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of the commandments of God, and of those not being able to advance without God's cooperation and the bread that strengthens the heart. 62 When the prophet exhorted, Jerusalem was persuaded and says to God: “do not turn your face from me,” “look upon me and have mercy on me,” “do not rebuke me in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.” The wound is greater than human nature. I know that I transgressed the law and am subject to the penalties from it, among which is also “you will eat the offspring of your womb, the flesh of your sons and your daughters.” I thought the words were only a threat; I have known, Lord, that “your law is truth.” But I did not learn of the slaughter of a priest and prophet in the midst of the temple. 63 Cast upon the earth were all who because of age were too weak for the labors, a most pitiful sight, as also the slaughter of youths and virgins † would that these also were slaughtered before being led away to a more bitter life. The exits of the earth are the affairs of life, in which they fell asleep not having “watched nor prayed,” but having closed the eyes of their soul to sins and foolishness. And who are these? If they are little children, it is not very surprising. But now before these are those who seem to have advanced in virtue and everyone uncorrupted in soul and mighty in war has become subject to enemies. But you, as good, put an end to such a life for them, and you cut down their every coalition for evil. 64 Those around me, he says, who inhabit Judea, considered the festival for me a refuge, hoping for salvation from it; of whom not one is left behind because of your wrath brought upon them. For through the things by which I sinned, the enemies have become many and mighty. 65 Terrible things happened to the prophet both before the city was captured and after it had been captured. Therefore beginning another elementary lesson, he laments for himself, seeing the poverty and desolation of the city because of the Lord's discipline. And he himself was no less in want of good things, at the same time being in distress when he was rebuking them, so as to say: “I was mocked all the day long,” and at the same time also sharing in their terrible misfortunes and in the pain from sympathy. And he says also according to David: “a shadow of death overshadowed me.” For whenever he seems to give a brief respite to the labors, he runs back again inflicting continuous punishment. 66 The phrase 'all the day' means 'every day,' as in David: “fighting all the day he afflicted me.” And 'he turned his hand' would mean that while he formerly supplied good things to me, now he brings on disciplines, as if having changed his hand. 67 It signifies the decay that has happened to us from sin. 68 For persistent misfortune produces the weakness of old age. 69 For he did not let me escape the terrible things, being besieged from all sides. And perhaps he would also be speaking of the enemy wall built around the city. And he uttered the same voice as David, who said: “they made me sit in dark places as the dead of the age.” This is because of the prisons of the enemies, and at the same time because of the misfortunes from God; for temptations are the darkness of the soul. Specifically, “Pashhur cast Jeremiah even into the cistern,” which was dark and without light, such as was also the cave for David in which he was hidden from Saul. And the two Lamentations could also be taken as referring to Christ, of whom Jeremiah was a type, having suffered so many things from the Jews and finally been delivered to a tomb. 70 He has surrounded me with inescapable evils, having placed on my neck a harsh and provoking people and a burden greater than I can bear. And I was not heard, though I prayed many times to be relieved; for at times circumstances prevent the saints from being heard. And he might mean a yoke and the iron collars, which at God's command he put on instead of wooden ones, for it is also written: for he made heavy the bronze of my neck. For he blocked my prayer, also saying to him: “Do not pray for them; for I will not hear you.” 71 For having set out many times he was not permitted to decline the ministry. For he was saying: “I will not name the name of the Lord,” and he was driven as if by fire. And he blocks the ways of sinners, not permitting

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ἐντολῶν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ προβῆναι μὴ δυναμένων ἄνευ θεοῦ συνεργείας καὶ τοῦ στηρίζοντος ἄρτου καρδίαν. 62 Τοῦ προφήτου παραινέσαντος, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπείσθη καὶ λέγει πρὸς τὸν θεόν· «μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ», «ἐπί βλεψον ἐπ' ἐμὲ καὶ ἐλέησόν με», «μὴ τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐλέγξῃς με, μηδὲ τῇ ὀργῇ σου παιδεύσῃς με». μείζων ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως ἡ πληγή. οἶδα παραβᾶσα τὸν νόμον καὶ τοῖς ἐντεῦθεν ἐπιτιμίοις ὑποκειμένη, ἐν οἷς ἐστι καὶ τὸ «φαγῇ τὰ ἔκγονα τῆς κοιλίας σου, κρέα υἱῶν σου καὶ θυγατέρων σου». ἐνόμιζον ἕως ἀπειλῆς εἶναι τὰ ῥήματα· ἔγνων, κύριε, ὅτι «ὁ νόμος σου ἀλήθεια». ἱερέως δὲ καὶ προφήτου σφαγὴν οὐκ ἐπυθόμην ἐν μέσῳ νεῷ. 63 Ἐπὶ γῆς ἦσαν ἐρριμμένοι πάντες οἱ δι' ἡλικίαν πρὸς τοὺς πόνους ἀδύνατοι, θέαμα λίαν ἐλεεινόν, ὡς καὶ νέων σφαγὴ καὶ παρθένων † εἴθε καὶ τούτων σφαγαὶ πρὶν εἰς ζωὴν πικροτέραν ἀπάγεσθαι. ἔξοδοι δὲ γῆς τὰ βιωτικὰ πράγματα, ἐν οἷς ἐκοιμήθησαν μὴ «γρηγορήσαντες μηδὲ προσευξάμενοι», κλείσαντες δὲ πρὸς ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἀφροσύνην τοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμούς. καὶ τίνες οὗτοι; εἰ μὲν παιδάρια , οὐ θαυμαστὸν ἄγαν. νυνὶ δὲ πρὸ τούτων οἱ δοκοῦντες προβεβηκέναι κατ' ἀρετὴν καὶ πᾶς δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀδιάφθορος καὶ δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ γέγονεν ἐχθροῖς ὑποχείριος. σὺ δὲ ὡς ἀγαθὸς τὴν τοιαύτην αὐτῶν καταπαύεις ζωήν, καὶ κατατέμνεις πᾶσαν αὐτῶν σύστασιν τὴν ἐπὶ κακῷ. 64 Οἱ κύκλῳ μου, φησί, τὴν Ἰουδαίαν οἰκοῦντες τὴν εἰς ἐμὲ ἑορ τὴν ἐνόμιζον καταφυγήν, σωτηρίαν ἐντεῦθεν ἐλπίζοντες· ὧν οὐδεὶς ὑπολέλειπται διὰ τὴν σὴν αὐτοῖς ἐπενεχθεῖσαν ὀργήν . δι' ὧν γὰρ ἥμαρτον, πολλοὶ καὶ δυνατοὶ γεγόνασιν οἱ ἐχθροί . 65 ∆εινὰ συνέβη τῷ προφήτῃ καὶ πρὶν ἁλῶναι τὴν πόλιν καὶ ταύτης ἑαλωκυίας. διὸ στοιχειώσεως ἑτέρας κατάρχων, ἑαυτὸν ἀπο δύρεται, πτωχείαν ὁρῶν καὶ ἐρημίαν τῆς πόλεως διὰ παιδείαν κυρίου. καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ οὐδὲν ἧττον γέγονεν ἐν ἐνδείᾳ ἀγαθῶν, ἅμα μὲν ἐν περιστάσει γεγονὼς ἡνίκα τούτους ἐξήλεγχεν, ὥστε λέγειν· «διετέλεσα μυκτηριζόμενος πᾶσαν τὴν ἡμέραν», ἅμα δὲ καὶ ταῖς τῶν δεινῶν αὐτῶν κοινωνῶν συμφοραῖς καὶ τῇ ἐκ συμπαθείας ὀδύνῃ. φησὶ δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν ∆αβίδ· «σκιὰ θανάτου ἐπεσκίασέ με». ὅταν γὰρ δοκῇ πρὸς βραχὺ διδόναι τοῖς πόνοις ἀνακωχήν, αὖθις παλιν δρομεῖ διηνεκῆ τιμωρίαν ποιούμενος. 66 Τὸ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν δηλοῖ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ὡς παρὰ τῷ ∆αβίδ· «ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν πολεμῶν ἔθλιψέ με». σημαίνοι δ' ἂν τὸ ἔστρεψε χεῖρα αὐτοῦ καὶ ὅτι πάλαι μοι τὰ ἀγαθὰ χορηγῶν, νῦν τὰς παιδείας ἐπάγει, καθάπερ ἀλλάξας τὴν χεῖρα. 67 Τὴν σαθρότητα τὴν συμβᾶσαν ἡμῖν ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας σημαίνει. 68 Συμφορὰ γὰρ ἐπίμονος γεροντικὴν ἀσθένειαν ἐμποιεῖ. 69 Οὐ γὰρ ἀφῆκέ με διαφυγεῖν τὰ δεινὰ πανταχόθεν πολιορκού μενον. λέγοι δ' ἂν ἴσως καὶ τὸ περιβληθὲν τῇ πόλει τεῖχος πολέ μιον. τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἀφῆκε φωνὴν εἰρηκότι· «ἐκάθισάν με ἐν σκοτεινοῖς ὡς νεκροὺς αἰῶνος». τοῦτο δὲ διὰ τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν πολε μίων εἱρκτάς, ἅμα δὲ καὶ διὰ τὰς ἐκ θεοῦ συμφοράς· ψυχῆς γὰρ σκότος οἱ πειρασμοί. ἰδικῶς δὲ «Ἱερεμίαν καὶ εἰς τὸν καταρράκτην ἐνέβαλεν ὁ Πασχώρ», σκοτεινὸν ὄντα καὶ ἀφεγγῆ, ὁποῖον ἦν καὶ τῷ ∆αβὶδ τὸ σπήλαιον ἐν ᾧ παρὰ Σαοὺλ ἀπεκρύπτετο. δύναιντο δὲ καὶ εἰς Χριστὸν οἱ δύο Θρῆνοι λαμβάνεσθαι, οὗ τύπος ἦν Ἱερεμίας τοσαῦτα παρὰ Ἰουδαίων πεπονθότος καὶ τέλος τάφῳ παραδοθέντος. 70 Ἀφύκτοις με κακοῖς περιβέβληκεν, ἐπιθεὶς τῷ τραχήλῳ μου λαὸν ἀπηνῆ καὶ παραπικραίνοντα καὶ μεῖζον ἢ κατ' ἐμὲ φορτίον. οὐκ εἰσηκούσθην δὲ κουφισθῆναι πολλάκις εὐξάμενος · εἰσακου σθῆναι γὰρ τοὺς ἁγίους ἔσθ' ὅτε κωλύει τὰ πράγματα. λέγοι δ' ἂν ζυγὸν καὶ τοὺς κλοιοὺς τοὺς σιδηροῦς, οὓς ἀντὶ ξυλίνων θεοῦ κε λεύσει περιεβάλετο, φέρεται γὰρ καὶ γραφή· ἐβάρυνε γὰρ τὸν χαλκὸν τοῦ τραχήλου μου. ἀπέφραξε γὰρ τὴν προσευχήν μου καὶ λέξας αὐτῷ· «μὴ προσεύχου· περὶ αὐτῶν· οὐ γὰρ εἰσα κούσομαί σου». 71 Ὁρμήσας γὰρ πολλάκις οὐ συνεχωρήθη παραιτήσασθαι τὴν δια κονίαν. ἔφασκε γάρ· «οὐ μὴ ὀνομάσω τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου», καὶ ὥσπερ ὑπὸ πυρὸς συνηλαύνετο. ἐμφράττει δὲ καὶ τὰς ὁδοὺς τῶν ἁμαρ τωλῶν οὐ συγχωρῶν