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But the deification of these things is suitable for those who are blind; for those fleeing the light take refuge in the darkness, and these men likewise, not wishing to see the intelligible light, embraced the gloom of ignorance. 22Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for in what is he to be accounted of so? We found these things added with asterisks. But the prophetic word commands not only to flee the worship of idols but also to recognize the very nature of men and not to trust in their protection. For life, he says, they have in their breaths; and if you should block these, you will deprive them of life. Similar to these are the things spoken by David: «Do not trust in man, in sons of men, in whom there is no salvation; his spirit will go forth, and he will return to his dust. In that day all his thoughts will perish.» 31Behold, the Lord, the Lord of Sabaoth, will take away from Judah and from Jerusalem the mighty man and the mighty woman, the strength of bread and the strength of water, 2a giant and a mighty man and a warring ruler and a judge and a prophet and a diviner and an elder 3and a captain of fifty and a wonderful counselor and a wise architect and a skilled hearer; 4and I will set youths as their rulers, and mockers will rule over them. And these things happened to them during the Roman siege. For when Sennacherib marched against them, they had Hezekiah, a pious king, and Isaiah, a most distinguished prophet, and rulers adorned with piety; for they did not bear the words of blasphemy dispassionately, but tore their garments. And when Nebuchadnezzar besieged and enslaved them, they had the most wonderful prophet Jeremiah, and the blessed Ezekiel, and in addition to these the most divine Daniel, and Uriah the son of Shemaiah was at the same time. But when the Roman emperors made war on them, they had neither kings, nor generals arranging the army well and properly, nor counselors adorned with sagacity, but the leaders of the sedition, impious and bloodthirsty men; and Josephus clearly relates these things. These he calls youths and names mockers, as men who delight in innovations and mock their subjects. But the word 'I will set' is put forth according to the idiom of scripture; for it is a custom for the divine scripture to name the permission of God as an action; and it is clear that he did not appoint these men himself, but being able to prevent them, he allowed them to be factious. However, the giant, Symmachus and Aquila translated as 'brave man', but Theodotion as 'mighty one'; and the diviner, the Three translated in agreement as 'soothsayer'. Then he explains the sedition more clearly: 5And the people shall fall, man against man, and man against his neighbor; the child will stumble |101 b| against the elder, and the dishonorable against the honorable. For neither was gray hair venerable to them, nor did distinction of family or wealth seem worthy of any honor, but also the lowly rose up against the powerful, and the young mocked the elders. 6Because a man shall take hold of his brother or of the household of his father, saying: You have a cloak, become our ruler, and let my food be under you. So great, he says, will be the lack of rulers, and so great disorder will prevail among them, that they will entrust rule even to chance persons. And so all will consider rule a thing to be fled, that the one being asked to rule will say: 7I will not be the ruler of this people; for there is neither bread nor a cloak in my house; I will not be a ruler. And showing the cause of these things, he added: 8Because Jerusalem is let loose. That is: she is abandoned and does not enjoy providence from above. And Judea has collapsed, being in sedition against herself. And their tongues are with lawlessness, disobeying the things concerning the Lord. And these things happened to them on account of their blasphemous words, which they used against the Savior his divine

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Πρόςφορος δὲ τοῖς τυφλώττουσιν ἡ τούτων θεοποιία· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖναι τὸ φῶς δραπετεύουσαι καταφεύγουσιν εἰς τὸ σκότος, καὶ οὗτοι ὁμοίως τὸ νοερὸν ἰδεῖν οὐ βουλόμενοι φῶς ἠσπάζοντο τῆς ἀγνοίας τὸν ζόφον. 22Παύσασθε ὑμῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὡς ἔστιν ἀναπνοὴ ἐν μυκτῆρι αὐτοῦ· ὅτι ἐν τίνι ἐλογίσθη αὐτοῖς οὕτως; Ταῦτα μετὰ ἀστερίσκων προσκείμενα εὕρομεν. Παρακε λεύεται δὲ ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος μὴ μόνον τῶν εἰδώλων φυγεῖν τὴν προσκύνησιν ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων γνωρίζειν τὴν φύσιν καὶ τῇ τούτων μὴ θαρρεῖν προστασίᾳ. Τὴν γὰρ ζωήν φησιν ἐν ταῖς ἀναπνοαῖς ἔχουσιν· κἂν ταύτας ἀποφράξῃς, ἀποστερήσεις αὐτοὺς τῆς ζωῆς. Τούτοις ἔοικε τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ εἰρημένα· «Μὴ πεποίθατε ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον, ἐπὶ υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων, οἷς οὐκ ἔστι σωτηρία· ἐξελεύσεται τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπιστρέψει εἰς τὸν χοῦν αὐτοῦ. Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἀπολοῦνται πάντες οἱ διαλογισμοὶ αὐτοῦ.» 31Ἰδοὺ δὴ ὁ δεσπότης κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰούδα καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἰσχύοντα καὶ ἰσχύουσαν, ἰσχὺν ἄρτου καὶ ἰσχὺν ὕδατος, 2γίγαντα καὶ ἰςχύοντα καὶ ἄρχοντα πολεμιστὴν καὶ δικαστὴν καὶ προφήτην καὶ στοχαστὴν καὶ πρεσβύτερον 3καὶ πεντηκόνταρχον καὶ θαυμαστὸν σύμβουλον καὶ σοφὸν ἀρχιτέκτονα καὶ συνετὸν ἀκροατήν· 4καὶ ἐπιστήσω νεανίσκους ἄρχοντας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐμπαῖκται κυριεύσουσιν αὐτῶν. Καὶ ταῦτα κατὰ τὴν Ῥωμαϊ κὴν αὐτοῖς συνέβη πολιορκίαν. Ὅτε μὲν γὰρ ὁ Σεναχηρὶμ αὐτοῖς ἐπεστράτευσεν, εἶχον τὸν Ἐζεκίαν εὐσεβῆ βασιλέα καὶ τὸν Ἡσαΐαν ἐπισημότατον προφήτην καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας εὐσεβείᾳ κοσμουμένους· οὐδὲ γὰρ τὰ ῥήματα τῆς βλασφημίας ἤνεγκαν ἀπαθῶς, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐσθῆτα διέρρηξαν. Καὶ ἡνίκα δὲ Ναβουχοδονόσορ αὐτοὺς πολιορκήσας ἐξηνδραπόδισεν, εἶχον μὲν τὸν θαυμασιώτατον Ἱερεμίαν τὸν προφήτην, εἶχον δὲ τὸν μακάριον Ἰεζεκιὴλ καὶ πρὸς τούτοις τὸν θειότατον ∆ανιήλ, καὶ Οὐρίας δὲ ὁ Σαμαίου κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν ἦν χρόνον. Ἡνίκα δὲ αὐτοὺς οἱ Ῥωμαίων κατεπολέμησαν βασιλεῖς, οὔτε βασιλεῖς εἶχον οὔτε στρατηγοὺς εὖ καὶ καλῶς τὴν στρατιὰν διατάττοντας οὔτε συμβούλους ἀγχινοίᾳ κοσμουμένους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τῆς στάσεως ἀρχηγούς, δυσσεβεῖς ἄνδρας καὶ μιαιφόνους· καὶ ταῦτα σαφῶς Ἰώσηπος ἱστορεῖ. Τούτους νεανίσκους καλεῖ καὶ ἐμπαίκτας ἐπονομάζει ὡς νεωτεροποιίαις μὲν χαίροντας, καταπαίζον τας δὲ τῶν ὑπηκόων. Τὸ δὲ ἐπιστήσω κατὰ τὸ τῆς γραφῆς ἰδίωμα πρόκειται· ἔθος γὰρ τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ συγχώρησιν ὡς ἐνέργειαν ὀνομάζειν· δῆλον δὲ ὡς οὐκ αὐτὸς τούτους κεχειροτόνηκεν, ἀλλὰ κωλῦσαι δυνάμενος διαστασιάζειν αὐτοὺς συνεχώρησεν. Τὸν μέντοι γίγαντα ὁ Σύμμαχος μὲν καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας «ἀνδρεῖον», ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων «ἰσχύοντα» ἡρμήνευσαν· τὸν δὲ στοχαστὴν «μάντιν» οἱ Τρεῖς συμφώνως. Εἶτα σαφέστερον ἐξηγεῖται τὴν στάσιν· 5Καὶ συμ πεσεῖται ὁ λαός, ἄνθρωπος πρὸς ἄνθρωπον καὶ ἄνθρωπος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ· προσκόψει τὸ παιδάριον |101 b| πρὸς τὸν πρεσβύτερον καὶ ὁ ἄτιμος πρὸς τὸν ἔντι μον. Οὔτε γὰρ πολιὰ ἦν ἐκείνοις αἰδέσιμος, οὔτε γένους ἢ πλούτου περιφάνεια ἐδόκει τινὸς εἶναι ἀξία τιμῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ εὐτελεῖς ἐπανίσταντο τοῖς δυνατοῖς, καὶ οἱ νέοι τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ἐγέλων. 6Ὅτι ἐπιλήψεται ἄνθρωπος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ ἢ τοῦ οἰκείου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ λέγων· Ἱμάτιον ἔχεις, ἀρχηγὸς ἡμῶν γενοῦ, καὶ τὸ βρῶμα τὸ ἐμὸν ὑπὸ σὲ ἔστω. Τοσαύτη φησὶν ἔσται σπάνις ἀρχόντων καὶ τοσαύτη αὐτῶν ἀταξία κρατήσει, ὡς καὶ τοῖς τυχοῦσι τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐπιτρέπειν. Οὕτω δὲ φευκτὴν ἅπαντες τὴν ἀρχὴν νομίσουσιν, ὡς τὸν ἄρχειν παρακαλούμενον εἰπεῖν· 7Οὐκ ἔσομαι ἀρχηγὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου ἄρτος οὐδὲ ἱμάτιον· οὐκ ἔσομαι ἀρχηγός. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τούτων δεικνὺς ἐπήγαγεν· 8Ὅτι ἀνεῖται Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἐγκαταλέλειπται καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν προνοίας οὐκ ἀπολαύει. Καὶ ἡ Ἰουδαία συμπέπτωκε, πρὸς ἑαυτὴν στασιάζουσα. Καὶ αἱ γλῶσσαι αὐτῶν μετὰ ἀνομίας, τὰ πρὸς τὸν κύριον ἀπειθοῦντες. Ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῖς συνέβη διὰ τὰς βλασφήμους αὐτῶν φωνάς, αἷς κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐχρήσαντο ταῖς θείαις αὐτοῦ