He had only kept silent because he was afraid of King Decius.
They said to him, “Decius is dead, and a succession of other kings has ruled since his time.” Then they beat him until the blows caused him pain, so he told them his story in full.
They replied, “Decius is long dead; many kings have come after him. The present ruler is Theodosius the Great, and the Christian faith is now openly professed.”
They then went with him to the cave, where they saw his companions and the bronze chest that contained a lead tablet on which their story and circumstances were written. Their amazement only grew. They wrote to the king, informing him of the matter, and he mounted and travelled to Ephesus. There he looked upon the youths and spoke with them.
After three days he entered the cave again and found them dead. He ordered that they remain where they were, to be buried inside the cave, and that a church be built over them, bearing their names, with an annual feast held on that day each year. Then he returned to Constantinople.
The narrator said: From the time the youths fled from Decius to the cave until the moment they reappeared and died, one hundred and forty-seven (147) — or one hundred and forty-nine (149) — years had elapsed.
I say: This is an error, for Allah, exalted is He, has informed us that they remained in their cave for three hundred (300) years and increased by nine (9).