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the city; but by the Euphrates in a hole of the rock he was commanded to hide the loincloth; and he calls Babylon a hole of the rock; and there the people were useless, no longer being called the people of God, nor governing themselves, nor performing the worship according to the law; but they were useless, like that corrupted loincloth. Through what follows, however, he also explains the use of the loincloth. 11. For as the loincloth clings to the loins of a man, so I made the house of Israel and all the house of Judah cling to me, says the Lord, that they might be for me a people of renown, and a praise, and a glory; but they did not listen to me. Through these words He showed the excess of His goodness, and taught the manner of the connection, and that He Himself wished to make them renowned and conspicuous, but they through their lawlessness brought reproaches upon themselves. Thus, having made the prophecy also through actions, he again foretells what is to happen through another image. 12, 13. Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Every wineskin shall be filled with wine. And it shall be, if they say to you, 'Do we not know that every wineskin shall be filled with wine?' You shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, and the kings who sit, sons of David, upon his throne. Then he says: And the prophets and the priests, and all the people, with drunkenness. And teaching what the drunkenness is, he added: 14. And I will dash them one against another, a man and his brother, and their fathers and their sons together, says the Lord. And showing also the unchangeable nature of his wrath, he added: "I will not long for them, nor will I spare, nor will I have pity, from their destruction," instead of "their destruction." Therefore he called the punishment drunkenness; for those who fall into the greatest misfortunes seem stupefied, being unable even to lament because of the excess of their suffering. 15. Hear, and give ear, and do not be lifted up; for the Lord has spoken. Cease from your audacity 81.588 and your mad arrogance; receive what is said as from God. 16. Give glory to the Lord our God, before it grows dark, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains. Anticipate, he says, the time of punishment. This also the divine Apostle advises: "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good." -"And you will wait for light, and there will be the shadow of death, and you will be placed in darkness." For in the punishment itself, though you beg, you will not obtain mercy. 17. And if you do not listen, your soul will weep in secret because of your pride; and weeping it will weep, and your eyes will bring down tears, because the flock of the Lord has been shattered. The phrase "it will weep in secret" alludes to the excess of evils; for being slaves to the enemies, you will not dare to weep openly, but you will do this in secret. And he exhorts also the king, and the rulers, to bewail the changes of their circumstances; and he reminds them also of what has already happened. 19. The cities of the south were shut up, and there was no one to open them. Judah was carried away captive, it completed a complete captivity. Enslavement. For Sennacherib enslaved many cities of Judaea; and these things, he says, they endured, paying the penalty for what they had transgressed. And he commands Jerusalem also to see the multitude of the enemies coming from the north, and adds: "Where is the flock that was given to you, the sheep of your glory?" Instead of, the multitude of the inhabitants. 21. What will you say, when they visit you? That is, the enemies. "And you yourself taught them lessons against you for your own rule." For being warred against by the Syrians, they called the Assyrians for an alliance, when they should have sought the providence of God. "Pangs will seize you, like a woman in labor." He showed the greatness of the pain. 22. And if you say in your heart: Why have these things happened to me? Because of

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τὴν πόλιν· παρὰ δὲ τὸν Εὐφράτην ἐν τῇ τρυμαλιᾷ τῆς πέτρας προσετάχθη τὸ περίζωμα κατακρύψαι· τρυμαλιὰν δὲ τῆς πέτρας τὴν Βαβυλῶνα καλεῖ· ἐκεῖ δὲ ὢν ἄχρηστος ἦν ὁ λαὸς, οὐκέτι λαὸς Θεοῦ χρηματίζων, οὐδὲ καθ' ἑαυτὸν πολιτευόμενος, οὐδὲ τὰς κατὰ νόμον λατρείας ἐπι τελῶν· ἀλλ' ἦν ἄχρηστος, ὡς τὸ διαφθαρὲν ἐκεῖνο περίζωμα. ∆ιὰ μέντοι τῶν ἑξῆς, καὶ τοῦ περιζώμα τος ἑρμηνεύει τὴν χρείαν. ιαʹ. Καθάπερ γὰρ κολλᾶται τὸ περίζωμα πρὸς τὴν ὀσφὺν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, οὕτως ἐκόλλησα πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ πάντα τὸν οἶκον Ἰούδα, λέγει Κύριος, τοῦ γενέσθαι μοι εἰς λαὸν ὀνομαστὸν, καὶ εἰς καύχημα, καὶ εἰς δόξαν· καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσάν μου. Τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἀγαθό τητος διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐδήλωσε, καὶ τῆς συν αφείας τὸν τρόπον ἐδίδαξε, καὶ ὅτι αὐτὸς μὲν ἠβουλήθη περιφανεῖς αὐτοὺς καὶ περιβλέπτους ἀποφῆναι, αὐ τοὶ δὲ διὰ τῆς παρανομίας ἐπεσπάσαντο τὰ ὀνείδη. Οὕτω καὶ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων, τὴν προφητείαν ποιησάμενος, δι' ἑτέρας πάλιν εἰκόνος προλέγει τὰ συμ βησόμενα. ιβʹ, ιγʹ. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· Πᾶς ἀσκὸς πληρωθήσεται οἴνου. Καὶ ἔσται, ἐὰν εἴπωσι πρὸς σὲ, Μὴ γνόντες οὐ γνωσόμεθα, ὅτι πᾶς ἀσκὸς πληρωθήσεται οἴνου; Καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πληρῶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν ταύτην, καὶ τοὺς βασιλεῖς τοὺς καθημένους υἱοὺς τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἐπὶ θρόνου αὐτοῦ. Εἶτα λέγει· Καὶ τοὺς προφήτας καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας, καὶ ἅπαντα τὸν λαὸν, μεθύ σματος. Καὶ διδάσκων τί τὸ μέθυσμα, ἐπήγα γεν· ιδʹ. Καὶ διασκορπιῶ αὐτοὺς, ἄνδρα καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ· καὶ τοὺς πατέρας αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ, λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ δεικνὺς καὶ τὸ τῆς ὀργῆς ἀμετάβλητον, ἐπ ήγαγεν· "Οὐκ ἐπιποθήσω καὶ οὐ φείσομαι, καὶ οὐκ οἰκτειρήσω ἀπὸ διαφθορᾶς αὐτῶν," ἀντὶ τοῦ "διαφθορὰν αὐτῶν." Μέθυσμα τοίνυν τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐκάλεσε· καὶ γὰρ οἱ ταῖς μεγίσταις περιπίπτοντες συμφοραῖς κεκαρωμένοις ἐοίκασι, διὰ τὴν τοῦ πά θους ὑπερβολὴν οὐδὲ θρηνεῖν δυνάμενοι. ιεʹ. Ἀκούσατε, καὶ ἐνωτίσασθε, καὶ μὴ ἐπαί ρεσθε· ὅτι Κύριος ἐλάλησε. Παύσασθε τῆς θρα 81.588 σύτητος, καὶ τῆς μανικῆς ἀλαζονείας· ὡς παρὰ Θεοῦ δέξασθε τὰ λεγόμενα. ιϛʹ. ∆ότε τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ἡμῶν δόξαν, πρὸ τοῦ συσκοτάσαι, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ προσκόψαι πόδας ὑμῶν ἐπ' ὄρη σκοτεινά. Προλάβετε, φησὶ, τὸν τῆς τιμω ρίας καιρόν. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος παραινεῖ· "Ἄρα οὖν ὡς καιρὸν ἔχομεν, ἐργαζώμεθα τὸ ἀγαθόν." -"Καὶ ἀναμενεῖτε εἰς φῶς, καὶ ἐκεῖ σκιὰ θανά του, καὶ τεθήσεσθε εἰς σκότος." Ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ τῇ τιμωρίᾳ παρακαλοῦντες φιλανθρωπίας οὐ τεύξεσθε. ιζʹ. Καὶ ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσητε, κεκρυμμένως κλαύ σεται ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν ἀπὸ προσώπου ὕβρεως· καὶ δακρύουσα δακρύσει, καὶ κατάξουσιν οἱ ὀφθαλ μοὶ ὑμῶν δάκρυα, ὅτι συνετρίβη τὸ ποίμνιον Κυ ρίου. Τὸ "κεκρυμμένως κλαύσεται" τὴν ὑπερβολὴν αἰνίττεται τῶν κακῶν· δουλεύοντες γὰρ τοῖς πολεμίοις, οὐδὲ προφανῶς δακρύσαι τολμήσετε, ἀλλὰ κρύβδην τοῦτο πράξετε. Παρακελεύεται δὲ καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν, ὀλοφύρεσθαι τὰς τῶν πραγμάτων με ταβολάς· ἀναμιμνήσκει δὲ καὶ τῶν ἤδη γεγενημένων. ιθʹ. Πόλεις αἱ πρὸς νότον συνεκλείσθησαν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἀνοίγων. Ἀπῳκίσθη Ἰούδας, συνετέλεσεν ἀποικίαν τελείαν. Ἀνδραποδισμόν. Πολλὰς γὰρ τῆς Ἰουδαίας πόλεις Σεναχηρεὶμ ἐξηνδραπόδισε· ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶν, ὑπέμειναν ποινὴν τίνοντες ὧν ἐπλημμέλησαν. Κελεύει δὲ καὶ τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ τῶν ἐρχομένων ἀπὸ βοῤῥᾶ πολεμίων ἰδεῖν τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ ἐπιλέγει· "Ποῦ ἔστι τὸ ποίμνιον ὃ ἐδόθη σοι πρό βατα τῆς δόξης σου;" Ἀντὶ τοῦ, τῶν οἰκητόρων τὸ πλῆθος. καʹ. Τί ἐρεῖς, ὅταν ἐπισκέπτωνταί σε; Τουτέστιν οἱ πολέμιοι. "Καὶ σὺ ἐδίδαξας αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ σὲ μαθή ματα εἰς ἀρχήν σου." Πολεμούμενοι γὰρ ὑπὸ Σύρων, Ἀσσυρίους εἰς συμμαχίαν ἐκάλεσαν, δέον τοῦ Θεοῦ ζητῆσαι τὴν πρόνοιαν. "Ὠδῖνες καθέξουσι σε, καθὰ γυναῖκα τίκτουσαν." Τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ὀδύ νης ἐδήλωσεν. κβʹ. Καὶ ἐὰν εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· ∆ιατί ἀπήντησέ μοι ταῦτα; ∆ιὰ