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concerning him the scripture says: "And after these words and this truth, Sennacherib king of the Assyrians came into Judea and encamped against the fortified cities and thought to take them for himself." Then it teaches that Hezekiah, although trusting in God, nevertheless did not neglect the security of the places. Therefore, strategically "he stopped the springs outside the city, so that" the enemy, on arriving at the places, "would not find water," and he enclosed "the wall" of Jerusalem itself, and outside he made "another outer wall," and he provided for "weapons" and every military preparation. Then how after such great effort, having gathered the multitudes, he strengthened them with pious words, saying, that no one should fear any enemy, since he says: "There are more with us than with them"; "for with the Assyrian are arms of flesh," "but with us," he says, "is the Lord our God to save and to fight our war." To which is added: "And the people took courage at the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. And after these things Sennacherib king of the Assyrians sends from Lachish his servants to Jerusalem to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all the people in Jerusalem, saying" the foregoing. Therefore, in addition to the other achievements of Hezekiah, God provided for him an exercise of virtue and a demonstration of greater piety through the preparation for war, in which he shone, having arranged all things for the war strategically, but entrusting the whole to God, and commanding pious teaching to the multitudes under him. But Ahaz, his father, was not such a man, who at one time enslaved himself and all the people under him to the Babylonian, and at another was captured by the Syrians who inhabited Damascus. Therefore, God provided a demonstration of virtue for Hezekiah by allowing the Assyrian to approach Jerusalem. But it should be observed that of the men named in these things, I mean Eliakim and Somnas, the prophet also made mention previously "in the word of the valley of Zion," in which it is said: "Go into the chamber to Somnas the treasurer" and so on, "and I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah." And this observation is necessary for us in order to apply to the present history the words spoken in that prophecy. But the children of the Hebrews say that this Somnas deserted to the Assyrian, having later given him the right hand along with others out of fear of him. And for this reason the things previously prophesied about him were said. With how much arrogance and recklessness the enemy’s voice was filled is shown by his statement: Thus says the great king, the king of the Assyrians, like some power opposed to the prophetic word which says: Thus says the Lord, and this man cried out: Thus says the great king, the king of the Assyrians. Then, since the enemies were not unaware that Hezekiah and those with him prevailed through prayers and pious words, the Assyrian general slanders these very things, speaking as if to Hezekiah in person: In what do you trust? Is battle array made in counsel and words of lips? Then he challenges him to an engagement with weapons, to which Hezekiah and those with him might say: "These in chariots and these in horses, but we will call on the name of the Lord our God." But according to Symmachus, instead of: In what do you trust? it is said in this way: What is this confidence that you have trusted? I said: But a word of my lips is for counsel, and power for war. And the enemy, being a slanderer, lies against Hezekiah, saying: Behold, you trust in Egypt and in Pharaoh king of Egypt, who, to those who lean on him and trust him, becomes worse than any enemy, not knowing how to keep covenants with refugees. whence he is like a staff of reed, at once having what is rotten by nature and what is harmful to those who lean upon it.

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περὶ αὐτοῦ ἡ γραφὴ ἐπιλέγει· «καὶ μετὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ταύτην ἦλθε Σεναχηρεὶμ βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ καὶ παρενέβαλεν ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις τὰς τειχήρεις καὶ εἶπε προκαταλαβέσθαι αὐτάς». εἶτα διδάσκει, ὡς ὁ Ἑζεκίας καίτοι πεποιθὼς ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν ὅμως οὐκ ἠμέλει τῆς ἀσφαλείας τῶν τόπων. διὸ στρατηγικῶς «τὰς μὲν ἐκτὸς τῆς πόλεως πηγὰς ἀπέφραττεν, ὡς ἂν μὴ εὕροι» ὁ πολέμιος ἐπιστὰς τοῖς τόποις «ὕδατα», αὐτῆς τε τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ περιέφραττε «τὸ τεῖχος», ἐκτὸς δὲ «ἄλλο προτείχισμα» ἐποίει, «ὅπλων» τε προὐνόει καὶ πάσης πολεμικῆς παρασκευῆς. εἶθ' ὡς μετὰ τοσαύτην σπουδὴν συγκαλέσας τὰ πλήθη λόγοις αὐτοὺς θεοσεβέσιν ἐρώννυε λέγων, μὴ δεῖν μηδένα πολέμιον φοβεῖσθαι, ἐπειδήπερ φησί· «μεθ' ἡμῶν πλείονες ἢ μετ' αὐτῶν»· «μετὰ γὰρ τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου βραχίονας εἶναι σαρκίνους», «μεθ' ἡμῶν δέ» φησι «κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν τοῦ σῴζειν καὶ τοῦ πολεμεῖν τὸν πόλεμον ἡμῶν». οἷς ἐπιφέρεται· «καὶ κατεθάρσησεν ὁ λαὸς τοῖς λόγοις Ἑζεκίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀποστέλλει Σεναχηρεὶμ βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων ἀπὸ Λαχεὶς τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Ἰερουσαλὴμ πρὸς Ἑζεκίαν βασιλέα Ἰούδα καὶ πρὸς πάντατὸν ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ λαὸν λέγων» τὰ προκείμενα. πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις τοίνυν κατορθώμασι τοῦ Ἑζεκίου γυμνάσιον ἀρετῆς καὶ πλείονος θεοσεβείας ἔνδειξιν παρεῖχεν ὁ θεὸς αὐτῷ διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον παρατάξεως, ἐν ᾗ διέλαμψε πάντα μὲν στρατηγικῶς τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον παραταξάμενος, τὸ δὲ πᾶν ἀναθεὶς τῷ θεῷ, τοῖς τε ὑπ' αὐτῶν πλήθεσι θεοσεβῆ διδασκαλίαν παραγγείλας. ἀλλ' οὐ τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Ἄχαζ ὁ τούτου πατήρ, ὃς ποτὲ μὲν τῷ Βαβυλωνίῳ ἑαυτὸν κατεδούλου καὶ πάντα τὸν ὑπ' αὐτῷ λαόν, ποτὲ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν Σύρων τῶν τὴν ∆αμασκὸν οἰκούντων ἡλίσκετο. οὐκοῦν ἀρετῆς ἔνδειξιν τῷ Ἑζεκίᾳ παρεῖχεν ὁ θεὸς συγχωρῶν τῷ Ἀσσυρίῳ πλησιάζειν τῇ Ἰερουσαλήμ. τηρητέον δὲ ὡς τῶν ἐν τούτοις ὀνομαζομένων ἀνδρῶν, λέγω δὲ τοῦ Ἐλιακὶμ καὶ τοῦ Σομνᾶ, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν μνήμην ἐποιεῖτο ὁ προφήτης «ἐν τῷ ῥήματι τῆς φάραγγος Σιών», ἐν ᾧ εἴρηται· «Πορεύου εἰς τὸ παστοφόριον πρὸς Σομνᾶν τὸν ταμίαν» καὶ ἑξῆς, «καὶ καλέσω τὸν παῖδά μου Ἐλιακὶμ τὸν τοῦ Χελκίου». ἀναγκαία δὲ ἡμῖν ἡ ἐπιτήρησις εἰς τὸ ἐφαρμόσαι τῇ προκειμένῃ ἱστορίᾳ τοὺς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ προφητείᾳ φερομένους λόγους. φασὶ δὲ παῖδες Ἑβραίων τὸν Σομνᾶν τοῦτον αὐτομολῆσαι πρὸς τὸν Ἀσσύριον, ὕστερον δεξιὰν αὐτῷ σὺν ἑτέροις δεδωκότα διὰ τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ φόβον. καὶ τούτου χάριν τὰ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν προφητευθέντα περὶ αὐτοῦ λελέχθαι. Ὅσης δὲ ἀλαζονείας καὶ ἀπονοίας πεπλήρωτο ἡ τοῦ πολεμίου φωνὴ δηλοῖ φάσκουσα· Τάδε λέγει ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ μέγας ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων, ὥσπερ τις ἀντικειμένη δύναμις τῷ προφητικῷ λόγῳ τῷ φάσκοντι· Τάδε λέγει κύριος, καὶ οὗτος ἐβόα· Τάδε λέγει ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ μέγας ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων. εἶτ' ἐπειδήπερ οὐκ ἠγνόουν οἱ πολέμιοι δι' εὐχῶν κρατεῖν καὶ διὰ λόγων θεοσεβῶν τὸν Ἑζεκίαν καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ, ταῦτα αὐτὰ διαβάλλει ὁ τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου στρατηγὸς λέγων ὡς πρὸς παρόντα τὸν Ἑζεκίαν· Τίνι πεποιθὼς εἶ; μὴ ἐν βουλῇ καὶ λόγοις χειλέων παράταξις γίγνεται; εἶτα προκαλεῖται αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν δι' ὅπλων συμβολήν, πρὸς ὃν εἴποιεν ἂν Ἑζεκίας καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ· «οὗτοι ἐν ἅρμασι καὶ οὗτοι ἐν ἵπποις, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐπικαλεσόμεθα». κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον ἀντὶ τοῦ· Τίνι πεποιθὼς εἶ; τοῦτον εἴρηται τὸν τρόπον· Τί τὸ θάρσος τοῦτο ὃ ἐθάρσησας; εἶπα· πλὴν λόγος χειλέων μου εἰς βουλήν, δύναμις δὲ εἰς πόλεμον. Συκοφάντης δὲ ὢν ὁ ἐχθρὸς καταψεύδεται τοῦ Ἑζεκίου λέγων· ἰδοὺ πεποιθὼς εἶ ἐπ' Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἐπὶ Φαραὼ βασιλέα Αἰγύπτου, ὃς τοῖς ἐπερειδομένοις αὐτῷ καὶ ἐπιθαρσοῦσι παντὸς γίνεται πολεμίου χείρων οὐκ εἰδὼς φυλάττειν συνθήκας τοῖς πρόσφυξιν. ὅθεν ἐοικέναι αὐτὸν ῥάβδῳ καλαμίνῃ ὁμοῦ καὶ τὸ σαθρὸν ἐχούσῃ ἐκ φύσεως καὶ τὸ βλαβερὸν τοῖς ἐπερειδομένοις αὐτῇ.