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your hearts, and not your garments." For they thought they were curing their own transgressions if they rent their garments at blasphemies against God. And this they were now doing, as having partaken of impious words through hearing, or as if God himself were being blasphemed, For he was not permitted to go up to the gates, so that they might hear such blasphemies 2316 unless they were the cause of this. Moreover, 2316 they were also in agony lest they should suffer what Samaria also suffered on account of their impiety. And the king, having the appearance of sackcloth for mourning, proceeded through the midst of the marketplace into the temple, showing himself humble and afflicted before God, as one worthy to receive mercy. Likewise, he again sent the priests to the prophet, having priestly garments instead of robes, instructing them to say, Thus says Hezekiah, without adding "the king." And he calls the day a day of rebuke and wrath, in which God, being angry, exposed their sins. And we are like, he says, a woman willing to give birth, but not enduring the labor, not being able to say: "Because of fear of you, Lord, we have conceived, and have been in pain, and have brought forth the spirit of salvation." Therefore, he says, your God, we did not dare to name our own God. But may he attend to the words of Rabshakeh, and do what seems right concerning the one who sent him, either by going out against him or by sending him away; nor, O prophet, knowing that our entire multitude has already been taken by the enemy, pray for us who have been left behind. And before they had said anything, the prophet came to them and anticipated them, as if God had heard Hezekiah according to that which is said, "While you are yet speaking, I will say, Behold, here I am," and had revealed beforehand to the prophet the things from Rabshakeh, and from the king, and what was about to be said to Hezekiah. And he took away the human passion at the beginning, saying, "Do not be afraid," and he foretells what is about to befall the Assyrian. For when the one hundred and eighty-five thousand had fallen, he fled to his own land and offered thank-offerings for his salvation to his own gods. But being slain, he knew their weakness, by whom he thought he had done the first things, but not with God permitting it; according to what was said by the prophet: "Shall the saw magnify itself without him that draws it, or shall the axe be glorified without him that cuts?" But I will put a spirit in him, says God, by which, being deceived, he will return. And the word makes this the first prophecy in the present history. ηκʹ. 9And Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of the Assyrians besieging Libnah. And the king of the Assyrians heard that Tirhakah king of the Ethiopians had come out to besiege him, and when he heard, he returned. And he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying: Thus shall you say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Let not your God deceive you9, etc. Suddenly the insolent Rabshakeh departed unsuccessful, his mind having been driven out of him by God. And his king, after Lachish, while besieging Libnah, a city of Judah, hastened toward Ethiopia, as God had foretold, since no good news was reported to him, sending a letter to Hezekiah full 2317 of threats and all blasphemy, as if he had taken all things and made them subject by his own power, as the prophet had previously declared before the deeds, saying, "Woe to the Assyrians, the rod of my anger and wrath is in their hands," and so on. But he himself did not think so. And to these he added the present threats of Sennacherib, which having been foretold were now fulfilled. And he, again taking refuge in the temple of God, shows him the letter, not as to one who is ignorant, but making him a witness of so much blasphemy, and confessing his dominion over all, and that the so-called gods of the nations were false. But because of his excessive reverence at first, not praying when he put on the sackcloth, as not daring even to open his mouth before God, but using only the prophet as an intercessor, having now been deemed worthy of a response through him, he takes courage to send up the present prayer. καληʹ. 9And Isaiah the son of Amoz was sent to Hezekiah, and said to him: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I have heard what you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of the Assyrians. This is the word, which

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καρδίας ὑμῶν, καὶ μὴ τὰ ἱμάτια." Τὰς ἑαυτῶν γὰρ ᾤοντο θεραπεύειν παρανομίας, εἰ ἐπὶ ταῖς κατὰ Θεοῦ βλασφημίαις περιῤῥηγνύοιντο τὴν ἐσθῆτα. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ νῦν ἔδρων, ὡς δυσσεβῶν κεκοινωνηκότες ῥημάτων διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς, ἢ ὡς δι' αὐτοῦ βλασφημουμένου Θεοῦ, Οὐ γὰρ ἀνελθεῖν συνεχωρήθη μέχρι πυλῶν, ἵνα καὶ τοιαῦτα βλασφημοῦντος 2316 ἀκούσωσιν, εἰ μὴ τούτου γεγόνασιν αἴτιοι. Ἔτι δὲ 2316 καὶ ἠγωνίων μὴ ἄρα πάθωσιν ἅπερ καὶ ἡ Σαμάρεια διὰ τὴν ἀσέβειαν τὴν αὐτῶν. Σάκκον δὲ πένθους ἔχων σχῆμα διὰ μέσης ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐχώρει τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἐν τῷ ναῷ, δεικνὺς ἑαυτὸν ταπεινὸν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ κεκακωμένον, ὡς ἂν ἐλέου τυχεῖν ἀξιῶν. Ὁμοίως δὲ πάλιν ἔχοντας ἀντὶ στολῶν ἱερατικῶν πρὸς τὸν προφήτην τοὺς ἱερέας ἀπέστειλεν παραγγείλας εἰπεῖν, Τάδε λέγει Ἐζεκίας, μὴ προσθεὶς ὁ βασιλεύς. Ἐλεγμοῦ δὲ καὶ ὀργῆς τὴν ἡμέραν καλεῖ, ἐν ᾗ Θεὸς ὀργιζόμενος τὰς αὐτῶν ἁμαρτίας διήλεγξεν. Ἐοίκαμεν δὲ, φησὶν, ἐθελούσῃ τεκεῖν, καὶ μὴ καρτερούσῃ τὴν βάσανον, μὴ δυνάμενοι λέγειν· "Ἐκ τοῦ φόβου σου, Κύριε, ἐν γαστρὶ ἐλάβομεν, καὶ ὠδινήσαμεν, καὶ ἐτέκομεν πνεῦμα σωτηρίας." ∆ιό φησι, τὸν Θεόν σου, Θεὸν ἑαυτῶν ὀνομάζειν οὐκ ἐτολμήσαμεν. Τοῖς Ῥαψάκου δὲ προσέχοι λόγους, καὶ τὸ δοκοῦν δρασάτω περὶ τοῦ πέμψαντος ἐπεξιὼν, ἢ καὶ παραπεμπόμενος· οὐδὲ, ὦ προφῆτα, γινώσκων ὡς τὸ πᾶν ἡμῶν πλῆθος ἤδη ληφθὲν ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων γεγένηται, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῶν καταλειφθέντων ἱκέτευσον. Μήπω δὲ μηδὲν εἰπόντας ὁ προφήτης ἐλθόντας προέφθασεν, ὡς ἂν εἰσακούσαντος Ἐζεκίου τοῦ Θεοῦ κατὰ τὸ, "Ἔτι σοῦ λαλοῦντος ἐρῶ, Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πάρειμι," καὶ τῷ προφήτῃ προαποκαλύψαντος τὰ παρὰ Ῥαψάκου, καὶ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα τῷ Ἐζεκίᾳ λεχθήσεσθαι. Καὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἐν ἀρχῇ πάθος ἀνεῖλεν, μὴ φοβηθῇς εἰπὼν, προαγορεύει τε τὰ μέλλοντα καταλαβεῖν τὸν Ἀσσύριον. Ὡς γὰρ αἱ ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε χιλιάδες πεπτώκασιν, εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φυγὼν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ θεοῖς σωτηρίας προσέφερε χαριστήρια. Ἔγνω δὲ σφαγεὶς τὴν τούτων ἀσθένειαν, δι' ὧν ἐνόμιζε καὶ τὰ πρῶτα πεποιηκέναι, ἀλλ' οὐ τοῦ Θεοῦ συγχωρήσαντος· κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν τῷ προφήτῃ· "Μὴ ὑψωθήσεται πρίων ἄνευ τοῦ ἕλκοντος αὐτὸν, ἢ δοξασθήσεται ἀξίνη ἄνευ τοῦ κόπτοντος;" Πνεῦμα δὲ, φησὶν ὁ Θεὸς, αὐτῷ ἐμβαλῶ, ὑφ' οὗπερ ἀπατηθεὶς ἐπανήξει. Καὶ ταύτην πρώτην ποιεῖται προφητείαν ὁ λόγος ἐπὶ τῆς προκειμένης ἱστορίας. ηκʹ. 9Καὶ ἀπέστρεψε Ῥαψάκης, καὶ κατέλαβε τὸν Ἀσσυρίων πολιορκοῦντα Λοβνᾶν. Καὶ ἤκουσεν βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων ὅτι ἐξῆλθε Θαρακὰ βασιλεὺς Αἰθιόπων πολιορκῆσαι αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀκούσας, ἀπέστρεψε. Καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἀγγέλους πρὸς Ἐζεκίαν, λέγων· Οὕτως ἐρεῖτε Ἐζεκίᾳ βασιλεῖ τῆς Ἰουδαίας· Μή σε ἀπατάτω ὁ Θεός σου9, κ.τ.λ. Ἀθρόως ἄπρακτος ὁ θρασὺς ἀπῄει Ῥαψάκης ἐκστὰς ὑπὸ Θεοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν. Ὁ δὲ τούτου βασιλεὺς μετὰ τὴν Λαχεὶς, τὴν Λόβνα τῆς Ἰουδαίας πόλιν πολιορκῶν, ἔσπευδεν ἐπ' Αἰθιοπίαν, καθὰ Θεὸς προεῖπεν, οὐκ ἀγαθῶν ἀγγελθέντων αὐτῷ, γέμου 2317 σαν ἀπειλῶν καὶ πάσης βλασφημίας Ἐζεκίᾳ πέμψας ἐπιστολὴν, ὡς ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει πάντα ἑλὼν ὑποχείρια, καθὰ φθάσας ὁ προφήτης πρὸ τῶν ἔργων ἐμήνυσεν, "Οὐαὶ, λέγων, Ἀσσυρίοις, ἡ ῥάβδος τοῦ θυμοῦ μου καὶ ὀργῆς ἐστιν ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν," καὶ ἑξῆς. Αὐτὸς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἐνεθυμήθη. Καὶ τὰς νῦν τοῦ Σενναχηρεὶμ ἀπειλὰς ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐπήνεγκεν, αἳ προῤῥηθεῖσαι νῦν ἐπληρώθησαν. Ὁ δὲ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν ναὸν καταφυγὼν τοῦ Θεοῦ, δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν, οὐχ ὡς ἀγνοοῦντι, μάρτυρα δὲ τῆς τοσαύτης αὐτὸν βλασφημίας ποιούμενος, καὶ τὴν κατὰ πάντων αὐτοῦ δεσποτείαν ὁμολογῶν, καὶ ὡς ψευδεῖς οἱ λεγόμενοι τῶν ἐθνῶν εἶεν θεοί. ∆ι' ὑπερβάλλουσαν δὲ τὸ πρῶτον εὐλάβειαν, οὐκ εὐξάμενος ὅτε τὸν σάκκον ἐνεδύσατο, ὡς ἐπὶ Θεοῦ μηδὲ στόμα διᾶραι τολμῶν, πρεσβευτῇ δὲ μόνῳ τῷ προφήτῃ χρησάμενος, δι' αὐτοῦ νῦν ἀξιωθεὶς ἀποκρίσεως, θαῤῥεῖ τὴν προκειμένην ἀναπέμπειν εὐχήν. καληʹ. 9Καὶ ἀπεστάλη Ἡσαΐας υἱὸς Ἀμὼς πρὸς Ἐζεκίαν, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· Ἤκουσα ἃ προσηύξω πρός με, περὶ Σενναχηρεὶμ βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων. Οὗτος ὁ λόγος, ὃν