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"Turn back the captivity which you have taken captive from your eyes, for the wrath of the Lord's anger is upon us." The Lord God, he says, wished to exact punishment from them for their impiety. This granted them the defeat, and to you the victory. But you, having conquered, have forgotten your kinship, you did not take nature into account, but you treated those of your own race as barbarians and foreigners. And you were not satisfied with the countless slaughters, but you also force those of your own race to be slaves. I testify to you, therefore, that you will suffer more grievous things. The rulers yielded to the prophet; and they exhorted the people, and deemed the captives worthy of care. For they clothed, he says, the naked, and brought them ointment and food, and to the weaker ones they gave beasts of burden, and led them away to the city of Jericho. And it is to be noted that he has called Jericho the city of palm trees. "For they brought them, he says, to Jericho, the city of palm trees." And the history also taught this, that having persisted in impiety they were handed over to foreigners, and the enemies dwelt in their cities. "For the Lord, he says, humbled Judah, because of Ahaz the king of Judah, because he had uncovered impiety in Judah, and had turned away with an apostasy from the Lord. But "he turned aside," instead of, he taught him what he ought not. For he introduced foreign customs, and prepared them to worship the gods of the other nations. But having called the Assyrian for assistance, he failed in his endeavor. For it added this: "Not for his help, but rather to afflict him." And though subjected to all these punishments, he increased his impiety. For it said this: "And Ahaz continued to turn away from the Lord. And king Ahaz said: I will seek the gods of Damascus who strike me; and he said that the gods of Syria strengthen them. I will sacrifice to them, therefore, and they will help me; and they became a stumbling block to him." For not only did they not help, but they also became agents 80.852 of all kinds of misfortunes for him. Having driven to the utmost wickedness, "And he cut up the sacred vessels, and shut the doors of the divine temple, and made for himself altars in every corner in Jerusalem." And what follows has the same accusation. When he died, they did not deem him worthy of burial with the pious kings. But Hezekiah his son accomplished the highest virtue. "For Hezekiah, he says, did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done." And first he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and prepared them. Then having sanctified the priests and the Levites, he commanded them to cleanse the divine temple. "And immediately, he says, they cast out all the uncleanness that was found in the house of the Lord, into the court of the house of the Lord; and the Levites received it to carry it out to the brook of Kidron outside." Then, when these things had been done, he offered the customary sacrifices, not only on behalf of the two tribes, but on behalf of the twelve. "For he made atonement, he says, for all Israel, because the king said that the whole burnt offerings and the sin offerings should be offered for all Israel; and he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord, praising with cymbals, and with lyres, and with harps, according to the commandment of David the king, and of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for the command was by the commandment of the Lord in the hand of his prophets. This refutes the foolishness of the Jews, who do not tolerate calling the great David a prophet. For here the Scripture, mentioning the three, added, "For the command was by the commandment of the Lord in the hand of his prophets." And a little later the text hints that Asaph also had been a psalmist. "For Hezekiah the king, he says, and the rulers, told the Levites to praise the Lord in the words of David, and of Asaph the prophet." And again the history teaches us that when the priests were not sufficient to flay the whole burnt offering, their brethren the Levites helped them, until the work was completed, and until the priests were sanctified, because the Levites were sanctified more readily than the priests. This

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ἀποστρέψατε τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἣν ᾐχμαλωτεύσατε ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλ μῶν ὑμῶν, ὅτι ὀργὴ θυμοῦ Κυρίου ἐφ' ἡμᾶς." Ἠβουλήθη, φησὶν, ὁ ∆εσπότης Θεὸς δίκας ἐκείνοις εἰσπράξασθαι τῆς ἀσεβείας. Τοῦτο κἀκείνοις τὴν ἧτταν, καὶ ὑμῖν παρέσχε τὴν νίκην. Ὑμεῖς δὲ νε νικηκότες ἐπελήθητε τῆς συγγενείας, τὴν φύσιν εἰς νοῦν οὐκ ἐλάβετε, ἀλλ' ὡς βαρβάροις καὶ ἀλλοφύ λοις τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις ἐχρήσασθε. Καὶ οὐκ ἠρκέσθητε ταῖς μυρίαις σφαγαῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ δουλεύειν τοὺς ὁμο γενεῖς ἀναγκάζετε. Μαρτύρομαι τοίνυν ὑμᾶς, ὡς χαλεπώτερα πείσεσθε. Εἶξαν οἱ ἄρχοντες τῷ προ φήτῃ· καὶ τῷ λαῷ παρῄνεσαν, καὶ θεραπείας τοὺς δορυαλώτους ἠξίωσαν. Ἐνέδυσαν γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς γυμνοὺς, καὶ ἀλοιφὴν αὐτοῖς προσήνεγκαν καὶ τροφὴν, καὶ τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις ἔδωκαν ὑποζύγια, καὶ μέχρι τῆς Ἱεριχοῦς ἀπήγαγον πόλεως. Ἐπισημαντέον δὲ, ὅτι πόλιν φοινίκων τὴν Ἱεριχὼ κέ κληκε. "Κατέστησαν γὰρ αὐτοὺς, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν Ἱεριχὼ, τὴν πόλιν τῶν φοινίκων." Ἐδίδαξε δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἡ ἱστορία, ὡς ἐπιμείναντες τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ παρ εδόθησαν τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις, καὶ εἰς τὰς τούτων πόλεις ᾤκησαν οἱ πολέμιοι. "Ἐταπείνωσε γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος τὸν Ἰούδα, διὰ τὸν Ἄχαζ τὸν βασιλέα Ἰούδαἀνθ' ὧν ἀπεκάλυψεν ἐν τῷ Ἰούδα ἀσέβειαν, καὶ ἀπέστη ἀποστάσει ἀπὸ Κυρίου. Τὸ δὲ ἀπέκαμ ψεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐδίδαξεν αὐτὸν ἃ μὴ δεῖ. Ξένα γὰρ εἰσήγαγεν ἔθη, καὶ τοὺς τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν θεοὺς παρ εσκεύασε σέβειν. Καλέσας δὲ τὸν Ἀσσύριον εἰς ἐπικουρίαν, διήμαρτε τῆς σπουδῆς. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπ ήγαγεν· "Οὐκ εἰς βοήθειαν αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦ θλι βῆναι αὐτόν." Καὶ ταύταις δὲ πάσαις ταῖς τιμω ρίαις ὑποβληθεὶς ἐπέτεινε τὴν ἀσέβειαν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη· "Καὶ προσέθηκεν Ἄχαζ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ Κυρίου. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἄχαζ· Ζητήσω τοὺς θεοὺς ∆αμασκοῦ τοὺς τύπτοντάς με· καὶ εἶπεν, ὅτι οἱ θεοὶ Συρίας κατισχύουσιν αὐτούς. Θύσω τοίνυν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἀντιλήψονταί μου· καὶ ἐγένοντο αὐτοὶ αὐτῷ εἰς σκῶλον." Οὐ γὰρ μόνον οὐκ ἐπεκούρησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παντοδαπῶν αὐτῷ συμφορῶν ἐγένοντο πρό 80.852 ξενοι. Εἰς ἐσχάτην δὲ πονηρίαν ἐλάσας, "Καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ κατέκοψε σκεύη, καὶ τοῦ θείου ναοῦ τὰς θύρας ἀπέκλεισε, καὶ ἐποίησεν ἑαυτῷ θυσιαστήρια ἐν πάσῃ γωνίᾳ ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ." Καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει κατηγορίαν. Τοῦτον ἀποθανόντα τῆς μετὰ τῶν εὐσεβῶν βασιλέων ταφῆς οὐκ ἠξίωσαν. Ἐζεκίας δὲ ὁ τούτου υἱὸς τὴν ἀκροτάτην κατώρθω σεν ἀρετήν. "Ἐποίησε γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἐζεκίας τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησε ∆α βὶδ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ." Καὶ πρῶτον ἀνέῳξε τὰς θύρας τοῦ οἴκου Κυρίου, καὶ ἀπεσκεύασεν αὐτάς. Εἶτα τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ τοὺς Λευΐτας ἁγιάσας, ἐκκαθῆραι παρηγγύησε τὸν θεῖον ναόν. "Οἱ δὲ παραυτίκα ἐξέβαλον, φησὶ, πᾶσαν τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν, τὴν εὑρε θεῖσαν ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου, εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν οἴκου Κυ ρίου· καὶ ἐδέξαντο οἱ Λευῖται ἐξενεγκεῖν εἰς τὸν χειμάῤῥουν Κέδρων ἔξω." Ἔπειτα τούτων γεγενη μένων τὰς νενομισμένας θυσίας προσήνεγκεν, οὐχ ὑπὲρ μόνων τῶν δύο φυλῶν, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῶν δώ δεκα. "Ἐξιλάσατο γὰρ, φησὶ, περὶ παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι περὶ παντὸς Ἰσραὴλ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς προσενεχθῆναι τὰ ὁλοκαυτώματα, καὶ τὰ περὶ ἁμαρ τίας· καὶ ἔστησε τοὺς Λευΐτας ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου, αἰνοῦντας ἐν κυμβάλοις, καὶ ἐν κινύραις, καὶ ἐν ναύλαις, κατὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν ∆αβὶδ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ Γὰδ τοῦ ὁρῶντος τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ Νάθαν τοῦ προ φήτου· ὅτι δι' ἐντολὴν Κυρίου τὸ πρόσταγμα ἦν ἐν χειρὶ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο διελέγχει τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴν ἀφροσύνην, οἳ τὸν μέγαν ∆αβὶδ προφήτην καλεῖν οὐκ ἀνέχονται. Ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ἡ Γραφὴ τῶν τριῶν μνημονεύουσα ἐπήγαγεν, "Ὅτι δι' ἐντολὴν Κυρίου τὸ πρόσταγμα ἐν χειρὶ τῶν προ φητῶν αὐτοῦ." Μετ' ὀλίγα δὲ ὁ λόγος αἰνίττεται, ὅτι καὶ ὁ Ἀσὰφ ὑμνοποιὸς ἐγεγόνει. "Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἐζεκίας ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες, τοῖς Λευΐταις, τοῦ ὑμνεῖν τὸν Κύριον ἐν λόγοις ∆αβὶδ, καὶ Ἀσὰφ τοῦ προφήτου." ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ἡμᾶς πά λιν ἡ ἱστορία, ὅτι τῶν ἱερέων οὐκ ἀποχρώντων ἀποδεῖραι τὴν ὁλοκαύτωσιν, ἀντελάβοντο αὐτῶν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτῶν οἱ Λευῖται, ἕως οὗ συνετελέσθη τὸ ἔργον, καὶ ἕως οὗ ἡγιάσθησαν οἱ ἱερεῖς, ὅτι οἱ Λευῖ ται προθύμως ἡγιάσθησαν παρὰ τοὺς ἱερεῖς. Τοῦτο