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We often do this with children; having dishonored them, we point out others in their places, so that they may be stung and grieved not only by the deprivation of their own good things, but also by the care shown for others. *And they healed the hurt of the daughter of my people for dishonor, saying, Peace, peace; but where would it be? The phrase, For dishonor, is this: for vanity. So that he might say, for no benefit, but rather for harm, and it is a sufficient dishonor to lead away those who are persuaded. *There is no grape in the vines, and there are no figs on the fig trees, and the leaves have fallen; and He gave to them, and it passed them by. He showed the battle array. For above he said: His quiver is as an open sepulchre. All are mighty, and they shall eat up your harvest, and your bread, indicating the time of the attack. This, then, is what he means to say, that so much time has passed that even the season of winter has arrived, and we are disposed no better. For the phrase, And He gave to them, that is, God provided our goods to the enemies; and the phrase, And it passed them by, that is, some things they enjoyed, others they destroyed. What is this? Either because the enemies took them, or because there was a famine, perhaps of the same kind through the plague of God. For since by warring continuously they stripped the land, these things happened; and it came to pass so that they might be disciplined in their fruits. And He gave us water of gall to drink. Do you see how great a good affliction is? But what could water of gall be? He speaks of the outcome videtur deesse verbum testified, η meansaut simile something similar; what they were about to say, the prophet says in anticipation. *Why do we sit still? 64.849 That is, we expect none of the fruits of the earth. Assemble, and let us enter into the fortified cities, and let us perish there. That is, it remains for us to be saved by going into a city, since everything outside has been taken by the enemy. *We gathered for peace, but there was no good. That is: We fled to a city, intending to live there in peace, and there want overtook us. For a time of healing. That is, so as to be delivered from the enemies. And behold, trouble. Instead of saying, the turmoil from within was worse than that from without; for these things were also present; but they fell into an impossible siege. From Dan we will hear the sound of the swiftness of horses. In punishments, God always shows the appearance to be greater than the chastisement. From the very beginning He makes it fearful, so that this may become a correction. He stirs up with words, He stirs up with deeds, and He shows the preludes to be harsh, so that having been frightened, and chastened, they might no longer come to the experience of terrible things. *At the sound of the neighing of his steeds, the whole land trembled. That is, it was turned to flight. For behold, I will send serpents among you. He reminds them of what happened to them in the desert; for He was not, in fact, going to send serpents, but He thus calls the Persians and the Barbarians. And yet it signifies an attack of wild beasts, as in the desert, or it represented the bitterness of the enemies through the example. But that he indicated the array of calamities through what was just said, he clearly shows; for going on he says: Which cannot be charmed, and they will bite. Whence it is not possible to find any comfort for the sickness; for a wild beast is more easily tamed than barbaric wrath. Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people. The prophet hears them again wailing from captivity. Or is there no king there? Is there some anarchy among them? From whence were they betrayed? And they had God, and the king who commanded the city. What is it, Is there no king there? He continually shows this, that God is above kings. Behold, he says, all pretext has been taken from you; I gave you a king also. What has happened, that you imitated the nations, and said: And we will be like the other nations, having a king? You received a king; for what reason did you not remain in your own laws, but acted impiously? 64.852 For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am darkened. Not because of the

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παίδων τοῦτο ποιοῦμεν πολλάκις, ἐκείνους ἀτιμάσαντες, ἑτέρους ἐν τοῖς ἐκείνων τόποις δείκνυμεν· ἵνα μὴ τῇ στερήσει μόνον τῶν οἰκείων καλῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιμελείᾳ δάκνωνται καὶ λυπῶνται. *Καὶ ἰάσαντο τὸ σύντριμμα τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐπ' ἀτιμίᾳ, λέγοντες· Εἰρήνη, εἰρήνη, ποῦ δὲ εἴη; Τὸ, Ἐπ' ἀτιμίᾳ, τοῦτό ἐστιν, Ἐπὶ ματαιότητι. Ἵναεἴπῃ, ἐπ' οὐδεμιᾷ ὠφελείᾳ, ἐπὶ βλάβῃ μὲν οὖν, καὶ ἱκανὴ ἀτιμία ἀπάγειν τοὺς πειθομένους. *Οὐκ ἔστι σταφυλὴ ἐν ταῖς ἀμπέλοις, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι σῦκα ἐν ταῖς συκαῖς, καὶ τὰ φύλλα κατεῤῥύηκε, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ παρῆλθεν αὐτούς. Τὸ παρατεταγμένον τοῦ πολέμου ἔδειξεν. Ἀνωτέρω γὰρ ἔφη· Ἡ φαρέτρα αὐτοῦ, ὡς τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος. Πάντες ἰσχυροὶ, καὶ κατέδονται τὸν θερισμὸν ὑμῶν, καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους ὑμῶν, τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἐπιστασίας μηνύων. Τοῦτο τοίνυν βούλεται εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Τοσοῦτος χρόνος παρῆλθεν, ὥστε καὶ τὴν τοῦ χειμῶνος ἐπιστῆναι ὥραν, καὶ οὐδὲν βέλτιον διετέθημεν. Τὸ γὰρ, Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς, τουτέστι, Τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ὁ Θεὸς παρέσχε τὰ ἡμέτερα ἀγαθά· τὸ δὲ, Καὶ παρῆλθεν αὐτοὺς, τουτέστι, τῶν μὲν ἀπήλαυσαν, τὰ δὲ διέφθειραν. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; ἤτοι τῶν πολεμίων λαβόντων· ἢ καὶ ἀφορίας γενομένης τάχα δὲ τῆς ἴσ. διὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ πληγῆς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ συνεχῶς πολεμοῦντες ἐγύμνουν τὴν γῆν, ταῦτα συνέβαινεν· ἐγένετο δὲ ἵνα παιδεύωνται ἐν τοῖς καρποῖς. Καὶ ἐπότισεν ἡμᾶς ὕδωρ χολῆς. Ὁρᾷς ὅσον ἀγαθὸν ἡ θλῖψις; ὕδωρ δὲ χολῆς ποῖον ἂν γένοιτο; τὴν ἔκβασιν videtur deesse verbum λέγει, η σημαίνειaut simile μαρτυρουμένην· ἃ ἔμελλον ἐρεῖν προλαβὼν ὁ προφήτης λέγει. *Ἐπὶ τί ἡμεῖς καθήμεθα; 64.849 Τουτέστιν, Οὐδὲν προσδοκῶμεν τῶν τῆς γῆς καρπῶν. Συνάχθητε, καὶ εἰσέλθωμεν εἰς τὰς πόλεις τὰς ὀχυρὰς, καὶ ἀποῤῥιφθῶμεν ἐκεῖ. Τουτέστιν, Λείπεται εἰς πόλιν γενομένους σώζεσθαι, πάντων τῶν ἔξωθεν ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ληφθέντων. *Συνήχθημεν εἰς εἰρήνην, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀγαθά. Τουτέστι· Κατεφύγομεν εἰς πόλιν, ὡς ἐκεῖ μέλλοντες ἐν εἰρήνῃ διάγειν, κἀκεῖ ἔνδεια κατέλαβεν. Εἰς καιρὸν ἰάσεως. Τουτέστιν, Ὥστε ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῶν πολεμίων. Καὶ ἰδοὺ σπουδή. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Χείρων ἡ ἐντεῦθεν ταραχὴ, τῶν ἔξωθεν· τούτοις μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐνῆν· οἱ δὲ εἰς ἀμήχανον πολιορκίαν ἔπιπτον. Ἐκ ∆ὰν ἀκουσόμεθα φωνὴν ὀξύτητος ἵππων. Ἐν ταῖς τιμωρίαις ὁ Θεὸς ἀεὶ μείζονα τῆς κολάσεως τὴν ὄψιν δείκνυσιν. Ἐκ προοιμίων αὐτὴν φοβερὰν εἶναι ποιεῖ, ἵνα τοῦτο γένηται διόρθωσις. Ἐπαίρει τοῖς λόγοις, ἐπαίρει τοῖς ἔργοις, καὶ τὰ προοίμια δείκνυσι χαλεπὰ, ἵνα φοβηθέντες, καὶ σωφρονισθέντες, μηκέτι εἰς πεῖραν ἔλθωσι τῶν δεινῶν. *Ἀπὸ φωνῆς χρεμετισμοῦ ἱππασίας ἵππων αὐτοῦ, ἐσείσθη πᾶσα ἡ γῆ. Τουτέστι, ἐς φυγὴν ἐτράπη. ∆ιότι ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξαποστέλλω εἰς ὑμᾶς ὄφεις. Ἀναμιμνήσκει τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου συμβάντων αὐτοῖς· οὐ γὰρ δὴ, ὄφεις ἔμελλεν ἐπιπέμπειν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς Πέρσας οὕτω καλεῖ καὶ τοὺς Βαρβάρους. Καίτοι θηρίων ἔφοδον μηνύει, ὡς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἢ τῶν πολεμίων τὸ πικρὸν παρέστησε διὰ τοῦ παραδείγματος· ὅτι δὲ τὸ παρατεταγμένον τῶν συμφορῶν διὰ τῶν ἄρτι λεχθέντων ἐμήνυσε, σαφῶς δηλοῖ· προϊὼν γάρ φησι· Οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπᾷσαι, καὶ δήξονται. Ὅθεν οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν τινα παραμυθίαν τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας· ῥᾴδιον γὰρ ἡμεροῦται θηρίον, ἢ θυμὸς βαρβαρικός. Ἰδοὺ κραυγὴ φωνῆς θυγατρὸς λαοῦ μου. Ὁ προφήτης ἀκούει πάλιν ὀδυρομένων αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας. Ἢ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ; Μὴ ἀναρχία τίς ἐστι παρ' αὐτοῖς; Πόθεν προεδόθησαν; καὶ τὸν Θεὸν εἶχον, καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τὸν στρατηγοῦντα τῆς πόλεως. Τί ἐστι, Βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ; Συνεχῶς τοῦτο δείκνυσι, τὸν Θεὸν ὑπὲρ βασιλέας εἶναι. Ἰδοὺ, φησὶ, πᾶσα ἀφῄρηται πρόφασις ὑμῖν· ἔδωκα καὶ βασιλέα. Τί γέγονεν, ὅτι τὰ ἔθνη ἐμιμήσασθε, καὶ ἐλέγετε· Καὶ ἐσόμεθα ὡς τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη ἔχοντες βασιλέα; Βασιλέα ἐλάβετε· τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐμείνατε ἐπὶ τῶν οἰκείων νομίμων, ἀλλ' ἠσεβήσατε; 64.852 Ἐπὶ συντρίμματι θυγατρὸς λαοῦ μου ἐσκοτίσθην. Οὐ διὰ τὰς