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the truth of the things prophesied; 28. For all my words, he says, shall no longer be prolonged, which I shall speak, for I will speak a word, and will do it, says Adonai the Lord,

CHAPTER 13. He then turns his discourse against the false prophets. 2. For, Son of man, he says, prophesy against the prophets of Israel,

who prophesy. And lest the homonymy work harm to men (for both the true and the false were called prophets), he reasonably added: "And you shall say to the prophets who prophesy from their own heart." That is, to those utterly devoid of the Spirit's operation, but who utter falsehoods from their own reasonings. And you shall prophesy, he says, and you shall say to them: Hear the word of the Lord. (3.) Thus says Adonai the Lord: Woe to those who prophesy from their own heart, who walk after their own spirit, and see nothing at all. A lamentation, he says, will overtake those not activated by the divine Spirit, but obeying their own impulse. For he called the choice of the soul "their own spirit." 4, 5. Like foxes in the deserts are your prophets, Israel. They have not stood in the breach, and have not gathered a flock for the house of Israel. They have not risen up as in war, who speak as in the day of the Lord. But Symmachus interpreted these things more clearly: "Like foxes in 81.913 the ruins are your prophets, Israel; you have not gone up into the gaps, nor have you built up a fence around the sons of Israel, to stand as in war in the day of the Lord." For your prophets, O Israel, he says, are like foxes dwelling in ruins. For just as they do not block up the exits of the ruins, but anyone who wishes is permitted to go up and in through them; so these men, seeing the people's negligence, did not wall up its paths to wickedness, nor did they hedge it about with pious words, so that on the day of wrath they might be able to overcome the enemies; but they used the weakness of the people for their own gain. 6, 7. Seeing, he says, falsehoods, divining vanities, are those who say: The Lord says, when the Lord has not sent them, and they began to establish a word. Have you not seen a false vision, and spoken vain divinations, and said: The Lord, the Lord says, when I have not spoken? You have misused my name, he says, offering false divinations to the people; but I have inspired none of these things in you. 8, 9. Therefore say: Thus says Adonai the Lord: Because your words are false, and your divinations are vain, therefore behold, I am against you, says Adonai the Lord. And I will stretch out my hand against the prophets who see falsehoods, and who utter vanities. They shall not be in the instruction of my people, nor shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel, and they will know that I am Adonai the Lord. I will instruct my people, he says; but these men shall be given over to utter destruction, and they will not have their memory recorded, nor will they be numbered with my people. And showing the cause, 10. Because, he says, they have led my people astray, saying: Peace, peace, when there is no peace. For I was foretelling war, and slaughter, and captivity to the people, wishing to chasten them with the threat of evils; but these men, doing the opposite to me, promised them peace in vain. And he, he says, builds a wall, as if solid, and they plaster it over. Will it fall? (11.) Say to those who plaster it, It will fall. For the people, he says, builds a rotten wall, through wickedness and impiety; but these men offer favorable prophecies, and good promises, like some plaster and ointment to the wall, when they ought to be demolishing the precarious structure, and preparing it to become solid. But by plastering the wall, they thought they were making it secure by means of the plaster. Say therefore to them that it will fall and

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προφητευομένων ἀλήθειαν· κηʹ. Οὐ γὰρ μὴ μηκύνωσι, φησὶν, ἔτι πάντες οἱ λόγοι μου, οὓς ἐὰν λαλήσω, ὅτι λαλήσω λόγον, καὶ ποιήσω, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος,

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΓʹ. Κατὰ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν λοιπὸν τρέπει τὸν λόγον. βʹ. Υἱὲ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀνθρώπου, προφήτευσον ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ,

τοὺς προφητεύον τας. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ ἡ ὁμωνυμία βλάβην τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις ἀπεργάσηται (προφῆται γὰρ, καὶ οἱ ἀληθεῖς, καὶ οἱ ψευδεῖς ὠνομάζοντο), εἰκότως ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ ἐρεῖς τοῖς προφήταις τοῖς προφητεύουσιν ἀπὸ καρδίας αὑτῶν." Τουτέστι, τοῖς ἐρήμοις παντελῶς τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνεργείας, ψευδῆ δὲ ἀπὸ λογισμῶν οἰκείων φθεγγομένοις. Καὶ προφητεύσεις, φησὶ, καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἀκούσατε λόγον Κυρίου. (γʹ.) Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Οὐαὶ τοῖς προφητεύουσιν ἀπὸ καρδίας αὑτῶν, τοῖς πορευομένοις ὀπίσω τοῦ πνεύματος αὑτῶν, καὶ τὸ καθόλου μὴ βλέπουσι. Θρῆνος, φησὶ, καταλήψεται τοὺς ὑπὸ θείου μὲν Πνεύματος οὐκ ἐνεργουμένους, οἰκείᾳ δὲ ὁρμῇ πειθομένους. Τὴν γὰρ προαίρεσιν τῆς ψυχῆς πνεῦμα αὑτῶν προσ ηγόρευσεν. δʹ, εʹ. Ὡς ἀλώπεκες ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις οἱ προφῆ ταί σου, Ἰσραήλ. Οὐκ ἔστησαν ἐν στερεώματι, καὶ οὐ συνήγαγον ποίμνιον ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Οὐκ ἀνέστησαν ὡς ἐν πολέμῳ, οἱ λέ γοντες ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ Κυρίου. Ταῦτα δὲ ὁ Σύμ μαχος σαφέστερον ἡρμήνευσεν· "Ὡς ἀλώπεκες ἐν 81.913 ἐρειπίοις οἱ προφῆταί σου, Ἰσραήλ· οὐκ ἀνέβητε εἰς τὰς διακοπὰς, οὐδὲ περιεφράξατε φραγμὸν περὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ, ὑπὲρ τοῦ στῆναι, ὡς ἐν πολέμῳ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ Κυρίου." Ἀλώπεξι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐοίκασιν οἱ προφῆταί σου, ὦ Ἰσραὴλ, ἐν ἐρειπίοις οἰκούσαις. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖναι τὰς τῶν ἐρειπίων οὐκ ἀπο φράττουσιν ἐξόδους, ἀλλ' ἔξεστι τῷ βουλομένῳ ἀνιέ ναι διὰ τούτων, καὶ εἰσιέναι· οὕτως οὗτοι τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ ῥᾳθυμίαν ὁρῶντες, οὐκ ἀπετείχισαν αὐτοῦ τὰς ἐπὶ τὴν πονηρίαν ὁδοὺς, οὐδὲ λόγοις περιέφραξαν εὐ σεβέσιν, ὥστε ἐν τῇ τῆς ὀργῆς ἡμέρᾳ δυνηθῆναι τῶν πολεμίων περιγενέσθαι· ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ λαοῦ ἀσθενείᾳ εἰς οἰκεῖον ἀπεχρήσαντο κέρδος. ʹ, ζʹ. Βλέποντες, φησὶ, ψευδῆ, μαντευόμενοι μάταια, οἱ λέγοντες· Λέγει Κύριος, καὶ Κύριος οὐκ ἀπέσταλκεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἤρξαντο τοῦ ἀνα στῆσαι λόγον. Οὐχ ὅρασιν ψευδῆ ἑωράκατε, καὶ μαντείας ματαίους εἰρήκατε, καὶ ἐλέγετε· Φησὶ Κύριος, Κύριος, καὶ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐλάλησα; Τῷ ὀνόματι, φησὶ, τῷ ἐμῷ κατεχρήσασθε ψευδεῖς μαν τείας τῷ λαῷ προσφέροντες· ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδὲν ὑμῖν τού των ἐνέπνευσα. ηʹ, θʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰπέ· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ἀνθ' ὧν οἱ λόγοι ὑμῶν ψευδεῖς, καὶ αἱ μαντεῖαι ὑμῶν μάταιαι, διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος. Καὶ ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας τοὺς ὁρῶντας τὰ ψευδῆ, καὶ τοὺς ἀποφθεγγομένους μάταια. Ἐν παιδείᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ μου οὐκ ἔσονται, οὐδὲ ἐν γραφῇ οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ γραφήσονται, καὶ εἰς τὴν γῆν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ εἰσελεύσονται, καὶ γνώσονται ὅτι ἐγὼ Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος. Τὸν μὲν ἐμὸν, φησὶ, παι δεύσω λαόν· οὗτοι δὲ πανωλεθρίᾳ παραδοθήσονται, καὶ ἀνάγραπτον τὴν μνήμην οὐχ ἕξουσιν, οὐδὲ συναριθμηθήσονται τῷ λαῷ μου. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δεικνὺς, ιʹ. Ἀνθ' ὧν, φησὶν, ἐπλάνησαν τὸν λαόν μου, λέγοντες· Εἰρήνη, εἰρήνη, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν εἰρήνη. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ τῷ λαῷ πόλεμον, καὶ σφα γὴν, καὶ αἰχμαλωσίαν προηγόρευον, τῇ ἀπειλῇ τῶν κακῶν σωφρονίσαι βουλόμενος· οὗτοι δὲ τἀναντία μοι δρῶντες, εἰρήνην αὐτοῖς ἐπηγγέλλοντο μά την. Καὶ αὐτὸς, φησὶν, οἰκοδομεῖ τοῖχον, ὡς στε ρεὸν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπαλείφουσιν αὐτόν. Εἰ πε σεῖται; (ιαʹ.) Εἰπὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἀλείφοντας αὐ τὸν, Πεσεῖται. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ, φησὶ, λαὸς οἰκοδομεῖ τοῖχον σαθρὸν, διὰ τῆς πονηρίας καὶ ἀσεβείας· οὗ τοι δὲ τὰς χρηστὰς προῤῥήσεις, καὶ τὰς ἀγαθὰς ὑποσχέσεις, οἷόν τινα ἀλοιφὴν καὶ χρίσμα τῷ τοίχῳ προσφέρουσι, δέον καταλύειν τὴν σφαλερὰν οἰκοδο μίαν, καὶ παρασκευάζειν στερεὰν αὐτὴν γενέσθαι. Ἐπαλείφοντες δὲ τοῖχον, ἐνόμιζον αὐτὸν ἀσφαλῆ διὰ τῆς ἀλοιφῆς ἀπεργάζεσθαι. Εἰπὲ τοίνυν αὐτοῖς ὅτι πεσεῖται καὶ