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to be willing to make a treaty of friendship with Hezekiah as with a man beloved of God. This is what the Hebrew says. But I, perceiving that all these things happened in one and the same year, I mean the attack of the Assyrian against Judea and the plague by the angel of God against the Assyrians, and the flight of Sennacherib and the rebellion of his children, and the unmentioned destruction of the son who succeeded him. I think all these things put a sober thought into Merodach-Baladan, who was sprung from another race and was king of Babylon and of the Chaldean nation; for it is likely that he benefited from the knowledge of these things so as no longer to embrace enmity or war, but friendship towards the king so beloved of God, whose deliverance from sickness, decreed by God, had happened to him in a marvelous way. That these things happened to be done at one and the same time, you may learn by observing that the attack of the Assyrian took place in the “fourteenth year” of Hezekiah's reign; and he dies “having reigned” in all “twenty-nine years,” of which “the fifteen years” were “added” to him after his sickness. Therefore, he had fallen sick in the fourteenth year, and all the rest was accomplished before his sickness in the same period of time. The report of all these things together, therefore, moved the king of the Babylonians to friendship with Hezekiah, so as even to send him gifts and ambassadors and letters. At which, Hezekiah, experiencing something human, rejoiced at their reception, but being seized by excessive ambition, he reveals to the envoys his treasures and the house of nechotha, which Aquila and Symmachus have rendered as the house of spices. But he also shows the silver and the gold and the spices and the fine ointment and all the storehouses of his vessels; for so Symmachus has translated it. Then, since it was not right to reveal the wealth there to foreign men inelegantly and incautiously, the prophet, coming to him, foretold that there would be a time when the Babylonians themselves would take everything and carry it off to their own land. And he added that also from his sons, who did not yet exist but were to be born from him, they would make eunuchs, who would themselves be made to stand before their kings. Hearing which, Hezekiah answered reverently and at the same time piously that every word which God would speak is good, even if it might be considered grievous by men. But he asked that the things threatened not happen during the time of his life, but that there be peace and righteousness, or according to the other translators, peace and truth, in his days. At which again the Hebrew said that God did not approve of Hezekiah's choice; for to have asked for himself, but to have made no account for the people, appeared blameworthy to God; wherefore the prophet says next: Comfort, comfort my people, says God; for if this man, he says, being a lover of self, took thought and prayed for himself, but made no mention of the people, yet God, caring for his own people, commands those who are able to do so to comfort them. 2.16 The phrase: priests, to comfort the people, we have found neither in the Hebrew nor among the other translators, which is why it is obelized also among the Seventy; at least according to Symmachus it is said, Console, console my people, says your God, speak comfort to the heart of Jerusalem, and among the others things equivalent to this. But who are they whom the word commands to comfort the people, it is worthwhile to consider, and what is the heart of Jerusalem and of what sort must we understand Jerusalem to be, as some living creature having a heart; for the word that said: speak to the heart of Jerusalem, clearly presents it as animate and rational. And one might say that Jerusalem is the people dwelling in it, as often the city for its inhabitants

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φιλίαν ἐθελῆσαι σπείσασθαι πρὸς τὸν Ἑζεκίαν ὡς πρὸς ἄνδρα θεοφιλῆ. ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Ἑβραῖος. ἐγὼ δὲ συνιδὼν ὡς ὑφ' ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἐνιαυτὸν ταῦτα πάντα συνέβη, λέγω δὲ ἡ ἔφοδος τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου ἡ κατὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ ἡ δι' ἀγγέλου θεοῦ κατὰ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων πληγή, ἥ τε τοῦ Σεναχηρεὶμ φυγὴ καὶ ἡ τῶν αὐτοῦ παίδων ἐπανάστασις, ἥ τε τοῦ διαδεδεγμένου αὐτὸν υἱοῦ σεσιωπημένη ἀπώλεια. ταῦτα πάντα οἶμαι σώφρονα λογισμὸν ἐμβαλεῖν τῷ Μαρωδὰκ Βαλδὰν ἐξ ἑτέρου γένους ὁρμωμένῳ καὶ βασιλεύοντι Βαβυλῶνος καὶ τοῦ Χαλδαίων ἔθνους· εἰκὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς τούτων γνώσεως ὠφελῆσθαι ὡς μηκέτ' ἐχθρίαν μηδὲ πόλεμον, φιλίαν δὲ ἀσπάσασθαι πρὸς τὸν οὕτω θεοφιλῆ βασιλέα παράδοξον αὐτῷ γενέσθαι τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ πρυτανευθεῖσαν ἐκ τῆς νόσου σωτηρίαν. ὅτι δὲ καθ' ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν ταῦτα συνέβη πραχθῆναι, μάθοις ἂν ἐπιστήσας ὡς ἡ μὲν ἔφοδος τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου «ἔτους τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτου» τῆς Ἑζεκίου βασιλείας γέγονεν· τελευτᾷ δὲ «βασιλεύσας» τὰ πάντα «ἐννέα καὶ εἴκοσιν ἔτη», ὧν «τὰ πέντε καὶ δέκα ἔτη», μετὰ τὴν νόσον αὐτῷ «προσετέθη». οὐκοῦν ἐν τῷ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει νενοσήκει καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα πρὸ τῆς νόσου κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν συνετελέσθη χρόνον. ὁμοῦ δὴ οὖν τούτων ἁπάντων ἡ ἀκοὴ τὸν τῶν Βαβυλωνίων βασιλέα ἐνῆγε πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Ἑζεκίου φιλίαν ὡς καὶ ἀποστεῖλαι αὐτῷ δῶρα καὶ πρέσβεις καὶ ἐπιστολάς. ἐφ' οἷς ἀνθρώπινόν τι παθὼν ὁ Ἑζεκίας χαίρει μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ τούτων δεξιώσει, φιλοτιμίᾳ δὲ περιττῇ ληφθεὶς τοῖς ἀπεσταλμένοις ἀνακαλύπτει τοὺς θησαυροὺς καὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ νεχωθά, ὅπερ ὁ Ἀκύλας καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος τὸν οἶκον τῶν ἀρωμάτων ἐκδεδώκασιν. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὸ χρυσίον καὶ τὰ ἡδύσματα καὶ τὸ μύρον τὸ καλὸν καὶ πάσας τὰς ἀποθήκας τῶν σκευῶν αὐτοῦ δείκνυσιν· οὕτως γὰρ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν. Εἶτ' ἐπεὶ μὴ ἐχρῆν ἀλλοφύλοις ἀνδράσιν ἀπειροκάλως καὶ ἀπερισκέπτως ἀνακαλύπτειν τὸν ἐκεῖ πλοῦτον ἐπιστὰς ὁ προφήτης αὐτῷ προηγόρευεν, ὡς ἔσται τις καιρός, καθ' ὃν αὐτοὶ Βαβυλώνιοι ἅπαντα λήψονται καὶ εἰς τὴν αὐτῶν ἀπάξουσι γῆν. προσετίθη δὲ ὡς καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν μηδέπω μὲν ὄντων, μελλόντων δὲ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γίγνεσθαι ἐκτεμόντες εὐνούχους, οἳ αὐτοὶ παραστῆναι αὐτοὺς ποιήσουσι τοῖς αὐτῶν βασιλεῦσιν. ἅπερ ἀκούσας ὁ Ἑζεκίας εὐλαβῶς ἅμα καὶ εὐσεβῶς πάντα λόγον ἀγαθὸν εἶναι, ὃν λαλήσειεν ὁ θεός, κἂν λυπηρὸς εἶναι νομίζοιτο ἀνθρώποις ἀπεκρίνατο. ἠξίου δὲ μὴ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ χρόνον τὰ ἠπειλημένα γενέσθαι, εἰρήνην δὲ καὶ δικαιοσύνην, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς εἰρήνην καὶ ἀλήθειαν, ὑπάρξαι ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ. Ἐφ' οἷς πάλιν ὁ Ἑβραῖος μὴ ἀποδέξασθαι τοῦ Ἑζεκίου τὴν προαίρεσιν τὸν θεὸν ἔλεγε· τὸ γὰρ ὑπὲρ μὲν ἑαυτοῦ ἠξιωκέναι, ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ μηδένα λόγον πεποιῆσθαι μεμπτὸν τῷ θεῷ φανῆναι· διὸ ἐπιλέγειν ἑξῆς τὸν προφήτην· Παρακαλεῖτε παρακαλεῖτε τὸν λαόν μου, λέγει ὁ θεός· εἰ γὰρ καὶ οὗτός φησι φίλαυτος ὤν, ὑπὲρ μὲν ἑαυτοῦ φροντίσας ἐδεήθη, τοῦ δὲ λαοῦ μνήμην οὔ τινα ἐποιήσατο, ἀλλ' ὁ θεὸς τοῦ ἰδίου κηδόμενος λαοῦ παρακαλεῖν αὐτὸν τοῖς τοῦτο πράττειν οἵοις τε παρακελεύεται. 2.16 Τό· ἱερεῖς, παρακαλεῖν τὸν λαόν, οὔτε ἐν τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ οὔτε παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἑρμηνευταῖς εὕρομεν, διόπερ ὠβέλισται καὶ παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβδομήκοντα· κατὰ γοῦν τὸν Σύμμαχον παρηγορεῖτε παρηγορεῖτε τὸν λαόν μου, λέγει ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν, παραμυθήσασθε τὴν καρδίαν Ἰερουσαλὴμ εἴρηται, καὶ παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἰσοδυναμοῦντα τούτῳ. τίνες δέ εἰσιν οἷς ὁ λόγος παρακαλεῖν τὸν λαὸν προστάττει, ἄξιον ἐπιστῆσαι, τίς δὲ καὶ ἡ καρδία Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ ποδαπὴν χρὴ νοεῖν τὴν Ἰερουσαλήμ, ὥσπερ τι ζῷον καρδίαν ἔχουσαν· ἔμψυχον γὰρ καὶ λογικὴν σαφῶς παρίστησιν αὐτὴν ὁ φήσας λόγος· λαλήσατε εἰς τὴν καρδίαν Ἰερουσαλήμ. καὶ ἦν μὲν εἰπεῖν Ἰερουσαλὴμ τὸν λαὸν εἶναι τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ κατοικοῦντα, ὡς πολλάκις τὴν πόλιν ἀντὶ τῶν οἰκητόρων