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he did not accept repentance. CHAPTER 9. For which reason, indeed, the divine prophet asks for a fountain of tears sufficient for the suffering, so as to lament night and day the evils of his countrymen. He also asks for a certain remote place deep in the farthest part of the desert, and longs to live there, so as not even to hear of the evils committed by the people. For all, he says, undermine one another's marriages, and it is a gathering daring every transgression; for this is what he means by "A company of transgressors." 3. And they bent their tongue like a bow. Contriving deceit, weaving slander, plotting against their neighbor; for this is what he says: "Falsehood and not faith has prevailed upon the earth, for from evils they went on to evils." Through these words he showed the unchangeable nature of their wickedness; for evils, he says, succeed evils; and the cause of these things is the neglect of divine things. For he added this: "And they did not know me, says the Lord." And showing more clearly the wickedness that was their way of life, he advises to trust neither a friend, nor indeed a brother; both of these and those using deceit and treachery, and being stripped of truth. He also adds to the accusation usury, as being practiced contrary to the law. 6. Usury upon usury, and deceit upon deceit. And again he mentions the contempt for God. They did not wish to know me, says the Lord. (7.) Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will refine them, and try them. Here he has called the war a refining and a trying, and the things that spring from it. So also the divine David, speaking on behalf of those in Babylon: "For you, O God, have tried us; you have refined us as silver is refined." But he said those things of the company of the pious; for having been refined, they were shown to be approved; but here the refining exposes the counterfeit. He also recounts the forms of their wickedness, and compares their tongue to an arrow, and says their words are full 81.561 of deceit. For they speak words of peace, he says, but they devise deceitful things. 9. Shall I not visit for these things? says the Lord; or shall not my soul be avenged on such a people? For it would be absurd for such a judge to leave so much wickedness unpunished. For he called the punishment "visitation"; and he has put "my soul" according to human custom; for the divine is not indeed composed of body and soul; for it is uncompounded, and simple, and formless As we are able to hear, he speaks. Then he commands them to lament the desolation of the ways and mountains. For not only, he says, are they deprived of men, but also of cattle, and of birds. For birds frequent inhabited places; but in the deserts there is a great scarcity of them also. He also threatens captivity, and the desolation of the city, and says it will become a dwelling place for dragons. For such beasts are continually destroyed when men are present; but when they are absent they increase and become more numerous. 12. Who is the wise man, that he may understand this, and to whom is the word of the mouth of the Lord? let him tell you for what cause the land has perished; it was set on fire like a desert because it is not passed through. He commands those who have been deemed worthy of divine grace to convict, and to teach the causes of the desolation; and he himself does this, and tells them they have left the law given for salvation, and used vain reasonings, and chosen the worship of idols. 15. Therefore I will feed them the bread of affliction and I will give them the water of gall to drink. Through these things he has shown a bitter and grievous life. 16. And I will scatter them among the nations, where they did not know, neither they, nor their fathers; and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them by it. Through these things he has shown two things

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μεταμέλειαν οὐκ ἐδέ ξατο. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Θʹ. Οὗ δὴ χάριν ὁ θεῖος προφήτης δακρύων αἰτεῖ πηγὴν ἀποχρῶσαν τῷ πάθει, ὥστε νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέ ραν ἀποδύρεσθαι τὰ τῶν ὁμοφύλων κακά. Αἰτεῖ δὲ καὶ ἐσχατιάν τινα ἔνδον ἐν τῷ τέρματι τῆς ἐρήμου, κἀκεῖ διάγειν ἐφίεται· ὥστε μηδὲ ἀκούειν τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ τολμωμένων κακῶν. Ἅπαντες γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς ἀλλήλων διορύττουσι γάμους, καὶ σύλλογός ἐστι πᾶσαν παρανομίαν τολμῶν· τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει "Σύν οδος ἀθετούντων." γʹ. Καὶ ἐνέτειναν τὴν γλῶσσαν αὑτῶν ὡς τόξον. ∆όλον ῥάπτοντες, συκοφαντίαν ὑφαίνον τες, τῷ πλησίον ἐπιβουλεύοντες· τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει· "Ψεῦδος καὶ οὐ πίστις ἐνίσχυσεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἐκ κακῶν κακὰ ἐξῆλθον." Τὸ ἀμετάβλητον τῆς πονηρίας διὰ τούτων ἐδήλωσε· τὰ γὰρ κακὰ, φησὶ, κακὰ διαδέχεται· αἰτία δὲ τούτων ἡ τῶν θείων ἀμέ λεια. Τοῦτο γὰρ προστέθεικεν· "Καὶ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔγνω σαν, φησὶ Κύριος." Καὶ σαφέστερον δεικνὺς τὴν ἐμπολιτευομένην αὐτοῖς πονηρίαν, παραινεῖ μήτε φίλῳ θαῤῥῆσαι, μήτε μὴν ἀδελφῷ· καὶ τούτων κἀ κείνων ἐξαπάτῃ καὶ δόλῳ κεχρημένων, καὶ ἀληθείας γεγυμνωμένων. Προστίθησι δὲ τῇ κατηγορίᾳ καὶ τὸν τόκον, ὡς παρὰ τὸν νόμον τολμώμενον. ϛʹ. Τόκος ἐπὶ τόκῳ, καὶ δόλος ἐπὶ δόλῳ. Καὶ πάλιν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ καταφρονήσεως μέ μνηται. Οὐκ ἠθέλησαν εἰδέναι με, φησὶ Κύριος. (ζʹ.) ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πυρώσω αὐτοὺς, καὶ δοκιμῶ αὐτούς. Πύρω σιν ἐνταῦθα καὶ δοκιμασίαν τὸν πόλεμον κέκληκε, καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖθεν φυόμενα. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεῖος ∆αβὶδ ἐκ προσώπου τῶν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι· "Ὅτι ἐδοκίμασας ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπύρωσας ἡμᾶς, ὡς πυροῦται τὸ ἀργύριον." Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα τῶν εὐσεβῶν ἔφη τὸ τάγμα· πυρωθέν τες γὰρ ἀνεφάνησαν δόκιμοι· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἡ πύρωσις ἐλέγχει τὸ κίβδηλον. ∆ιέξεισι δὲ καὶ τῆς πονηρίας τὰ εἴδη, καὶ βολίδι μὲν ἀπεικάζει τὴν γλῶσσαν, δόλου 81.561 δὲ πλήρεις εἶναι λέγει τοὺς λόγους. Εἰρηνικὰ γὰρ, φησὶ, φθέγγονται, δόλια δὲ βουλεύονται. θʹ. Μὴ ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐκ ἐπισκέψομαι; λέγει Κύριος· ἢ ἐν λαῷ τῷ τοιούτῳ οὐκ ἐκδικήσει ἡ ψυχή μου; Ἄτοπον γὰρ τὸν τοιοῦτον κριτὴν ἀτιμώ ρητον τὴν τοσαύτην πονηρίαν καταλιπεῖν. Ἐπίσκεψιν γὰρ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐκάλεσε· τὸ δὲ "ἡ ψυχή μου" κατὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπειον τέθεικεν ἔθος· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἐκ σώ ματος καὶ ψυχῆς τὸ θεῖον συνῆκται· ἀσύνθετον γάρ ἐστι, καὶ ἁπλοῦν, καὶ ἀνείδεον Ὡς ἀκούειν δυνάμεθα, φθέγγεται. Εἶτα τούτοις αὐτοῖς παρα κελεύεται, καὶ τῶν ὁδῶν καὶ ὀρῶν θρηνῆσαι τὴν ἐρημίαν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον, φησὶ, τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστέ ρηνται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν κτηνῶν, καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν. Τοῖς γὰρ οἰκουμένοις χωρίοις ἐμφιλοχωρεῖ τὰ πε τεινά· ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἐρήμοις καὶ τούτων ἡ σπάνις πολλή. Ἀπειλεῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν, καὶ τῆς πόλεως τὴν ἐρημίαν, καὶ γενήσεσθαι αὐτὴν λέγει κατοικη τήριον δρακόντων. Τὰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα θηρία παρόντων μὲν ἀνθρώπων συνεχῶς ἀναιρεῖται· ἀπόντων δὲ αὔ ξεται καὶ πλείονα γίνεται. ιβʹ. Τίς ἄνθρωπος ὃς σοφὸς, καὶ συνήτω ταῦτα, καὶ ὁ λόγος στόματος Κυρίου πρὸς αὐτόν; ἀναγγειλάτω ὑμῖν ἕνεκεν τίνος ἀπώλετο ἡ γῆ· ἀνήφθη ὡς ἔρημος παρὰ τὸ μὴ διοδεύεσθαι αὐτήν. Τοῖς τῆς θείας ἠξιωμένοις χάριτος ἐλέγχειν κελεύει, καὶ τῆς ἐρημίας τὰς αἰτίας διδάσκειν· καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ τοῦτο ποιεῖ, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς καταλιπεῖν μὲν τὸν ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ δεδομένον νόμον, τοῖς δὲ μα ταίοις χρήσασθαι λογισμοῖς, καὶ τῶν εἰδώλων προ ελέσθαι τὴν θεραπείαν. ιεʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐγὼ ψωμίζω αὐτοὺς ἄρτον ἀνάγ κης καὶ ποτίσω αὐτοὺς ὕδωρ χολῆς. Τὴν πικρὰν καὶ ἀνιαρὰν ζωὴν διὰ τούτων δεδήλωκε. ιϛʹ. Καὶ διασκορπιῶ αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἐν οἷς οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον αὐτοὶ, καὶ οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τὴν μάχαιραν, ἕως οὗ ἐξαναλώσω αὐτοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ. ∆ύο διὰ τού των δεδήλωκε