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as a lily. And the deserts of the Jordan will blossom and rejoice. The glory of Lebanon was given to it, and the honor of Carmel, and my people will see the glory of the Lord, and the height of God9, etc. ".... for the devil as a roaring lion seeks whom he may devour." But he does not devour those who walk the blessed way. For it is not possible to find paths on a rock 2309, as Solomon says. And these are they whom He has redeemed with His own blood, having gathered them to His own flock. For He himself gathered them, not a prophet, not a man, their way, through which they will come to the thrice-blessed end of the heavenly Zion, about which Paul says: "You have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." For now it is not possible to call that one Zion, about which he said: The year of the retribution of the judgment of Zion. For that one's portion is pitch and fire. But for this one, gladness, which the victors who appear from this great contest will put on as a crown, saying according to the Apostle: "Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness." And having been called with bright hopes, they become untasted of groaning and grief, having the gladness of eternal life as a crown. CHAPTER 30. 1. 9And it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of the Assyrians came up against the fortified cities of Judea, and took them. And the king of the Assyrians sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem, to king Hezekiah with a great force9, etc. The fourth book of Kings, and the second of Chronicles contain the present history, and it is also taken up by the present prophet, containing towards the end a great prophecy and a marvelous deed done in the time of Hezekiah. And in the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah, it was the eighth year of the captivity of the ten tribes. But Hezekiah was admired for his piety, and this though he was the son of the impious Ahaz, who, having departed from God, when Pekah the son of Remaliah, who ruled Samaria, and Rezin the king of Syria came against him, called Tiglath-pileser the Assyrian for help, having persuaded him with many gifts, who, having taken Damascus and Syria, made Ahaz tributary, whose son, Hezekiah, did not endure to be subject to tribute, and for this reason Sennacherib campaigns against him. And having ravaged Samaria, and having taken many cities of Judea and arrived at Lachish, he sent his general, Rabshakeh, to Jerusalem. And this man is said to be from the captivity of the ten tribes. The proof of this is that he knew how to speak in the Judean language. When he came, Hezekiah, although trusting in the Lord, and placing all his hope in Him, did not neglect strategic care and intelligence, blocking the springs outside the city, creating a lack of water for the invaders, and enclosing the walls, and again putting a rampart before them. After all these things, he established himself as a teacher of piety to those under his hand. For there are more, he says, with us than with the enemies. For with the Assyrian are arms of flesh 2312, but with us is the Lord our God. Upon which the Scripture of Chronicles says: And the people took courage at the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. For in addition to Hezekiah's other achievements, God provided him an exercise of virtue, and a demonstration of greater piety, through the battle against the enemy. Therefore He also allowed the Assyrian to come near the city. And of those now named Eliakim and Shebna, he made mention even in the word of the valley, and the things now said about them will fit with what has gone before, and the children of the Hebrews say that Shebna deserted to the Assyrian, along with others, giving him his right hand out of fear; whence the preceding things were said about him. But as an opposing power, Rabshakeh very arrogantly uttered a voice contrary to the prophet. Instead of, "Thus says the Lord," saying, "the great king." And as not being ignorant that Hezekiah prevails through prayers and words of piety, he says as to one present: Not in

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ὡς κρίνον. Καὶ ἐξανθήσει, καὶ ἀγαλλιάσεται τὰ ἔρημα τοῦ Ἰορδάνου. Ἡ δόξα τοῦ Λιβάνου ἐδόθη αὐτῇ, καὶ ἡ τιμὴ τοῦ Καρμήλου, καὶ ὁ λαός μου ὄψεται τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου, καὶ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ Θεοῦ9, κ.τ.λ. ".... γὰρ ὁ διάβολος ὡς λέων ὠρυόμενος ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ." Ἀλλ' οὐ καταπίεται τοὺς τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν μακαρίαν ὁδεύοντας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁδοὺς ἐπὶ πέτρας 2309 δυνατὸν εὑρεῖν, καθά φησι Σολομῶν. Οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν οὓς αἵματι τῷ ἰδίῳ λελύτρωται, πρὸς τὴν ποίμνην τὴν ἰδίαν συναγαγών. Αὐτὸς γὰρ συνῆξεν οὐ προφήτης, οὐκ ἄνθρωπος, τούτων ἡ ὁδὸς, δι' ἧς ἐπὶ τέλος τὸ τρισμακάριον τῆς ἐπουρανίου Σιὼν ἐλεύσονται, περὶ ἧς ὁ Παῦλός φησι· "Προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει, καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ." Νῦν γὰρ ἐκείνην οὐ δυνατὸν λέγειν Σιὼν, περὶ ἧς ἔλεγεν· Ἐνιαυτὸς ἀνταποδόσεως κρίσεως Σιών. Ἐκείνης γὰρ πίσσα καὶ πῦρ ἡ μερίς. Ταύτης δὲ εὐφροσύνη, ἣν ἀναδήσονται οἱ νικηταὶ τοῦ μεγάλου τούτου φανέντες ἀγῶνος κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον λέγοντες· "Λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος." Ἐπ' ἐλπίσι δὲ κληθέντες λαμπραῖς, στεναγμοῦ καὶ λύπης ἄγευστοι γίνονται, τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς τὴν εὐφροσύνην ἔχοντες στέφανον. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Λʹ. ακαʹ. 9Καὶ ἐγένετο τοῦ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτου ἔτους βασιλεύοντος Ἐζεκίου, ἀνέβη Σεναχηρεὶμ βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις τῆς Ἰουδαίας τὰς ὀχυρὰς, καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτάς. Καὶ ἀπέστειλε βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων τὸν Ῥαψάκην ἐκ Λάχεις εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Ἐζεκίαν μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆσ9, κ.τ.λ. Περιέχει μὲν τὴν παροῦσαν ἱστορίαν ἡ δʹ τῶν Βασιλειῶν, καὶ ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων δευτέρα, παραλαμβάνει δὲ καὶ τῷ παρόντι προφήτῃ περιέχουσα πρὸς τῷ τέλει προφητείαν μεγάλην καὶ πρᾶξιν ἐπ' Ἐζεκίου γενομένην παράδοξον. Ἐν δὲ τῷ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας Ἐζεκίου, ὄγδοον ἦν ἔτος τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῶν δέκα φυλῶν. Ὁ δὲ Ἐζεκίας ἐπ' εὐσεβείᾳ τεθαύμασται, καὶ ταῦτα παῖς ἀσεβοῦς γεγονὼς τοῦ Ἄχαζ, ὃς ἀποστὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπιόντων αὐτῷ Φακεὲ τοῦ Ῥομελίου Σαμαρείας κρατοῦντος, καὶ Ῥαασσὼν τοῦ Συρίας βασιλέως, πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν ἐκάλεσε Θεγλαφαλάσσαρ τὸν Ἀσσύριον, δώροις πείσας πολλοῖς, ὃς ἑλὼν ∆αμασκὸν καὶ Συρίαν, ὑποφόρους ἐτίθετο, τὸν Ἄχαζ, οὗ γεγονὼς Ἐξεκίας ὑποκεῖσθαι δασμοῖς οὐκ ἠνέσχετο, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο στρατεύει Σενναχηρεὶμ ἐπ' αὐτόν. Καταδῃώσας δὲ τὴν Σαμάρειαν, καὶ πολλὰς τῆς Ἰουδαίας πόλεις ἑλὼν καὶ καταντήσας εἰς Λάχεις στρατηγὸν ἑαυτοῦ Ῥαψάκην ἀπέστειλεν εἰς τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Λέγεται δὲ οὗτος ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας εἶναι τῶν δέκα φυλῶν. Οὗ τεκμήριον τὸ εἰδέναι τοῦτον Ἰουδαϊστὶ διαλέγεσθαι. Οὗπερ ἐπιόντος Ἐζεκίας καίτοι πεποιθὼς ἐπὶ Κύριον, καὶ πᾶσαν ἐπ' αὐτῷ θέμενος τὴν ἐλπίδα, στρατηγικῆς οὐκ ἠμέλει φροντίδος τε καὶ συνέσεως, τὰς ἐκτὸς τῆς πόλεως ἀποφράττων πηγὰς, ὑδάτων ἀπορίαν τοῖς ἐπιοῦσι ποιούμενος, περιφράττων τε τὰ τείχη, καὶ προτείχισμα πάλιν αὐτῶν προβαλλόμενος. Μεθ' ἃ πάντα, θεοσεβείας τοῖς ὑπὸ χεῖρα καθειστήκει διδάσκαλος. Πλείους γὰρ, φησὶ, μεθ' ἡμῶν, ἢ μετὰ τῶν πολεμίων ὑπάρχουσι. Μετὰ γὰρ τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου βραχίονας εἶναι σαρ 2312 κίνους, μεθ' ἡμῶν δὲ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν. Ἐφ' οἷς φησιν ἡ Γραφὴ τῶν Παραλειπομένων· Καὶ κατεθάρσησεν ὁ λαὸς τοῖς λόγοις Ἐζεκίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα. Πρὸς γὰρ τοῖς ἄλλοις Ἐζεκίου κατορθώμασι, γυμνάσιον ἀρετῆς, καὶ θεοσεβείας ἔνδειξιν πλείονος Θεὸς αὐτῷ παρέσχε, διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸν πολέμιον παρατάξεως. ∆ιὸ καὶ συνεχώρησε τὸν Ἀσσύριον πλησίον γενέσθαι τῆς πόλεως. Τῶν δὲ νῦν ὀνομαζομένων Ἐλιακὶμ καὶ Σομνὰ, κἀν τῷ ῥήματι τῆς φάραγγος ἐμνημόνευσεν, καὶ τὰ νῦν περὶ αὐτῶν ἁρμόσει τοῖς φθάσασιν, τὸν δὲ Σομνὰν αὐτομολῆσαι, παῖδές φασιν Ἑβραίων, πρὸς τὸν Ἀσσύριον σὺν ἑτέροις αὐτῷ διὰ φόβον δεξιὰν παρασχόμενον· ὅθεν ἐῤῥέθη τὰ προλαβόντα περὶ αὐτοῦ. Ὡς ἀντικειμένη δὲ δύναμις ὁ Ῥαψάκης ἀλαζονικῶς ἄγαν ἐναντίαν ἀφῆκε τῷ προφήτῃ φωνήν. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, τάδε λέγει Κύριος, ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ μέγας εἰπών. Ὡς οὐκ ἀγνοῶν δὲ δι' εὐχῶν καὶ λόγων θεοσεβείας τὸν Ἐζεκίαν κρατεῖν, ὡς πρὸς παρόντα φησί· Μὴ ἐν