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they entered there, and they shall know that I am the Lord. But these very ones, he says, who will be a remnant from the famine, and from death, and from the slaughter of war, will become accusers of their own impiety and lawlessness, teaching the nations among whom they are sojourners, that they are paying the penalty for the things in which they have transgressed against me. 81.909 17, 18. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, you shall eat your bread with anguish, and you shall drink your water with torment and affliction. And this again is a sign of the famine that will occur during the siege. 19, 20. And you shall say to the people of the land: Thus says the Lord Adonai to those who dwell in Jerusalem and on the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread in want, and drink their water in desolation, that the land with its fullness may be made desolate, through the impiety of all who dwell in it. And their inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall be for desolation, and you shall know that I am the Lord. For since, while enjoying the good things from me, and reveling in the fruits of the earth, you were ignorant of the giver, and you became ungrateful toward the benefactor, in the privation of good things and in the desolation of the cities you will learn my dominion. The prophet foretold these things to those in Jerusalem while he was in captivity, since God wished both to console those who had already become captives, that they had not suffered such things alone, but they would also have others as partners; and wishing to persuade those still inhabiting Jerusalem, through fear of the prophecy of evils, to cease from wickedness. In addition to these things, since those inhabiting Jerusalem spoke against the words of the divine Jeremiah, and likewise those living in Chaldea spoke against the words of the inspired Ezekiel, they necessarily confirm each other’s words by prophesying in harmony, and through the agreement they show the words to be divine. For if they had lived near one another, suspicion would have had some ground against the agreement of their words; but since they were separated from one another by many stages, and foretold the same things, the things spoken are necessarily shown to be divine. For this reason, Jeremiah writes to those in Chaldea, and Ezekiel to those in Judea, as God of all devises every means of benefit for both these and those. 21, 22. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, what is this proverb on the land of Israel, of those who say: The days are long, every vision has perished? Why, he says, are those who inhabit Judea accustomed to say to the prophets, that you foretell things that will be after a great number of years, mixing falsehood with your words, and prophesying nothing true? 23. Therefore say to them: Thus says the Lord Adonai: And I will turn away this proverb, and the house of Israel shall no longer speak this proverb, for you shall speak to them, saying: The days have drawn near and the time of every vision. For since they call long-suffering 81.912 falsehood, let them be persuaded that the end of the prophecy is at hand, and the foretold punishment will henceforth appear at the gates. 24. Because there shall no longer be any false vision, nor one divining for favor in the midst of the sons of Israel. For I will put an end, he says, to your false prophets, who attempt to foretell things contrary to my prophets, and who falsely announce to you the presence of good things. 25. For I will speak my words, and I will do it, and I will not delay any longer, because in your days, O provoking house of Israel. I will speak a word, and I will do it, says the Lord Adonai. Do not attend, he says, to my prophets, as if they spoke in vain; for I speak through them, and swifter than speech I will bring the fulfillment to the word, making you eyewitnesses of the truth of the words. Thus again, having indicated the same things through other words, and to those who accuse the prophets, as not foretelling present things, but falsely foretelling things that would be after long periods of time, having threatened the swift of the

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εἰσῆλθον ἐκεῖ, καὶ γνώσον ται ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος. Αὐτοὶ δὲ οὗτοι, φησὶν, οἳ λεί ψανον ἔσονται τοῦ λιμοῦ, καὶ τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ τῆς πολεμικῆς σφαγῆς, κατήγοροι τῆς οἰκείας δυσσεβείας καὶ τῆς παρανομίας γενήσονται, διδάσκοντες τὰ ἔθνη ὧν εἰσι μέτοικοι, ὡς δίκας τίνουσιν ὧν εἰς ἐμὲ πεπλημμελήκασι. 81.909 ιζʹ, ιηʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με, λέγων· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, τὸν ἄρτον σου μετ' ὀδύνης φαγῇ, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ σου μετὰ βασάνου καὶ θλί ψεως πιεῖ. Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν σημεῖον τοῦ κατὰ τὴν πολιορκίαν γενησομένου λιμοῦ. ιθʹ, κʹ. Καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τῆς γῆς· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· Τοὺς ἄρτους αὑτῶν μετ' ἐνδείας φάγονται, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ αὑ τῶν μετ' ἀφανισμοῦ πίονται, ὅπως ἀφανισθῇ ἡ γῆ σὺν πληρώματι αὑτῆς, ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ πάντων τῶν κατοικούντων ἐν αὐτῇ. Καὶ αἱ πόλεις αὐ τῶν αἱ κατοικούμεναι ἐξερημωθήσονται, καὶ ἡ γῆ εἰς ἀφανισμὸν ἔσται, καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀπολαύοντες τῶν παρ' ἐμοῦ ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ γῆς ἐντρυφῶντες καρποῖς, ἠγνοεῖτε τὸν δοτῆρα, καὶ ἀγνώμονες περὶ τὸν εὐερ γέτην ἐγένεσθε, ἐν τῇ στερήσει τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ τῇ τῶν πόλεων ἐρημίᾳ τὴν ἐμὴν μαθήσεσθε δεσποτείαν. Ταῦτα δὲ τοῖς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις προηγόρευσεν ὁ προφήτης ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ τυγχάνων, τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλομένου, καὶ τοὺς ἤδη γενομένους αἰχμαλώτους ψυχαγωγεῖν, ὅτι οὐ μόνοι τοιαῦτα πεπόνθασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους σχήσουσι κοινωνούς· καὶ τοὺς ἔτι τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκοῦντας, φόβῳ τῆς τῶν κακῶν προφητείας, πεῖσαι θέλων παύσασθαι τῆς πονηρίας. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, ἐπειδὴ τοῖς τοῦ θείου Ἱερεμίου οἱ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκοῦντες ἀντέλεγον λόγοις, καὶ τοῖς τοῦ θεσπεσίου Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὁμοίως οἱ ἐν τῇ Χαλδαίᾳ διάγοντες, ἀναγκαίως τὰ δι' ἀλλήλων βεβαιοῦσι σύμ φωνα προφητεύοντες, καὶ διὰ τῆς συμφωνίας θείους ἀποφαίνουσι τοὺς λόγους. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ πλησίον ᾤκουν ἀλλήλων, ἔσχε γοῦν χώραν κατὰ τῆς τῶν λόγων συμφωνίας ἡ ὑποψία· ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλοῖς σταθμοῖς ἀλλήλων διείργοντο, καὶ ταυτὰ προηγόρευον, ἀναγ καίως θεῖα δείκνυται τὰ λεγόμενα. Τούτου χάριν, Ἱερεμίας μὲν τοῖς ἐν τῇ Χαλδαίᾳ ἐπιστέλλει, Ἰεζεκιὴλ δὲ τοῖς ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων καὶ τούτοις κἀκείνοις ὠφελείας πάντα πόρον μηχανω μένου. καʹ, κβʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με, λέγων· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, τίς ἡ παραβολὴ αὕτη ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ λεγόντων· Μακρὰν αἱ ἡμέραι, ἀπόλωλε πᾶσα ὅρασις; Τί δήποτε, φησὶν, οἱ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν οἰκοῦντες λέγειν εἰώθασι τοῖς προ φήταις, ὅτι Τὰ μετὰ πολὺν ἐτῶν ἀριθμὸν ἐσόμενα προαγορεύετε, ψεῦδος ἀναμιγνύντες τοῖς λόγοις, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀληθὲς προθεσπίζοντες; κγʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰπὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Καὶ ἀποστρέψω τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι οὐ μὴ εἴπωσι τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι λαλήσεις πρὸς αὐτοὺς, λέγων· Ἠγγίκασιν αἱ ἡμέραι καὶ ὁ καιρὸς πάσης ὁράσεως. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὴν μακροθυμίαν 81.912 ψευδολογίαν καλοῦσι, πεπείσθωσαν ὡς παραυτίκα τῆς προφητείας τὸ τέλος, καὶ ἐν προθύροις λοιπὸν ἡ προῤῥηθεῖσα τιμωρία φανήσεται. κδʹ. ∆ιότι οὐκ ἔτι ἔσται πᾶσα ὅρασις ψευδὴς, καὶ μαντευόμενος τὰ πρὸς χάριν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ. Καταπαύσω γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς ψευδο προφήτας ὑμῶν, τοὺς τἀναντία τοῖς ἐμοῖς προφήταις προλέγειν ἐπιχειροῦντας, καὶ ἀγαθῶν παρουσίαν ψευδῶς ὑμῖν προμηνύοντας. κεʹ. Ὅτι ἐγὼ λαλήσω τοὺς λόγους μου, καὶ ποιήσω, καὶ οὐ μὴ μηκυνῶ ἔτι, διότι ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ὑμῶν, οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ ὁ παραπικραίνων. Λαλήσω λόγον, καὶ ποιήσω, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος. Μὴ προσέχετε, φησὶ, τοῖς ἐμοῖς προφήταις, ὡς τηνάλλως διαλεγομένοις· ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ τούτων φθέγγομαι, καὶ θᾶττον ἢ λόγος ἐπάξω τῷ λόγῳ τὸ πέρας, ὑμᾶς ποιῶν αὐτόπτας τῆς ἀληθείας τῶν λό γων. Οὕτω πάλιν δι' ἑτέρων λόγων τὰ αὐτὰ σημήνας, καὶ τοῖς κατηγοροῦσι τῶν προφητῶν, ὡς τὰ παρόντα μὲν οὐ προλεγόντων, τὰ δὲ μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις ἐσόμενα ψευδῶς προαγορευόντων, ἀπειλήσας τὴν ταχεῖαν τῶν