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they will sing hymns, proclaiming God, nor will they recount the deliverance from the bondage of the Egyptians, but all will marvel at the return from Babylon. 16. Behold, I will send many fishermen, says the Lord, and they will fish for them; and after these things I will send many hunters, and they will hunt them upon every hill, and from the holes of the rocks. Through these things he has shown the inescapability of the punishment, because the enemies, imitating fishermen and hunters, will enclose them all in a dragnet, and making subject to themselves those trying to hide in the mountains. 17. For my eyes are on all their ways; they were not hidden from my face, and their iniquities were not concealed from before my eyes. I see all things, nothing of what happens escapes my notice. 18. And I will first repay them double for their iniquities and their sins, with which they have defiled my land with the carcasses of their abominations. As one who loves mankind, he calls the punishment double the sins; for according to the principle of justice, they did not pay a worthy penalty. And he calls the slaughter of their sons and daughters, which they offered to idols, the carcasses of their abominations. Having thus shown the impiety of the people, he prophesies the conversion of the nations. 19. O Lord, my strength, and my help, and my refuge in the day of evils; to you nations will come from the end of the earth, and they will say, How our fathers have acquired false idols, and there is no benefit in them. Those who were deemed worthy of so much care, and enjoyed the teaching of the law and the prophets, continued to be impious and to transgress; but the nations, not having enjoyed this providence, but only having heard the apostolic preachings, fled from error, and have come to the light of the knowledge of God. And remembering the former proverb I cry to you: 20, 21. Shall a man make gods for himself, and they are not gods? Therefore behold, I will show them at this time my hand, 81.604 and I will make known to them my power, and they shall know that my name is the Lord. I foretell, he says, to them long beforehand the things that will be, and I teach them in advance my strength, that through lowly and few men I will bring about their conversion. CHAPTER 17. Having thus prophesied the conversion of the nations, he again accuses the impiety of the Jews. 1. The sin of Judah is written with a pen, with a diamond point, on the breast of their heart, and on the horns of their altars. Nothing is stronger than conscience; for the letters fixed in it are permanent; for even if all men should testify good things to their conscience, the conscience of the wicked liars does not endure it, but is pricked, and is pierced, and delivers an unbribed verdict. This is what he says here also, that Both your deeds accuse you, and your conscience bears witness with them. And he reminds them of the groves, and of the altars, and of the error that occurred in them, and he threatens to deliver all their wealth along with their idols to their enemies. And he also foretells the desolation of the city; after these things he calls him wretched and thrice-wretched, and subjects to curses the one who falls away from God but trusts in human power; and he likens this one to certain fruitless and worthless plants, growing in the deserts and receiving no care. 6. For he is, it says, the wild tamarisk, which is in the desert, and will not see when good things come. And he will dwell in salty places, in a desert land, in a salty land, which will not be inhabited. But the Syrian translated "in salty places" as "in dens"; but through all the things that have been said, the unprofitable

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προφέροντες τὸν Θεὸν ἀνυμνήσουσιν, οὐδὲ τῆς Αἰγυπτίων δουλείας τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν διηγήσονται, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶ νος ἐπάνοδον θαυμάσουσιν ἅπαντες. ιϛʹ. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστελῶ ἁλιεῖς πολλοὺς, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ ἁλιεύσουσιν αὐτούς· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀποστελῶ θηρευτὰς πολλοὺς, καὶ θηρεύ σουσιν αὐτοὺς ἐπάνω παντὸς βουνοῦ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν τρυμαλιῶν τῶν πετρῶν. Τὸ ἄφευκτον τῆς τι μωρίας διὰ τούτων δεδήλωκεν, ὅτι ἁλιεῖς καὶ θηρευ τὰς μιμούμενοι οἱ πολέμιοι πάντας αὐτοὺς σαγηνεύ σουσι, καὶ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι πειρωμένους λανθάνειν ὑφ' ἑαυτοὺς ποιούμενοι. ιζʹ. Ὅτι οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἐπὶ πάσας τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἀπεκρύβησαν ἀπὸ προσώπου μου, καὶ οὐκ ἐκρύβη τὰ ἀδικήματα αὐτῶν ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου. Πάντα ὁρῶ, οὐδέν με λανθάνει τῶν γιγνομένων. ιηʹ. Καὶ ἀνταποδώσω αὐτοῖς πρῶτον διπλᾶς τὰς ἀδικίας αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν, ἐφ' αἷς ἐβεβήλωσαν τὴν γῆν μου ἐν τοῖς θνησιμαίοις τῶν βδελυγμάτων αὑτῶν. Ὡς φιλάνθρωπος διπλα σίαν ἁμαρτημάτων τὴν τιμωρίαν καλεῖ· κατὰ γὰρ τὸν τοῦ δικαίου λόγον, οὐκ ἀξίας ἔτισαν δίκας. Θνη σιμαῖα δὲ τῶν βδελυγμάτων καλεῖ τὴν τῶν υἱῶν καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων σφαγὴν, ἣν τοῖς εἰδώλοις προσέφερον. Οὕτω τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν ἀσέβειαν δείξας, τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν προθεσπίζει μεταβολήν. ιθʹ. Κύριος ἰσχύς μου, καὶ βοήθειά μου, καὶ καταφυγή μου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακῶν· πρὸς σὲ ἔθνη ἥξουσιν ἀπ' ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐροῦσιν, Ὡς ψευδῆ ἐκτήσαντο οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν εἴδωλα, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὠφέλεια ἐν αὐτοῖς. Οἱ τοσαύτης ἐπιμε λείας ἀξιωθέντες, καὶ νομικῆς καὶ προφητικῆς δι δασκαλίας ἀπολαύσαντες, ἀσεβοῦντες διετέλεσαν, καὶ παρανομοῦντες· τὰ δὲ ἔθνη, ταύτης οὐκ ἀπολαύσαντα τῆς προμηθείας, μόνον δὲ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν κηρυ γμάτων ἀκούσαντα, ἔφυγε τὴν πλάνην, καὶ τῷ τῆς θεογνωσίας φωτὶ προσελήλυθε. Καὶ τῆς προτέρας ἀναμιμνησκόμενος παροιμίας βοῶ σοι· κʹ, καʹ. Εἰ ποιήσει ἑαυτῷ ἄνθρωπος θεοὺς, καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοί; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ δη λώσω αὐτοῖς ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ τὴν χεῖρά μου, 81.604 καὶ τὴν δύναμίν μου γνωριῶ αὐτοῖς, καὶ γνώσον ται ὅτι ὄνομά μοι Κύριος. Προλέγω, φησὶν, αὐτοῖς πρὸ πολλοῦ τὰ ἐσόμενα, καὶ προδιδάσκω αὐτοῖς τὴν ἰσχύν μου, ὅτι δι' εὐτελῶν καὶ ὀλίγων ἀνθρώπων τὴν μεταβολὴν αὐτῶν πραγματεύσομαι. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΖʹ. Οὕτω τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν προθεσπίσας μεταβολὴν, τῆς Ἰουδαίων πάλιν ἀσεβείας κατηγορεῖ. αʹ. Ἁμαρτία Ἰούδα ἐγγέγραπται ἐν γραφῇ, ἐν ὄνυχι ἀδαμαντίνῃ, ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους τῆς καρ δίας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς κέρασι τῶν θυσιαστηρίων αὐτῶν. Οὐδὲν τοῦ συνειδότος ἰσχυρότερον· πάγια γὰρ τὰ ἐν τούτῳ πηγνύμενα γράμματα· κἂν γὰρ πάντες ἄνθρωποι μαρτυρήσωσιν ἀγαθὰ τῷ συνειδότι ἑαυτῶν, πονηρὰ τῶν ψευδολόγων τὸ συνειδὸς οὐκ ἀνέχεται, ἀλλὰ νύττεται, καὶ κεντεῖται, καὶ ἀδέκαστον ἐκφέρει τὴν ψῆφον. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησιν, ὅτι Καὶ τὰ πράγματά σου κατηγορεῖ, καὶ τὸ συνειδός σου συμ μαρτυρεῖ. Ἀναμιμνήσκει δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ τῶν ἀλ σῶν, καὶ τῶν βωμῶν, καὶ τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς γενομένης πλάνης, καὶ ἀπειλεῖ πάντα τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτῶν σὺν τοῖς εἰδώλοις παραδώσειν τοῖς πολεμίοις. Προλέγει δὲ καὶ τὴν τῆς πόλεως ἐρημίαν· μετὰ ταῦτα ἄθλιον λέγει καὶ τρισάθλιον, καὶ ἀραῖς ὑποβάλλει τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ μὲν ἀφιστάμενον, ἀνθρωπίνῃ δὲ δυναστείᾳ θαῤ ῥοῦντα· καὶ ἀπεικάζει τοῦτον ἀκάρποις τισὶ φυτοῖς καὶ εὐτελέσι, φυομένοις ἐν ταῖς ἐρημίαις καὶ μηδε μιᾶς ἐπιμελείας τυγχάνουσιν. ϛʹ. Ἔστι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ ἀγριομυρίκη, ἡ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ οὐκ ὄψεται, ὅταν ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀγαθά. Καὶ κα τασκηνώσει ἐν ἁλίμοις, ἐν γῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἐν γῇ ἁλ μυρᾷ, ἥτις οὐ κατοικιεῖται. Τὸ δὲ "ἐν ἁλίμοις" ὁ Σύ ρος "ἐν φωλεοῖς" ἡρμήνευσε· διὰ πάντων δὲ τῶν εἰ ρημένων, τὸ ἀκερδὲς