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Her sister, treacherous Judah, saw her treachery, and she saw that for all the causes for which the house of Israel was taken, wherein she committed adultery, I sent her away, and I gave her a bill of divorce into her hands. And her sister, treacherous Judah, was not afraid, but she also went and committed fornication. Having seen, he says, both the wickedness of her sister, and the punishment brought upon her because of this, she did not flee the imitation of wickedness; but she followed in her footsteps. 9. And her fornication was for nothing. For, he says, she supposed she was doing nothing unlawful; but he calls idolatry fornication; for having forsaken God, who was named their bridegroom, they served idols. "And she murdered the land, sacrificing her children to demons; and she committed adultery with stone and wood." He made the accusation of fornication clear. Then through more words he teaches that she did not abhor the impiety of her sister, having seen her utter ruin; and that the ten tribes have more of an excuse than the tribe of Judah, since, having seen their misfortunes, she continued to do the things that caused those misfortunes; for which reason the prophet is commanded to prophesy to them. 81.521 12. For go, he says, and read these words toward the north, and you shall say, Return to me, O house of Israel, says the Lord. And I will not set my face against you, for I am merciful, says the Lord, and I will not be angry with you forever. Immeasurable is the Master's love for mankind; for after great transgression He seeks only repentance; and He also teaches the way of it. 13. But know your iniquity, that you have been impious against the Lord your God. For the beginning of health is the perception of sickness. And, "You have scattered your ways to strangers." Having abandoned God, and Lord, and Creator, and Benefactor, you were joined to strangers; and who are these? "Under every leafy tree." He showed the unprofitableness of error; for the deified plants are fruitless. "But you did not listen to my voice, says the Lord." For when giving the law He said, "You shall have no other gods besides me." 14. Return, backsliding children, says the Lord. And He calls the apostates children, because of His ineffable goodness. "Because I will be your master." For again I will take care of you, and I will deem you worthy of all solicitude. And I will take you, one from a city, and two from a family, and I will bring you into Zion. (15.) And I will give you shepherds according to my heart, and they will shepherd you, shepherding with knowledge. These things happened in a typical sense in the time of Zerubbabel. For they returned in the time of Cyrus the Persian, having as shepherds Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jesus the son of Jozadak the high priest; and piety and good order adorned them both. In truth, however, after the incarnation of our God and Savior, the prophecy received its fulfillment. For the Master chose from among the Jews, one from a city, and two from a family; and he appointed them shepherds according to his own heart, the holy apostles. Wherefore He also said to the most divine Peter: "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? Shepherd my sheep." And that the prophecy has this meaning, the following verses testify. 17. In those days, and at that time, they will call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord, and all the nations will be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem; and they will no longer walk after the thoughts 81.524 of their evil heart. But this did not happen after the return from Babylon; for the nations did not abandon their impiety at that time. After the incarnation of our God and Savior, the divine apostles indeed ferried the saving proclamation across to the whole world; and those who had been enslaved to their former error abandoned it, and they worship the God of all, and as to a divine throne the

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εἶδε τὴν ἀσυνθεσίαν αὐτῆς ἡ ἀσύν θετος Ἰούδα ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς, καὶ εἶδε διότι περὶ πάντων ὧν κατελήφθη ἐν οἷς ἐμοιχᾶτο ἡ κατοικία τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα αὐτὴν, καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτῇ βιβλίον ἀποστασίου εἰς τὰς χεῖ ρας αὐτῆς. Καὶ οὐκ ἐφοβήθη ἡ ἀσύνθετος Ἰούδα, ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπορεύθη, καὶ ἐπόρνευσε καὶ αὐτή. Θεασαμένη, φησὶ, καὶ τὴν πονηρίαν τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτῆς, καὶ τὴν διὰ ταύτης ἐπενεχθεῖσαν αὐτῇ τιμωρίαν, οὐκ ἔφυγε τῆς πονηρίας τὴν μίμη σιν· ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐκείνης ἠκολούθησεν ἴχνεσιν. θʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ πορνεία αὐτῆς εἰς οὐθέν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ, φησὶ, παράνομον ποιεῖν ὑπελάμβανε· πορνείαν δὲ τὴν εἰδωλολατρείαν καλεῖ· καταλιπόντες γὰρ τὸν Θεὸν, ὃς νυμφίος αὐτῶν ὠνομάζετο, τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευον. "Καὶ ἐφονοκτόνει τὴν γῆν, θύουσα τὰ τέκνα τοῖς δαίμοσι· καὶ ἐμοίχευσε τὸν λίθον καὶ τὸ ξύλον." Σαφῆ τὴν τῆς πορνείας κατηγορίαν εἰργάσατο. Εἶτα διὰ πλειόνων διδάσκει, ὅτι οὐκ ἐβδελύξατο τῆς ἀδελφῆς τὴν ἀσέβειαν, τὴν πανωλεθρίαν θεασαμένη· καὶ ὅτι μᾶλλον ἔχουσί τινα συγγνώμην αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ, ἤπερ ἡ τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλὴ, ἐπειδὴ τὰς συμφορὰς ἐκείνων ἑωρακυῖα, τὰ αἴτια τῶν συμφορῶν διετέλεσε δρῶσα· οὗ δὴ χάριν ἐκείνοις προθεσπίσαι ὁ προφήτης παρακελεύεται. 81.521 ιβʹ. Πορεύου γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἀνάγνωθι τοὺς λό γους τούτους πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν, καὶ ἐρεῖς, Ἐπιστρά φηθι πρός με, ἡ κατοικία τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ οὐ στηριῶ τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, ὅτι ἐλεήμων εἰμὶ, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ οὐ μη νιῶ ὑμῖν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἀμέτρητος ἡ τοῦ ∆εσπό του φιλανθρωπία· μετὰ γὰρ τὴν πολλὴν παρανομίαν μόνην ἐπιζητεῖ μεταμέλειαν· διδάσκει δὲ καὶ ταύτης τὸν τρόπον. ιγʹ. Πλὴν γνῶθι τὴν ἀδικίαν σου, ὅτι εἰς Κύ ριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἠσέβησας. Ἀρχὴ γὰρ ὑγείας αἴσθησις ἀῤῥωστίας. Καὶ, "Ἐξέχεας τὰς ὁδούς σου εἰς ἀλλοτρίους." Τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Κύριον, καὶ ποιη τὴν, καὶ εὐεργέτην καταλιποῦσα, ἀλλοτρίοις συν ήφθης· τίνες δὲ οὗτοι; "Ὑποκάτω παντὸς ξύλου ἀλσώδους." Ἔδειξε τῆς πλάνης τὸ ἀκερδές· ἄκαρπα γὰρ τὰ θεοποιηθέντα φυτά. "Τῆς δὲ φωνῆς μου οὐχ ὑπήκουσας, λέγει Κύριος." Νομοθετῶν γὰρ εἶπεν, "Οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ." ιδʹ. Ἐπιστράφητε, υἱοὶ ἀφεστηκότες, λέγει Κύ ριος. Καὶ ἀποστάντας υἱοὺς ὀνομάζει, διὰ τὴν ἄῤῥητον αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητα. "∆ιότι ἐγὼ κυριεύσω ὑμῶν." Πάλιν γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐπιμελήσομαι, καὶ πάσης ἀξιώσω κηδεμονίας. Καὶ λήψομαι ὑμᾶς ἕνα ἐκ πόλεως, καὶ δύο ἐκ πατριᾶς, καὶ εἰσάξω ὑμᾶς εἰς Σιών. (ιεʹ.) Καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν ποιμένας κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου, καὶ ποιμανοῦσιν ὑμᾶς ποιμαίνοντες μετ' ἐπι στήμης. Ταῦτα τυπικῶς μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ ἐγένετο. Ἐπανῆλθον γὰρ ἐπὶ Κύρου τοῦ Πέρσου, ποιμένας ἔχοντες τὸν Ζοροβάβελ τὸν τοῦ Σαλαθιὴλ, καὶ Ἰησοῦν τὸν τοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ τὸν ἱερέα τὸν μέγαν· εὐσέβεια δὲ καὶ εὐνομία ἀμφοτέρους ἐκόσμει. Κατὰ μέντοι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐνανθρώπησιν ἡ προφητεία τέλος ἐδέξατο. Ἐξελέξατο γὰρ ἐξ Ἰουδαίων ὁ ∆εσπότης, ἕνα ἐκ πόλεως, καὶ δύο ἐκ πατριᾶς· καὶ κατέστησεν αὐτοὺς ποιμένας κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν αὑτοῦ, τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀπο στόλους. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ θειοτάτῳ Πέτρῳ ἔφη· "Σί μων Ἰωνᾶ, φιλεῖς με; Ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου." Καὶ ὅτι ταύτην ἔχει τὴν διάνοιαν ἡ προφητεία, τὰ ἑξῆς μαρτυρεῖ. ιζʹ. Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, καλέσουσι τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ θρό νον Κυρίου, καὶ συναχθήσεται εἰς αὐτὴν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ· καὶ οὐ πορεύσονται ἔτι ὀπίσω τῶν ἐνθυμημάτων 81.524 τῆς καρδίας αὑτῶν τῆς πονηρᾶς. Τοῦτο δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον οὐκ ἐγένετο· οὐ γὰρ κατέλιπε τὴν ἀσέβειαν τηνικαῦτα τὰ ἔθνη. Μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐνανθρώπησιν, διεπόρ θμευσαν μὲν εἰς ἅπασαν τὴν οἰκουμένην οἱ θεῖοι ἀπό στολοι τὸ σωτήριον κήρυγμα· ἀπέστησαν δὲ τῆς προτέρας πλάνης οἱ ταύτῃ δουλεύσαντες, καὶ τὸν τῶν ἁπάντων προσκυνοῦσι Θεὸν, καὶ ὡς εἰς θρόνον θεῖον τὴν