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incarnation, and that this one himself, having fallen, would sleep and be raised up through the passion of death and the resurrection, the divine Israel first clearly foretold there. And that a ruler would not fail from Judah, nor a leader, until, he says, he should come for whom it is reserved, that is, Christ, who is truly the expectation of the nations; who, having taken away from the Jews all their boasting in kingship and leadership and all ruling authority, and having taken upon himself as the Almighty all power over all things, also grants this to whom he wishes. This one bound to his vine, which is the holy churches from the circumcision, the colt of the ass, the churches from the nations, in the tendril of the vine, that is, in the spirit of love. This one will wash his garment and the cloak of his body, as if dipped in wine, in the blood of the grape, in his own blood, that is, he will change it from natural corruption to incorruption, being bloodied on the cross and rising from the dead unstained and incorruptible. His eyes are also bright, as if filled with the wine of the Holy Spirit, and his teeth are whiter than milk, showing forth the exceedingly brilliant and most pure nature of his words. Zebulun, choosing 1.71 to dwell by the sea toward a harbor of ships, will extend his dwelling to the city of Sidon. And Issachar, seeing the land in the midst of the lots, that it is fertile, that it is fruitful and good, will choose to labor and will be a man of the soil. And Dan, he says, will judge his people, as also one tribe in Israel, as the royal tribe of Judah, just as Samson of old and later the son of lawlessness, like some serpent secretly lurking on the path of this life, and twisting the heel of the horse, of him who heedlessly runs the path of this life. For biting this one and then being craftily tripped up by God, the horseman will fall to the ground, a faithful and pious man, repenting and calling again upon salvation from God. And Gad, he says, a raiding party raids him; as many trials at many times befell Gad from neighboring enemies, so again Gad brought a raiding party at their heels. And Asher so abounds in bread as even to give food to rulers, but Naphtali will be likened to a shooting plant, increasing in multitude and beauty of strength like offspring with a multitude of fruits. Therefore, Israel, prophesying such things, added: And vehemently blessing Joseph as one greatly beloved: "A son increased and glorified, as my envied or enviable and blessed younger son. Joseph, turn back to me, to me your father. Look 1.72 then not to Pharaoh, not to the impious Egyptians, but to me," he says, "and return to the piety of your fathers. For archers, conspiring against you, reviled and held a grudge, wanting to wound and kill; or just as your brothers were jealous before, so others will do this afterward to your descendants. But by the hand of the mighty one, my God who strengthened Israel, their bows were broken, and the sinews of their arms were loosed. And my God blessed you with the blessing of heaven and earth, enriching you with heavenly gifts of good virtues and with all earthly goods. And through the blessings from the breasts and womb of your mother and through the desires and affections of your father from infancy you prevailed and were strengthened above the blessings of the everlasting mountains, that is, of long-lived kings, and you surpassed all the desires of the eternal hills, that is, of hills and rulers prospering in longevity. These blessings, then," he says, "let them be upon the head of Joseph and upon the crown of him who leads his brothers. But Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he will eat, and in the evening he will distribute food. Such a thing, then, has this tribe suffered.

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σάρκωσιν, καὶ αὐτὸν δὲ τοῦτον ἀνα πεσόντα κοιμηθῆναι καὶ ἐγερθῆναι διὰ τὸ πάθημα τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ἀριδήλως ὁ θεῖος ἐκεῖ πρῶτος προηγόρευσεν Ἰσραήλ. μὴ ἐκλείψειν δὲ ἄρχοντα ἐξ Ἰούδα ἢ ἡγούμενον, ἕως ἄν, φησίν, ἔλθῃ ὃ ἀπόκειται, τουτέστιν ὁ Χριστός, ὅς ἐστιν ὄν τως προσδοκία τῶν ἐθνῶν· ὃς τὸ ἐπὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ ἡγεμονίᾳ καὶ ἀρχικῇ ἐξουσίᾳ πάσῃ γαυρίαμα ἀφελόμενος τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸν πᾶν τὸ κράτος τῶν ὅλων ὡς παντοκράτωρ ἀναρτησάμενος, οἷς βούλεται τοῦτο καὶ χαρίζεται. οὗτος πρὸς τὴν ἄμπελον αὐ τοῦ, ἥ ἐστιν ἐκ περιτομῆς τῶν ἁγίων ἐκκλησιῶν, τὸν πῶλον τῆς ὄνου, τὰς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίας, ἐν τῇ ἕλικι τῆς ἀμπέλου ἤτοι τῷ πνεύματι τῆς ἀγάπης προσεδέσμευσεν. οὗτος τὴν αὐτοῦ στολὴν καὶ τοῦ σώματος τὴν περιβολήν, ὡς ἐν οἴνῳ τῷ αἵματι τῆς στα φυλῆς βεβαμμένην, ἐν τῷ οἰκείῳ αἵματι πλυνεῖ, ὅ ἐστιν, ἐκ τῆς φυσικῆς φθορᾶς εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν μεταβαλεῖ, ἐν σταυρῷ αἱματού μενος καὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀμίαντος καὶ ἄφθαρτος ἀνιστάμενος. τού του καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ χαροποί, ὡς ἀπὸ οἴνου τοῦ πνεύματος πε πληρωμένοι τοῦ ἁγίου, οἱ ὀδόντες δὲ ὑπὲρ τὸ γάλα λευκοί, τὸ ὑπερφυῶς φωτοειδέστατον τῶν αὐτοῦ λόγων καὶ καθαρώτατον ἐμφαίνοντες. Ζαβουλὼν παράλιον πρὸς ὅρμον πλοίων προελόμε 1.71 νος κατοικεῖν ἕως Σιδῶνος τῆς πόλεως τὴν αὐτοῦ κατοίκησιν παρα τενεῖ. ὁ Ἰσσαχὰρ δὲ τὴν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν κλήρων ἰδὼν γῆν, ὅτι πίων, ὅτι εὔκαρπος καὶ καλή, φιλοπονεῖν αἱρετίσεται καὶ ἀνὴρ γεωργὸς ἔσται. καὶ ∆ὰν μὲν τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, φησί, κρινεῖ, ὡσεὶ καὶ μία φυλὴ ἐν Ἰσραήλ, ὡς ἡ βασιλικὴ τοῦ Ἰούδα φυλή, καθάπερ πάλαι ὁ Σαμψὼν καὶ ὕστερον ὁ τῆς ἀνομίας υἱός, ὥσπερ τις ὄφις ἐφ' ὁδοῦ τοῦδε λανθανόντως τοῦ βίου λοχῶν, καὶ πτέρναν ἵππου, τοῦ ἀπερισκέπτως τὸν βίον τουτονὶ τρέχοντος τὴν ὁδόν, διαστρέψας. τοῦτον γὰρ δάκνων καὶ λοιπὸν πανούργως ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑποσκελίσας, πεσεῖται χαμαὶ ὁ ἱππεύς, πιστὸς καὶ εὐσεβὴς ἄνθρωπος, μετανοῶν καὶ τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ σωτηρίαν αὖθις ἀνακαλού μενος. τὸν Γὰδ δὲ πειρατήριον, φησί, πειρατεύει, οἷα πολλὰ κατὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς καιροὺς πειρατήρια τῷ Γὰδ μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν πλη σιοχώρων συνέπεσεν ἐχθρῶν, αὐτοῖς δὲ αὖθις ὁ Γὰδ πειρατήριον κατὰ πόδας ἐπενήνεκται. καὶ Ἀσὴρ μὲν οὕτως τῷ ἄρτῳ περισ σεύει ὡς καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι διδόναι τροφήν, Νεφθαλεὶμ δὲ στελέχει φυτοῦ ἀνειμένῳ παρεικασθήσεται, ἐπιδιδοὺς εἰς πλῆθος καὶ κάλ λος δυνάμεως ὡς γεννήματα πληθύϊ καρπῶν. τοῖς μὲν οὖν τὰ τοιαῦτα προφητεύων ἐπέλεγεν ὁ Ἰσραήλ. σφόδρα δὲ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ὡς λίαν ἠγαπημένον εὐλογῶν "υἱὸς ηὐξημένος καὶ δεδοξασμένος, ὡς ζηλωτὸς ἢ ἐπίζηλος καὶ μακάριός μου ὁ υἱὸς ὁ νεώτερος. Ἰωσήφ, πρός με ἀνάστρεψον, πρός με τὸν πατέρα τὸν σόν. ὅρα 1.72 λοιπὸν μὴ πρὸς Φαραώ, μὴ πρὸς Αἰγυπτίους ἀσεβεῖς, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἐμέ, φησί, καὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν τῶν πατέρων ἐπιστρέφου τῶν σῶν. καὶ γὰρ κατά σου διαβουλευόμενοι ἐλοιδοροῦντο καὶ ἐνεῖχον τοξόται, τρῶσαι θέλοντες καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι· ἢ ὥσπερ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ διαφθονούμενοι πρότερον, καὶ ἄλλοι τοῦτο δράσουσι μετέπειτα εἰς ἐκγόνους τοὺς σούς. ἀλλὰ διὰ χειρὸς δυνάστου τοῦ ἐμοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ κατισχύσαντος Ἰσραὴλ συνετρίβη τὰ τόξα αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ νεῦρα τῶν βραχιόνων αὐτῶν ἐξελύθη. καὶ εὐλόγησέ σε ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐμὸς εὐλογίαν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, οὐρανίοις χαρίσμασιν ἀγαθῶν ἀρετῶν καὶ ἐπιγείοις καταπλουτίσας ἀγαθοῖς πᾶσι. καὶ διὰ τὰς ἀπὸ μα στῶν καὶ μήτρας τῆς μητρός σου εὐλογίας καὶ διὰ τὰς τοῦ πατρός σου ἐκ νηπίου ἐπιθυμίας καὶ ἀγαπήσεις ὑπερίσχυσας καὶ ἐδυνά σθης ὑπὲρ εὐλογίας ὀρέων μονίμων, ἤτοι βασιλέων πολυχρονίων, καὶ ἐπιθυμίας θινῶν αἰωνίων, ἤτοι βουνῶν καὶ ἀρχόντων μακρο βιότητι διευθηνουμένων πάντων ὑπερέσχες. αὗται γοῦν, φησίν, αἱ εὐλογίαι εἴησαν ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν Ἰωσὴφ καὶ ἐπὶ κορυφὴν ὧν αὐτὸς ἡγεῖται ἀδελφῶν. Βενιαμὶν δὲ λύκος ἅρπαξ· τὸ πρωϊκὸν αὐτὸς ἔδεται, καὶ εἰς τὸ ἑσπέρας διαδώσει τροφήν. τοιοῦτον γοῦν τι πέπονθεν ἡ τούτου φυλή.