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cause; for this is what the consequences show. "The runner has ceased from his running, as a horse sweating in its neighing." But the Syrian translated it thus: "All go by their own opinion, as a horse rushing into war." For having abandoned the divine law, they follow their own reasonings. According to the Greek language, however, it must be understood that of the race there is no season and no satiety; for even a horse, using its momentum and neighing, sweats after the exertion; but these have had no satiety of evils. With this thought the following also agrees. 7. And the stork in the heaven knew her time; the turtledove, and the cicada, and the swallow, sparrows of the field, have observed the times of their coming; but my people have not known the words of the Lord. From the irrational creatures he heightened the accusation; for, he says, the birds know the difference of the seasons; and now they migrate here, now there, finding by nature what is needful; but these, though partaking of reason, do not reap the benefit of the law. The asida, however, is a bird; and some say that the kite is so called. 81.557 8. How will you say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? It is the height of folly not to perceive one's own madness, nor, while transgressing the law, to be aware of the sin; "In vain was the false pen made for the Scribes." He often calls the inheritance a measuring line and a portion; and he says that this benefits nothing from the letters of the law, because they have loved falsehood. For this reason, he says, those who call themselves wise shall be put to shame. 10. And I will give their women to others, and their fields to the heirs. He called the enemies heirs, as having received mastery of their possession. And he says he will do this, because of the common transgression of all, of priests and also of false prophets, who, by promising peace, prevented the people from repenting. He also threatens them with barrenness of the land, and cowardice, and flight. He calls the enemies deadly serpents, which, he says, it is not possible to charm; for they do not yield to our entreaties. Then he also foretells the captivity. 19. Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a land far off. Then in the form of a question: "Is not the Lord in Zion, or is her king not there?" Everywhere, he says, the God of all is present; why then did he hand them over to their enemies? "Because they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities." The cause of these evils, he says, was your conduct contrary to the law, and the impious worship of idols. 20. The summer has passed, the harvest is over, and we have not been saved. Through these words he has indicated the long time of the siege, and the seventy-year bondage. But it is fitting for us to make their discipline an occasion for our benefit. For whatever was written before, according to the divine Apostle, "was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope;" may we attain to it in Christ Jesus our Lord; with whom to the Father is due glory and power, with the all-holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. VOLUME III. 21. For the ruin of the daughter of my people I am ruined. I was darkened in distress; pangs have seized me, as of a woman in labor. The prophet laments both the transgressions dared by the people, and he recounts the calamities brought upon them on account of these things. He calls the city the daughter of the people; for they themselves built it; and by crushing, he means the wound from sin. 81.560 22. Is there no balm in Gilead, or are there no physicians there? Why has the healing of the daughter of my people not come up? He calls the priests physicians, and the balm, figuratively, spiritual teaching. And Gilead was a priestly city; he finds fault, therefore, that although there were priests and commandments of the law, the city persisted in transgressing, and

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πρόξενος· τοῦτο γὰρ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα δηλοῖ. "∆ιέλιπεν ὁ τρέχων ἀπὸ τοῦ δρόμου αὑτοῦ, ὡς ἵπ πος κάθιδρος ἐν χρεμετισμῷ αὑτοῦ." Τοῦτο δὲ ὁ Σύρος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσε· "Πάντες τῇ γνώμῃ αὑτῶν πορεύονται, ὡς ἵππος ὁρμῶν εἰς πόλεμον." Τὸν γὰρ θεῖον καταλιπόντες νόμον, τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἕπον ται λογισμοῖς. Κατὰ μέντοι τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν, νοη τέον ὅτι καὶ τοῦ δρόμου οὐκ ἔστι καιρὸς καὶ κόρος· καὶ γὰρ ἵππος ὁρμῇ χρώμενος, καὶ χρεμετισμῷ, μετὰ τὸν κόπον ἱδροῖ· οὗτοι δὲ κόρον οὐκ ἔλαβον τῶν κακῶν. Ταύτῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς συμφωνεῖ. ζʹ. Καὶ ἡ ἀσίδα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἔγνω τὸν και ρὸν αὑτῆς· τρυγὼν, καὶ τέττιξ, καὶ χελιδὼν, ἀγροῦ στρουθία, ἐφύλαξαν καιροὺς εἰσόδων αὑτῶν· ὁ δὲ λαός μου οὐκ ἔγνω τὰ ῥήματα Κυρίου. Ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλόγων τὴν κατηγορίαν ηὔξησεν· οἶδε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ πετεινὰ τῶν ὡρῶν τὴν διαφοράν· καὶ νῦν μὲν ὧδε, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖ μεταβαίνει, φύσει τὸ χρειῶδες εὑρίσκοντα· οὗτοι δὲ, λόγου μεταλαχόντες, τοῦ νόμου τὴν ὠφέλειαν οὐ δρέπονται. Ἡ μέντοι ἀσίδα, ὄρνεόν ἐστι· τινὲς δέ φασι τὸν ἰκτῖνον οὕτω καλεῖσθαι. 81.557 ηʹ. Πῶς ἐρεῖτε, ὅτι Σοφοί ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς, καὶ νόμος Κυρίου ἔστι μεθ' ἡμῶν; Ἀνοίας ἐσχάτης τὸ τῆς οἰκείας παραφροσύνης αἴσθησιν μὴ λαμβάνειν, μηδὲ παρανομοῦντας εἰδέναι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· "Εἰς μάτην ἐγενήθη σχοῖνος ψευδὴς Γραμματεῦσιν." Σχοῖνον καὶ σχοίνισμα τὴν κληρονομίαν πολλάκις καλεῖ· λέγει δὲ ταύτην μηδὲν ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ νόμου γραμμάτων ὠφελεῖσθαι, διὰ τὸ ἠγαπηκέναι τὸ ψεῦδος. Τούτου χάριν, φησὶ, καταισχυνθήσονται οἱ σοφοὺς ἑαυτοὺς ὀνομάζοντες. ιʹ. Καὶ δώσω τὰς γυναῖκας αὐτῶν ἑτέροις, καὶ τοὺς ἀγροὺς αὐτῶν τοῖς κληρονόμοις. Κληρονό μους τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκάλεσεν, ὡς τῆς ἐκείνων κτή σεως δεξαμένους τὴν δεσποτείαν. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγει ποιήσειν, διὰ τὴν κοινὴν πάντων παρανομίαν ἱερέων τε καὶ ψευδοπροφητῶν, οἳ τὴν εἰρήνην ἐπαγγελλό μενοι, μετανοεῖν ἐκώλυον τὸν λαόν. Ἀπειλεῖ δὲ αὐ τοῖς καὶ ἀκαρπίαν γῆς, καὶ δειλίαν, καὶ φυγήν. Ὄφεις δὲ θανατοῦντας αὐτοὺς καλεῖ τοὺς πολεμίους, οἷς οὐκ ἔστι, φησὶν, ἐπᾷσαι· ταῖς γὰρ ἡμετέραις οὐκ εἴκουσι παρακλήσεσιν. Εἶτα καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλω σίαν προλέγει. ιθʹ. Ἰδοὺ φωνὴ κραυγῆς θυγατρὸς λαοῦ μου ἀπὸ γῆς μακρόθεν. Ἔπειτα κατ' ἐρώτησιν· "Μὴ Κύριος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν Σιὼν, ἢ βασιλεὺς αὐτῆς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ;" Πανταχοῦ, φησὶ, πάρεστιν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός· τί δήποτε τοίνυν αὐτοὺς τοῖς πολεμίοις παρ έδωκε; "∆ιότι παρώργισάν με ἐν τοῖς γλυπτοῖς αὑ τῶν, καὶ ἐν ματαίοις ἀλλοτρίοις." Τούτων, φησὶν, αἰτία τῶν κακῶν ἡ παρὰ τὸν νόμον ὑμῖν ἐγένετο πολιτεία, καὶ ἡ δυσσεβὴς τῶν εἰδώλων λατρεία. κʹ. ∆ιῆλθε θέρος, καὶ παρῆλθεν ἀμητὸς, καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐ διεσώθημεν. Τὸν μακρὸν τῆς πολιορκίας χρόνον, καὶ τὴν ἑβδομηκοντοῦτιν δουλείαν διὰ τού των δεδήλωκεν. Ἡμᾶς δὲ προσήκει τὴν τούτων παιδείαν ἀφορμὴν ὠφελείας ποιήσασθαι. Ὅσα γὰρ προεγράφη, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον, "Εἰς ἡμετέ ραν διδασκαλίαν προεγράφη, ἵνα διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς, καὶ τῆς παρακλήσεως τῶν Γραφῶν, τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχωμεν·" ἧς ἐπιτύχωμεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν· μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα πρέπει, καὶ τὸ κράτος, σὺν τῷ παναγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΤΟΜΟΣ Γʹ. καʹ. Ἐπὶ συντρίμματι θυγατρὸς λαοῦ μου συνετρίβην. Ἐσκοτώθην ἀπορίᾳ ἐγώ· κατ ίσχυσάν με ὠδῖνες, ὡς τικτούσης. Ὁ προφήτης ὀδύρεται καὶ τὰς τολμηθείσας ὑπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ παρα νομίας, καὶ τὰς ἐπενεχθείσας αὐτοῖς τούτων ἕνεκα 81.560 συμφορὰς διηγεῖται. Θυγατέρα δὲ λαοῦ τὴν πόλιν καλεῖ· αὐτοὶ γὰρ αὐτὴν ᾠκοδόμησαν· συντριβὴν δὲ, τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πληγήν. κβʹ. Μὴ ῥητίνη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν Γαλαὰδ, ἢ ἰατροὶ οὐκ εἰσὶν ἐκεῖ; ∆ιατὶ οὐκ ἀνέβη ἴασις θυγατρὸς λαοῦ μου; Ἰατροὺς καλεῖ τοὺς ἱερέας, ῥητίνην δὲ τροπικῶς τὴν πνευματικὴν διδασκαλίαν. Γαλαὰδ δὲ πόλις ἦν ἱερατική· ἐπιμέμφεται τοίνυν, ὅτι καὶ ἱερέων ὄντων, καὶ νομικῶν ἐνταλμάτων, ἐπέμεινεν ἡ πόλις πλημμελοῦσα, καὶ