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The Lord: Behold, I am against your pillows, with which you there ensnare souls, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will send forth the souls which you have perverted, their souls to be scattered. And I will tear your veils, and I will deliver my people from your hand, and they shall no longer be in your hands for ensnaring, and you shall know that I am the Lord. I will refute, he says, your words, and show them to be false, and instead of those good promises, which are like soft cushions for the neck and for the elbows, I will bring painful things upon the people persuaded by you, and I will scatter them, teaching them by experience your falsehood. Yet I will free them from your falsehood, persuading them, through what they endure, to no longer pay attention to your words, but to acknowledge me as Lord and Master. 22, 23. Because you unjustly perverted the heart of the righteous, when I had not perverted him, and in that you strengthened the hands of the lawless, so that he would not turn back from his evil way, and live. Therefore you shall no longer see false visions, and you shall no longer practice divination; and 81.920 I will deliver my people from your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord. For since, he says, you disturbed and troubled the righteous (for so Aquila translated it), foretelling grievous things to them, and you made the lawless more audacious, prophesying good things, and you did both contrary to my purpose; for this reason, I will deliver you to utter destruction, and I will put a stop to your false divination, and I will free my people from the ruin caused by you. Having thus prophesied these things, he moves his discourse to another matter.

CHAPTER 14. 1-3. And there came, he says, to me men from the elders of Israel, and

sat before my face. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, these men have set up their thoughts in their hearts, and have put the punishment of their iniquities before their face: shall I indeed answer them? Aquila translated this more clearly: "These men have brought up their idols into their hearts, and have set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face." For what they wickedly devise, he says, they perform, and having shamelessly scorned the punishment threatened to the unjust, they came to you, wishing to inquire about something, and expecting to be deemed worthy of an answer. 4, 5. Therefore speak to them, and you shall say to them: Thus says Adonai the Lord: A man from the house of Israel, who shall set up his thoughts in his heart, and shall place the punishment of his iniquity before his face, and shall come to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him in these things, in which his thought is entangled, that I may take the house of Israel according to their hearts that are estranged from me in their thoughts. Since those who were enslaved to impiety used the prophets and the false prophets alike, and inquired, not in order to carry out by all means what was commanded by God, but wishing to learn if the prophecies agreed with their own reasonings; for this reason, the God of all says through the prophet, that every man from the house of Israel, who contradicts the divine teachings, but is persuaded only by his own reasonings, and who scorns the punishment threatened to the lawless, even if he should go to a false prophet, wishing to fulfill his own intentions, but making a test, if the prophecies agree with his own reasonings, I, he says, will answer him. Since he does not use an upright mind, I will permit 81.921 the false prophet to confirm his reasonings; for he is worthy of destruction and ruin. Therefore, he says, "That I may take the house of Israel according to their hearts

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Κύριος· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ τὰ προσκεφάλαια ὑμῶν, ἐφ' ἃ ὑμεῖς συστρέφετε ἐκεῖ ψυχὰς, καὶ διαῤῥήξω αὐτὰ ἐπὶ τῶν βραχιόνων ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ τὰς ψυχὰς, ἃς ὑμεῖς ἐξεστρέψατε, τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν εἰς διασκορπισμόν. Καὶ ῥήξω τὰ ἐπι βόλαια ὑμῶν, καὶ ῥύσομαι τὸν λαόν μου ἐκ χειρὸς ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι ἔσονται ἐν χερσὶν ὑμῶν εἰς συστροφὴν, καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος. Ἐλέγξω, φησὶ, τοὺς ὑμετέρους λόγους, καὶ δείξω ψευδεῖς, καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν χρηστῶν ἐκείνων ἐπαγγελιῶν, αἳ ἐοίκασιν ὑπαυχενίοις μαλακοῖς καὶ ὑπαγκωνίοις, ἐπάξω τὰ ἀλγεινὰ τῷ πεισθέντι ὑμῖν λαῷ, καὶ διασκορπιῶ αὐτοὺς, τῇ πείρᾳ διδάσκων τὸ ὑμέτερον ψεῦδος. Ἐλευθερώσω δὲ αὐτοὺς ὅμως ἀπὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας ψευδολογίας, πείθων αὐτοὺς, δι' ὧν ὑπομένουσι, μηκέτι τοῖς ὑμετέροις προσέχειν λό γοις, ἀλλ' ἐμὲ Κύριον ἐπιγράφεσθαι καὶ ∆εσπό την. κβʹ, κγʹ. Ἀνθ' ὧν διεστρέφετε καρδίαν δικαίου ἀδίκως, καὶ ἐγὼ οὐ διέστρεφον αὐτὸν, καὶ τοῦ κατισχύσαι χεῖρας ἀνόμου τὸ καθόλου, τοῦ μὴ ἀποστρέψαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὑτοῦ τῆς πο νηρᾶς, καὶ ζῆσαι αὐτόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ψευδῆ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε, καὶ μαντείας οὐ μὴ μαντεύσησθε ἔτι· καὶ 81.920 ῥύσομαι τὸν λαόν μου ἐκ χειρὸς ὑμῶν, καὶ γνώ σεσθε ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς μὲν δικαίους διεταράττετε καὶ ἐχειμάζετε (οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Ἀκύλας ἡρμήνευσε), λυπηρὰ αὐτοῖς προλέγοντες, θρασυτέρους δὲ τοὺς παρανόμους ἀπετελεῖτε, ἀγαθὰ προθεσπίζοντες, καὶ ἑκάτερα παρὰ τὸν ἐμὸν ἐποιεῖτε σκοπόν· τούτου χάριν, παντελεῖ ὑμᾶς παραδώσω ὀλέθρῳ, καὶ τὴν ψευδῆ μαντείαν ὑμῶν καταπαύσω, καὶ τῆς δι' ὑμῶν ἀπωλείας τὸν ἐμὸν ἐλευθερώσω λαόν. Οὕτω τὰ περὶ τούτων προθεσπίσας, ἐφ' ἕτερον μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Ι∆ʹ. αʹ-γʹ. Καὶ ἦλθον, φησὶ, πρός με ἄνδρες ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ

ἐκάθισαν πρὸ προσώπου μου. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με, λέγων· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, οἱ ἄνδρες οὗτοι ἔθεντο τὰ διανοήματα αὑτῶν ἐπὶ τὰς καρδίας αὑτῶν, καὶ τὴν κόλασιν τῶν ἀδικιῶν αὑτῶν ἔθηκαν πρὸ προσώπου αὑτῶν· εἰ ἀποκρινόμενος ἀπο κριθῶ αὐτοῖς; Σαφέστερον τοῦτο ὁ Ἀκύλας ἡρμή νευσεν· "Οἱ ἄνδρες οὗτοι ἀνήνεγκαν τὰ εἴδωλα αὑτῶν ἐπὶ καρδίας αὑτῶν, καὶ σκάνδαλον ἀνομίας αὑτῶν ἔδωκαν ἀπέναντι τοῦ προσώπου αὑτῶν." Ἃ γὰρ κακῶς, φησὶ, διανοηθέντες ἐπιτελοῦσι, καὶ ἠπειλημένης τοῖς ἀδίκοις κολάσεως ἀναίδην κατα φρονήσαντες, παρεγένοντο πρὸς σὲ, πυθέσθαι τι βουλόμενοι, καὶ ἀποκρίσεως ἀξιωθῆναι προσ δοκῶντες. δʹ, εʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λάλησον αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ, ὃς ἐὰν θῇ τὰ διανοήματα αὑτοῦ ἐπὶ καρδίας αὑτοῦ, καὶ τὴν κόλασιν τῆς ἀδικίας αὑτοῦ τάξῃ πρὸ προσ ώπου ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ἔλθῃ πρὸς τὸν προφήτην, ἐγὼ Κύριος ἀποκριθήσομαι αὐτῷ ἐν τούτοις, ἐν οἷς ἐνέχεται ἡ διάνοια αὐτοῦ, ὅπως πλαγιάσῃ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν τὰς ἀπηλλοτριωμένας ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἐνθυμή μασιν αὐτῶν. Ἐπειδὴ τοῖς προφήταις καὶ τοῖς ψευδοπροφήταις ὁμοίως ἐκέχρηντο οἱ τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ δουλεύοντες, καὶ ἐπυνθάνοντο, οὐχ ἵνα πάντως τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ κελευόμενα περάνωσιν, ἀλλὰ βουλό μενοι μανθάνειν εἰ συμβαίνουσι τοῖς λογισμοῖς αἱ προῤῥήσεις· τούτου χάριν, ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου φησὶν, ὅτι Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ, ταῖς μὲν θείαις ἀντιλέγων διδασκαλίαις, μόνοις δὲ τοῖς οἰκείοις πειθόμενος λογισμοῖς, καὶ τῆς ἠπειλημένης τοῖς παρανόμοις καταφρονῶν τι μωρίας, κἂν πρὸς ψευδοπροφήτην ἀπέλθῃ, τὰ μὲν οἰκεῖα βουλήματα πληρῶσαι θέλων, ἀπόπειραν δὲ ποιούμενος, εἰ συμβαίνουσι τοῖς οἰκείοις λογισμοῖς αἱ προῤῥήσεις, ἐγὼ, φησὶν, ἀποκριθήσομαι αὐτῷ. Ἐπειδὴ οὐκ εὐθείᾳ κέχρηται διανοίᾳ, συγχωρήσω 81.921 τῷ ψευδοπροφήτῃ τοὺς λογισμοὺς αὐτοῦ βεβαιῶσαι· ὀλέθρου γάρ ἐστι καὶ ἀπωλείας ἄξιος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, φησὶν, "Ὅπως πλαγιάσῃ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ τὰς καρδίας