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all turned to flight, and some tried to take courage in the mountains, others in the groves; and many, leaving the cities, took possession of the mountaintops. Then to Jerusalem: 30. And you, O wretched one, what will you do? Instead of, Where will you flee? what place will you seize? "If you clothe yourself in scarlet, and adorn yourself with gold ornaments; and if you paint your eyes with kohl, your beautification has been in vain; your lovers have rejected you; they seek your soul." They were accustomed to adorn themselves in the feasts of the demons; he reminds them of that adornment, and teaches that all those things were unprofitable and harmful. For they enjoyed no alliance from the demons, but rather these have been the authors of their evils. 31. For I heard a voice as of one in labor; your groans, as of one giving birth for the first time. He represented the measure of the pain through the image. "Woe is me, for my soul faints because of the slain." He fulfills the divine law, "Weep with those who weep," and suffers along with those being punished. But we, resting here, exhort those who will read this book to flee the deceit of the demons, and through all things to serve God. For thus we will be able, both in the present life to enjoy His providence, and to attain the good things to come; by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father with the all-holy Spirit be glory, honor, and power, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. VOLUME B. CHAPTER V. 1. Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see, and know, and seek in her public squares, if you can find a man in her; if anyone can be found who does justice and seeks faith; and I will be merciful to her, says the Lord. Unsurpassable is both their impiety and the Master's love for mankind; for they with one accord turned to lawlessness; but He promises pardon to all even for the sake of one living according to the law; however, "See, and know, and seek," is instead of, Search with all diligence. 2. 'As the Lord lives,' they say, yet they swear to falsehoods. For not even in what was said before did he simply command them to transfer their oath to him, but to swear with truth. Then the prophet: 3. And your eyes are on faithfulness. That is, You bear witness to what I say. For You watch over all things. "You have struck them, and they have not grieved; you have consumed them, and they have refused to receive correction." The former indicates moderate correction; but 'you have consumed them,' the intensified one; but nevertheless it did not profit them at all because of their stubborn mind; for he says this in what follows: "They have made their faces harder than a rock, and have refused to turn back." By these words he indicates their shamelessness and disobedience. 4, 5. And I said: Perhaps they are poor, because they could not, and did not know the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God. I will go to the great ones, and will speak to them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of God. He called the priests and the teachers of the law the great ones; and the others, poor, as not possessing the wealth of divine knowledge; yet he accuses both of lawlessness; for this he adds: "And behold, with one accord they have broken the yoke, they have burst the bonds." The prophet has not said these things simply; but since the Master promised loving-kindness, if he should find at least one person who does justice and seeks faith, he teaches that he did seek, as he was commanded, but found everyone

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τοξο τῶν εἰς φυγὴν ἐτρέποντο πάντες, καὶ οἱ μὲν εἰς τὰ ὄρη, οἱ δὲ εἰς τὰ ἄλση θαῤῥεῖν ἐπειράθησαν· πολ λοὶ δὲ καὶ τὰς πόλεις καταλιπόντες, τὰς τῶν ὀρῶν κατέλαβον κορυφάς. Εἶτα πρὸς τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ· λʹ. Καὶ σὺ, ἡ ταλαίπωρος, τί ποιήσεις; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ποῦ φεύξῃ; ποῖον καταλήψῃ τόπον; "Ἐὰν περιβάλῃ κόκκινον, καὶ κοσμήσῃ κόσμῳ χρυσῷ· καὶ ἐὰν χρίσῃ στίβῃ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου, εἰς μά την ἐγένετο ὁ ὡραϊσμός σου· ἀπώσαντό σε οἱ ἐρασταί σου· τὴν ψυχήν σου ζητοῦσιν." Εἰώθεισαν ἐν ταῖς τῶν δαιμόνων ἑορταῖς καλλωπίζεσθαι· ἐκείνου αὐ τοὺς ἀναμιμνήσκει τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ διδάσκει ὡς ἀκερδῆ πάντα ἐκεῖνα καὶ ἐπιζήμια. Οὐδεμιᾶς γὰρ παρὰ τῶν δαιμόνων ἀπελαύσαντο συμμαχίας, μᾶλ λον δὲ τούτων αὐτοῖς τῶν κακῶν γεγένηνται πρόξενοι. λαʹ. Ὅτι φωνὴν ὡς ὠδινούσης ἤκουσα· τοὺς στεναγμούς σου, ὡς πρωτοτοκούσης. Παρέστησε διὰ τῆς εἰκόνος τῆς ὀδύνης τὸ μέτρον. "Οἴ μοι, ὅτι ἐκλείπει ἡ ψυχή μου ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνῃρημένοις." Νό μον θεῖον πληροῖ, "Κλαίειν μετὰ κλαιόντων," καὶ τοῖς τιμωρουμένοις συνοδυνώμενος. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐνταῦθα διαναπαύσαντες, παρακαλοῦμεν τοὺς ἐντευξομένους τῇ βίβλῳ, φυγεῖν μὲν τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων ἀπάτην, διὰ πάντων δὲ τὸν Θεὸν θεραπεῦσαι. Οὕτω γὰρ δυ νησόμεθα, καὶ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ προνοίας ἀπολαῦσαι, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν· χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ σὺν τῷ παναγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, τιμὴ, καὶ κράτος, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΤΟΜΟΣ Β. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Εʹ. αʹ. Περιδράμετε ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἴδετε, καὶ γνῶτε, καὶ ζητήσατε ἐν ταῖς πλα τείαις αὐτῆς, ἐὰν εὕρητε ἄνδρα ἐν αὐτῇ· ἐὰν εὑρεθῇ τις ποιῶν κρῖμα, καὶ ζητῶν τὴν πίστιν· καὶ ἵλεως ἔσομαι αὐτῇ, λέγει Κύριος. Ἀνυπέρ βλητος καὶ ἡ ἐκείνων ἀσέβεια, καὶ ἡ τοῦ ∆εσπότου φιλανθρωπία· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὁμοθυμαδὸν εἰς παρα νομίαν· ὁ δὲ καὶ δι' ἑνὸς κατὰ νόμον πολιτευομένου συγγνώμην ἅπασιν ἐπαγγέλλεται· τὸ μέντοι, "Ἴδετε, καὶ γνῶτε, καὶ ζητήσατε," ἀντὶ τοῦ, Μετὰ πάσης ἀκριβείας ἐρευνήσατε. βʹ. Ζῇ Κύριος, λέγουσιν, ὅμως δὲ ἐπὶ ψεύ δεσιν ὀμνύουσιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς πρόσθεν εἰρη μένοις μεταθεῖναι τὸν ὅρκον εἰς αὐτὸν ἁπλῶς παρηγγύησεν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ ἀληθείας ὀμόσαι. Εἶτα ὁ προφήτης· γʹ. Καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν. Τουτέστι, Μαρτυρεῖς οἷς λέγω. Ἐφορᾷς γὰρ πάντα. "Ἐμαστίγωσας αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐκ ἐπόνεσαν· συνετέλεσας αὐ τοὺς, καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν δέξασθαι παιδείαν." Τὸ μὲν πρότερον τὴν σύμμετρον παιδείαν δηλοῖ· τὸ δὲ, "συν ετέλεσας," τὴν ἐπιτεταμένην· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲν αὐ τοὺς ὤνησε διὰ τὴν ἀτεράμονα γνώμην· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς λέγει· "Ἐστερέωσαν τὸ πρόσωπον αὑ τῶν ὑπὲρ πέτραν, καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν ἐπιστραφῆναι." Τὴν ἀναίδειαν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀπείθειαν διὰ τούτων δηλοῖ. δʹ, εʹ. Καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπον· Ἴσως πτωχοί εἰσι, διότι οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ὁδὸν Κυρίου, καὶ κρίσιν Θεοῦ αὑτῶν. Πορεύσομαι πρὸς τοὺς ἁδροὺς, καὶ λαλήσω αὐτοῖς· ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἔγνωσαν ὁδὸν Κυρίου, καὶ κρίσιν Θεοῦ. Ἁδροὺς ἐκάλεσε τοὺς ἱερέας καὶ τοὺς νομοδιδασκάλους· πτωχοὺς δὲ τοὺς ἄλλους, ὡς τῆς θείας γνώσεως τὸν πλοῦτον οὐ κεκτημένους· ἀμφοτέρων μέντοι παρανομίαν κατ ηγορεῖ· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπάγει· "Καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁμοθυμαδὸν συνέτριψαν ζυγὸν, διέῤῥηξαν δεσμούς." Ταῦτα οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἴρηκεν ὁ προφήτης· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ὑπέσχετο ὁ ∆εσπότης φιλανθρωπίαν, ἕνα γοῦν εἰ εὕρῃ ποιοῦντα κρῖμα, καὶ ζητοῦντα πίστιν, διδάσκει ὡς ἐπεζήτησε μὲν, ὡς προσετάχθη, πάντας δὲ εὗρε