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ten yoke of oxen shall work, it will produce one jar; and he who sows six artabas will produce three measures. In addition to desolation, he also threatened unfruitfulness; for the chastisements are various, since the transgressions of men are various. After greed, he accuses them of drunkenness and gluttony; 11Woe to those who rise up in the morning and pursue strong drink, who stay up late; for the wine will burn them. 12 For with lyre and psaltery and drums and flutes they drink wine, but they do not look upon the works of God, they do not consider the works of his hands. For no one, according to the Lord's voice, serves two masters. For how is it possible for those who embrace a life of revelry and are given to drunkenness and indecent dances, and spend their days in these things, to pay attention to the divine oracles and to reap the benefit from them? However, Symmachus and Aquila translated *sikera* as 'intoxicating drink'. But I think that by this are meant the preparations of mixed drinks; but *sikera* is properly the name for the drink made from palm trees. 13 Therefore my people became captive because they did not know the Lord, and a multitude became dead through famine and thirst for water. He clearly showed the cause of the evils. But the histories of Josephus teach us more precisely about the famine and the thirst and the captivity; for he also wrote down that grievous drama of the woman who, because of famine, devoured her son. 14 And Hades enlarged its soul and opened its mouth so as not to cease. Through these words he has shown the multitude of the dead. But he used personification and showed us death like some sea-monster |104 b| having its mouth perpetually open and unceasingly receiving the dead who are sent down. And there shall descend into it the glorious and the great and the rich and the pests of her and he who exults in her. He calls pests those who not only corrupt themselves but also summon others to the same disease. For such is also the nature of a plague; for those who are sick transmit the affliction to those who are healthy. 15 And a man shall be brought low, and a man shall be dishonored, and the lofty eyes shall be brought low. He calls lofty eyes the arrogant ones, which he forces by means of punishment to look to the earth. 16 And the Lord Sabaoth shall be exalted in judgment, and God the holy one shall be glorified in righteousness. For those who see the impious and lawless paying the penalty will sing hymns to the righteous judge. 17 And those who have been plundered shall be fed like bulls, and lambs shall eat the desolate places of those who have been taken away. That those who contradict the evangelical doctrines plundered the substance of those who had believed in the Lord, the apostle has taught us plainly; for writing to the Thessalonians he spoke thus: “For you, my brothers, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus; for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men.” And writing to the Hebrews themselves, he says this: “But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on the prisoners, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods.” After their destruction, he likens these to bulls grazing without fear; for truly, bearing the yoke of the Lord, they tilled all the nations. He also calls them lambs; for so the Lord also calls them: “Behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” To these he promises to give the desolate places of the captured and captive. For he called ‘taken away’ those who were as it were hunted down and captured by the spear; Symmachus, however, translated this as 'lawless'. 18 Woe to those who draw their sins as with a rope

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ἐργῶνται δέκα ζεύγη βοῶν, ποιήσει κεράμιον ἕν· καὶ ὁ σπείρων ἀρτάβας ἓξ ποιήσει μέτρα τρία. Πρὸς τῇ ἐρημίᾳ καὶ ἀκαρπίαν ἠπείλησεν· διάφοροι γὰρ αἱ παιδεῖαι, ἐπειδὴ διάφορα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ πλημμελήματα. Μετὰ τὴν πλεονεξίαν τῆς οἰνοφλυγίας καὶ τῆς γαστρι μαργίας κατηγορεῖ· 11Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐγειρόμενοι τὸ πρωὶ καὶ τὸ σίκερα διώκοντες, οἱ μένοντες τὸ ὀψέ· ὁ γὰρ οἶνος αὐτοὺς συγκαύσει. 12Μετὰ γὰρ κιθάρας καὶ ψαλτηρίου καὶ τυμ πάνων καὶ αὐλῶν τὸν οἶνον πίνουσι, τὰ δὲ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἐμβλέπουσι, τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ οὐ κατα νοοῦσιν. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ κατὰ τὴν κυρίου φωνὴν δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύει. Πῶ ς γὰρ οἷόν τε τοὺς κωμαστικὸν βίον ἀσπαζο μένους καὶ μέθῃ καὶ κορδακισμοῖς κεχρημένους καὶ ἐν τούτοις διημερεύοντας τοῖς θείοις προσέχειν λογίοις καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ὠφέλειαν καρποῦσθαι; Τὸ μέντοι σίκερα ὁ Σύμμαχος καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας «μέθυσμα» ἡρμήνευσαν. Ἐγὼδὲ οἶμαι διὰ τούτων σημαίνεσθαι τὰς τῶν προπομάτων κατασκευάς· σίκερα δὲ κυρίως τὸ ἐκ φοινίκων ὀνομάζεται πόμα. 13Τοίνυν αἰχμάλωτος ἐγενήθη ὁ λαός μου διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι αὐτοὺς τὸν κύριον, καὶ πλῆθος ἐγενήθη νεκρῶν διὰ λιμὸν καὶ δίψαν ὕδατος. Σαφῶς ἐδήλωσε τῶν κακῶν τὴν αἰτίαν. Τὸν δὲ λιμὸν καὶ τὸ δίψος καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἀκριβέστερον ἡμᾶς αἱ Ἰωσήπου διδάσκουσιν ἱστορίαι· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ καὶ τὸ ἀνιαρὸν ἐκεῖνο δρᾶμα τῆς τὸν υἱὸν διὰ λιμὸν καταφαγούσης συνέγραψεν. 14Καὶ ἐπλάτυνεν ὁ ᾅδης τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ διήνοιξε τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὴ διαλιπεῖν. Τὸ πλῆθος τῶν νεκρῶν διὰ τούτων δεδή λωκεν. Προσωποποιίᾳ δὲ ἐχρήσατο καὶ ὑπέδειξεν ἡμῖν τὸν θάνατον οἷόν τι κῆτος |104 b| ἀνεῳγὸς ἔχον τὸ στόμα διηνεκῶς καὶ ἀπαύστως ὑποδεχόμενον τοὺς παρα πεμπομένους νεκρούς. Καὶ καταβήσονται εἰς αὐτὸν οἱ ἔνδοξοι καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι καὶ οἱ πλούσιοι καὶ οἱ λοιμοὶ αὐτῆς καὶ ὁ ἀγαλλιώμενος ἐν αὐτῇ. Λοιμοὺς καλεῖ τοὺς οὐ μόνον σφᾶς αὐτοὺς διαφ θείροντας ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν νόσον ἐκκα λουμένους. Τοιαύτη γὰρ καὶ ἡ τοῦ λοιμοῦ φύσις· μεταδιδόασι γὰρ οἱ νοσοῦντες τοῦ πάθους τοῖς ὑγιαίνουσιν. 15Καὶ ταπει νωθήσεται ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἀτιμασθήσεται ἀνήρ, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλ μοὶ οἱ μετέωροι ταπεινωθήσονται. Μετεώρους ὀφθαλμοὺς τοὺς ἀλαζονικοὺς ὀνομάζει, οὓς ἀναγκάζει διὰ τῆς τιμωρίας βλέπειν εἰς γῆν. 16Καὶ ὑψωθήσεται κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐν κρίματι, καὶ ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἅγιος δοξασθήσεται ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. Οἱ γὰρ ὁρῶντες τίνοντας δίκας τοὺς δυσσεβεῖς καὶ παρανόμους τὸν δίκαιον κριτὴν ἀνυμνήσουσιν. 17Καὶ βοσκηθήσονται οἱ διηρπασμένοι ὡς ταῦροι, καὶ τὰς ἐρήμους τῶν ἀπειλημμένων ἄρνες φάγονται. Ὅτι τῶν εἰς τὸν κύριον πεπιστευκότων τὰς οὐσίας διήρπασαν οἱ τοῖς εὐαγγελικοῖς ἀντιλέγοντες δόγμασιν, ἄντικρυς ἡμᾶς ἐδί δαξεν ὁ ἀπόστολος· Θεσσαλονικεῦσι γὰρ ἐπιστέλλων οὕτως ἔφη· «Ὑμεῖς γάρ, ἀδελφοί μου, μιμηταὶ ἐγενήθητε τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν οὐσῶν ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· τὰ γὰρ αὐτὰ ἐπάθετε καὶ ὑμεῖς ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων συμφυλετῶν καθὼς καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τῶν καὶ τὸν κύριον ἀποκτεινάντων Ἰησοῦν καὶ τοὺς ἰδίους προφήτας καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐκδιωξάντων καὶ θεῷ μὴ ἀρεσκόντων καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐναντίων.» Καὶ αὐτοῖς δὲ τοῖς Ἑβραίοις γράφων ὧδέ φησιν· «Ἀναμιμνῄσκεσθε τὰς πρότερον ἡμέρας, ἐν αἷς φωτισθέντες πολλὴν ἄθλησιν ὑπεμείνατε παθημάτων, τοῦτο μὲν ὀνειδισμοῖς τε καὶ θλίψεσι θεατρι ζόμενοι, τοῦτο δὲ κοινωνοὶ τῶν οὕτως ἀναστρεφομένων γενηθέντες. Καὶ γὰρ τοῖς δεσμίοις συνεπαθήσατε καὶ τὴν ἁρπαγὴν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ὑμῶν μεθ' ἡδονῆς κατεδέξασθε.» Τούτους μετὰ τὸν ἐκείνων ὄλεθρον ταύροις ἀπεικάζει ἀδεῶς νεμομένοις· καὶ γὰρ ἀληθῶς φέροντες τὸν τοῦ κυρίου ζυγὸν πάντα ἐγεώργουν τὰ ἔθνη. Τούτους καὶ ἄρνας ὀνο μάζει· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτοὺς καὶ ὁ κύριος καλεῖ· «Ἰδοὺ ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς ὡς ἄρνας ἐν μέσῳ λύκων.» Τούτοις ἐπαγγέλλεται δώσειν τῶν ἑαλωκότων καὶ αἰχμαλώτων τὰ ἔρημα. Ἀπειλημμένους γὰρ τοὺς οἱονεὶ ἠγρευμένους καὶ δορυαλώτους ὠνόμασεν· ὁ μέντοι Σύμμαχος τούτους «παρανόμους» ἡρμήνευσεν. 18Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐπισπώμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν ὡς σχοινίῳ