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To whom alone it is possible both to raise up those about to die, measuring out times of life, as now for Hezekiah, and to make the dead live, as many as Scripture has shown. And from every direction the arguments of fate are dissolved for us. Which Hezekiah, knowing, when he was well, ran to the temple, petitioning concerning the Assyrians; but when fettered by his illness, from his bed itself he offered up his prayer, knowing that the Divine is present everywhere. And concerning his own well-being alone he speaks freely, not asking for an addition of life, knowing him to be the judge of things according to the mind, and entrusting to the prayer the... ...were overtaken neither glorifying perhaps, or adding to their virtues, nor yet sinning, but awaiting the time of judgment. But some say that it does not take away the hopes of the resurrection; but rather it shows, that I would have gone to the hades of destruction, had I not received help from you, who overlooked my sins. Therefore, ceasing from that erroneous thought, I will hasten to come to marriage and procreation, and to show forth from myself heralds of your righteousness. And I, in response to the perceptible consolation given to us, going to your house, which gathers us into your fear, will offer up voices of thanksgiving. But some said that the phrase, 'I will make children who will announce,' means that he promises to establish a choir of psalm-singing children, singing hymns melodiously in the temple. And through him by whom God revealed his end, through this one also He brought about the cure, lest He should seem to make the prophet insolent, showing him to be a minister of evils only. And God, working wondrously, what seems to increase the harm to wounds, figs, this He gave for a healing, which also Hezekiah, being amazed, calls a great sign of being able, using his foot, to go up into the temple. And in the 4th book of Kings it is written that having learned long ago from the prophet that the sun is about to make its forward path swifter, and to descend ten steps at once, he himself, as a more fitting sign of his return to life, requested the turning back of the sun, where also Scripture says that a wicked ulcer was the cause of his illness. CHAPTER 39. 18. 9In that time Merodach-Baladan, the son of Baladan, the king of Babylonia, sent letters, and ambassadors, and gifts to Hezekiah. For he had heard that he had been sick unto death, and had recovered9, etc. The teacher of the Jews said that Hezekiah had fallen ill because he had not sung a song of thanksgiving for the fall of the Assyrians, as Moses did over the Egyptians, as Deborah did over Sisera, as Hannah did upon the birth of Samuel. Then the king of the Babylonians, having learned that he had been ill, sends an embassy to him, not idly, but having seen the day on which the sun turned back, had become double in length. For it did not escape the notice of the Chaldeans, who happen to be skilled in these matters. And deifying the sun, they thought this had happened by a greater power. And investigating the cause, they learned that the God of the Hebrews had done these things for Hezekiah's sake. At which the king, being astonished, embraces treaties with him as one beloved by God. And you might say that he, having learned that all the wondrous things had happened in one year, the attack of the Assyrian, the plague by the angel, the revolt against Sennacherib by his sons after his flight, the unmentioned destruction of his son Achordan who ruled after him. Having learned all these things, Merodach-Baladan, being the son not of Sennacherib but of Baladan, ruling the Babylonians from another family, embraces friendship with the pious man as a benefit (six). For that all these things happened in one year, you might learn by paying attention, that the attack of the Assyrian happened in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah's reign. 2328 who, when fifteen years were added to him, died in the twenty-ninth year, so that his illness occurred in the fourteenth year. And all the remaining things happened before this during the same time, having heard of all of which, he hastened to the embassy. And when the men had arrived, it was necessary for Hezekiah to narrate the mighty works of God from above, and the

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Ὧ μόνῳ δυνατὸν καὶ θνήσκειν μέλλοντας ἐγείρειν, ἐπιμετροῦντα χρόνους ζωῆς, ὡς νυν Ἐζεκίαν, καὶ τεθνηκότας ζωοποιεῖν, ὡς ὅσους ἐδήλωσεν ἡ Γραφή. Καὶ πανταχόθεν ἡμῖν οἱ τῆς εἱμαρμένης διαλύονται λόγοι. Ὅπερ Ἐζεκίας εἰδὼς, ὅτε μὲν ἔῤῥωτο, πρὸς τὸν νεὼν ἔθει, περὶ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων αἰτῶν· τῇ νόσῳ δὲ πεδηθεὶς, ἐξ αὐτῆς στρωμνῆς ἀνήγαγε τὴν εὐχὴν, πανταχοῦ παρεῖναι τὸ Θεῖον εἰδώς. Καὶ περὶ τῆς ἰδίας εὐζωΐας μόνον παῤῥησιάζεται, προσθήκην οὐκ αἰτήσας ζωῆς, τῶν κατὰ διάνοιαν εἰδὼς αὐτὸν ἐπιγνώμονα, καὶ τῆς εὐχῆς ἐπιτρέψας τ.... ... κατελήφθησαν μήτε δοξολογοῦντες ἴσως, ἢ προστιθέντες ἀρεταῖς, μήτε μὴν ἁμαρτάνοντες, τὸν δὲ τῆς κρίσεως καιρὸν ἐκδεχόμενοι. Τινὲς δέ φασιν, ὡς οὐκ ἀναιρεῖ τὰς ἐλπίδας τῆς ἀναστάσεως· δηλοῖ δὲ μᾶλλον, ὡς Εἰς ᾅδην ἀπωλείας ἀπεληλύθειν, μὴ τῆς παρὰ σοῦ βοηθείας τυχὼν παριδόντος τὰς ἐμὰς ἁμαρτίας. ∆ιὸ τῆς σφαλερᾶς ἐκείνης ἐννοίας παυσάμενος, σπεύσω πρὸς γάμον καὶ παιδοποιΐαν ἐλθεῖν, καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἐμοῦ κήρυκας τῆς σῆς ἀποδεῖξαι δικαιοσύνης. Κἀγὼ δὲ πρὸς τὴν αἰσθητὴν δοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν παραμυθίαν, τὸν σὸν οἶκον ἰὼν, εἰς 2325 τὸν σὸν ἡμᾶς φόβον συστέλλουσαν, χαριστηρίους ἀποδώσω φωνάς. Τινὲς δὲ τὸ, παιδία ποιήσω ἅπερ ἀναγγελοῦσιν, δηλοῦν ἔφασαν, ὅτι χοροστασίαν ψαλτῳδῶν παίδων εὐφώνως ὑμνούντων ἐν τῷ ναῷ στήσειν ἐπαγγέλλεται. ∆ι' οὗ δὲ τὴν τελευτὴν αὐτῷ Θεὸς ἐδήλωσε, διὰ τούτου καὶ τὴν θεραπείαν προσήγαγε, μὴ καὶ ποιεῖν δόξῃ τὸν προφήτην ἐφύβριστον, κακῶν αὐτὸν μόνων ἀποδείξας διάκονον. Παραδοξοποιῶν δὲ Θεὸς, ὃ δοκεῖ τοῖς τραύμασιν ἐπαύξειν τὴν βλάβην, τὰ σῦκα, τοῦτο πρὸς ἴασιν ἔδωκεν, ὃ καὶ μέγα σημεῖον ἐκπλαγεὶς ὁ Ἐζεκίας καλεῖ τοῦ δυνήσεσθαι τῷ ποδὶ χρώμενος εἰς τὸν νεὼν ἀνελθεῖν. Ἐν δὲ τῇ δʹ τῶν Βασιλειῶν γέγραπται ὅτι πρὸ πάλαι παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου μαθὼν, ὡς ὁ ἥλιος μέλλει τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσω ποιεῖσθαι ταχυτέραν ὁδὸν, καὶ ὑφ' ἓν τοὺς ιʹ κατιέναι βαθμοὺς, αὐτὸς ὡς οἰκειότερον σημεῖον τῆς πρὸς τὸν βίον ἀναστροφῆς, τοῦ ἡλίου τὸν ἀναποδισμὸν ἐξῃτήσατο, ἔνθα καί φησιν ἡ Γραφὴ, ὡς ἕλκος αὐτῷ πονηρὸν τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας πρόφασις ἦν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΘʹ. αηʹ. 9Ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ἀπέστειλε Μαρωδὰχ Βαλαδὰν, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Βαλάδον, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς Βαβυλωνίας, ἐπιστολὰς, καὶ πρέσβεις, καὶ δῶρα Ἐζεκίᾳ. Ἤκουσεν γὰρ, ὅτι ἐμαλακίσθη ἕως θανάτου, καὶ ἀνέστη9, κ.τ.λ. Ὁ τῶν Ἰουδαίων διδάσκαλος ἔλεγεν νενοσηκέναι τὸν Ἐζεκίαν ᾠδὴν ἐπὶ τῇ πτώσει τῶν Ἀσσυρίων οὐκ ᾄσαντα χαριστήριον, ὡς ἐπ' Αἰγυπτίοις ὁ Μωσῆς, ὡς ἡ ∆εββωρὰ ἐπὶ τῷ Σίσαρᾳ, ὡς ἡ Ἄννα ἐπὶ τῇ γενέσει τοῦ Σαμουήλ. Εἶτ' ἀρωσθέντα τοῦτον ὁ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων μαθὼν βασιλεὺς, πρεσβεύεται πρὸς αὐτὸν, οὐκ ἀργῶς, ἰδὼν δὲ τὴν ἡμέραν, καθ' ἣν ἀνεπόδισεν ὁ ἥλιος, διπλασίαν γεγενημένην. Μηδὲ γὰρ λαθεῖν Χαλδαίους δεινοὺς περὶ ταῦτα τυγχάνοντας. Θεοποιοῦντες δὲ τὸν ἥλιον, ὑπὸ κρείττονος ᾤοντο τοῦτο γενέσθαι δυνάμεως. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν πολυπραγμονοῦντες, ἔγνωσαν, ὡς δι' Ἐζεκίαν ὁ τῶν Ἑβραίων ταῦτα πεποιήκει Θεός. Ἐφ' ᾧ καταπλαγεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἐκείνων τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν ὡς θεοφιλῆ, συνθήκας ἀσπάζεται. Εἴποις δ' ἂν αὐτὸς ὡς τὰ θαυμαστὰ πάντα κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν ἕνα γεγονέναι μαθὼν, τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου τὴν ἔφοδον, τὴν δι' ἀγγέλου πληγὴν, τὴν κατὰ Σενναχηρεὶμ ὑπὸ τῶν παίδων μετὰ τὴν φυγὴν ἐπανάστασιν, τὴν τοῦ μετ' αὐτὸν ἄρξαντος παιδὸς Ἀχορδὰν σεσιγημένην ἀπώλειαν. Ταῦτα πάντα μαθὼν Μαρωδὰκ Βαλδὰν υἱὸς ὢν, οὐ τοῦ Σενναχηρεὶμ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Βαλδὰν, ἐξ ἑτέρου γένους βασιλεύων Βαβυλωνίων, ὡς ὠφελος (σιξ) τὴν πρὸς τὸν εὐσεβῆ φιλίαν ἀσπάζεται. Ὅτι γὰρ ἐν ἑνὶ πάντα προῆλθεν ἐνιαυτῷ μάθοις ἂν ἐπιστήσας ὡς ἡ ἔφοδος τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου ἔτους τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτου τῆς Ἐζεκίου βασιλείας ἐγένετο. 2328 Ὃς προστεθέντων ἐτῶν αὐτῷ πεντεκαίδεκα, τῷ εἰκοστῷ καὶ ἐνάτῳ τετελεύτηκεν ἔτει, ὡς τὴν νόσον αὐτῷ γεγονέναι κατ' ἔτος τὸ τεσσαρεσκαιδέκατον. Τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ πάντα πρὸ ταύτης κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον συμβεβηκέναι, ὧν ἁπάντων ἀκούσας ἐπὶ τὴν πρεσβείαν ἠπείγετο. Καὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἡκόντων δέον τὸν Ἐζεκίαν τὰς ἄνωθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ διηγεῖσθαι μεγαλουργίας, καὶ τὰ