9

All run together to Jerusalem. Then he teaches that after the return from Babylon the tribes will no longer be divided again, but they will return together, and will possess their ancestral land. Then the prophet, delighted at the good promises, says: 19. And I said, "May it be so, Lord." The prophet, having said these things in the midst, concludes the divine promise. "For I will set you as children." For again, he says, you shall be called my children. "And I will give you a chosen land, a renowned inheritance, of God the almighty of nations." Thus he called the land of promise. And he called him God almighty of nations, teaching that he is God of all, and creator of all, and that the nations too will enjoy the knowledge of God, and the grace of the Spirit will pass over to them. After this he advises them to acquire the affection which children have for a father, and to enjoy the divine care. Then he accuses, that they emulated an adulterous woman transgressing against her husband, not only the ten tribes, but also the tribe of Judah, and they broke the covenants with the bridegroom; and he foretells the repentance of the ten tribes; for the disaster of the captivity instilled in them a sense of their transgression. 21. For a voice, he says, was heard from their lips, of weeping and supplication of the sons of Israel, because they did wrong in their ways, they forgot their holy God. And seeing their repentance, he urges them to persist in it, and says: 22. Return, O returning children, and I will heal your fractures. Not only does he promise the healing, but he also teaches what words they should use, virtually saying: Say these things: "Behold, we will be your servants, for you are the Lord our God." We renounce error, we abominate the slavery of demons; you alone we know as both Lord and God. 23. Truly the hills were a falsehood, and the 81.525 strength of the mountains. But through the Lord our God is the salvation for the house of Israel. Through experience itself we have learned that you alone are the provider of good things; but the groves and the hills are damaging and destructive. 24. But shame has consumed the labors of our fathers from their youth, burning their sheep, their sons, and their daughters. He showed also the excess of honor which they offered to the idols; for besides oxen and sheep, they also burned their sons and daughters; and that not only did they reap no gain from there, but in addition to the perdition of their souls they also harvested shame; for this he says through the following words: 25. We have slept in our shame, and our dishonor has covered us; because we have sinned against our God, we and our fathers, from our youth, and even to this day, and we have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God. And the divine Apostle says that shame is the fruit of sin; and he speaks thus: "What fruit therefore did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed?" CHAPTER 4. Thus having taught them to pray, he also promises them the enjoyment of good things, if they should forget the idols (for he calls them abominations), and transfer their worship to the true God; so that they should no longer make their oaths by idols, but by him, speaking the truth and not lying. For this he says: 2. If you shall swear, "As the Lord lives," with truth, in judgment and in righteousness. But in the holy Gospels he legislated things more perfect than these; "For it was said," he says, "to them of old time, 'You shall not perjure yourself, but shall perform for the Lord your oaths.' But I say to you, 'Do not swear at all.'" But to the Jews, as they were weakly disposed, he exhorts them to swear by him, so that by the custom of the oath they might be taught to worship him alone; and he promises, when these things are done,

9

Ἱερουσαλὴμ συντρέχουσιν ἅπαντες. Εἶτα διδάσκει ὡς μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον οὐκ έτι πάλιν αἱ φυλαὶ δίχα διαιρεθήσονται, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ ἐπανήξουσι, καὶ τὴν πατρῴαν καθέξουσι γῆν. Εἶτα ὁ προφήτης ἐπὶ ταῖς χρησταῖς ἐπαγγε λίαις ἡσθείς φησι· ιθʹ. Καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπον, Γένοιτο, Κύριε. Ταῦτα ἐν μέσῳ εἰρηκὼς ὁ προφήτης, συμπεραίνει τὴν θείαν ἐπαγγελίαν. "Ὅτι τάξω σε εἰς τέκνα." Πάλιν γὰρ, φησὶ, ἐμοὶ χρηματίσετε παῖδες. "Καὶ δώσω σοι γῆν ἐκλεκτὴν, κληρονομίαν ὀνομαστὴν, Θεοῦ παν τοκράτορος ἐθνῶν." Τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας οὕτως ἐκάλεσεν. Ἐθνῶν δὲ αὐτὸν Θεὸν ὠνόμασε παντοκράτορα, διδάσκων ὅτι πάντων ἐστὶ Θεὸς, καὶ πάντων δημιουργὸς, καὶ ὅτι καὶ τὰ ἔθνη τῆς θεογνω σίας ἀπολαύσονται, καὶ μεταβήσεται εἰς ἐκεῖνα ἡ χάρις τοῦ Πνεύματος. Μετὰ ταῦτα συμβουλεύει ἣν ἔχουσι παῖδες περὶ πατρὸς φιλοστοργίαν κτήσα σθαι, καὶ τῆς θείας ἀπολαῦσαι κηδεμονίας. Εἶτα αἰτιᾶται, ὅτι γυναῖκα μοιχεύτριαν εἰς τὸν ἄνδρα παρανομοῦσαν ἐζήλωσαν, οὐ μόνον αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλὴ, καὶ τὰς πρὸς τὸν νυμφίον συνθήκας παρέβησαν· προλέγει δὲ καὶ τῶν δέκα φυλῶν τὴν μεταμέλειαν· αἴσθησιν γὰρ αὐταῖς τῆς παρανομίας ἡ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐνέθηκε συμφορά. καʹ. Φωνὴ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκ χειλέων ἠκούσθη κλαυθμοῦ καὶ δεήσεως υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι ἠδί κησαν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν, ἐπελάθοντο Θεοῦ ἁγίου αὐτῶν. Θεασάμενος δὲ τὴν μεταμέλειαν, ἐπιμεῖναι ταύτῃ προτρέπει, καί φησιν· κβʹ. Ἐπιστράφητε, υἱοὶ ἐπιστρέφοντες, καὶ ἐγὼ ἰάσομαι τὰ συντρίμματα ὑμῶν. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ὑπισχνεῖται τὴν ἴασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ποίοις χρήσασθαι δεῖ λόγοις διδάσκει, μονονουχὶ λέγων· Ταῦτα εἴπατε· "Ἰδοὺ δοῦλοι ἡμεῖς ἐσόμεθά σοι, ὅτι σὺ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν εἶ." Ἀρνούμεθα τὴν πλάνην, βδελυσ σόμεθα τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων δουλείαν· σὲ μόνον ἴσμεν καὶ Κύριον καὶ Θεόν. κγʹ. Ὄντως ψεῦδος ἦσαν οἱ βουνοὶ, καὶ ἡ 81.525 δύναμις τῶν ὀρέων. Πλὴν διὰ Κυρίου Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἡ σωτηρία τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραήλ. ∆ι' αὐτῆς μεμαθή καμεν τῆς πείρας, ὡς σὺ μόνος χορηγὸς ἀγαθῶν· τὰ δὲ ἄλση καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ, ἐπιζήμια καὶ ὀλέθρια. κδʹ. Ἡ δὲ αἰσχύνη κατηνάλωσε τοὺς μόχθους τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ἀπὸ νεότητος αὐτῶν, καιόν των τὰ πρόβατα αὑτῶν, τοὺς υἱοὺς αὑτῶν, καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὑτῶν. Ἔδειξε καὶ ἧς προσ έφερον τοῖς εἰδώλοις τιμῆς τὴν ὑπερβολήν· πρὸς γὰρ βουσὶ καὶ προβάτοις, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς καὶ τὰς θυγατέ ρας κατέκαιον· καὶ ὅτι οὐ μόνον οὐδὲ ἐκεῖθεν ἐδρέποντο κέρδος, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τῇ τῶν ψυχῶν ἀπωλείᾳ καὶ τὴν αἰσχύνην ἐτρύγων· τοῦτο γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἐπ αγομένων φησί· κεʹ. Ἐκοιμήθημεν ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐπεκάλυψεν ἡμᾶς ἡ ἀτιμία ἡμῶν· διότι ἐναν τίον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἡμάρτομεν ἡμεῖς καὶ οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν, ἀπὸ νεότητος ἡμῶν, καὶ ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης, καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος τῆς ἁμαρτίας καρπὸν τὴν αἰσχύνην εἶναί φησι· λέγει δὲ οὕτως· "Τίνα οὖν καρπὸν εἴχετε τότε ἐφ' οἷς νῦν ἐπαισχύνεσθε;" ΚΕΦΑΛ. ∆ʹ. Οὕτω διδάξας αὐτοὺς δεηθῆναι, ὑπισχνεῖται καὶ αὐτοῖς ἀπόλαυσιν ἀγαθῶν, εἰ λάβοιεν λήθην τῶν εἰ δώλων (αὐτὰ γὰρ καλεῖ βδελύγματα), καὶ εἰς τὸν ὄντα Θεὸν μεταθεῖεν τὸ σέβας· ὡς καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους μηκέτι κατ' εἰδώλων, ἀλλὰ κατ' αὐτοῦ ποιεῖσθαι, ἀληθεύοντας καὶ οὐ ψευδομένους. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει· βʹ. Ἐὰν ὀμόσῃς, Ζῇ Κύριος, μετὰ ἀληθείας, ἐν κρίσει καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις τὰ τούτων νενομοθέτηκε τελειότερα· "Ἐῤῥέθη γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, Οὐκ ἐπιορκή σεις, ἀποδώσεις δὲ Κυρίῳ τοὺς ὅρκους σου. Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, μὴ ὀμόσαι ὅλως." Ἰουδαίοις δὲ, ὡς ἀσθε νῶς διακειμένοις, παρακελεύεται κατ' αὐτοῦ ὀμνύναι, ἵνα τῇ τοῦ ὅρκου συνηθείᾳ αὐτὸν μόνον προσκυνεῖν διδαχθῶσιν· ἐπαγγέλλεται δὲ, τούτων γινομένων,