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and you shall say to them: Thus says Adonai the Lord: If perhaps they will listen,if perhaps they will yield. Say nothing of your own, he says, when you speak with them, but minister my words, and offer what you are commanded by me; for it is likely that they will respect your labors, and fear my threats. But the doubt again, as I said, does not signify ignorance, but stirs up the impulse of free will. 12. And a Spirit took me, and I heard behind me the voice of a great earthquake, Blessed is the glory of the Lord from his place. For having received these commands, he says, I was urged on to fulfill the ministry, and I was not permitted to use my feet, but by divine assistance I was transported to those to whom I was sent. And he necessarily receives the sensation of the earthquake, so that, being pricked by fear, he might fulfill the ministry. He also speaks the hymn, which he sent up when he perceived the earthquake: "Blessed is the glory of the Lord from his place." But having been taught this by God himself, 81.848 he said; for to the blessed Moses, when he asked to see God plainly, He said, "No one shall see my face, and live." Then He adds: "Behold, there is a place by me, and I will place you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face you shall not see." Not because the Godhead is divided into front and back; but by 'face' is understood the divine essence, and by 'back,' the dispensations and benefactions, which are many and varied concerning us. Therefore, He calls His 'place' His goodness, by which, though uncontainable by nature, He becomes, as far as is possible for the worthy, containable. 13. And I saw the sound of the wings of the living creatures beating one against the other, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake. For when these things were said to me, the living creatures moved using their wings, and the wheels followed; and a very great earthquake was produced as they moved; for great was the noise that came from every direction. 14. And the Spirit lifted me up, and took me, and I went aloft in the impulse of my Spirit. For the grace of the divine Spirit, being in me between heaven and earth, prepared me to cut through the air, as if with wings. "And the hand of the Lord was mighty upon me." Again, it signifies the grace of the Spirit. 15. And I entered into the captivity aloft; that is, not walking, but carried through the air. "And I went around to those who dwelt by the river Chebar, those who were there, and I sat there for seven days, turning about in their midst." For having reached, he says, those to whom I was commanded, I remained silent for seven days, awaiting the divine energy. 16, 17. And it came to pass after the seven days that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel, and you shall hear a word from my mouth, and you shall threaten them from me. Hold the position, he says, of a scout, whom men station on some hill, commanding them to forewarn of the coming attacks of the barbarians. You, therefore, standing as it were on some watchtower and high place of prophecy, foretell to the people what you foresee, and convey my words to them. 18. When I say to the lawless one, 'You shall surely die,' and you do not warn him, nor speak to warn the lawless one, to turn him 81.849 from his ways, that he may live, that lawless one will die in his lawlessness, and I will require his blood from your hand. The threat is fearful and full of terror, and sufficient to frighten even those who are excessively stone-hearted; but unspeakable also is the goodness that is revealed through the threat; for he threatens the righteous man with the exaction of penalties, if he does not signify to the lawless one the threat of death, and teach what is the cause of life, and what is the cause of death. So much does the maker and Master of all desire the repentance of sinners, that even if one should gather all virtue, but neglect the souls entrusted to him, he will not be benefited at all by his own achievements, but penalties on account of those

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καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ἐὰν ἄρα ἀκούσωσιν,ἐὰν ἄρα ἐνδῶσιν. Μηδὲν, φησὶν, οἰκεῖον φθέγξῃ διαλεγόμενος πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐμοῖς διακό νησον λόγοις, καὶ τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ σοι κελευόμενα πρόσ φερε· εἰκὸς γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοὺς σοὺς αἰδεσθῆναι πόνους, καὶ τὰς ἐμὰς ἀπειλὰς φοβηθῆναι. Ἡ δὲ ἀμφιβολία πάλιν, ὡς ἔφην, οὐ τὴν ἄγνοιαν σημαίνει, ἀλλὰ τοῦ αὐτεξουσίου τὴν ὁρμὴν δι εγείρει. ιβʹ. Καὶ ἔλαβέ με Πνεῦμα, καὶ ἤκουσα κατ όπισθέν μου φωνὴν σεισμοῦ μεγάλου, Εὐλογη μένη ἡ δόξα Κυρίου ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὑτοῦ. Ταύτας γὰρ, φησὶ, δεξάμενος τὰς ἐντολὰς, κατηπει γόμην τὴν διακονίαν πληροῦν, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῖς ποσὶ κεχρῆσθαι συνεχωρούμην, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ θείας συνερ γείας πρὸς οὓς ἀπεστάλην μετεφερόμην. Ἀναγ καίως δὲ καὶ τοῦ σεισμοῦ τὴν αἴσθησιν δέχεται, ἵνα τῷ φόβῳ νυττόμενος τὴν διακονίαν πληρώσῃ. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τὴν ὑμνῳδίαν, ἣν ἀνέπεμψεν αἰσθόμενος τοῦ σεισμοῦ· "Εὐλογημένη ἡ δόξα Κυρίου ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὑτοῦ." Τοῦτο δὲ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ διδαχθεὶς 81.848 ἔφη· τῷ γὰρ μακαρίῳ Μωσῇ γνωστῶς ἰδεῖν αἰτή σαντι τὸν Θεὸν, ἔφη, "Οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸ πρόσωπόν μου, καὶ ζήσεται." Εἶτα ἐπάγει· "Ἰδοὺ τόπος παρ' ἐμοὶ, καὶ θήσω σε εἰς ὀπὴν τῆς πέτρας, καὶ σκε πάσω σε τῇ χειρί μου, καὶ ὄψῃ τὰ ὀπίσθιά μου, τὸ δὲ πρόσωπόν μου οὐ μὴ ἴδῃς." Οὐκ ἐπειδὴ εἰς πρόσ ωπον καὶ ὀπίσθια τὸ Θεῖον διῄρηται· ἀλλὰ διὰ μὲν τοῦ προσώπου τῆς θείας νοουμένης οὐσίας, διὰ δὲ τῶν ὀπισθίων, τῶν οἰκονομιῶν καὶ εὐεργεσιῶν, αἳ περὶ ἡμᾶς πολλαὶ γίνονται, καὶ παντοδαπαί. Τόπον τοίνυν αὐτοῦ καλεῖ τὴν ἀγαθότητα, δι' ἣν ἀχώρητος ὢν τῇ φύσει, ὡς δυνατὸν τοῖς ἀξίοις, γίνεται χω ρητός. ιγʹ. Καὶ ἴδον φωνὴν τῶν πτερύγων τῶν ζώων πτερυσσομένων ἑκατέραν πρὸς τὴν ἑκατέραν, καὶ φωνὴ τῶν τροχῶν ἐχομένη αὐτῶν, καὶ φωνὴ τοῦ σεισμοῦ μεγάλη. Τούτων γὰρ πρός με εἰρη μένων, ἐκινεῖτο μὲν τὰ ζῶα ταῖς πτέρυξι χρώμενα, ἐπηκολούθουν δὲ οἱ τροχοί· σεισμὸς δὲ μέγιστος τούτων κινουμένων ἀπετελεῖτο· πολὺς γὰρ ἦν ὁ κτύπος ὁ πανταχόθεν φερόμενος. ιδʹ. Καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐξῆρέ με, καὶ ἔλαβέ με, καὶ ἐπορεύθην μετέωρος ἐν ὁρμῇ τοῦ Πνεύμα τός μου. Ἡ γὰρ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος χάρις ἐν ἐμοὶ γενομένη μέσον οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, οἷόν τινα ὑπόπτερον, διατέμνειν παρεσκεύαζε τὸν ἀέρα. "Καὶ χεὶρ Κυρίου ἐγένετο ἐπ' ἐμὲ κραταιά." Πάλιν αὐτὴν σημαίνει τὴν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος. ιεʹ. Καὶ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν μετέ ωρος· τουτέστιν, οὐ βαδίζων, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀέρος φερόμενος. "Καὶ περιῆλθον τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ Χοβὰρ, τοὺς ὄντας ἐκεῖ, καὶ ἐκάθισα ἐκεῖ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἀναστρεφόμενος ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν." Καταλαβὼν γὰρ, φησὶν, οὓς προσετάχθην, ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ σιγῶν διετέλεσα, ἀναμένων τὴν θείαν ἐνέρ γειαν. ι ϛʹ, ιζʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τὰς ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας λόγος Κυρίου πρός με λέγων, Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, σκοπὸν δέδωκά σε ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἀκούσῃ ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου λόγον, καὶ διαπει λήσῃ αὐτοῖς παρ' ἐμοῦ. Τύπον ἔπεχε, φησὶ, κατασκόπου, ὃν ἐπὶ γεωλόφου τινὸς ἱστᾶσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, προμηνύειν αὐτοῖς τὰς ἐσομένας τῶν βαρβάρων ἐφόδους κελεύοντες. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν οἷον ἐπί τινος σκοπιᾶς καὶ περιωπῆς τῆς προφητείας ἑστὼς, ἃ προορᾷς τῷ λαῷ προαγόρευε, καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς αὐτοῖς διαπόρθμευε λόγους. ιηʹ. Ἐν τῷ λέγειν με τῷ ἀνόμῳ, θανάτῳ θανα τωθήσῃ, καὶ ἐὰν μὴ διαστείλῃ αὐτῷ, μηδὲ λαλήσῃς τοῦ διαστείλασθαι τῷ ἀνόμῳ, τοῦ ἀπο 81.849 στρέψαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ, τοῦ ζῆσαι αὐτὸν, ὁ ἄνομος ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῇ ἀνομίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀποθανεῖται, καὶ τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐκ χειρός σου ἐκζητήσω. Φοβερὰ καὶ φρίκης γέμουσα ἡ ἀπειλὴ, καὶ ἱκανὴ δεδίξασθαι καὶ τοὺς ἄγαν λιθίνους· ἄῤῥη τος δὲ καὶ ἡ διὰ τῆς ἀπειλῆς προφαινομένη ἀγαθό της· ἀπειλεῖ γὰρ τῷ δικαίῳ τῶν εὐθυνῶν τὴν εἴσπραξιν, εἰ μὴ σημήνειε τῷ ἀνόμῳ τοῦ θανάτου τὴν ἀπειλὴν, καὶ διδάξειε, τί μὲν ζωῆς αἴτιον, τί δὲ θανάτου πρόξενον; Οὕτω ποθεῖ τῶν ἁπάντων ὁ ποιητὴς καὶ ∆εσπότης τὴν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν μεταμέ λειαν, ὅτι κἂν ἅπασάν τις συλλέξῃ τὴν ἀρετὴν, ἀμελεῖ δὲ τῶν ἐγκεχειρισμένων ψυχῶν, οὐδὲν ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων κατορθωμάτων ὠφεληθήσεται, δίκας δὲ ὑπὲρ τῆς περὶ ἐκείνας