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1 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν μηνὶ Νισὰν ἔτους εἰκοστοῦ Ἀρθασασθὰ βασιλεῖ, καὶ ἦν ὁ οἶνος ἐνώπιον ἐμοῦ· καὶ ἔλαβον τὸν οἶνον, καὶ ἔδωκα τῷ βασιλεῖ· καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἕτερος ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ.
2 Καὶ εἶπέ μοι ὁ βασιλεὺς, διὰ τί τὸ πρόσωπόν σου πονηρὸν, καὶ οὐκ εἶ μετριάζων; καὶ οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο, εἰ μὴ πονηρία καρδίας· καὶ ἐφοβήθην πολὺ σφόδρα, 3 καὶ εἶπα τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ζήτω· διὰ τί οὐ μὴ γένηται πονηρὸν τὸ πρόσωπόν μου, διότι ἡ πόλις οἶκος μνημείων πατέρων μου ἠρημώθη, καὶ αἱ πύλαι αὐτῆς κατεβρώθησαν ἐν πυρί; 4 Καὶ εἶπέ μοι ὁ βασιλεύς, περὶ τίνος τοῦτο σὺ ζητεῖς; καὶ προσηυξάμην πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, 5 καὶ εἶπα τῷ βασιλεῖ, εἰ ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἀγαθὸν, καὶ εἰ ἀγαθυνθήσεται ὁ παῖς σου ἐνώπιόν σοῦ, ὥστε πέμψαι αὐτὸν ἐν Ἰούδα εἰς πόλιν μνημείων πατέρων μου, καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσω αὐτήν.
6 Καὶ εἶπέ μοι ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ ἡ παλλακὴ ἡ καθημένη ἐχόμενα αὐτοῦ, ἕως πότε ἔσται ἡ πορεία σου, καὶ πότε ἐπιστρέψεις; καὶ ἠγαθύνθη ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἀπέστειλέ με, καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτῷ ὅρον. 7 Καὶ εἶπα τῷ βασιλεῖ, εἰ ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἀγαθὸν, δότω μοι ἐπιστολὰς πρὸς τοὺς ἐπάρχους πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ, ὥστε παραγαγεῖν με ἕως ἔλθω ἐπὶ Ἰούδαν, 8 καὶ ἐπιστολὴν ἐπὶ Ἀσὰφ φύλακα τοῦ παραδείσου ὅς ἐστι τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὥστε δοῦναί μοι ξύλα στεγάσαι τὰς πύλας, καὶ εἰς τὸ τεῖχος τῆς πόλεως, καὶ εἰς οἶκον ὃν εἰσελεύσομαι εἰς αὐτόν· καὶ ἔδωκέ μοι ὁ βασιλεὺς ὡς χεὶρ Θεοῦ ἡ ἀγαθή.
9 Καὶ ἦλθον πρὸς τοὺς ἐπάρχους πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ, καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτοῖς τὰς ἐπιστολὰς τοῦ βασιλέως· καὶ ἀπέστειλε μετʼ ἐμοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀρχηγοὺς δυνάμεως καὶ ἱππεῖς. 10 Καὶ ἤκουσε Σαναβαλλὰτ ὁ Ἀρωνὶ, καὶ Τωβία ὁ δοῦλος Ἀμμωνὶ, καὶ πονηρὸν αὐτοῖς ἐγένετο, ὅτι ἥκει ὁ ἄνθρωπος ζητῆσαι ἀγαθὸν τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ.
11 Καὶ ἦλθον εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἤμην ἐκεῖ ἡμέρας τρεῖς. 12 Καὶ ἀνέστην νυκτὸς ἐγὼ καὶ ἄνδρες ὀλίγοι μετʼ ἐμοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἀπήγγειλα ἀνθρώπῳ τί ὁ Θεὸς δίδωσιν εἰς καρδίαν μου τοῦ ποιῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ κτῆνος οὐκ ἔστι μετʼ ἐμοῦ, εἰ μὴ τὸ κτῆνος ᾧ ἐγὼ ἐπιβαίνω ἐπʼ αὐτῷ. 13 Καὶ ἐξῆλθον ἐν πύλῃ τοῦ γωληλὰ, καὶ πρὸς στόμα πηγῆς τῶν συκῶν, καὶ εἰς πύλην τῆς κοπρίας· καὶ ἤμην συντρίβων ἐν τῷ τείχει Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὃ αὐτοὶ καθαιροῦσι, καὶ πύλαι αὐτῆς κατεβρώθησαν πυρί. 14 Καὶ παρῆλθον ἐπὶ πύλην τοῦ αῒν, καὶ εἰς κολυμβήθραν τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ οὐκ ἦν τόπος τῷ κτήνει παρελθεῖν ὑποκάτω μου. 15 Καὶ ἤμην ἀναβαίνων ἐν τῷ τείχει χειμάῤῥου νυκτός, καὶ ἤμην συντρίβων ἐν τῷ τείχει, καὶ ἤμην ἐν πύλῃ τῆς φάραγγος, καὶ ἐπέστρεψα.
16 Καὶ οἱ φυλάσσοντες οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τί ἐπορεύθην, καὶ τί ἐγὼ ποιῶ· καὶ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι, καὶ τοῖς ἐντίμοις, καὶ τοῖς στρατηγοῖς, καὶ τοῖς καταλοίποις τοῖς ποιοῦσι τὰ ἔργα, ἕως τότε οὐκ ἀπήγγειλα. 17 Καὶ εἶπα πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ὑμεῖς βλέπετε τὴν πονηρίαν ταύτην, ἐν ᾗ ἐσμὲν ἐν αὐτῇ, πῶς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔρημος, καὶ αἱ πύλαι αὐτῆς ἐδόθησαν πυρί· δεῦτε, καὶ διοικοδομήσωμεν τὸ τεῖχος Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ οὐκ ἐσόμεθα ἔτι ὄνειδος. 18 Καὶ ἀπήγγειλα αὐτοῖς τὴν χεῖρα τοῦ Θεοῦ ᾗ ἐστιν ἀγαθὴ ἐπʼ ἐμὲ, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς λόγους τοῦ βασιλέως οὓς εἶπέ μοι· καὶ εἶπα, ἀναστῶμεν, καὶ οἰκοδομήσωμεν· καὶ ἐκραταιώθησαν αἱ χεῖρες αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν.
19 Καὶ ἤκουσε Σαναβαλλὰτ ὁ Ἀρωνὶ, καὶ Τωβία ὁ δοῦλος ὁ Ἀμμωνὶ, καὶ Γησὰμ ὁ Ἀραβί, καὶ ἐξεγέλασαν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἦλθον ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς, καὶ εἶπον, τί τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ὃ ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε; ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα ὑμεῖς ἀποστατεῖτε; 20 Καὶ ἐπέστρεψα αὐτοῖς λόγον, καὶ εἶπα αὐτοῖς, ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ αὐτὸς εὐοδώσει ἡμῖν, καὶ ἡμεῖς δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ καθαροὶ, καὶ οἰκοδομήσομεν· καὶ ὑμῖν οὐκ ἔστι μερὶς καὶ δικαιοσύνη καὶ μνημόσυνον ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ.