they did not perceive the size of the city, when, as is likely, some were running to deliver a message, while the rest were returning from it, so that the city was full of confusion. But now he seems to call the houses "systems"; for by their contiguity they stood together. Therefore he adds: "the houses of the king of Babylon," and what follows; that is, the fortresses from those things gathered in them. 45 Regarding "they will lay him down and grind his vessels fine," Symmachus said: and they will drag him down and empty out his vessels. For he persisted in the metaphor of wine, showing how he will be emptied of his goods. Therefore, abundance is not a good thing for the arrogant, just as it was not for the rich man in Hades, for which he was punished. But the "mixtures," spoken of as if of wine, Aquila rendered as "horns," which happened to be an ancient form of a drinking cup (for they drank from horns), whence also the saying "to mix" remained. The vessels, then, are the cities, and the contents are both the people and the wealth; so that they led some away, and burned others. But calamity puts to shame the hopes placed in demons; "but hope" in God "does not put to shame." And in Bethel Jeroboam set up the heifers in Samaria. But he who says he is strong is not saved. For "a king is not saved through great power." The day of Moab is the time of punishment, and wickedness is the painful things that will befall him. He asks all those around to trample on him; for this is "move," clearly for shame and grief, "for God opposes the proud." 46 "Handiwork" represents either the scepter or those under authority or the hired hands; for wages are handiwork. 47 He will clap his hands, with which he gloated over Israel and acted insolently against God. But those "who trust in the strongholds" of the cities, leaving these, dwelt in rocks adjacent to the ravines, imitating doves in their wantonness and in their folly. For they sometimes nest in places from which those who wish can easily take away the young. Wanton is also he who is initiated to Baal-peor and foolish is he who is devoted to useless and vain idols; such was Moab. For "the fool has said in his heart: There is no God," either being an atheist altogether or reckoning that the truly existing God does not exist at all. 48 Jerusalem, as has often been said, is understood as the church, which is the city of God built of living stones, from which one who sins is cast out, delivered over to Nebuchadnezzar, to Satan. For Paul says concerning the one who has fornicated: "to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord"; and in the first to Timothy concerning the blasphemers: "whom I have delivered to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme." But let him who has been cast out of Jerusalem know that, unless he spends a sufficient time doing what is necessary outside the church, he will not return to Jerusalem. And one who sins is cast out, even if he is not cast out by men. But having been outside, he must not neglect to build a house and plant gardens. For not doing these things nor having fulfilled the symbolic number "of the seventy years," which is one of sabbath and rest, he will not return to have communion with the church, but remains condemned to be outside of Jerusalem. And what it is to take wives, he who spoke concerning wisdom revealed: "I sought to take her for my bride, and I became a lover of her beauty." But one must love her, just as Solomon taught in Proverbs, saying: "Love her, and she will keep you," and "Embrace her, and she will exalt you." And understand the other virtues as other wives besides wisdom. For thus it will be possible to take many wives; from whom it is necessary to beget children, from wisdom a word of wisdom so that you may also build up others, from temperance works of temperance so that you may make them temperate in life and word, from justice works of justice in community and transactions. But also by teaching the just you will beget children from justice, and having made sons from the sons and daughters, the sons being the divine thoughts and doctrines,

μέγεθος τῆς πόλεως οὐκ ᾐσθάνοντο, ὅτε ὡς εἰκός, τῶν μὲν εἰς ἀγγελίαν τρεχόντων, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν ἐκ ταύτης ὑποστρεφόντων θορύβου πλήρη τὴν πόλιν ὑπάρχειν. συστήματα δὲ νῦν τὰς οἰκίας ἔοικε λέγειν· τῇ γὰρ συνεχείᾳ πρὸς ἀλλήλας συνί σταντο. διὸ ἐπιφέρει· οἱ οἶκοι βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· ἤγουν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς συνισταμένων τὰ φρούρια. 45 Τὸ κλινοῦσιν αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ λεπτυ νοῦσι Σύμμαχος ἔφη· καὶ σειρώσουσιν αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ σκεύη αὐ τοῦ ἐκκενώσουσιν. ἐνέμεινε γὰρ τῇ τροπῇ τοῦ οἴνου, δηλῶν ὡς τῶν ἀγαθῶν κενωθήσεται. οὐκ ἀγαθὴ τοίνυν ἡ εὐθηνία τοῖς ἀλαζόσιν, ὡς οὐδὲ τῷ ἐν ᾅδῃ πλουσίῳ, δι' ἣν ἐκολάζετο. τὰ δὲ κεράσματα ὡς ἐπὶ οἴνου ῥηθέντα, Ἀκύλας ἐξέδωκεν κέρατα, ὅπερ ἀρχαῖον πο τηρίου ἐτύγχανεν εἶδος (κέρασι γὰρ ἔπινον), ὅθεν καὶ τὸ κεράσαι λέγειν παρέμεινεν. ἀγγεῖα μὲν οὖν αἱ πόλεις, τὰ δὲ ἔνδον ἄνθρω ποί τε καὶ πλοῦτος· ὡς τοὺς μὲν ἀπήγαγον, τὰς δὲ ἐνέπρησαν. καταισχύνει δὲ τὰς ἐπὶ δαίμοσιν ἐλπίδας ἡ συμφορά· «ἡ δὲ» ἐπὶ θεὸν «ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει». ἐν δὲ τῇ Βαιθὴλ ἔστησε τὰς δαμάλεις ὁ Ἱεροβοὰμ ἐν τῇ Σαμαρείᾳ. οὐχ ὁ λέγων δὲ ἰσχυρὸς εἶναι σῴ ζεται. «οὐ» γὰρ «σῴζεται βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν». ἡμέρα δὲ Μωὰβ τῆς κολάσεως ὁ καιρός, πονηρία δὲ τὰ καταληψόμενα τοῦτον ἐπίπονα. ἀξιοῖ δὲ τοὺς κύκλῳ πάντας ἐπεμβαίνειν αὐτῷ· τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ κινήσατε, δηλονότι πρὸς αἰσχύνην καὶ λύπην, «ὑπερη φάνοις γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἀντιτάσσεται». 46 Ἐπιχείριον ἢ τὸ σκῆπτρον παρίστησιν ἢ τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἢ τοὺς μισθωτούς· ἐπίχειρα γὰρ ὁ μισθός. 47 Ἐπικροτήσει ταῖς χερσίν, αἷς ἐπιχαίρων τῷ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ κατὰ θεοῦ θρασυνόμενος ἐπεκρότει. οἱ δὲ «τοῖς ὀχυρώμασι πε ποιθότες» τῶν πόλεων, ταύτας ἀφέντες ἐν πέτραις ᾤκουν παρα κειμέναις ταῖς φάραγξιν, μιμούμενοι περιστερὰς κατὰ τὴν ἀσέλγειαν καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἄνοιαν. ἐμφωλεύουσι γὰρ ἔσθ' ὅτε τόποις, ἐξ ὧν οἱ βουλόμενοι ῥᾳδίως ἀφαιροῦνται τοὺς νεοττούς. ἀσελγὴς δὲ καὶ ὁ τελούμενος τῷ Βεελφεγὸρ καὶ ἄνους ὁ τοῖς ἀνωφελέσι καὶ ματαίοις εἰδώλοις προσκείμενος· ὁποῖος ἦν ὁ Μωάβ. «εἶπε» γὰρ «ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· οὐκ ἔστι θεός», ἢ καθόλου ἄθεος ὢν ἢ τὸν ὄντως ὄντα θεὸν μηδὲ εἶναι παντελῶς λογιζόμενος. 48 Ἡ Ἱερουσαλήμ, καθὰ πολλάκις εἴρηται, εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν μεταλαμβάνεται, ἥτις ἐστὶ πόλις τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκοδομηθεῖσα ἐκ λίθων ζώντων, ἀφ' ἧς τις ἁμαρτάνων ἐκβάλλεται παραδιδόμενος Ναβουχο δονόσορ, τῷ σατανᾷ. λέγει γὰρ περὶ τοῦ πεπορνευκότος ὁ Παῦλος· «παραδοῦναι τὸν τοιοῦτον τῷ σατανᾷ εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκός, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ κυρίου»· καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Τιμόθεον πρώτῃ περὶ τῶν βλασφήμων· «οὓς παρέδωκα τῷ σατανᾷ, ἵνα παι δευθῶσι μὴ βλασφημεῖν». ἴστω δὲ ὁ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐκβληθεὶς ὡς, ἐὰν μὴ ποιήσῃ χρόνον αὐτάρκη πράττων ἔξω τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἃ δεῖ, οὐκ ἐπάνεισιν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ. ἐκβάλλεται δέ τις ἁμαρτά νων, κἂν μὴ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἐκβληθῇ. δεῖ δὲ αὐτὸν ἔξω γεγονότα μὴ ἀμελεῖν τοῦ οἰκοδομεῖν οἰκίαν καὶ φυτεύειν παραδείσους. ταῦτα γὰρ μὴ ποιῶν μηδὲ πληρώσας τὸν συμβολικὸν ἀριθμὸν «τῶν ἐτῶν τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα» σαββάτου καὶ ἀναπαύσεως ὄντα, οὐκ ἐπάνεισι κοινωνήσων τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, μένει δὲ καταδεδικασμένος ἔξω εἶναι τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. τί δέ ἐστι τὸ λαβεῖν γυναῖκας, ἐδή λωσεν ὁ περὶ τῆς σοφίας εἰπών· «ταύτην ἐζήτησα νύμφην ἀγαγέ σθαι ἐμαυτῷ, καὶ ἐραστὴς ἐγενόμην τοῦ κάλλους αὐτῆς». δεῖ δὲ ταύτης ἐρᾶν, ὥσπερ ἐν Παροιμίαις Σολομὼν εἰσηγήσατο φήσας· «ἐρά σθητι αὐτῆς, καὶ τηρήσει σε», καὶ «περιχαράκωσον αὐτήν, καὶ ὑψώσει σε». καὶ ἄλλας δὲ νόει παρὰ τὴν σοφίαν γυναῖκας τὰς λοιπὰς ἀρετάς. οὕτω γὰρ ἐξέσται πολλὰς γυναῖκας λαβεῖν· ἐξ ὧν δεῖ τεκνοποι εῖν, ἀπὸ σοφίας λόγον σοφίας ὡς ἂν καὶ ἄλλους οἰκοδομήσῃς, ἀπὸ σωφροσύνης ἔργα σωφροσύνης ἵνα σώφρονας ποιήσῃς βίῳ καὶ λόγῳ, ἀπὸ δικαιοσύνης ἔργα δικαιοσύνης ἐν κοινωνίᾳ καὶ συναλλάγμασιν. ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαίους διδάσκων τεκνοποιήσεις ἀπὸ δικαιοσύνης, υἱοὺς δὲ ποιήσας ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρας, υἱοὺς μὲν τὰ θεῖα νοήματα καὶ τὰ δόγματα,