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will not profit you at all, saying, The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord it is. For deceiving them, they said, How is it possible for anyone to overcome the divine temple? But he himself exhorts them not to trust in these words; but to embrace a change of life for the better, and to fear judgments, and to deem worthy of care those who need it, and to cease from their former blood-guiltiness, and from the worship of idols. For by doing these things, he says, you will not be sojourners, but you will remain on your ancestral land. But by daring to do the opposite, and by walking in all lawlessness, you will reap fruits appropriate to your practices; for I do not look to false repentance, nor do I tolerate false words; for I see all things that happen. "For behold, he says, I have seen, says the Lord." Nor will I tolerate the house dedicated to me being a den of thieves. Then, from the things that have happened, he confirms the things that have been said. 12. That you should go to my house which is in Shiloh, where I made my name to dwell there before, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. Shiloh is a place situated among the ten tribes; and when the Assyrians campaigned against them, this too was destroyed. The Master, therefore, urges not to trust in the temple, but in a life according to the law. For which reason he adds that the house will suffer the same things, and they themselves will receive the punishment of their brothers. 15. For I will cast you out from my presence, as I have cast out your brothers, all the seed of the sons of Israel. And he forbids the 81.552 prophet to offer any intercession for them. "For I will not hear you, he says." And teaching that he justly turns away from them, he added: 17, 18. Do you not see what these are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? Their sons gather wood, and their fathers kindle a fire, and their women knead dough, to make cakes for the host of heaven; and they have poured out libations to other gods, that they might provoke me. Who had within raisins, and dates, and some other such things, and these they offered to the idols. And concerning these things he says also through another prophet: "And they loved cakes with raisins." He says, therefore, to the prophet, Do not be vexed that you do not persuade me by your intercession. For while you are pleading, they provoke me, the whole populace caring for the worship of demons. Then he shows that he himself receives no harm from their lawlessness, but they themselves through it draw destruction upon themselves. And he says: 19. Do they provoke me, says the Lord, and not themselves, so that their faces may be put to shame? And he also speaks of the manner of the shame; for he threatens not only the destruction of men, but also of cattle, and the ruin of plants, and the desolation of the land; and he also forbids the worship according to the law. 21, 22, 23. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Gather your whole burnt offerings together with your sacrifices, and eat flesh. For I did not speak to your fathers, nor did I command them in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, concerning the matter of whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this word I commanded them, saying: Hearken to my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people, and you shall walk in all my ways, which I command you, that it may be well with you. And it has been shown through these things that the superfluous parts of the law were added because of the weakness of the Jews. For since they learned in Egypt to sacrifice to idols, wishing to turn them away from those (for through all the prophets he rejects these things, but) condescending to their weakness, he says, "Eat flesh," instead of, "Also rejecting the sacrifices, I will not forbid you to partake of meats." For even in the 81.553 law he decrees, for those wishing in their own cities or villages meats

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παράπαν οὐκ ὠφε λήσουσιν ὑμᾶς λέγοντες, Ναὸς Κυρίου, ναὸς Κυρίου, ναὸς Κυρίου ἐστίν. Ἐξαπατῶντες γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἔλεγον, Πῶς δυνατόν τινα τοῦ θείου μὲν νεὼ περιγενέσθαι; Αὐτὸς δὲ αὐτοῖς παρεγγυᾷ μὴ τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις θαῤῥεῖν· ἀλλ' ἀσπάσασθαι τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον τοῦ βίου μεταβολὴν, καὶ κρίσεις φοβεῖσθαι, καὶ κηδεμονίας ἀξιῶσαι τοὺς ταύτης δεο μένους, καὶ παύσασθαι τῆς προτέρας μιαιφονίας, καὶ τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων θεραπείας. Ταῦτα γὰρ, φησὶ, ποιοῦντες, οὐκ ἔσεσθε μέτοικοι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς πα τρῴας μενεῖτε γῆς. Τἀναντία δὲ τολμῶντες, καὶ διὰ πάσης παρανομίας ὁδεύοντες, τρυγήσετε καταλλή λους τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων καρπούς· οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὴν ψευδῆ μεταμέλειαν ἀποβλέπω, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῶν ψευδῶν ἀνέχομαι λόγων· ὁρῶ γὰρ ἅπαντα τὰ γινόμενα. "Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγὼ ἑώρακα, λέγει Κύριος." Οὐκ ἀνέξομαι δὲ οὐδὲ τὸν ἀφιερωμένον μοι οἶκον λῃστῶν εἶναι καταγώγιον. Εἶτα ἀπὸ τῶν γεγενημένων πι στοῦται τὰ εἰρημένα. ιβʹ. Ὅτι πορεύθητε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν μου τὸν ἐν Σιλὼμ, οὗ κατεσκήνωσα τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐκεῖ ἔμπροσθεν, καὶ ἴδετε ἃ ἐποίησα αὐτῷ ἀπὸ προσ ώπου κακίας λαοῦ μου Ἰσραήλ. Ὁ Σιλὼμ χωρίον ἐστὶν ἐν ταῖς δέκα φυλαῖς διακείμενον· τῶν δὲ Ἀσσυρίων ἐπιστρατευσάντων ἐκείναις, ἠφανίσθη καὶ τοῦτο. Παρακελεύεται τοίνυν ὁ ∆εσπότης, μὴ τῷ ναῷ θαῤῥεῖν, ἀλλὰ τῇ κατὰ νόμον ζωῇ. Οὗ δὴ χάριν ἐπάγει, ὅτι καὶ ὁ οἶκος τὰ αὐτὰ πείσεται καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὑτῶν δέξονται τιμωρίαν. ιεʹ. Ἀποῤῥίψω γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ προσώπου μου, καθὼς ἀπέῤῥιψα τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὑμῶν, ἅπαν τὸ σπέρμα τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. Ἀπαγορεύει δὲ καὶ τῷ 81.552 προφήτῃ μηδεμίαν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν πρεσβείαν προσενεγ κεῖν. "Οὐ γὰρ ἀκούσομαί σου, φησί" Καὶ διδά σκων, ὡς δικαίως αὐτοὺς ἀποστρέφεται, ἐπ ήγαγεν· ιζʹ, ιηʹ. Ἦ οὐχ ὁρᾷς, τί οὗτοι ποιοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐν ταῖς διόδοις Ἱερουσαλήμ; Οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν συλλέγουσι ξύλα, καὶ οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν καίουσι πῦρ, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐ τῶν τρίβουσι στέαρ, τοῦ ποιῆσαι χαυῶνας τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· καὶ ἔσπεισαν σπονδὰς θεοῖς ἑτέροις, ἵνα παροργίσωσί με. Οἳ ἔνδον εἶχον ἀσταφίδας, καὶ φοίνικας, καὶ ἕτερά τινα τοιαῦτα, ταῦτα δὲ τοῖς εἰδώλοις προσέφερον. Περὶ τούτων δὲ καὶ δι' ἑτέρου προφήτου φησί· "Καὶ ἐφίλουν πέμματα μετὰ σταφίδων." Λέγει τοίνυν τῷ προφήτῃ, Μὴ δυσχεράνῃς, ὡς μὴ πείθων με τῇ πρεσβείᾳ. Σοῦ γὰρ ἀντιβολοῦντος ἐκεῖνοι παροξύνουσι πανδημεὶ τῆς τῶν δαιμόνων θεραπείας φροντίζοντες. Ἔπειτα δείκνυσιν, ὡς αὐτὸς μὲν οὐδεμίαν ἐκ τῆς τούτων παρανομίας δέχεται βλάβην, αὐτοὶ δὲ διὰ ταύτης ἐπισπῶνται τὸν ὄλεθρον. Καί φησι· ιθʹ. Μὴ ἐμὲ παροργίζουσι, λέγει Κύριος, οὐχὶ ἑαυτοὺς, ὅπως καταισχυνθῇ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν; Λέγει δὲ καὶ τῆς αἰσχύνης τὸν τρόπον· ἀπειλεῖ γὰρ, οὐ μόνον ἀνθρώπων ὄλεθρον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κτηνῶν, καὶ φυτῶν διαφθορὰν, καὶ γῆς ἐρημίαν· ἀπαγορεύει δὲ καὶ τὴν κατὰ νόμον λατρείαν. καʹ, κβʹ, κγʹ. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· Τὰ ὁλοκαυτώματα ὑμῶν συναγά γετε μετὰ τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν, καὶ φάγετε κρέα. Ὅτι οὐκ ἐλάλησα πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν, οὐδὲ ἐνετειλάμην αὐτοῖς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἀνήγαγον αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, περὶ λόγου ὁλοκαυτωμάτων, καὶ θυσιῶν. Ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ἐνετειλάμην αὐτοῖς, λέγων· Ἀκούσατε τῆς φωνῆς μου, καὶ ἔσομαι ὑμῖν εἰς Θεὸν, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔσεσθέ μοι εἰς λαὸν, καὶ πορεύσεσθε ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς μου, αἷς ἐντέλλομαι ὑμῖν, ὅπως ἂν εὖ ᾖ ὑμῖν. ∆έδεικται δὲ καὶ διὰ τούτων, ὡς τοῦ νόμου τὰ πε ριττὰ προσετέθη διὰ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀσθένειαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμαθον ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ θύειν εἰδώλοις, ἐκείνων αὐτοὺς ἀποστῆσαι βουλόμενος (διὰ πάντων γὰρ αὐτὰ ἐκβάλλει τῶν προφητῶν ἀλλὰ) τῇ τούτων ἀσθενείᾳ συγκαταβαίνων, τὸ, "Φάγετε κρέα, φησὶν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Καὶ τὰς θυσίας ἐκβάλλων, οὐ κωλύσω ὑμᾶς μεταλαμβάνειν κρεῶν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῷ 81.553 νόμῳ διαγορεύει, τοὺς βουλομένους ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν πόλεσιν ἢ κώμαις κρεῶν