὰς φιάλας, καὶ τὰς θυΐσκας, καὶ πάντα τὰ σκεύη τὰ χαλκᾶ, ἐν οἷς ἐλειτούργουν ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἔλαβον, καὶ τὰ πυρεῖα, καὶ τὰς φιάλας τὰς χρυσᾶς καὶ ἀργυρᾶς ἔλαβον, καὶ τῶν στύλων τῶν δύο, καὶ τῶν βάσεων, καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ Σολομὼν ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου, ἔλαβε Ναβουζαρδὰν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος· καὶ ἔλαβεν τὸν Σαρέα τὸν ἱερέα τὸν πρῶτον, καὶ τὸν Σαφὰν τὸν ἱερέα τὸν δεύτερον, καὶ τοὺς τρεῖς τοὺς φυλάσσοντας τὸν σταθμὸν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως εὐνοῦχον ἕνα τὸν καθεσταμένον ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς πολεμοῦντας, καὶ πέντε ἄνδρας τοὺς ὁρῶντας τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ τὸν Σαφὰν τὸν ἀρχιστράτηγον, καὶ τὸν γραμματέα, καὶ ἑξήκοντα ἄνδρας· καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἀπήγαγεν αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτοὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ ἐθανάτωσεν αὐτούς. Ἀναμνήσθητί μοι οὖν τῆς δρεπάνης νῦν τῆς πετομένης καὶ καταλυούσης ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ ὀμνύοντος, καὶ καθαιρούσης τοὺς τοίχους καὶ τὰ ξύλα καὶ τοὺς λίθους· ἀναμνήσθητί μοι, πῶς ὁ ὅρκος οὗτος εἰσελθὼν ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ οἰκίας καὶ ναὸν καὶ τείχη καὶ οἰκοδομήματα λαμπρὰ καθεῖλε, καὶ χῶμα τὴν πόλιν ἐποίησε, καὶ οὔτε τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, οὔτε τὰ σκεύη τὰ ἱερὰ, οὔτε ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἀπέστρεψε τὴν κόλασιν καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐκείνην διὰ τὸ παραβαθῆναι τὸν ὅρκον. Καὶ ἡ μὲν πόλις οὕτως ἐλεεινῶς κατελύετο· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐλεεινότερα καὶ ὀδυνηρότερα τούτων ἔπασχε· καὶ καθάπερ τὰ οἰκοδομήματα καθεῖλεν αὕτη ἡ δρεπάνη ἡ πετομένη, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτον φεύγοντα καθεῖλεν· Ἐξῆλθε γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς, φησὶ, νυκτὸς ὁδὸν πύλης, καὶ οἱ Χαλδαῖοι ἐκύκλουν τὴν πόλιν, καὶ κατεδίωξε δύναμις τῶν Χαλδαίων ὀπίσω τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ κατέλαβον αὐτὸν, καὶ συνέλαβον τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ ἤγαγον αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ ἐλάλησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος μετὰ Σεδεκίου κρίσιν, καὶ ἔσφαξε τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς Σεδεκίου ἐξετύφλωσε· καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν ἐν πέδαις, καὶ ἀπήγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐλάλησε μετ' αὐτοῦ κρίσιν; Ἀπῄτησεν αὐτὸν εὐθύνας, ἐδικάσατο μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ πρῶτον τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ κατέσφαξεν, ἵνα θεωρὸς γένηται τῆς οἰκείας συμφορᾶς, καὶ τὴν τραγῳδίαν ἐκείνην ἴδῃ τὴν ἐλεεινὴν, καὶ τότε αὐτὸν ἐξετύφλωσε. Τίνος ἕνεκεν τοῦτο πάλιν γίνεται; Ἵνα διδάσκαλος τοῖς βαρβάροις ἀπέλθῃ καὶ τοῖς ἐκεῖ κατοικοῦσιν Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ ἵνα μάθωσιν οἱ βλέποντες διὰ τοῦ πεπηρωμένου, πόσον κακὸν ὁ ὅρκος· οὐκ ἐκεῖνοι δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν πάντες οἰκοῦντες δεδεμένον καὶ πεπηρωμένον ὁρῶντες μανθάνωσι διὰ τῆς συμφορᾶς τῆς 49.195 ἁμαρτίας τὸ μέγεθος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ μὲν τῶν προφητῶν φησιν, Οὐκ ὄψεται Βαβυλῶνα· ὁ δὲ λέγει, ὅτι Εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἀπαχθήσεται. Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν ἐναντία εἶναι ἡ προφητεία· οὐκ ἔστι δὲ, ἀλλ' ἀμφότερα ταῦτα ἀληθῆ. Καὶ γὰρ Βαβυλῶνα οὐκ εἶδε, καὶ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἀπήχθη. Πῶς οὖν Βαβυλῶνα οὐκ εἶδεν; Ὅτι ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ τὴνπήρωσιν ὑπέστη· ἔνθα γὰρ ὁ ὅρκος ἠθετήθη, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἐξεδικεῖτο καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν αὐτὸς ὑπέμεινε. Πῶς δὲ ἀπήχθη εἰς Βαβυλῶνα; Αἰχμάλωτος γενόμενος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δύο ἦσαν αἱ τιμωρίαι, πήρωσις καὶ αἰχμαλωσία, διενείμαντο αὐτὰς οἱ προφῆται, καὶ ὁ μὲν, Οὐκ ὄψεται, φησὶ, Βαβυλῶνα; τὴν