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the prophet was not lamenting the punishment only, but because of their incorrigibility. And well did he speak of a difficulty. For when the one who is sick does not accept the medicines, what more will there be then? The physician did not cease from healing, but nothing more happened. *Is there no resin in Gilead, or is there no physician there? And Gilead was a city of the priests, and it is. This can be clearly seen from the Chronicles; for it says thus: To the sons of Merari who were left, from the tribe of Zebulun they set apart Rimmon and its pasture lands. Then it says: And from beyond the river of Jericho. And having mentioned from the tribe of Reuben certain cities, it adds: And from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth Gilead. This, therefore, is what he means to say, Were there not high priests who were able to teach? or able to bring beneficial words to the people? For by resin he means, as it were, the medicine given for therapy. And by physician, the priest himself, able to heal sins both through admonition and through intercession to God, so that he might say that, Of the things that ought to have come from you, nothing was lacking; but they did not become better even by the exhortation.

CHAPTER 9.

Who will give my head water? I do not have, he says, in my nature a multitude of tears sufficient for the greatness of the disaster. For since it was a custom for those choosing to mourn, and to soothe the excess of their despondency for another's disaster through laments, I myself also wished, he says, to take up something more than nature, so that water might be stored up for me, and flow unimpeded; for there was no longer any benefit in weeping, he says. For the wounded of the daughter of my people. What do you say? is it necessary to weep for those who are held in wickedness? Yes, he says, for these I lament. For what reason? because on such a pretext. Not because they are punished, but because all correction has henceforth been taken away. Either by the enemies, or also of sin. Who will give me in the desert a lodging place for the night, that I might leave my people, and go away from them? The prophet, Would that, he says, it were possible to dwell in the desert. Because all commit adultery. An assembly of transgressors. That is, they had an agreement concerning evil, so that one could not even supplicate God on behalf of the sinners. Do you abandon these and go away? Yes, he says. If there were someone who paid attention to the things being said, even if there were one, I would not have fled; but now it is an assembly of transgressors. And I will leave my people. 64.853 For as being one of the people, he calls his own people those who are kin by blood and by race. All commit adultery. What kind of adultery does he mean here? or clearly that from God? For this adultery is difficult and unlawful, and more grievous than that other, inasmuch as the one who is insulted is greater, and the covenants and pledges have become more numerous. An assembly of transgressors Always agreeing for evil, as also against Christ And they have bent their tongue like a bow. He speaks of their warlike and unchangeable nature. *Falsehood, and not faith, has grown strong on the earth. That is, they are filled with hypocrisy. Let every one beware of his neighbor. Do you see perfected wickedness, when they do not even trust their neighbors, when they happen to be alienated? This is the end of the devil's wickedness, to separate the members, when neither brother, nor friend, nor anyone else is trusted. And do not trust in your brothers. That is: Trust in no one, which is what Christ says: When lawlessness is multiplied, love will grow cold. Here it is not the destruction of friendship, but the hypocrisy of friendship. Every brother will utterly supplant, each against his friend, they will not speak the truth. When wickedness is everywhere, when not even a small healthy part of truth... has truth. They did wrong, and did not cease. Do you see? not natural are the

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τιμωρίας μόνον ἐθρήνει ὁ προφήτης, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ἀδιόρθωτον. Καὶ καλῶς ἀπορίαν εἶπεν. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ κάμνων οὐ προσίεται τὰ φάρμακα, τί πλέον ἔσται λοιπόν; Οὐκ ἐπαύσατο ἰατρεύων ὁ ἰατρὸς, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἐγένετο πλέον. *Μὴ ῥητίνη οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν Γαλαὰδ, ἢ ἰατρὸς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ; Καὶ Γαλαὰδ πόλις ἦν τῶν ἱερέων, καὶ ἔστι. Τοῦτο σαφῶς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἐκ τῶν Παραλειπομένων· φησὶ γὰρ οὕτως· Τοῖς υἱοῖς Μεραρὴ τοῖς καταλελειμμένοις ἀπὸ φυλῆς Ζαβουλῶν ἀφώρισαν τὴν Ῥεμὸν καὶ τὰ περιπόλεα αὐτῆς. Εἶτά φησι· Καὶ ἐκ τοῦ πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ Ἱεριχώ. Καὶ φήσας ἀπὸ τῆς φυλῆς Ῥουβὴ φανερὰς πόλεις, ἐπάγει· Καὶ ἀπὸ φυλῆς Γὰδ τὴν Ῥαμὼθ Γαλαάδ. Τοῦτο τοίνυν βούλεται εἰπεῖν, Μὴ οὐκ ἦσαν ἀρχιερεῖς οἱ παιδεύειν δυνάμενοι; ἢ λόγους ἐπωφελεῖς προσάγειν τῷ λαῷ δυνάμενοι; Ῥητίνη γὰρ οἱονεὶ τὸ φάρμακον τὸ ἐπὶ θεραπείᾳ διδόμενον λέγει. Ἰατρὸν δὲ τὸν ἱερέα αὐτὸν, καὶ διὰ τῆς νουθεσίας, καὶ τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν πρεσβείας ἰᾶσθαι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα δυνάμενον, ἵνα εἴπῃ, ὅτι Τῶν μὲν παρὰ σοῦ ὀφειλόντων γενέσθαι ἔλειψεν οὐδέν· οἱ δὲ οὐδὲ ὑπὸ τῆς παραινέσεως ἀμείνους ἐγένοντο.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Θʹ.

Τίς δώσει τῇ κεφαλῇ μου ὕδωρ; Οὐκ ἔχω, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ φύσει δακρύων πλῆθος ἀρκοῦν τῷ μεγέθει τῆς συμφορᾶς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔθος ἦν τοῖς προαιρουμένοις πενθεῖν, καὶ κατακοιμίζειν τὸ πλέον τῆς ἀθυμίας ἄλλ. συμφορᾶς διὰ τῶν θρήνων, ἐβουλόμην καὶ αὐτὸς, φησὶ, πλέον τι τῆς φύσεως ἀναλαβεῖν, ὥστε ἀποκεῖσθαί μοι τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ φέρεσθαι ἀνεμποδίστως· οὐδὲν γὰρ λοιπὸν ὄφελος ἦν τοῦ κλαίειν, φησίν. Τοὺς τετραυματισμένους θυγατρὸς λαοῦ μου. Τί λέγεις; τούτους κλαίειν δέον τοὺς τῇ κακίᾳ ἐνεχομένους; Ναὶ, φησὶν, τούτους ὀδύρομαι. Τίνος ἕνεκεν; ὅτι ἐπὶ τοιαύτῃ προφάσει. Οὐχ ὅτι τιμωροῦνται, ἀλλ' ὅτι πᾶσα λοιπὸν ἀνῄρηται διόρθωσις. Ἢ ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, ἢ καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Τίς δώσει μοι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ σταθμὸν ἔσχατον, καὶ καταλείψω τὸν λαόν μου, καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι ἀπ' αὐτῶν; Ὁ προφήτης, Εἴθε, φησὶν, εἶεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ οἰκῆσαι. Ὅτι πάντες μοιχῶνται. Σύνοδος ἀθετούντων. Τουτέστι, συμφωνίαν ἔσχον περὶ τὸ κακὸν, ὥστε μηδὲ δύνασθαι ἱκετεῦσαι τὸν Θεὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων. Τούτους καταλιμπάνεις καὶ ἀπέρχῃ; Ναὶ, φησίν. Εἰ μὲν ἦν τις ὁ προσέχων τοῖς λεγομένοις, εἰ καὶ ἦν εἷς, οὐκ ἂν ἀπεπήδησα· νῦν δὲ σύνοδος ἀθετούντων. Καὶ καταλείψω τὸν λαόν μου. 64.853 Ὡς γὰρ εἷς ὑπάρχων τοῦ λαοῦ, λαὸν ἑαυτοῦ φησι τοὺς καθ' αἷμά τε καὶ γένος οἰκείους. Πάντες μοιχῶνται. Μοιχείαν ἐνταῦθα, ποίαν φησίν; ἢ δηλονότι τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ; Μοιχεία γὰρ αὕτη χαλεπὴ καὶ παράνομος, καὶ χαλεπωτέρα ἐκείνης, ὅσῳ καὶ ὁ ὑβριζόμενος μείζων, καὶ αἱ συνθῆκαι ἐπιπλείοσι καὶ πίστεις γεγένηνται. Σύνοδος ἀθετούντων Ἀεὶ συμφωνούντων εἰς τὸ κακὸν, ὡς καὶ κατὰ Χριστοῦ Καὶ ἐνέτειναν τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτῶν ὡς τόξον. Τὸ πολεμικὸν αὐτῶν φησι καὶ τὸ ἀμετάθετον. *Ψεῦδος, καὶ οὐ πίστις ἐνίσχυσεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Τουτέστιν, ὑποκρίσεώς εἰσι πεπληρωμένοι. Ἕκαστος ἀπὸ τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ φυλάξασθε. Ὁρᾷς συντετελεσμένην κακίαν, ὅταν μηδὲ τοῖς πλησίον θαῤῥῶσιν, ὅταν διῳκισμένοι τύχωσιν; Τοῦτο τέλος τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου πονηρίας, διαστῆσαι τὰ μέλη, ὅταν μήτε ἀδελφὸς, μήτε φίλος, μήτε ἄλλος τις πιστεύηται. Καὶ ἐπ' ἀδελφοῖς αὐτῶν μὴ πεποίθατε. Τουτέστιν· Ἐπὶ μηδενὶ πεποίθατε, ὅπερ ὁ Χριστός φησιν· Ὅταν πληθυνθῇ ἡ ἀνομία, ψυγήσεται ἡ ἀγάπη. Ἐνταῦθα οὐ φιλίας ἀναίρεσις, ἀλλὰ φιλίας ὑπόκρισις. Πᾶς ἀδελφὸς πτέρνῃ πτερνιεῖ ἕκαστος κατὰ τοῦ φίλου αὐτοῦ, ἀλήθειαν οὐ μὴ λαλήσωσι. Ὅταν πανταχοῦ ᾖ κακία, ὅταν μηδὲ μικρὸν τὸ ὑγιαῖνον μέρος ἀληθείας ἄλλ. ἀλήθειαν ἔχῃ. Ἠδίκησαν, καὶ οὐ διέλιπον. Ὁρᾷς; οὐχὶ φυσικὰ τὰ