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these, since we also bless those who are dying, making the living better, and we sing hymns while provoking, and we praise the absent. Thus God also, he says, commands the words to be sent, so that both these and those might become better, just as Paul says: In order that I may provoke my own flesh to jealousy, and save some of them. Thus also God stirs these up, by praising those. For since these are now worse than you, I am speaking to you. For it is not recorded that this prophet went to Persia, nor does he command to send. For go, he says, and read the words. Immeasurable is the Master's love for humanity, for after 64.785 the great transgression he seeks only repentance, and he teaches the way of it. Turn to me, O house of Israel. This only God seeks, that we might at least recognize your sins; what great thing does he demand? for our own sakes, that we may know that it is forgiven, that he is a lover of humanity. But know your iniquity, that it is against the Lord, etc. See the unrestrained, you poured out, and not simply; For the village urged to impiety. It is not possible to say even this, it was necessary to discern what one should have used. Every tree was set forth for impiety. and to strangers, the demons, he says. And it is not possible to say, that they did not exhort, nor counsel, but while I was exhorting you did these things, and you did not listen to my voice, but you paid attention to the most voiceless things. For the beginning of health is the perception of sickness, and you have scattered your ways. Having forsaken God, and Lord, and maker, and benefactor, you were joined to strangers. And who are these? under every leafy tree, he showed the unprofitableness of the error, for the deified plants are fruitless. But you did not obey my voice, for giving the law he said: You shall have no other gods but me. Return, apostate children, says the Lord, because I will rule over you. See after the accusation again an exhortation, and counsel; if then they are apostates, why do you call? Because I will rule over you, as if a necessity for returning, he says. Just as one might say to a servant, You have to serve me, for what reason did you run away, he calls the dwelling a mistress. And I will take you one from a city, and two from a family. The saved part is smaller, this also happens in the coming judgment, very few are the saved. I will rule over you. *That is, being Lord of all, I will be able to lead back even those already taken by the enemies, leaving no one behind. And I will give you shepherds after my own heart. This is truly a benefit, to obtain good shepherds, just as, on the contrary, it is the greatest punishment, for the shepherd requires much knowledge; for if the physical shepherd would check everything, much more the spiritual one, truly there is need of courage much more than for that one, in order to lay down his life for the sheep. And it shall be, if you are multiplied. For since it grieved them that, one from a city, and two from a family, he added, That you will be multiplied. It has a greater pleasure, that after returning many should be at home, than to have returned with a multitude from the beginning. 64.788 In those days they will no longer say. This seems unclear to me. Some indeed say, that it will not be terrible, but others say that they will not need the law, just as when he says, A new heart, and I will take away the heart of stone, that is, the spirit will be yours, it will teach in place of all things, and will guide us, nor will it be named. *It will not come up, that is, the ark. Nor will it be named in it, that is, the law. Nor will it be visited again, that is, nor will it be carried. And it will not be made again, that is, as it was before, when the priests carrying it moved it everywhere. So that he might say: To you who are repenting I will provide a return from Babylon more glorious than the exodus from Egypt. And all the nations will be gathered to it, and they will no longer walk. Not by the law of war, but by piety calling them, or the citizens

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τούτους, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ τοὺς τελευτῶντας μακαρίζομεν τοὺς ζῶντας ποιοῦντες βελτίους, καὶ ὑμνοῦμεν κνίζοντες, καὶ ἀπόντας ἐπαινοῦμεν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς, φησὶ, κελεύει πεμφθῆναι τοὺς λόγους, ὥστε καὶ τούτους βελτίους γενέσθαι κἀκείνους, ὥσπερ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· Εἴ πως παραζηλώσω μου τὴν σάρκα, καὶ σώσω τινὰς ἐξ αὐτῶν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τούτους διεγείρει, ἐκείνους ἐπαινῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ χείρους ὑμῶν οὗτοί εἰσι λοιπὸν, ὑμῖν διαλέγομαι. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἱστορεῖται ὁ προφήτης οὗτος ἀπελθὼν εἰς Περσίδα, οὐδὲ πέμψαι κελεύει. Πορεύου γὰρ, φησὶν, καὶ ἀνάγνωθι τοὺς λόγους. Ἀμέτρητος ἡ τοῦ ∆εσπότου φιλανθρωπία, μετὰ γὰρ 64.785 τὴν πολλὴν παρανομίαν μόνην ἐπιζητεῖ μεταμέλειαν, διδάσκει δὲ ταύτης τὸν τρόπον. Ἀποστράφηθι πρός με, ἡ κατοικία Ἰσραήλ. Τοῦτο ζητεῖ μόνον ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα κἂν ἐπιγνῶμεν ὑμῶν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα· τί μέγα ἀπαιτεῖ; ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν, ἵνα γνῶμεν ὅτι ἀφίεται, ὅτι φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν. Πλὴν γνῶθι μὲν ἀδικίαν σου, ὅτι εἰς Κύριον, κ. τ. λ. Ὅρα τὸ ἀκάθεκτον, ἐξέχεας, οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς· Ἡ γὰρ κώμη προέτρεπεν εἰς ἀσέβειαν. Οὐκ ἔνι εἰπεῖν οὐδὲ τοῦτο, ἔδει διακρῖναι, τίνι κεχρῆσθαι ἐχρῆν. Πᾶν ξύλον εἰς ἀσέβειαν προὔκειτο. Εἰς δὲ ἀλλοτρίους, τοὺς δαίμονας, φησί. Καὶ οὐκ ἔνι εἰπεῖν, ὅτι οὐ παρῄνουν, οὐδὲ συνεβούλευον, ἀλλ' ἐμοῦ παραινοῦντος ταῦτα ἐποίησας, τῆς δὲ φωνῆς μου οὐκ ἤκουσας, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀφωνοτάτοις προσέσχες. Ἀρχὴ γὰρ ὑγείας, αἴσθησις ἀῤῥωστίας, καὶ ἐξέχεας τὰς ὁδούς σου. Τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Κύριον, καὶ ποιητὴν, καὶ εὐεργέτην καταλιποῦσα ἀλλοτρίοις συνήφθης. Τίνες δὲ οὗτοι; ὑποκάτω παντὸς ξύλου ἀλσώδους, ἔδειξε τῆς πλάνης τὸ ἀκερδὲς, ἄκαρπα γὰρ τὰ θεοποιηθέντα φυτά. Τῆς δὲ φωνῆς μου οὐχ ὑπήκουσας, νομοθετῶν γὰρ εἶπεν· Οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ. Ἐπιστράφητε υἱοὶ ἀφεστηκότες, λέγει Κύριος, διότι ἐγὼ κατακυριεύσω ὑμῶν. Ὅρα μετὰ τὴν κατηγορίαν πάλιν παραίνεσιν, καὶ συμβουλὴν, εἰ τοίνυν ἀφεστηκότες εἰσὶ, τί καλεῖς; ∆ιότι ἐγὼ κατακυριεύσω ὑμῶν, ὥσπερ ἀνάγκην τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς, φησίν. Ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις πρὸς οἰκέτην λέγει, Ἐμοὶ δουλεῦσαι ἔχεις, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀπεπήδησας, τὴν κατοίκησιν κυρίαν λέγει. Καὶ λήψομαι ὑμᾶς ἕνα ἐκ πόλεως, καὶ δύο ἐκ πατριᾶς. Ἔλαττον τὸ σωζόμενον, τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ γίνεται κρίσει, ἐλάχιστοι οἱ σωζόμενοι. Ἐγὼ κατακυριεύσω ὑμῶν. *Τουτέστι, Κύριος ὢν πάντων, καὶ τοὺς ἤδη ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ληφθέντας δυνήσομαι ἀναγαγεῖν οὐδένα ὑπολιπόμενος. Καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν ποιμένας κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου. Αὕτη ὄντως εὐεργεσία τὸ, ποιμένων τυγχάνειν ἀγαθῶν, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τοὐναντίον τιμωρία μεγίστη, πολλῆς γὰρ δεῖται ἐπιστήμης ὁ ποιμήν· εἰ γὰρ ὁ σωματικὸς ποιμὴν πάντα ἂν ἐπέσχε, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ πνευματικὸς, ὄντως ἀνδρείας χρείας πολλῷ μᾶλλον, ἢ ἐκείνῳ, ἵνα θῇ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων. Καὶ ἔσται, ἐὰν πληθυνθῆτε. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐλύπει τὸ, ἕνα ἐκ πόλεως, καὶ δύο ἐκ πατριᾶς, ἐπήγαγεν, Ὅτι πληθύνεσθε. Μείζονα ἔχει τὴν ἡδονὴν, μετὰ τὸ ἐπανελθόντες ἐπανελθεῖν πολλοὺς οἴκοι γενέσθαι, ἢ ἐξ ἀρχῆς μετὰ πλήθους ἐπανελθεῖν. 64.788 Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις οὐκ ἐροῦσιν ἔτι. Ἀσαφὲς εἶναί μοι τοῦτο δοκεῖ. Τινὲς μέν φασιν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔσται φοβερὰ, τινὲς δὲ λέγουσιν ὅτι οὐ δεηθήσονται τοῦ νόμου, ὥσπερ ὅταν λέγῃ, Καρδίαν καινὴν, καὶ ἐπαρῶ τὴν καρδίαν τὴν λιθίνην, τουτέστι, τὸ πνεῦμα ὑμῖν ἔσται, ἀντὶ πάντων αὐτὸ διδάξει, καὶ καθοδηγήσει ἡμᾶς, οὐδὲ ὀνομασθήσεται. *Οὐκ ἀναβήσεται, τουτέστιν ἡ κιβωτός. Οὐδὲ ὀνομασθήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ, τουτέστιν ὁ νόμος. Οὐδὲ ἐπισκεφθήσεται ἔτι, τουτέστιν οὐδὲ βασταχθήσεται. Καὶ οὐ ποιηθήσεται ἔτι, τουτέστιν, ὡς ἤδη πρότερον, ὅτε μετῆγον αὐτὴν πανταχοῦ οἱ ἱερεῖς βαστάζοντες. Ἵνα εἴπῃ· Ἐπιδοξωτέραν ὑμῖν μετανοοῦσιν τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἄνοδον παρέξω τῆς ἀπ' Αἰγύπτου ἐξόδου. Καὶ συναχθήσονται πάντα τὰ ἔθνη εἰς αὐτὴν, καὶ οὐ πορεύσονται ἔτι. Οὐ νόμῳ πολέμου, ἀλλ' εὐσεβείας καλούσης αὐτοὺς, ἢ τοὺς πολίτας