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my wrath upon all its multitude. Since you think, he says, that the things foretold by me are false, use your trumpets, think that you are stronger than all; but you will gain nothing from this; for you will not have those who are able to fight; for I bring every kind of punishment upon all together. 15. The war, and the sword outside, and famine, and death inside. He who is in the field will die by the sword, and those in the city, famine and death will consume. How then, he says, will you be able to fight, being surrounded by so many and so great evils? 16. And they who escape from them shall be saved, he says, and they shall be on the mountains, like doves that practice mourning. For by lamenting and mourning they will be compared to mourning doves; for the voice of doves is like groaning. "All," he says, "I will kill, each one in his own iniquities." I will not bring the punishment unjustly, but I will demand from each the penalties they deserve. 17. All hands shall be feeble, and all thighs shall be defiled with moisture. Each is a sign of cowardice. 18. And they shall gird themselves with sackcloths, and amazement shall cover them, and on every face shall be shame, and on every head baldness. For when, he says, they see the cloud of the evils brought upon them, and no help appearing from any quarter, then in despair they will cast away their weapons of war, and take on the habit of mourning; for this reason he mentioned sackcloth, and a shaven head; for these things those who mourn at that time are accustomed to practice. 81.877 19. And their silver shall be cast in the streets, and their gold shall be despised. Then he also teaches the reason for the contempt of their money. "For their silver, and their gold, cannot deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath." For seeing that the possession of silver and gold is unprofitable, they will disregard them when cast away, no longer keeping their former watch over them. "Their souls shall not be filled, and their bellies shall not be filled; because it has become a torment for their iniquities." For what benefit will gold or silver provide them, when famine wars against them, and the lack of necessities is at hand, because of which their stomachs are empty of food, and their souls long for provisions, and the torment and examination of their iniquities comes to pass? Then again he teaches the causes of the punishment. 20. They set the choice ornaments for pride, and they made out of them images of their abominations and offenses. For they took gold, and silver, and precious stones, as material for arrogance and impiety together, on the one hand fashioning for themselves costly ornament from them, and on the other hand spending most of it on the making of idols. For this reason, he says, I have given it to them for uncleanness. (21, 22.) And I will give them into the hands of strangers to plunder them, and to the pests of the earth for spoils, and they shall profane them. And I will turn my face away from them. He called the Babylonians pests of the earth, being most cruel and most lawless, and nurtured in all impiety; To these, he says, I will deliver up the gold and silver idols which you have made, and the costly ornament which you made for yourselves. And they shall profane them; that is, they will use your precious idols for another construction. And they shall defile my watch-place, and they shall enter into it unguardedly, and they shall profane it. (23.) And they shall make a mixture. He calls the temple dedicated to him his watch-place, from where he was seen to watch over Israel, and to deem it worthy of his providence. But I will deliver up, he says, not only their idols to the Babylonians, but also the temple dedicated to me, from where I kept watch over you. "And they shall enter into it unguardedly;" instead of, not having been purified, nor cleansed according to the law, nor having first received circumcision, but with bloody equipment, clothed in the panoply of war, slaying within, and daring even the innermost sanctuaries; for he indicated this, by saying, "And they shall profane it, and they shall make a mixture." Then also the

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ὀργή μου εἰς πᾶν τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῆς. Ἐπειδὴ νομίζετε, φησὶ, ψευδῆ εἶναι τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ προλεγόμενα, χρήσασθε ταῖς σάλπιγξι ταῖς ὑμετέ ραις, νομίσατε πάντων εἶναι κρείττους· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν ὠφεληθήσεσθε· οὐχ ἕξετε γὰρ τοὺς πολε μῆσαι δυναμένους· κοινῇ γὰρ πᾶσι τὴν παντοδαπὴν ἐπιφέρω τιμωρίαν. ιεʹ. Ὁ πόλεμος, καὶ ἡ ῥομφαία ἔξωθεν, καὶ ὁ λιμὸς, καὶ ὁ θάνατος ἔσωθεν. Ὁ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ τελευτήσει, τοὺς δὲ ἐν τῇ πόλει λι μὸς καὶ θάνατος συντελέσει. Πῶς τοίνυν, φησὶ, δυνήσεσθε πολεμεῖν, ὑπὸ τοσούτων καὶ τηλικούτων κακῶν περιστοιχιζόμενοι; ι ϛʹ. Καὶ ἀνασωθήσονται, φησὶν, οἱ ἀνασωζό μενοι ἐξ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔσονται ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων, ὡς περιστεραὶ μελετητικαί. Ὀδυρόμενοι γὰρ καὶ θρηνοῦντες περιστεραῖς μελετώσαις ἀπεικασθή σονται· στένουσι γὰρ ἔοικε τῶν περιστερῶν ἡ φωνή. "Πάντας, φησὶν, ἀποκτενῶ, ἕκαστον ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις αὑτοῦ." Οὐκ ἀδίκως ἐπάξω τὴν τιμωρίαν, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἀξίας ἕκαστον ἀπαιτήσω δίκας. ιζʹ. Πᾶσαι χεῖρες ἐκλυθήσονται, καὶ πάντες μηροὶ μολυνθήσονται ὑγρασίᾳ. Ἑκάτερον τῆς δειλίας σημεῖον. ιηʹ. Καὶ περιζώσονται σάκκους, καὶ καλύψει αὐτοὺς θάμβος, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶν πρόσωπον αἰ σχύνη, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν κεφαλὴν φαλάκρω μα. Ὅταν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἴδωσι τῶν ἐπιφερομένων κα κῶν τὸ νέφος, καὶ οὐδεμίαν οὐδαμόθεν ἀναφαινο μένην βοήθειαν, τότε ἀπαγορεύοντες ῥίψουσι μὲν τὰ πολεμικὰ ὅπλα, τὸ δὲ πένθιμον ἀναλήψονται σχῆμα· διὸ καὶ σάκκου ἐμνημόνευσε, καὶ κεφαλῆς ἐξυρημέ νης· ταῦτα γὰρ εἰώθασιν οἱ τηνικάδε πενθοῦντες ἐπιτηδεύειν. 81.877 ιθʹ. Καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ῥιφήσεται, καὶ τὸ χρυσίον αὐτῶν ὑπεροφθήσε ται. Εἶτα καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς τῶν χρημάτων ὑπεροψίας διδάσκει. "Τὸ γὰρ ἀργύριον αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸ χρυσίον, οὐ δύναται ἐξελέσθαι αὐτοὺς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς Κυρίου." Ὁρῶντες γὰρ ἀνόνητον τοῦ ἀργυρίου καὶ τοῦ χρυσίου τὴν κτῆσιν, περιόψονται αὐτὰ ἐῤ ῥιμμένα, οὐκέτι τὴν προτέραν ποιούμενοι φυλακήν. "Αἱ ψυχαὶ αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ ἐμπλησθῶσι, καὶ αἱ κοιλίαι αὐτῶν οὐ πληρωθῶσι· διότι βάσανος τῶν ἀδικιῶν αὐτῶν ἐγένετο. Ποίαν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὄνησιν παρέξει χρυσὸς ἢ ἄργυρος, λιμοῦ πολεμοῦντος, καὶ τῆς σπάνεως τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐπικειμένης, δι' ἣν κεναὶ μὲν τροφῆς αἱ γαστέρες, αἱ δὲ ψυχαὶ τῶν σιτίων ἐφίενται, ἡ δὲ βάσανος καὶ ἡ ἐξέτασις τῶν ἀδικιῶν αὐτῶν γίνεται; Εἶτα διδάσκει πάλιν τὰς αἰτίας τῆς τιμωρίας. κʹ. Ἐκλεκτὰ κόσμου εἰς ὑπερηφανίαν ἔθεντο αὐτὰ, καὶ εἰκόνας τῶν βδελυγμάτων αὐτῶν καὶ προσοχθισμάτων ἐποίησαν ἐξ αὐτῶν. Τὸν γὰρ χρυσὸν, καὶ τὸν ἄργυρον, καὶ τοὺς τιμίους λίθους, ὕλην ἔσχον ἀλαζονείας ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀσεβείας, πολυτελῆ μὲν κόσμον ἑαυτοῖς ἐκεῖθεν κατασκευάζοντες, εἰς εἰδώλων δὲ ἐργασίαν τὰ πλεῖστα δαπανῶντες. Ἕνεκεν τούτου, φησὶ, δέδωκα αὐτὰ αὐτοῖς εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν. (καʹ, κβʹ.) Καὶ παραδώσω αὐτὰ εἰς χεῖρας ἀλλοτρίων τοῦ διαρπάσαι αὐτὰ, καὶ τοῖς λοιμοῖς τῆς γῆς εἰς σκῦλα, καὶ βεβηλώσουσιν αὐτά. Καὶ ἀποστρέψω τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἀπ' αὐτῶν. Λοιμοὺς δὲ τῆς γῆς τοὺς Βαβυλωνίους ἐκά λεσεν, ὠμοτάτους ὄντας καὶ παρανομωτάτους, καὶ δυσσεβείᾳ πάσῃ συντεθραμμένους· Τούτοις, φησὶ, παραδώσω ἃ κατεσκευάσατε χρυσᾶ εἴδωλα καὶ ἀρ γυρᾶ, καὶ ὃν ἐποιήσατε ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς πολυτελῆ κόσμον. Καὶ βεβηλώσουσιν αὐτά· τουτέστι, Τοῖς τιμίοις ὑμῶν εἰδώλοις εἰς ἑτέραν χρήσονται κατα σκευήν. Καὶ μιανοῦσι τὴν ἐπισκοπήν μου, καὶ εἰσ ελεύσονται εἰς αὐτὰ ἀφυλάκτως, καὶ βεβηλώ σουσιν αὐτά. (κγʹ.) Καὶ ποιήσουσι φυρμόν. Ἐπισκοπὴν αὑτοῦ τὸν ἀφιερωμένον αὐτῷ προσαγο ρεύει νεὼν, ὅθεν ἐπισκοπεῖν ἐδόκει τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ προνοίας αὐτὸν ἀξιοῦν. Παραδώσω δὲ, φησὶν, οὐ μόνον τὰ εἴδωλα αὐτῶν τοῖς Βαβυλωνίοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀφιερωμένον μοι νεὼν, ὅθεν ἐπισκοπὴν ἐποιούμην ὑμῶν. "Καὶ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς αὐτὸν ἀφυλάκτως·" ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὐχ ἡγνισμένοι, οὐδὲ κεκα θαρμένοι κατὰ τὸν νόμον, οὐδὲ περιτομὴν δεχόμενοι πρότερον, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῆς ὑφαίμου σκευῆς, τὴν πολεμικὴν περικείμενοι πανοπλίαν, ἔνδον ἀναιροῦν τες, καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ἀδύτων κατατολμῶντες· τοῦτο γὰρ παρεδήλωσεν, εἰπὼν, "Καὶ βεβηλώσουσιν αὐτὰ, καὶ ποιήσουσι φυρμόν." Εἶτα καὶ τὴν