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Elijah the prophet saying: Thus says the Lord, the God of your father: Because you have not walked in the way of Jehoshaphat your father, and in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot, in the way that the house of Ahab made them play the harlot; and you killed your brothers, the sons of your father, who were better than you; for this reason, behold, the Lord will strike a great plague on your people, and on your sons, and on your wives, and on all your house. And you will have grievous sicknesses, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out from the disease day by day." From this we learn that both Asa and Jehoshaphat were not entirely reprobate; but even if they committed some transgressions, for the most part they served God. For this man was accused of having abandoned their way of life. And the prophecy came to pass. For not only did foreigners campaign against Joram, but also Arabs, and the neighbors of the Ethiopians, and attacking with force they conquered, and took the city, and enslaved the multitude, and they killed his sons and his daughters, and they seized the royal wealth. But Ahaziah alone escaped, the youngest of the children. The disease of the belly also afflicted him, according to the prophecy, and not even after death was he deemed worthy of a royal burial. "For the people," it says, "did not make for him a funeral procession and a burning, according to the burning of his fathers, and they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings." Truly it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. "For as his mercy is unspeakable, so also his punishment is unbearable. 80.841 From this history we learn that the Maonites are neighbors of the Ethiopians. For above, the writer taught that the enemies who came against Joram were neighbors of the Ethiopians. But here, having said that they also made Ahaziah king in his place, his youngest son, he added that the band of robbers, which came upon them from the barbarians, and from the Maonites in the camp, killed all the older ones. And this one also emulated the impiety of his father. For he had his most defiled mother as a teacher. Jehu killed him, along with Joram the king of Israel. However, he received a burial on account of his grandfather's piety; for Jehu buried him, "Because," he said, "he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart." After this, he recounts the things concerning Joash, which we have interpreted in the fourth book of Kings; but we will say what things we have not found written in that book. For he who wrote the books of Chronicles taught that the people, stirred up to zeal by the admirable high priest, pulled down the pillar of Baal, and shattered it, and tore up the altars from their foundations, and ground to dust the images of the demons. And he killed Mattan the priest of Baal; and he reinforced the courses of the priests, and the order of the Levites, and in general all the other things that David the king had ordered for the service of God. And the king, being enlightened by him, cooperated in the things being done by the high priest; "For," it says, "Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest." And he also brought the fitting service to the building of the temple. For in the time past it was neglected, because "Athaliah," it says, "the lawless, and her sons, broke down the house of God, and made all the holy things of the Lord for the Baalim." And of all these things the most admirable high priest was the principal cause, who on account of his piety, and his great virtue, lived for one hundred and thirty years, and was deemed worthy of a royal tomb. "For they buried him," it says, "in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and with God and his house." But after he died, Joash turned to impiety, having been led astray by the princes; but the physician of souls did not neglect him. "For," it says, "the Lord sent prophets to them, to turn them to the Lord; and he testified against them, and not

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Ἠλίου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Τάδε λέγει Κύ ριος ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ πατρός σου· Ἀνθ' ὧν οὐκ ἐπορεύθης ἐν ὁδῷ Ἰωσαφὰτ τοῦ πατρός σου, καὶ ἐν ὁδοῖς Ἀσὰ βασιλέως Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐπορεύθης ἐν ὁδοῖς βασιλέων Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσας τὸν Ἰούδαν, καὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὃν τρόπον ἐξεπόρνευ σεν ὁ οἶκος Ἀχαάβ· καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ πατρός σου τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ὑπὲρ σὲ ἀπ έκτεινας· διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ Κύριος πατάσσει πληγὴν μεγάλην ἐν τῷ λαῷ σου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς σου, καὶ ἐν ταῖς γυναιξί σου, καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ οἰκίᾳ σου. Καὶ σὺ ἔσῃ ἐν ἀῤῥωστίαις πονηραῖς, ἐν ἀῤῥωστίᾳ κοιλίας σου, ἕως οὗ ἐξέλθῃ τὰ ἔντερά σου ἀπὸ τῆς ἀῤῥω στίας ἐξ ἡμερῶν εἰς ἡμέρας." Ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνο μεν, ὡς καὶ Ἀσὰ καὶ Ἰωσαφὰτ οὐ παντάπασιν ἦσαν ἀδόκιμοι· ἀλλ' εἰ καί τινα ἐπλημμέλησαν, ἐν τοῖς πλείοσι τὸν Θεὸν ἐθεράπευσαν. Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος ἐνεκλήθη, ὡς τὴν ἐκείνων πορείαν καταλιπών. Ἔλα βε δὲ πέρας ἡ πρόῤῥησις. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἀλλόφυλοι τῷ Ἰωρὰμ ἐπεσράτευσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἄραβες, καὶ τῶν Αἰθιόπων οἱ πρόσοικοι, καὶ προσβαλόντες κατα κράτος ἐνίκησαν, καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀνεῖλον, καὶ τὸ πλῆ θος ἐξηνδραπόδισαν, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας κατέκτειναν, καὶ τὸν βασιλικὸν ἐσφετε ρίσαντο πλοῦτον. Μόνος δὲ Ὀχοζίας διέφυγε, τῶν παίδων ὁ νεώτατος. Ἐπέσκηψε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τῆς γαστρὸς τὸ πάθος, κατὰ τὴν πρόῤῥησιν, καὶ οὐδὲ μετὰ θάνατον βασιλικῆς ἠξιώθη ταφῆς. "Οὐκ ἐποίησε γὰρ αὐτῷ, φησὶν, ὁ λαὸς ἐκφορὰν καὶ καῦ σιν, κατὰ τὴν καῦσιν τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔθαψαν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐν τάφοις βασιλέων." Ἀληθῶς φοβερὸν τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς χεῖρας Θεοῦ ζῶντος. "Ὥσ περ γὰρ ὁ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἄῤῥητος, οὕτω καὶ ἡ κό 80.841 λασις ἀνυπόστατος. Ἐκ ταύτης τῆς ἱστορίας μαν θάνομεν, ὡς οἱ Ἀμαζονιεὶμ πρόσοικοι Αἰθιόπων εἰσίν. Ἄνω γὰρ τοὺς ἐπελθόντας πολεμίους τῷ Ἰωρὰμ ὁ συγγραφεὺς ἐδίδαξεν ὁμόρους εἶναι τῶν Αἰ θιόπων. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ εἰπὼν, ὅτι καὶ τὸν Ὀχοζίαν ἐβασίλευσαν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν νεώτερον, ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι πάντας τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ἀπέκτεινε τὸ λῃστήριον, τὸ ἐλθὸν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀμαζονιεὶμ ἐν τῇ παρεμ βολῇ. Καὶ οὗτος δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐζήλωσε τὴν ἀσέβειαν. ∆ιδάσκαλον γὰρ εἶχε τὴν μιαρωτάτην μητέρα. Τοῦ τον ἀνεῖλεν ὁ Ἰηοῦ, σὺν τῷ Ἰωρὰμ τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἰσραήλ. Ἔτυχε μέντοι ταφῆς διὰ τὴν τοῦ πάππου εὐσέβειαν· ἔθαψε γὰρ αὐτὸν Ἰηοῦ, "Ὅτι, εἶπεν, υἱός ἐστιν Ἰωσαφὰτ, ὅστις ἐζήτησε τὸν Κύριον ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ." Μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξηγεῖται τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἰωὰς, ἅπερ ἐν τῇ τετάρτῃ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἡρμηνεύσαμεν· ἐροῦμεν δὲ ὅσα ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ βίβλῳ μὴ εὑρήκαμεν κείμενα. Ὁ γὰρ τὰς Παραλειπομέ νας συγγεγραφὼς βίβλους, ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς ὑπὸ θαυ μαστοῦ ἀρχιερέως εἰς ζῆλον ὁ λαὸς πυρσευθεὶς κατέσπασε τοῦ Βάαλ τὴν στήλην, καὶ συνέτριψε, καὶ ἐκ βάθρων ἀνέσπασε τὰ θυσιαστήρια, καὶ τὰς τῶν δαιμόνων εἰκόνας ἐλέπτυνε. Ματθὰν δὲ τοῦ Βάαλ τὸν ἱερέα κατέκτεινε· τὰς δὲ τῶν ἱερέων ἐφ ημερίας ἐκράτυνε, καὶ τῶν Λευϊτῶν τὴν τάξιν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἁπαξαπλῶς, ὅσα ∆αβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ διετάξατο θεραπείαν. Συνήργει δὲ τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως πραττομένοις ὁ βασιλεὺς φωτιζόμενος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· "Ἐποίησε γὰρ, φησὶν, Ἰωὰς τὸ εὐθὲς ἐνώπιον Κυρίου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας Ἰωδαὲ ἱερέως." Προσήνεγκε δὲ καὶ τῇ οἰκοδομίᾳ τοῦ ναοῦ τὴν ἁρ μόττουσαν θεραπείαν. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ παρελθόντι χρόνῳ ἠμελήθη, ὅτι "Γοθολία, φησὶν, ἡ ἄνομος, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῆς, κατέσπασαν τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἅγια Κυρίου ἐποίησαν τοῖς Βααλείμ." Τούτων δὲ πάντων ὁ ἀξιάγαστος ἀρχιερεὺς αἰτιώτατος, ὃς διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, καὶ τὴν πολλὴν ἀρετὴν, ἐβίω μὲν ἔτη τριάκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν, θήκης δὲ ἠξιώθη βασιλικῆς. "Ἔθαψαν γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ἐν πόλει ∆αβὶδ μετὰ τῶν βασιλέων, ὅτι ἐποίησεν ἀγαθωσύνην ἐν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ." Ἐκείνου δὲ τελευτήσαντος, ὁ Ἰωὰς ἀπέκλινεν εἰς ἀσέβειαν τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ὑπαχθείς· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠμέλησεν ὁ τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρός. "Ἀπέστειλε γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος εἰς αὐτοὺς προφήτας, ἐπιστρέψαι αὐτοὺς πρὸς Κύριον· καὶ διεμαρτύρατο αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐκ