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of punishment, the slaughter in war, and life in captivity; for those who fled the war they led away as captives. And increasing their fear, he commands that the wailing women also be called, and to let loose floods of tears. He also instructs the women, since joy no longer has a place, to teach their daughters to wail; and he adds the cause of the wailing. 21. For death has come up through your windows; it has entered into your land, to wipe out the infants from within, and the young men from the streets. 81.564 He calls the devices of error 'windows'; for through those they received error, and the plague brought upon them through it. And one would not be wrong to name as windows of the soul the senses of the body: sight, and taste, and smell, and hearing, and touch; for through these it is possible for both life and death to enter. For he who sees chastely reaps life, but he who sees licentiously, harvests death; and the truthful tongue brings about the soul’s salvation, but the lying one contrives destruction; and it is easy to understand the others in like manner. 22. Thus says the Lord: And the dead bodies of men shall be for an example upon the face of the field of your land, and as grass behind the reaper, and there shall be no one to gather them. The things happening to you will be an occasion for much benefit; for this is what he calls an example. And the phrase, "As grass behind the reaper," indicates the unspeakable number of the dead; and since there were some among them, some boasting in wealth, others in wisdom, and others in bodily strength, he exhorts them not to be proud of these things, but in the knowledge of God, and in just action; and since they were also very proud of circumcision, repressing their arrogance, he shows that many other nations are also circumcised; and he foretells their future calling and salvation. 25, 26. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised in their uncircumcision. Upon Egypt, and upon Judah, and upon Edom, and upon the sons of Ammon, and upon the sons of Moab, and upon all those who clip the hair of their temples, those who dwell in the desert. The Idumeans, descending from Esau, were circumcised according to the law given to Abraham; the Ammonites and Moabites, being neighbors, emulated their kinsmen; and those from Ishmael and Keturah were also circumcised according to the ancestral law; He therefore calls them 'those who clip the hair of their temples'; for they are accustomed to pluck the hair from their cheeks. And the sojourning of the people taught the Egyptians circumcision; and he joined Judah with them, suppressing their pride. And in what follows he makes a greater accusation against them: "For all the nations are uncircumcised in the flesh, but the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in their hearts." Therefore the old Scriptures also teach both the benefit of spiritual circumcision and the shame of physical uncircumcision. For he did not accuse the uncircumcised nations, but the Jews who, while circumcising the body, had an uncircumcised heart. CHAPTER 10. 2. Thus says the Lord: Do not learn the ways of the nations, and do not be afraid of the signs of heaven. He calls the old error 'the ways of the nations'; and he has called astronomy and astrology 'the signs of heaven', which he does not permit them to follow, but to trust in the Lord of heaven. And he mocks the construction of idols, and says that some are made from wood, others from gold and silver, and require a hammer, and nails, and the other tools; and they also require skill, and the hands of those who understand these things; and that the silver is mined from here, and the gold from there. And he calls Tarshish Carthage; and this one is praised most of all

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τιμωρίας, τὴν ἐν πολέμῳ σφαγὴν, καὶ τὴν ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ζωήν· τοὺς γὰρ τὸν πόλεμον δια φυγόντας δορυαλώτους ἀπήγαγον. Ἐπαύξων δὲ αὐ τοῖς τὸ δέος, κελεύει καὶ τὰς θρηνούσας κληθῆναι, καὶ δακρύων ἀφιέναι κρουνούς. Παρεγγυᾷ δὲ καὶ ταῖς γυναιξὶν, ὡς οὐκέτι χώραν ἐχούσης τῆς εὐφρο σύνης, διδάσκειν θρηνῆσαι τὰς θυγατέρας· ἐπάγει δὲ καὶ τῶν θρήνων τὴν αἰτίαν. καʹ. Ὅτι ἀνέβη θάνατος διὰ τῶν θυρίδων ὑμῶν· εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν γῆν ὑμῶν, τοῦ ἐκτρίψαι νήπια ἔσωθεν, καὶ νεανίσκους ἀπὸ τῶν πλατειᾶν. 81.564 Θυρίδας καλεῖ τῆς πλάνης τὰς ἐπινοίας· δι' ἐκείνων γὰρ τὴν πλάνην ἐδέξαντο, καὶ τὴν διὰ ταύτης ἐπεν εχθεῖσαν πληγήν. Οὐκ ἂν δέ τις ἁμάρτοι θυρίδας τῆς ψυχῆς ὀνομάσας τὰ τοῦ σώματος αἰσθητήρια, ὄψιν, καὶ γεῦσιν, καὶ ὄσφρησιν, καὶ ἀκοὴν, καὶ ἁφήν· διὰ τούτων γὰρ δυνατὸν, καὶ ζωὴν, καὶ θάνατον εἰσελθεῖν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ σωφρόνως βλέπων καρποῦται ζωὴν, ὁ δὲ ἀκολάστως, δρέπεται θάνατον· καὶ ἡ ἀληθεύ ουσα γλῶττα προξενεῖ τῆς ψυχῆς σωτηρίαν, ἡ δὲ ψευδομένη τὸν ὄλεθρον πραγματεύεται· καὶ τ' ἄλλα δὲ ὁμοίως καταμαθεῖν εὐπετές. κβʹ. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Καὶ ἔσονται οἱ νεκροὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παράδειγμα ἐπὶ προσώπου τοῦ πεδίου τῆς γῆς ὑμῶν, καὶ ὡς χόρτος ὀπίσω θερίζοντος, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ συνάγων. Πολλῆς ὠφελείας ἔσται πρόφασις τὰ εἰς ὑμᾶς γινόμενα· τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει παράδειγμα· τὸ δὲ, "Ὡς χόρτος ὀπίσω θερίζοντος," δηλοῖ τὸ ἄφατον τῶν νεκρῶν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἦσάν τινες ἐν αὐτοῖς, οἱ μὲν αὐχοῦντες ἐπὶ πλούτῳ, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ, ἄλλοι δὲ ἐπὶ ῥώμῃ σώμα τος, παραινεῖ μὴ ἐπὶ τούτοις σεμνύνεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ θεογνωσίᾳ, καὶ πράξει δικαίᾳ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ περιτομῇ μέγα ἐφρόνουν, τὴν ὀφρὺν αὐτῶν κατα στέλλων, δείκνυσι καὶ ἄλλα ἔθνη πλεῖστα περιτεμνό μενα· προλέγει δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐσομένην αὐτῶν κλῆσιν καὶ σωτηρίαν. κεʹ, κϛʹ. Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ ἐπισκέψομαι ἐπὶ πάντας περιτετμημένους ἀκροβυστίας αὑτῶν. Ἐπ' Αἴγυπτον, καὶ ἐπὶ Ἰούδαν, καὶ ἐπὶ Ἐδὼμ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἀμμὼν, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς Μωὰβ, καὶ ἐπὶ πάν τας τοὺς περικειρομένους τὸ κατὰ πρόσωπον αὑτῶν, τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Ἰδουμαῖοι μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἡσαῦ τὸ γένος κατάγοντες, κατὰ τὸν δοθέντα τῷ Ἀβραὰμ περιετέμνοντο νόμον· Ἀμμανῖται δὲ, καὶ Μωαβῖται, ὡς γειτνιάζοντες ἐζήλωσαν τὴν συγγένειαν· οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰσμαὴλ καὶ τῆς Χετούρας, κατὰ τὸν προγονικὸν καὶ αὐτοὶ περιετέ μνοντο νόμον· αὐτοὺς οὖν καλεῖ περικειρομένους τὸ κατὰ πρόσωπον αὑτῶν· εἰώθασι γὰρ τῶν παρειῶν παρατίλλειν τὰς τρίχας· Αἰγυπτίους δὲ ἡ τοῦ λαοῦ προσενοίκησις ἐδίδαξε τὴν περιτομήν· συνῆψε δὲ αὐτοῖς τὸν Ἰούδαν, καταστέλλων τὸν τύφον. Ἐν δέ γε τοῖς ἑξῆς μείζονα αὐτῶν ποιεῖται κατηγορίαν· "Ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἀπερίτμητα σαρκὶ, καὶ πᾶς οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ ἀπερίτμητοι καρδίας αὑτῶν." ∆ι δάσκει τοίνυν καὶ τὰ παλαιὰ Γράμματα, καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς περιτομῆς τὸ ὠφέλιμον, καὶ τὸ τῆς σωματικῆς ἀκροβυστίας ἀνείδεον. Οὐ γὰρ τῶν ἀπεριτμήτων ἐθνῶν κατηγόρησεν· ἀλλ' Ἰουδαίων τὸ μὲν σῶμα περιτεμνομένων, ἀπερίτμητον δὲ τὴν καρδίαν ἐχόντων. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Ιʹ. βʹ. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν μὴ μανθάνετε, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν σημείων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μὴ φοβεῖσθε. Ὁδοὺς ἐθνῶν τὴν παλαιὰν καλεῖ πλάνην· τὴν δὲ ἀστρονομίαν καὶ ἀστρολογίαν, σημεῖα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κέκληκεν, οἷς ἀκολουθεῖν οὐκ ἐᾷ, ἀλλὰ τῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πιστεύειν ∆εσπότῃ. Κωμ ωδεῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων κατασκευὴν, καὶ λέγει τὰ μὲν ἐκ ξύλου, τὰ δὲ ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου κατ εσκευᾶσθαι καὶ δεῖσθαι σφύρας, καὶ ἥλων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὀργάνων· δεῖσθαι δὲ καὶ τέχνης, καὶ χειρῶν τῶν ταῦτα ἐπισταμένων· καὶ ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἀργύριον ἐκ τῆσδε μεταλλεύεται, τὸ δὲ χρυσίον ἐκ τῆσδε. Θαρσὶς δὲ τὴν Καρχηδόνα καλεῖ· ἐπαινεῖται δὲ μάλιστα οὗτος ὁ