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Having rejected the dominion of God, and the observance of the law. For he called the dominion a yoke; and the ordinance of the laws, bonds, by which, as by some rule, those who are under the law must walk. If poverty has become a provision for these, then wealth ought to have made those others better. But no one, neither of these nor of those, became better. Because of this a lion from the thicket struck them. All the beasts, he no longer speaks of lions only, but he includes all the beasts. Thus he does everything in order to increase the fear; and he speaks not as of things to come, but as of things past. The Babylonian. And a wolf and a leopard, those around Tiglath-pileser. The insatiable, the desolate, when such a one is permitted with impunity to enter even the houses, wishing not only to frighten, but also to show the desolation. And perhaps Sennacherib is the wolf, only having seized, and having accomplished nothing. But someone else has called Antiochus a leopard. For which of these things shall I be merciful to you? your sons have forsaken me. Here he accuses neither the impiety, nor the turning away, but the impiety with a multitude, and the turning away foolishly. For to sin once is a terrible thing, but to persist and to add to it is worse. You have sinned, do not add to it, and pray concerning your former sins. See how with every punishment justifications are placed everywhere, and the continuity of the discourse is interrupted; thus just as someone scourging another. Then, having paused, he would make a defense to him, and so entirely throughout the prophet delights in threat and defense. I filled them, and they committed adultery. Do you see the licentiousness, the impurity, that comes from comfort? For what could you say? What have they to complain of? a lack of necessities? And yet the abundance was so great that they both committed adultery and lodged in the houses of harlots. Horses mad for females. See how he has represented pleasure. See how they fell into licentiousness, they dishonored nature itself. See the shameless Fort. to mix shamelessly belongs to irrational beings. They say that in the Hebrew, the phrase 'being drawn' is not 64.813 found; but it is possible to understand it, that they were led by desire. Go up. But do not make a full end. Leave remnants of the city, so that for those taken captive there may be a reason for returning again; therefore he foretells, so that when they see them not destroying to the foundations, they may consider it to be not from their philanthropy, but from the hindrance of God. Because by transgressing he has transgressed against me. If they belong to the Lord, for what reason has it suffered these things? because of the inhabitants, for they have transgressed. That is, they have violated the covenants with me, and have completely run aground into impiety. He has lied to the Lord. And they said, These things are not so. Consider how great an evil; they did not believe him when he threatened, they did not believe him when he took vengeance and punished, many even now concerning Gehenna are is. are the same, those who speak of these things, disbelieving God. The house of Israel, and the house of Judah has lied. Our prophets were for the wind. For those men, speaking publicly for pleasure, never allowed them to become better. That is, they expect nothing terrible, but the many say that even the prophets spoke in vain, and died; and they said nothing concerning us according to the mind of God. But the phrase, Thus shall it be to them, that is, similarly to them, you also speak, you who seem to be prophets. For just as when they spoke the city suffered nothing terrible, so also now it will not suffer. Because of this. Behold I have put my words in your mouth as fire. It shows the swiftness that all things yield to fire. And behold I am bringing upon you a nation from afar. So that not even by supplication may any mercy be drawn forth. And the phrase, And ancient, indicates that it is both ancient and terrible, and shows that it does not come of its own accord; for they would not have been quiet for so long a time, and departed later. And they will devour your harvest. He speaks of the time of the attack, that when you were about to enjoy the fruit, then those men, having come upon you

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Θεοῦ τὴν δεσποτείαν ἀπωσαμένους, καὶ τοῦ νόμου τὴν φυλακήν. Ζυγὸν γὰρ τὴν δεσποτείαν ἔφη· δεσμοὺς δὲ τῶν νόμων τὴν διάταξιν, ἐν οἷς ὥσπερ κανόνι τινὶ πορεύεσθαι δεῖ τοὺς ὑπὸ τὸν νόμον ὄντας. Εἰ ἡ πενία τούτοις ἐφόδιον γέγονεν, οὐκοῦν ἐκείνους ὁ πλοῦτος ὤφειλε βελτίους ποιῆσαι. Ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς οὔτε τούτων, οὔτε ἐκείνων ἀμείνων ἐγένετο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔπαισεν αὐτοὺς λέων ἐκ τοῦ δρυμοῦ. Πάντα τὰ θηρία, οὐκ ἔτι λέοντας λέγει μόνον, ἀλλὰ πάντα παραλαμβάνει τὰ θηρία. Οὕτω πάντα ποιεῖ ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὸν φόβον αὐξῆσαι· καὶ οὐχ ὡς περὶ μελλόντων, ἀλλ' ὡς περὶ παρελθόντων διαλέγεται. Ὁ Βαβυλώνιος. Λύκον δὲ καὶ πάρδαλιν, τοὺς περὶ Θεγλαθφασάρ. Τὸ ἀκόρεστον, τὸ ἔρημον, ὅταν μετὰ ἀδείας ἐξῇ τῷ τοιούτῳ μέχρι τῶν οἴκων ἐπιβαίνειν, οὐ φοβῆσαι βουλόμενος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἔρημον δεῖξαι. Λύκος δὲ ἴσως ὁ Σεναχηρεὶμ, μόνον ἁρπάξας, καὶ μηδέν τι διαπραξάμενος. Ἄλλος δέ τις τὸν Ἀντίοχον εἴρηκε πάρδαλιν. Ποίᾳ τούτων ἵλεως ἔσομαί σοι; οἱ υἱοί σου ἐγκατέλιπόν με. Ἐνταῦθα οὔτε τὸ ἀσεβῆσαι ἐγκαλεῖ, οὔτε τὸ ἀποστραφῆναι, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀσεβῆσαι μετὰ πλήθους, καὶ τὸ ἀποστραφῆναι ἀνοήτως. ∆εινὸν μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἁμαρτεῖν ἅπαξ, τὸ δὲ ἐπιμεῖναι, καὶ προσθεῖναι χαλεπώτερον. Ἥμαρτες, μὴ προσθῇς ἔτι, καὶ περὶ τῶν προτέρων σου δεήθητι. Ὅρα καθ' ἑκάστην τιμωρίαν πανταχοῦ κειμένας ἀπολογίας, καὶ τὸ συνεχὲς τοῦ λόγου διακοπτόμενον· οὕτω καθάπερ τίς τινα μαστίζων. Εἶτα διαναπαυσάμενος ἀπολογοῖτο πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ ὅλως οὕτως δι' ὅλου ὁ προφήτης εὐφραίνεται ἀπειλῇ καὶ ἀπολογίᾳ. Ἐχόρτασα αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐμοιχῶντο. Ὁρᾷς ἐξ εὐπαθείας τὴν ἀσέλγειαν, τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν; Τί γὰρ ἂν εἴποις; Τί ἔχοντες ἐγκαλεῖν; σπάνιν ἀναγκαίων; καὶ μὴν τοσαύτη ἦν ἡ φορὰ, ὡς καὶ μοιχᾶσθαι αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐν οἴκοις πορνῶν καταλύειν. Ἵπποι θηλυμανεῖς. Ὅρα πῶς παρέστησε τὴν ἡδονήν. Ὅρα πῶς εἰς ἀσέλγειαν ἐξέπιπτον, αὐτὴν τὴν φύσιν ἠτίμασαν. Ὅρα τὸ ἀναιδῆ Fort. ἀναιδῶς μίγνυσθαι τῶν ἀλόγων ἐστίν. Παρὰ μὲν τῷ Ἑβραίῳ φασὶ, τὸ, ἑλκόμενοι μὴ 64.813 κεῖσθαι· ἔστι δὲ αὐτὸ ἐκλαβεῖν, ὅτι ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἤγοντο. Ἀνάβητε. Συντέλειαν δὲ μὴ ποιήσητε. Λείψανα καταλείπετε τῆς πόλεως, ἵνα καὶ τοῖς αἰχμαλωτιζομένοις ὑπόθεσις ᾖ πάλιν ἐπανόδου· διὸ προλέγει, ἵν' ὅταν ἴδωσιν οὐ μέχρι τῶν θεμελίων ἀναιροῦντας, μὴ τῆς ἐκείνων φιλανθρωπίας, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ κωλύσεως εἶναι νομίζωσιν. Ὅτι ἀθετῶν ἠθέτησεν εἰς ἐμέ. Εἰ τοῦ Κυρίου εἰσὶ, τίνος χάριν ταῦτα πέπονθε; διὰ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας, ὅτι ἠθέτησαν. Τουτέστι, παρέβησαν τὰς συνθήκας τὰς πρὸς ἐμὲ, καὶ παντελῶς εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἐξώκειλαν. Ἐψεύσατο τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ εἶπαν, Οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα. Ἐννόησον ὅσον κακόν· Οὐκ ἐπίστευον ἀπειλοῦντι, οὐκ ἐπίστευον τιμωρουμένῳ, καὶ κολάζοντι, πολλοὶ καὶ νῦν οἱ περὶ τῆς γεέννης εἰσὶ ἴσ. εἰσὶ τὰ αὐτὰ οἱ ταῦτα διαλαλοῦντες, ἀπιστοῦντες τῷ Θεῷ. Ὁ οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ὁ οἶκος Ἰούδα ἐψεύσατο. Οἱ προφῆται ἡμῶν ἦσαν εἰς ἄνεμον. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ τὰ πρὸς ἡδονὴν δημηγοροῦντες, οὐκ εἴων γενέσθαι βελτίους ποτέ. Τουτέστιν, οὐδὲν προσδοκῶσι δεινὸν, ἀλλὰ λέγουσιν οἱ πολλοὶ, ὅτι Καὶ οἱ προφῆται μάτην ἐφθέγξαντο, καὶ ἀπέθανον· καὶ οὐδὲν κατὰ τὴν γνώμην τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶπον περὶ ἡμῶν. Τὸ δὲ, Οὕτως ἔσται αὐτοῖς, τουτέστι, Παραπλησίως ἐκείνοις, καὶ ὑμεῖς φθέγγεσθε οἱ δοκοῦντες εἶναι προφῆται. Ὡς γὰρ ἐκείνων εἰπόντων οὐδὲν δεινὸν πέπονθεν ἡ πόλις, οὕτως οὐδὲ νῦν πείσεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ δέδωκα τοὺς λόγους μου εἰς τὸ στόμα σου πῦρ. Τὸ τάχιον δείκνυσιν ὅτι πάντα εἴκει τῷ πυρί. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἔθνος πόῤῥωθεν. Ὥστε μηδὲ ἐξ ἱκετηρίας ἐπισπᾶσθαί τινα ἔλεον. Τὸ δὲ, Καὶ ἀρχαῖον, δηλοῖ, ὅτι καὶ ἀρχαῖον, καὶ φοβερόν ἐστι, καὶ δείκνυσιν ὅτι οὐκ οἴκοθεν ἐπέρχεται· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐν τῷ τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ ἡσύχασαν, καὶ ὕστερον ἀπῆλθον. Καὶ κατέδονται τὸν θερισμὸν ὑμῶν. Τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἐφόδου λέγει, ὅτι ἡνίκα τὸν καρπὸν ἀπολαύειν ἐμέλλετε, τότε ἐπελθόντες ἐκεῖνοι