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the things said by me, and to convey them to those. Here indeed soberly, but there manfully. And they shall make war on you. So that from what you suffer, you harm those who 64.756 do it more than you yourself endure anything amiss. CHAPTER 2. I remembered the mercy of your youth. He speaks of their benefits, not their praises. For since he spoke of the punishment, in order to show that he brings this justly, he says once, and twice, and many times, I remembered the mercy of your youth, that is, the mercy which I showed toward you when you were young, I remembered. For just as we have great affection for little children, when they do not yet provoke us; so also God in the beginning, and in the preludes when He saved them by His grace alone, and did not demand things from them. He shows mercy, but nevertheless you made him fall into forgetfulness after these things. Of your following the Holy One of Israel. That is, in this I showed mercy, in making you follow me, in going before you, in going away and preparing lodgings in a land not sown; not simply in a desert, not one left behind by men, but one that had never received fruit; there you followed me. Israel is holy to the Lord. That is, there I went before you, and not only this, but also in making you holy, and holy to me. For to be holy is a great thing, but when you are also holy to God, consider for me. From here is the beginning of the prophet's words to the people; for as one being judged before them he recalls his own benefaction persuading the prophet that he does not unjustly cast his vote against them. He says, therefore, that from the beginning you have enjoyed much care from me. He calls 'youth' the sojourn of the people in Egypt, as they were chosen then by God. And the phrase, 'of the love of your perfection,' instead of, 'I loved you perfectly,' having apportioned all providence for you; and the proof is from what is brought forward: In your, he says, following the Holy One of Israel. Instead of: When you needed me, suffering all kinds of terrible things in Egypt, and I brought you out and led you, showing the way in the desert. And I provided you an abundance of necessary things in a pathless desert. Israel is holy to the Lord. That is, set apart for God. For so also Moses says: When the Most High divided the nations, when He scattered the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God, and the Lord's portion became His people Jacob. The firstfruits of His produce. That is, of all men, of the whole world, although the others are also His. Therefore, what is called 'firstborn,' is not because of being born first, not because of nature; for in other cases the state of being firstborn produces love; but here love made him to be firstborn. 64.757 That is, the firstfruit is proper to God, and cannot be otherwise. Thus also Israel, having come from all the nations. All who eat him shall transgress; evils shall come upon them. This is no small gift either, which causes his enemies to be destroyed. For as he who tastes of the firstfruits sins, so also he who transgresses against you. For this reason long ago I also punished Pharaoh, and all who rose up against you; for he recounts the ancient things. And 'eating' instead of 'having eaten,' and 'they transgress' instead of 'they transgressed.' Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob. He who is confident in his own justifications does not refuse many listeners. But he is also eager to have a splendid theater everywhere, which is what God also does, calling not only men but also inanimate things, and choosing to be judged even in external courts. Let him who wishes hear, on account of the manifest nature of what is just; whereas he who is suspicious always refuses the judges. What transgression did your fathers find in me? What are you saying? After so great a threat, after so much fear, you make a defense? Yes,

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παρ' ἐμοῦ λεγόμενα, πρός τε τὸ ἐκείνοις διαπορθμεῦσαι. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν νηπτικῶς, ἐκεῖ δὲ ἀνδρικῶς. Καὶ πολεμήσωσί σε. Ὥστε ἐξ ὧν πάσχεις, βλάπτειν μᾶλλον τοὺς 64.756 ποιοῦντας, ἢ αὐτόν σέ τι ὑπομένειν ἄτοπον. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Βʹ. Ἐμνήσθην ἐλέους νεότητός σου. Τὰς εὐεργεσίας αὐτῶν λέγει, οὐχὶ αὐτῶν ἐγκώμια. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπε τὴν τιμωρίαν, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι δικαίαν ταύτην ἐπάγει, λέγει ἅπαξ, καὶ δὶς, καὶ πολλάκις, Ἐμνήσθην ἐλέους νεότητός σου, τουτέστι τοῦ ἐλέους· οὗπερ ἀπεδειξάμην πρὸς σὲ νέαν οὖσαν ἐμνήσθην. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡμεῖς περὶ τὰ παιδία μικρὰ ὄντα πολλὴν ἔχομεν φιλοστοργίαν, ὅτε οὔπω παροξύνουσιν ἡμᾶς· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἀρχῇ, καὶ ἐν προοιμίοις ὅτε ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ χάριτος ἔσωσε μόνης αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐκ ἀπῄτει τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν. Πλὴν ἔλεον ἐπιδείκνυται, ἄλλ' ὅμως εἰς λήθην αὐτὸν ἐποίησας ἐμπεσεῖν μετὰ ταῦτα. Τοῦ ἐξακολουθῆσαί σε τῷ ἁγίῳ Ἰσραήλ. Τουτέστιν, Ἐν τούτῳ ἔλεον ἐπεδειξάμην, ἐν τῷ ποιῆσαι ἐξακολουθῆσαί μοι, ἐν τῷ προηγεῖσθαί σου, ἐν τῷ ἀπιέναι καὶ προετοιμάζειν καταγώγια ἐν γῇ μὴ σπορίμῃ· οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐν ἐρήμῳ, οὐχ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων καταλελειμμένῃ, ἀλλὰ μηδέποτε δεξαμένῃ καρπόν· ἐκεῖ ἠκολούθεις μοι. Ἅγιος Ἰσραὴλ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Τουτέστιν, Ἐκεῖ σου προηγούμην, καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἅγιόν σε ποιῆσαι, καὶ ἅγιον ἐμοί. Μέγα μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἅγιον εἶναι, ὅταν δὲ καὶ Θεοῦ ἅγιος εἶ, ἐννόησόν μοι. Ἐντεῦθεν ἡ ἀρχὴ τῶν λόγων τοῦ προφήτου τῶν πρὸς τὸν λαόν· ὡς γὰρ κρινόμενος πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀπομιμνήσκει τῆς ἰδίας εὐεργεσίας πείθων τὸν προφήτην, ὡς οὐκ ἀδίκως ἐκφέρει κατ' αὐτῶν τὴν ψῆφον. Λέγει τοίνυν, ὅτι Ἄνωθεν πολλῆς τῆς παρ' ἐμοῦ κηδεμονίας ἀπήλαυσας. Νεότητα δὲ λέγει τὴν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ διατριβὴν τοῦ λαοῦ, ὡς τότε ἐκλεγέντων παρὰ Θεοῦ. Τὸ δὲ, ἀγάπης τελειώσεώς σου, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Τελείως σε ἠγάπησα, πᾶσαν πρόνοιάν σοι νείμας· καὶ ἡ ἀπόδειξις ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπαγομένου· Ἐν τῷ, φησὶν, ἐξακολουθῆσαί σε τῷ Ἁγίῳ Ἰσραήλ. Ἀντὶτοῦ· Ἡνίκα ἐδεήθης μου πάσχων πάνδεινα ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ ἐξήγαγόν σε καὶ ἡγούμην ὑποδεικνὺς τὴν ὁδὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Καὶ παρεῖχόν σοι ἄφθονον τῶν ἀναγκαίων τὴν χρείαν ἐν ἐρημίᾳ ἀτριβεῖ. Ἅγιος Ἰσραὴλ τῷ Κυρίῳ. Τουτέστιν, ἀφωρισμένος τῷ Θεῷ. Οὕτω γὰρ λέγει καὶ ὁ Μωσῆς· Ὅτε διεμέριζεν ὁ Ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ὡς διέσπειρεν υἱοὺς Ἀδὰμ, ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν, κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐγενήθη μερὶς Κυρίου λαὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰακώβ. Ἀπαρχὴ γεννημάτων αὐτοῦ. Τουτέστι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων, τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης, καίτοι καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι αὐτοῦ. Ὅπερ οὖν λέγεται πρωτότοκος, οὐ διὰ τὸ πρῶτος γενέσθαι, οὐ διὰ φύσιν· ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων ἡ πρωτοτοκία ποιεῖ τὴν ἀγάπην· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἡ ἀγάπη ἐποίησε πρωτότοκον εἶναι. 64.757 Τουτέστιν ἡ ἀπαρχὴ τῷ Θεῷ οἰκεία, καὶ οὐ δύναται ἄλλως γενέσθαι. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν γενόμενος. Πάντες οἱ ἐσθίοντες αὐτὸν πλημμελήσουσι κακὰ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς. Οὐ μικρὸν καὶ τοῦτο δῶρον τὸ ποιοῦν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀπόλλυσθαι τοὺς αὐτοῦ. Ὡς γὰρ ἁμαρτάνει ὁ τῶν ἀπαρχῶν γευόμενος, οὕτως καὶ ὁ εἰς σὲ πλημμελῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάλαι καὶ τὸν Φαραὼ ἐτιμωρησάμην, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐπανισταμένους· τὰ γὰρ παλαιὰ διηγεῖται. Τὸ δὲ, ἐσθίοντες, ἀντὶ τοῦ, φαγόντες, καὶ τὸ, πλημμελοῦσι, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐπλημμέλησαν. Ἀκούσατε λόγον Κυρίου, οἶκος Ἰακώβ. Ὁ θαῤῥῶν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ δικαιώμασι, οὐ παραιτεῖται πολλοὺς εἶναι τοὺς ἀκροατάς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ σπουδάζει πανταχοῦ λαμπρὸν ἔχειν τὸ θέατρον, ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ποιεῖ, οὐκ ἀνθρώπους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἄψυχα καλῶν, καὶ αἱρούμενος καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔξω δικαστηρίων δικάζεσθαι. Ὁ βουλόμενος ἀκουέτω, διὰ τὸ περιφανὲς τῶν δικαίων· ὡς ὅγε ὑποπτεύων ἀεὶ παραιτεῖται τοὺς δικαστάς. Τί εὕροσαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἐν ἐμοὶ πλημμέλημα; Τί λέγεις; μετὰ τοσαύτην ἀπειλὴν, μετὰ τοσαῦτον φόβον ἀπολογῇ; Ναὶ,