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He calls the enemies grape-gatherers; and he commands them to gather them all, like the fruit of a vine, and teaches the reason. 10. To whom shall I speak and testify, that he may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear. Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them; they will not wish to hear it. He calls ears uncircumcised which receive all things without discrimination. Such were these people also; readily accepting the pleasant things offered by the false prophets, they did not want to pay attention to the divine words, but mocked and ridiculed the prophets. Then he teaches the excess of longsuffering. 11. I have filled up my wrath, and I held back, and I did not finish them off. That is, I was moved to punish, and again I deemed them worthy of pity and mercy. He threatens to bring a common punishment upon both young and old, both men and women, since all alike loved lawlessness, even those deemed worthy of the priesthood, along with those who dared to prophesy false things. He also speaks of the things dared by these. 14. And they healed the breach of the people for a disgrace, scorning me, and saying: Peace, peace. Then in the form of a question: "And where is there peace?" It being necessary, he says, to heal the afflictions with harsher medicines, they exacerbated them with the promise of peace; where then is the end of their words? For instead of peace they see utter destruction. He also shows the excess of their shamelessness. For having been put to shame, he says, for having prophesied false things, they do not deign to blush. For this is what he says: 15. They were not at all ashamed when put to shame, nor did they know their own dishonor. But nevertheless they will pay, he says, in due time the penalty for what they dared. "For in the time of their visitation they shall be weak, said the Lord." From this he both teaches the disobedience of the Jews, and proclaims the calling of the Gentiles. 16. Thus says the Lord: Stand in the ways, and see; ask for the eternal paths, and see what the good way is, and walk 81.545 in it, and you will find holiness for your souls. The ways are many, the holy prophets; but the truly good way is our Lord himself; for we hear him saying: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;" however, each of the prophetic ways leads to this one; for even Moses the lawgiver points this one out, saying: "A prophet will the Lord our God raise up for you from your brothers, like me;" and the rest. And David the king and prophet, and indeed Isaiah, and Micah, and Ezekiel, and each of the prophets points out this way. And just as there is one road, leading to the greatest cities, which we are accustomed to call the royal and kingly way, and into this certain paths from villages and fields lead; so there is one way that leads to the Father, the only-begotten Son of God; and like certain paths, the blessed prophets lead to this way those who choose to journey by them. Therefore, the prophetic word commands the Jews to search the prophetic ways, and through them to learn the good way, and to walk in it. But they contradict as usual, and do not do what was commanded. "For they said," he says, "We will not go." But nevertheless he offers them another exhortation. 17. I have set watchmen over you, listen to the sound of the trumpet. Again he calls the prophets themselves watchmen; for to Ezekiel he says: "I have given you as a watchman to the house of Israel." And he calls the preaching of the apostles a trumpet; and those called watchmen also foretold this; but nevertheless the Jews contradict again, and say openly, "We will not listen." Having shown therefore their contradiction, he foretells the obedience of the Gentiles. 18. For this reason the nations heard, and those who shepherd the flocks among them. And he calls their leaders shepherds, and not only those deemed worthy of spiritual leadership, but also the kings and the

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τρυγητὰς μὲν καλεῖ τοὺς πολεμίους· ἐντέλλεται δὲ αὐτοῖς ἅπαντας αὐτοὺς συναγαγεῖν, ὡς ἀμπέλου καρπὸν, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκει. ιʹ. Πρὸς τίνα λαλήσω, καὶ διαμαρτύρωμαι, καὶ ἀκούσεται; Ἰδοὺ ἀπερίτμητα τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ δύνανται ἀκούειν. Ἰδοὺ τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς εἰς ὀνειδισμόν· οὐ μὴ βουληθῶσιν αὐτὸ ἀκοῦσαι. Ἀπερίτμητα ὦτα καλεῖ τὰ ἀδιακρίτως πάντα δεχόμενα. Τοιοῦτοι ἦσαν καὶ οὗτοι· τὰ παρὰ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν προσφερό μενα τερπνὰ ὄντα ῥᾳδίως δεχόμενοι, τοῖς θείοις λόγοις προσέχειν οὐκ ἤθελον, ἀλλ' ἐκωμῴδουν καὶ δι εχλεύαζον τοὺς προφήτας. Εἶτα διδάσκει τὴν τῆς μακροθυμίας ὑπερβολήν. ιαʹ. Τὸν θυμόν μου ἐπλήρωσα, καὶ ἐπέσχον, καὶ οὐ συνετέλεσα αὐτούς. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ὥρμησα κολάσαι, καὶ οἴκτου πάλιν αὐτοὺς ἠξίωσα καὶ φει δοῦς. Ἀπειλεῖ δὲ κοινὴν καὶ νέοις καὶ πρεσβύταις, καὶ ἀνδράσι καὶ γυναιξὶ τιμωρίαν ἐπάξειν, ἐπειδὴ κοινῇ πάντες τὴν παρανομίαν ἠγάπησαν, καὶ οἱ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἠξιωμένοι, μετὰ τῶν τὰ ψευδῆ προαγο ρεύειν τολμώντων. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τὰ ὑπὸ τούτων τολ μώμενα· ιδʹ. Καὶ ἰῶντο τὸ σύντριμμα τοῦ λαοῦ ἐπ' ἀτιμίᾳ, ἐξουθενοῦντές με, καὶ λέγοντες· Εἰρήνη, εἰρήνη. Ἔπειτα κατ' ἐρώτησιν· "Καὶ ποῦ ἔστιν εἰρήνη;" ∆έον, φησὶ, θεραπεύειν τὰ πάθη τοῖς αὐστηροτέροις φαρμάκοις, ἐπέτριβον ταῦτα τῇ τῆς εἰρήνης ἐπαγγελίᾳ· ποῦ τοίνυν τῶν λόγων τὸ τέ λος; Ἀντὶ γὰρ τῆς εἰρήνης πανωλεθρίαν ὁρῶσι. ∆είκνυσι δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς ἀναιδείας ὑπερβολήν. Καταισχυνθέντες γὰρ, φησὶν, ὡς τὰ ψευδῆ προει ρηκότες, ἐρυθριᾷν οὐκ ἀνέχονται. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει· ιεʹ. Οὐδ' ὡς καταισχυνόμενοι ᾐσχύνθησαν, καὶ τὴν ἀτιμίαν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔγνωσαν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως τίσουσι, φησὶν, ἐν καιρῷ ὧν ἐτόλμησαν δίκας. "Ἐν καιρῷ γὰρ ἐπισκοπῆς αὑτῶν ἀσθενήσουσιν, εἶπε Κύριος." Ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴν ἀπείθειαν διδάσκει, καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν προκηρύττει τὴν κλῆσιν. ιϛʹ. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Στῆτε ἐπὶ ταῖς ὁδοῖς, καὶ ἴδετε· ἐρωτήσατε τρίβους αἰωνίας, καὶ ἴδετε, ποία ἐστὶν ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀγαθὴ, καὶ βαδίσατε 81.545 ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ εὑρήσετε ἁγίασμα ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν. Ὁδοὶ μὲν πολλαὶ, οἱ ἅγιοι προφῆται· ὁδὸς δὲ ἀληθῶς ἀγαθὴ, αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν· ἀκούομεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· "Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια, καὶ ἡ ζωή·" ἑκάστη μέντοι τῶν προφητικῶν ὁδῶν εἰς ταύτην φέρει· καὶ γὰρ Μωσῆς ὁ νομοθέτης ταύ την ὑποδείκνυσι, λέγων· "Προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀνα στήσει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐμέ·" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ ∆αβὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ προφήτης, καὶ μέντοι καὶ Ἡσαΐας, καὶ Μιχαίας, καὶ Ἐζεκιὴλ, καὶ ἕκαστος τῶν προφητῶν ταύτην ὑπο δείκνυσι τὴν ὁδόν. Καὶ καθάπερ μία μὲν ὁδὸς, ἡ εἰς τὰς μεγίστας ἀπάγουσα πόλεις, ἣν βασίλειον καὶ βασιλικὴν ὀνομάζειν εἰώθαμεν, εἰς δὲ ταύτην ἀτρα ποί τινες ἀπὸ κωμῶν ἐμβάλλουσι καὶ ἀγρῶν· οὕτως μία μὲν ἔστιν ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα πρὸς Πα τέρα, ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ· οἷον δέ τινες ἀτραποὶ, οἱ μακάριοι προφῆται, εἰς ταύτην ἄγουσι τὴν ὁδὸν τοὺς δι' αὐτῶν ὁδεύειν προαιρουμένους. Κελεύει τοίνυν Ἰουδαίοις ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος τὰς προφητικὰς ὁδοὺς ἐρευνῆσαι, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν μαθεῖν τὴν ἀγαθὴν ὁδὸν, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ βαδίσαι. Ἀλλ' ἀντιλέ γουσι συνήθως, καὶ τὸ κελευσθὲν οὐ ποιοῦσιν. "Εἶ πον γὰρ, φησὶν, Οὐ πορευσόμεθα." Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ἑτέραν αὐτοῖς προσφέρει παραίνεσιν. ιζʹ. Καθέστηκα ἐφ' ὑμᾶς σκοποὺς, ἀκούσατε τῆς φωνῆς τῆς σάλπιγγος. Σκοποὺς δὲ πάλιν αὐ τοὺς προφήτας ὀνομάζει· καὶ γὰρ τῷ Ἐζεκιήλ φησι· "Σκοπὸν δέδωκά σε τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραήλ." Σάλ πιγγα δὲ καλεῖ τῶν ἀποστόλων τὸ κήρυγμα· προ εθέσπισαν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο οἱ κληθέντες σκοποί· ἀλλ' ὅμως πάλιν ἀντιλέγουσιν Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ ἄντικρυς λέγουσιν, "Οὐκ ἀκουσόμεθα." ∆είξας τοίνυν τὴν τούτων ἀντιλογίαν, τῶν ἐθνῶν προλέγει τὴν εὐπεί θειαν. ιηʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἤκουσαν τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ οἱ ποι μαίνοντες τὰ ποίμνια ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ποιμένας δὲ καλεῖ τοὺς τούτων ἡγουμένους, καὶ οὐ μόνον τοὺς τῆς πνευματικῆς ἡγεμονίας ἠξιωμένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς βασιλέας καὶ τοὺς