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God has given to all men. Thus, having prophesied about the new covenant, he brings the discourse back again to the former sequence. 24 Therefore, thus says the Lord Sabaoth: Fear not, my people who dwell in Zion, from the Assyrians, because he will strike you with a rod. Here he called the moderate chastisement a rod; for he besieged many of the subject cities. For I bring a blow upon you to see the way of Egypt. And I brought this chastisement upon you not unjustly but holding you to account for your Egyptian practices; |116 a| for the idolatry which you had learned from the Egyptians, this you continue to observe. Symmachus also interpreted this meaning: “With a rod he will strike you and his staff he will raise against you because of the way of Egypt,” that is, because of the imitation of the Egyptians; for he often calls life a "way." 25 For yet a little while and my wrath against you will cease. After bringing chastisement upon you, I will also impart help. But my anger is upon their counsel. And I will turn my wrath against those who war against you. 26 And God will raise up scourges against them, like the blow of Midian in the place of affliction. We know of two blows of Midian: the one through the great Moses, and the one inflicted on them through Gideon. Both were marvelous, but the second was more marvelous; for they were struck down without weapons. And the Assyrians also paid this penalty; for with no one shooting an arrow, nor hurling a spear, nor using a sling, many myriads were sent to their death. This is what the blessed David also said: “At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, the riders on horses fell into a slumber.” And he called the swiftness of death a slumber. Then he recounts how he wishes to rush against Egypt through the coastal plain after the siege of Jerusalem, but not only will he fail in that, but he will also be deprived of what is in his hands, with the yoke imposed on Jerusalem being shattered. 27 For his yoke, he says, will be destroyed from your shoulders. Then he teaches the error that he will endure while fleeing and being scattered on different roads and passing through Ai and Migron and Michmash and Geba. That Ramah, the city of Saul, will be in agony and will flee, but will receive no harm, and Gallim, imitating a prancing horse, will neigh against him, and Laishah and Anathoth and Madmenah and Gebim will be amazed at the sudden change of events. Having said these things about the others, the prophetic word encourages those who dwell in Jerusalem and exhorts them to stay and not to flee: 31 Take comfort 32 today in the way to remain, take comfort by hand for the mountain of the daughter of Zion and the hills in Jerusalem and Judah. Thus, having prophesied these things concerning the Assyrians and having foretold the marvelous salvation of Jerusalem, he teaches the cause of the salvation: 33 Behold, the master, the Lord Sabaoth, throws the glorious into confusion with strength, and the high in their pride will be shattered, and the lofty will be humbled 34 and the high will fall by the sword, and Lebanon with the high ones will fall. He says he will not only deliver to death those who rule and are proud, but he will also destroy the prevailing error of idols. For he calls the error Lebanon, and the idols honored in the high places he named "high ones." For since the greatest deceit of demons held sway in Lebanon, he named the whole from the part. 11 And a rod shall come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall grow up from the root. .......... |116 b| he says, he will enjoy the divine providence of the rod. Above, then, he prefigured the birth of Emmanuel from a virgin, then he indicated the conception from the Holy Spirit: for he says, "I went to the prophetess, and she conceived." For in the virginal womb the all-holy Spirit fashioned the temple of the Word of God, the form of a servant, which from the conception itself the God-Word, having assumed, united to himself. After these things, he showed us the worth of the child who was born

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πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις δέδωκεν ὁ θεός. Οὕτω περὶ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης προαγορεύσας ἐπανάγει πάλιν εἰς τὴν προτέραν ἀκολουθίαν τὸν λόγον· 24∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος Σαβαώθ· Μὴ φοβοῦ ὁ λαός μου οἱ κατοι κοῦντες ἐν Σιὼν ἀπὸ Ἀσςυρίων, ὅτι ἐν ῥάβδῳ πατάξει σε. Ῥάβδον ἐκάλεσεν ἐνταῦθα τὴν μετρίαν παιδείαν· καὶ γὰρ πολλὰς τῶν ὑποκειμένων ἐπολιόρκησε πόλεις. Πληγὴν γὰρ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω ἐπὶ σὲ τοῦ ἰδεῖν ὁδὸν Αἰγύπτου. Καὶ ταύτην δέ σοι τὴν παιδείαν ἐπήγαγον οὐκ ἀδίκως ἀλλὰ τῶν Αἰγυπτιακῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων σε εἰσπραττόμενος εὐθύ νας· |116 a| ἣν γὰρ παρ' Αἰγυπτίων ἐμεμαθήκεις εἰδωλο λατρείαν, ταύτην διατελεῖς φυλάττων. Ταύτην καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσε τὴν διάνοιαν· «Ἐν ῥάβδῳ πατάξει σε καὶ τὴν βακτηρίαν αὐτοῦ ἐπαρεῖ ἐπὶ σὲ διὰ τὴν ὁδὸν Αἰγύπτου», τουτέστι διὰ τὴν Αἰγυπτίων μίμησιν· ὁδὸν γὰρ πολλάκις τὸν βίον καλεῖ. 25Ἔτι γὰρ μικρὸν καὶ παύσεταί μου ἡ ὀργὴ ἡ κατὰ σοῦ. Ἐπαγαγών σοι τὴν παιδείαν μεταδώσω καὶ βοηθείας. Ὁ δὲ θυμός μου ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν αὐτῶν. Τρέψω δὲ τὴν ὀργήν μου κατὰ τῶν πολεμούντων σοι. 26Καὶ ἐγερεῖ ὁ θεὸς ἐπ' αὐτοὺς μάστιγας κατὰ τὴν πληγὴν Μαδιὰμ ἐν τόπῳ θλίψεως. ∆ύο πληγὰς ἴσμεν τοῦ Μαδιάμ· τὴν μὲν διὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Μωυσέως, τὴν δὲ διὰ τοῦ Γεδεὼν ἐπενεχθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς. Ἀμφότεραι δὲ παράδοξοι, παραδοξοτέρα δὲ ἡ δευτέρα· δίχα γὰρ ὅπλων κατηκοντίσθησαν. Ταύτην δὲ ἔδοσαν καὶ Ἀσσύριοι τὴν δίκην· οὐδενὸς γὰρ οὐ βέλος ἀφέντος, οὐκ ἀκοντίσαντος δόρυ, οὐ χρησαμένου σφενδόνῃ πολλαὶ τῷ θανάτῳ παρεπέμφθησαν μυριάδες. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη ∆αυίδ· «Ἀπὸ ἐπιτιμήσεώς σου, ὁ θεὸς Ἰακώβ, ἐνύσταξαν οἱ ἐπιβεβηκότες τοῖς ἵπποις.» Νυσταγμὸν δὲ ἐκάλεσε τοῦ θανάτου τὸ σύντομον. Εἶτα διηγεῖται ὡς βούλεται μὲν μετὰ τὴν πολιορκίαν τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ κατὰ τῆς Αἰγύπτου διὰ τῆς Παραλίας ὁρμῆσαι, οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐκείνης διαμαρτήσεται ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐν χερσὶ στερηθήσεται, τοῦ ἐπικειμένου τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ συντριβομένου ζυγοῦ. 27Καταφθαρήσεται γάρ φησιν ὁ ζυγὸς αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ὤμων ὑμῶν. Ἔπειτα διδάσκει τὸν πλάνον ὃν ὑπομενεῖ φεύγων καὶ εἰς διαφόρους ὁδοὺς σκεδαννύμενος καὶ διερχόμενος τὴν Ἀγγαὶ καὶ τὴν Μαγεδδὼ καὶ τὴν Μαχμὰς καὶ τὴν Γαβαών. Ὅτι ἀγωνιάσει μὲν ἡ Ῥαμὰ τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἡ πόλις καὶ φεύξεται, βλάβην δὲ οὐ δέξεται, καὶ ἡ Γαλὶμ ἵππον γαυριῶντα μιμουμένη κατ' αὐτοῦ χρεμετίσει, ἥ τε Λαϊσὰ καὶ ἡ Ἀναθὼθ καὶ ἡ Μαδεβηνὰ καὶ ἡ Γαβὶρ ἐκπλαγήσονται τὴν ἀθρόαν τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολήν. Ταῦτα περὶ τῶν ἄλλων εἰρηκὼς ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος τοὺς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ οἰκοῦντας ψυχαγωγεῖ καὶ μένειν καὶ μὴ φεύγειν παρεγγυᾷ· 31Παρακαλεῖτε 32σήμερον ἐν ὁδῷ τοῦ μεῖναι, παρακαλεῖτε τῇ χειρὶ τὸ ὄρος τῆς θυγατρὸς Σιὼν καὶ τοὺς βουνοὺς τοὺς ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ Ἰούδᾳ. Οὕτωταῦτα περὶ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων προθεσπίσας καὶ τὴν παράδοξον τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ σωτηρίαν προαγορεύσας τῆς σωτηρίας τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκει· 33Ἰδοὺ δὴ ὁ δεσπότης κύριος Σαβαὼθ συνταράσσει τοὺς ἐνδόξους μετὰ ἰσχύος, καὶ οἱ ὑψηλοὶ τῇ ὕβρει συντριβήσονται καὶ οἱ μετέωροι ταπεινωθήσονται 34καὶ πεσοῦνται οἱ ὑψηλοὶ μαχαίρᾳ, ὁ δὲ Λίβανος σὺν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς πεσεῖται. Οὐ μόνον φησὶ τοὺς δυναστεύοντας καὶ μέγα φρονοῦντας παραδώσει θανάτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν κρατοῦσαν τῶν εἰδώλων καταλύσει πλάνην. Λίβανον γάρ φησι τὴν πλάνην, ὑψηλὰ δὲ τὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς τιμώμενα προση γόρευσεν εἴδωλα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τῷ Λιβάνῳ πλείστη κατεῖχεν ἐξαπάτη δαιμόνων, ἀπὸ τοῦ μέρους τὸ πᾶν προσηγόρευσεν. 111Καὶ ἐξελεύσεται ῥάβδος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαί, καὶ ἄνθος ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης ἀναβήσεται. .......... |116 b| φησι τῆς ῥάβδου τῆς θείας ἀπολαύσεται προμηθείας. Ἄνω μὲν οὖν τὴν ἐκ παρθένου γέννησιν τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ προεδήλωσεν, εἶτα τὴν ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου ὑπέδειξε σύλληψιν· «Προ σῆλθον» γάρ φησι «πρὸς τὴν προφῆτιν, καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβεν.» Ἐν γὰρ τῇ παρθενικῇ νηδύι τὸ πανάγιον πνεῦμα διέπλασε τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου ναόν, τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφήν, ἣν ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς κυήσεως ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἀναλαβὼν ἥνωσεν ἑαυτῷ. Μετὰ ταῦτα ἔδειξεν ἡμῖν τοῦ τεχθέντος παιδίου τὴν ἀξίαν