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toward the east, and they themselves were worshiping the sun toward the east. This too is a very great undertaking of impiety; for to turn their backs to the Master and worship their fellow-servant the sun, what excess of madness does it leave behind? And he called the porch of the divine temple "Ailam"; for before it was established the bronze altar; and he said that standing between the ailam and the altar, they dared that impiety; and well in each of the things being shown, as if the Master were making a defense for the punishment of the Jews to his own servant, he says to him: 17. Have you seen, son of man? Is it a small thing for the house of Judah to do the iniquities which they have done here? because they have filled the land with iniquity, and have turned back to provoke me to anger; and behold, they stretch out the branch, as if mocking me. For I, he says, chose them, 81.888 wishing through them to turn others away from impiety; but they not only did not impart any benefit, but have even dared more impious things, so that the whole land has now become full of iniquity; for they have stretched out the branches of impiety, acting contrary to my purpose. Therefore he says: 18. And I will deal with them in wrath; my eye will not spare, and I will not have mercy; they will cry into my ears with a loud voice, and I will not hear them. For just as they did not stretch out the branches of piety, but of impiety, and intensified the harm of their neighbors; so will I unsparingly bring upon them the surgical incision, not enduring their pleas, nor hearing their cries; for sparing such people is not mercy; for it is fitting for the physician not to pay attention to the tears and words of the one being cut, but to the law of his art. CHAPTER IX. 1. And he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying: The punishment of the city has drawn near, and each one had the instruments of destruction in his hand. Then he also teaches what kind of instruments they were. 2. And behold, six men were coming from the high gate, which looks toward the north, and each had an axe in his hand. For since the idol was also established in the north, and the women were mourning for Thammuz, necessarily the punishment also gains entrance from there; and it is fitting to remember what was said above, that he said a fourth of the city would be given over to death; see, then, the punishing powers prepared for the appointed chastisement; and yet one angel struck down the many myriads of the Assyrians, and one was ordered to destroy the firstborn of the Egyptians; but here, six were entrusted with the punishment of the Jews, on account of the excess of their impiety. "And one man, he says, in their midst, clothed in a long robe, and a sapphire belt upon his loins." The appearance of the seventh was priestly; for he was not of those who punish, but of those who redeem the ones worthy of salvation; for since he declared the seventh day to be honored, he necessarily shows the seventh one to be most honored. "And they entered, and stood beside the bronze altar." And this was established in the court before the porches of the temple. 3. And the glory of the God of Israel went up from the Cherubim, which was upon them, to the threshold of the house. For since he is about to pronounce the sentence against the city, he does this outside the holy places; for those places are providers of salvation, but not of punishment. 81.889 And he called the man clothed in the long robe, who had the belt on his loins. (4.) And the Lord said to him: Go through the middle of the city, the middle of Jerusalem, and put the mark on the foreheads of the men who are groaning and who are mourning over all the iniquities being done in their midst. For it is a good thing to admonish and advise those who are sinning; but when they speak against it, and are not persuaded, lamentation is necessary and useful. Therefore blessed Paul also said: "Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is made to stumble, and I do not burn?" And again: "Lest when I come to you, my God should humble me, and I should mourn for many of those who have sinned before and have not repented." Therefore these men were also pious

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πρὸς ἀνατολὴν, καὶ αὐτοὶ προσεκύνουν κατὰ ἀνατολὰς τῷ ἡλίῳ. Μεγίστη καὶ αὕτη δυσσεβείας ἐγχείρησις· τὸ γὰρ τῷ ∆ε σπότῃ τὰ νῶτα διδόντας προσκυνεῖν τὸν ὁμόδουλον ἥλιον, ποίαν μανίας ὑπερβολὴν καταλείπει; Αἰ λὰμ δὲ τὸ προπύλαιον ἐκάλεσε τοῦ θείου νεώ· πρὸ αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἵδρυτο τὸ χαλκοῦν θυσιαστήριον· ἔφη δὲ, ὅτι μεταξὺ τοῦ αἰλὰμ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἑστῶ τες, τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἐκείνην ἐτόλμων· καλῶς δὲ καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν δεικνυμένων, ὥσπερ ἀπολογούμενος ὁ ∆εσπότης ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἰουδαίων τιμωρίας τῷ οἰκείῳ θεράποντι, φησὶ πρὸς αὐτόν· ιζʹ. Ἑώρακας, υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου· μὴ μικρὸν τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰούδα τοῦ ποιεῖν τὰς ἀνομίας, ἃς πεποιή κασιν ὧδε; διότι ἔπλησαν τὴν γῆν ἀνομίας, καὶ ἀπεστράφησαν τοῦ παροργίσαι με· καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτοὶ ἐκτείνουσι τὸ κλῆμα, ὡς μυκτηρί ζοντές με. Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐξελεξάμην αὐτοὺς, 81.888 καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους διὰ τούτων ἀποστῆσαι τῆς ἀσεβείας βουλόμενος· αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐ μόνον ὠφελείας οὐ μετέδω καν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δυσσεβέστερα τετολμήκασιν, ὥστε πᾶσαν λοιπὸν τὴν γῆν ἀνομίας πλήρη γενέσθαι· ἐξέτειναν γὰρ τῆς ἀσεβείας τὰ κλήματα, ἐναντία τῷ ἐμῷ δρῶντες σκοπῷ. ∆ιό φησι· ιηʹ. Καὶ ἐγὼ ποιήσω αὐτοῖς μετὰ θυμοῦ· οὐ φείσεται ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσω· κεκράξονται εἰς τὰ ὦτά μου φωνῇ μεγάλῃ, καὶ οὐ μὴ εἰσακούσω αὐτῶν. Καθάπερ γὰρ αὐτοὶ οὐ τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐξέτειναν κλήματα, καὶ τὴν τῶν γειτονευόντων ἐπέτειναν βλάβην· οὕτως ἀφειδῶς ἐγὼ τὴν ἰατρικὴν αὐτοῖς ἐπάξω τομὴν, οὐκ ἀνεχόμενος αὐτῶν παρακαλούν των, οὐδὲ ἀκούων βοώντων· οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ ἔλεος ἡ περὶ τοὺς τοιούτους φειδώ· προσήκει γὰρ τὸν ἰατρὸν μὴ τοῖς τοῦ τεμνομένου δακρύοις καὶ λόγοις προσ έχειν, ἀλλὰ τῷ νόμῳ τῆς τέχνης. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Θʹ. αʹ. Καὶ ἀνακέκραγεν εἰς τὰ ὦτά μου φωνῇ μεγάλῃ, λέγων· Ἤγγικεν ἡ ἐκδίκησις τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἕκαστος εἶχε τὰ σκεύη τῆς ἐξολοθρεύσεως ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὑτοῦ. Εἶτα διδάσκει καὶ οἷα τὰ σκεύη. βʹ. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἓξ ἄνδρες ἤρχοντο ἀπὸ τῆς πύ λης τῆς ὑψηλῆς, τῆς βλεπούσης πρὸς βοῤῥᾶν, καὶ ἑκάστῳ πέλυξ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ καὶ τὸ εἴδωλον ἵδρυτο, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τὸν Θαμμοὺζ ἐθρήνουν, ἀναγκαίως ἐκεῖθεν καὶ ἡ τιμωρία λαμβάνει τὴν εἴσοδον· ἀναμνησθῆναι δὲ προσήκει τῶν ἄνω εἰρημένων, ὅτι τὸ τέταρτον τῆς πόλεως ἔφη θανάτῳ παραδοθήσεσθαι· ὅρα τοίνυν τὰς τιμωρητικὰς δυνάμεις εἰς τὴν τεταγμένην κόλασιν εὐτρεπεῖς· καίτοι τῶν Ἀσσυρίων τὰς πολλὰς μυ ριάδας εἷς ἄγγελος κατηκόντισε, καὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τὰ πρωτότοκα εἷς ἀνελεῖν προσετάχθη· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἓξ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐνεχειρίσθησαν τὴν τιμωρίαν, διὰ τὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπερβολήν. "Καὶ ἀνὴρ, φησὶν, εἷς ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν ἐνδεδυκὼς ποδήρη, καὶ ζώνη σαπφείρου ἐπὶ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ." Τοῦ ἑβδόμου τὸ σχῆμα ἱερατικόν· οὐ γὰρ ἦν τῶν κολαζόντων, ἀλλὰ τῶν λυτρουμένων τοὺς σωτηρίας ἀξίους· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἑβδόμην ἡμέραν τιμᾶσθαι διηγόρευσεν, ἀναγκαίως τὸν ἕβδομον ἐντιμότατον δείκνυσι. "Καὶ εἰσῆλθον, καὶ ἐστάθησαν ἐχόμενοι τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ χαλ κοῦ." Τοῦτο δὲ ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ ἵδρυτο πρὸ τῶν τοῦ νεὼ προπυλαίων. γʹ. Καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀνέβη ἀπὸ τῶν Χερουβὶμ, ἡ οὖσα ἐπ' αὐτῶν, εἰς τὸν αἴθριον τοῦ οἴκου. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μέλλει τὴν κατὰ τῆς πόλεως ψῆφον ἐκφέρειν, ἔξω τῶν ἁγίων τόπων τοῦτο ποιεῖ· σωτηρίας γὰρ, ἀλλ' οὐ τιμωρίας ἐκεῖνοι παρ εκτικοί. 81.889 Καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν ἐνδεδυμένον τὸν ποδήρη, ὃς εἶχεν ἐπὶ τῆς ὀσφύος αὑτοῦ τὴν ζώνην. (δʹ.) Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς αὐτόν· ∆ίελθε μέσην τὴν πόλιν, μέσην τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ δὸς τὸ σημεῖον ἐπὶ τὰ μέτωπα τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν καταστεναζόντων, καὶ τῶν κατοδυνωμένων ἐπὶ πάσαις ταῖς ἀνομίαις γινομέναις ἐν μέσῳ αὐ τῶν. Ἀγαθὸν μὲν γὰρ τὸ παραινεῖν καὶ συμβουλεύειν τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν· ὅταν δὲ ἀντιλέγωσι, καὶ μὴ πεί θωνται, ἀναγκαῖος ὁ θρῆνος καὶ χρήσιμος. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔλεγε Παῦλος· "Τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι;" Καὶ πάλιν· "Μήπως ἐλθόντα με πρὸς ὑμᾶς τα πεινώσῃ ὁ Θεός μου, καὶ πενθήσω πολλοὺς τῶν προημαρτηκότων καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων." Εὐσε βεῖς τοίνυν ὑπῆρχον καὶ οὗτοι