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to be freed from error, and you did not accept the instruction. "This has been your way from your youth, that you did not listen to my voice." From the beginning and from of old you have practiced disobedience. 22. The wind will shepherd all your shepherds. Both the wicked kings, and the false prophets. "Your lovers will go into captivity." For the enemies took the idols themselves, being, as is likely, of silver and gold. "Then you will be ashamed and dishonored by all who love you." For you will not obtain their support. Then he reminds them of their former prosperity. 23. Dwelling in Lebanon, nesting in the cedars. That is, being conspicuous, and admired, and renowned among all. "You will groan when pains come upon you like a woman in labor." Connecting these things with the prophecy concerning Jehoiakim, he also foretells similar things for Jeconiah; for he was the son of Jehoiakim, and the grandson of Josiah; and after reigning for only three months, he was led away captive with his mother, and ended his life in Babylon. 24, 25. As I live, says the Lord: if Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, should become a signet ring on my right hand, I will tear you from there. And I will deliver you into 81.625 the hands of those who seek your life, and into the hands of those whom you fear, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. Since, not imitating the piety of their forefathers, they boasted in their kinship, bringing forward Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel, and David, and Hezekiah, and Josiah, men distinguished in virtue, for this reason the God of all casts out the audacity of Jeconiah, and says: Even if he were a ring, and placed on my right hand, I would tear him from there, and deliver him to his enemies. Let him not, therefore, take courage in the virtue of his ancestors, having not emulated their virtue. 26. And I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another land, into a land where you were not born, and there you will die. And he has added, that they will not return to the land which they long for. He also states the reason for the punishment. "The despised and shaken-out mouth, this man." And he accuses him of frivolity and facility concerning unlawful words. 28. And Jeconiah was dishonored, as a vessel for which there is no use. Because he himself and his seed were cast out, and were cast forth into a land which he did not know. Then, as those who had partaken of reason were not listening, he directs his words to the lifeless earth. 29, 30. O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord; thus says the Lord: Write this man down, a proclaimed outcast man, a man who will not prosper in his days; for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting on the throne of David, ruling over Judah. He showed the end of the kingdom of the Jews; and the word is true; for let no one bring Zerubbabel forward; for neither did he reign as king over the people, but he was a leader and a general; and the Lord, tracing his lineage according to the flesh from him, did not sit upon the Davidic thrones; but "above all rule, and authority, and lordship, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come." Therefore the prophecy holds true. CHAPTER 23. From this point he accuses these shepherds, the kings themselves, as being the cause of the scattering of the sheep; and to them he threatens destruction, but to the sheep, a recall. 3. For I will receive, he says, the remnant of the people from all the land, where I drove them out, in their pasture, and they will be increased, and they will be multiplied. And he promises even greater good things. 4. And I will raise up for them shepherds, who will shepherd

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ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς πλάνης, καὶ τὴν εἰσήγησιν οὐκ ἐδέχου. "Αὕτη ἡ ὁδός σου ἐκ νεότητός σου, ὅτι οὐκ ἤκουσας τῆς φωνῆς μου." Ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τῇ ἀπειθείᾳ ἐχρήσω. κβʹ. Πάντας τοὺς ποιμένας σου ποιμανεῖ ἄνε μος. Τούς τε πονηροὺς βασιλέας, καὶ τοὺς ψευδο προφήτας. "Οἱ ἐρασταί σου ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ πορεύ σονται." Καὶ αὐτὰ γὰρ τὰ εἴδωλα, ἀργυρᾶ ὄντα, ὡς εἰκὸς, καὶ χρυσᾶ, ἔλαβον οἱ πολέμιοι. "Τότε αἰσχυνθήσῃ καὶ ἀτιμωθήσῃ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν φι λούντων σε." Οὐ γὰρ τεύξῃ τῆς παρ' αὐτῶν ῥο πῆς. Εἶτα τῆς προτέρας αὐτοὺς εὐπραξίας ἀνα μιμνήσκει. κγʹ. Κατοικοῦσα ἐν τῷ Λιβάνῳ, ἐννοσσεύουσα ἐν ταῖς κέδροις. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, περιφανὴς οὖσα, καὶ περί βλεπτος, καὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀοίδιμος. "Καταστενάξεις ἐν τῷ ἐλθεῖν σοι ὀδύνας ὡς τικτούσης." Ταῦτα συν άψας τῇ περὶ τοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ προφητείᾳ, προλέγει καὶ τῷ Ἰεχονίᾳ τὰ ὅμοια· αὐτὸς δὲ τοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ υἱὸς ἦν, τοῦ δὲ Ἰωσίου ἔγγονος· τρεῖς δὲ μόνους βασιλεύ σας μῆνας, αἰχμάλωτος ἀπήχθη μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς, καὶ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι τὸν βίον κατέλυσεν. κδʹ, κεʹ. Ζῶ ἐγὼ, λέγει Κύριος· ἐὰν γενόμενος γένηται Ἰεχονίας, υἱὸς Ἰωακεὶμ βασιλέως Ἰούδα,ἀποσφράγισμα ἐπὶ τῆς χειρός μου τῆς δεξιᾶς, ὅτι ἐκεῖθεν ἐκσπάσω σε. Καὶ παραδώσω σε εἰς 81.625 χεῖρας τῶν ζητούντων τὴν ψυχήν σου, καὶ εἰς χεῖρας ὧν σὺ εὐλαβῇ ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν, ἐν χειρὶ Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ ἐν χειρὶ τῶν Χαλδαίων. Ἐπειδὴ τὴν τῶν προγόνων εὐσέβειαν οὐ μιμούμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ ἐκείνων ἐσεμνύνοντο συγγενείᾳ, τὸν Ἀβραὰμ εἰς μέσον φέροντες, καὶ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ τὸν ∆αβὶδ, καὶ τὸν Ἐζεκίαν, καὶ τὸν Ἰωσίαν, ἐπισήμους ἄνδρας ἐν ἀρετῇ, τού του χάριν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ἐκβάλλει τοῦ Ἰεχονίου τὸ θράσος, καί φησιν· Εἰ καὶ δακτύλιος γένοιτο, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς μου τεθείη χειρὸς, ἐκεῖθεν αὐτὸν ἐκ σπάσω, καὶ παραδώσω τοῖς πολεμίοις. Μὴ τοίνυν θαῤ ῥείτω τῇ τῶν προγόνων ἀρετῇ, τὴν ἐκείνων ἀρετὴν μὴ ζηλώσας. κϛʹ. Καὶ ἀποῤῥίψω σε, καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου, τὴν τεκοῦσάν σε, εἰς γῆν ἑτέραν, εἰς γῆν οὗ οὐκ ἐτέχθητε ἐκεῖ, καὶ ἐκεῖ ἀποθανεῖσθε. Προστέθεικε δὲ, ὡς οὐκ ἀναστρέψουσιν εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἧς ἐφίενται. Λέγει καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς τιμωρίας. "Τὸ στόμα τὸ ἐξουδενωμένον καὶ ἐκτετιναγμένον ὁ ἀνὴρ οὗτος." Κουφότητα δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ εὐκολίαν περὶ τοὺς παρανόμους λόγους κατηγορεῖ. κηʹ. Καὶ ἠτιμώθη Ἰεχονίας, ὡς σκεῦος οὗ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ χρεία. ∆ιότι ἐξεῤῥίφη αὐτός τε καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξεβλήθη εἰς γῆν, ἣν οὐκ ᾔδει. Εἶτα ὡς τῶν λόγου μετειληφότων οὐκ ἀκουόντων, πρὸς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἄψυχον ποιεῖται τοὺς λόγους. κθʹ, λʹ. Γῆ, γῆ, γῆ, ἄκουε λόγον Κυρίου· τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Γράψον σὺ τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον, ἄν δρα ἐκκήρυκτον, ἄνθρωπον ἀνευόδωτον ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὑτοῦ· ὅτι οὐ μὴ αὐξηθῇ ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ ἀνὴρ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου ∆αβὶδ, ἄρχων ἐπὶ Ἰούδαν. Ἔδειξε τῆς Ἰουδαίων βασιλείας τὸ τέλος· καὶ ἀψευδὴς ὁ λόγος· μηδεὶς γὰρ τὸν Ζοροβάβελ εἰς μέσον φε ρέτω· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὗτος ἐβασίλευσε τοῦ λαοῦ· ἀλλὰ δημαγωγὸς ἦν καὶ στρατηγός· καὶ ὁ Κύριος δὲ τὸ κατὰ σάρκα γένος ἐκ τούτου κατάγων, οὐ τοῖς ∆αβιτικοῖς ἐπεκάθισε θώκοις· ἀλλ' "ἐπάνω πάσης ἀρχῆς, καὶ ἐξουσίας, καὶ κυριότητος, καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι." Ἔχει τοίνυν τὸ ἀψευδὲς ἡ πρόῤῥησις. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΓʹ. Ἐντεῦθεν κατηγορεῖ τῶν ποιμένων τούτων, αὐ τῶν τῶν βασιλέων, ὡς αἰτίων γενομένων τῆς τῶν προβάτων διασπορᾶς· καὶ αὐτοῖς μὲν τὸν ὄλεθρον ἀπειλεῖ, τοῖς δὲ προβάτοις ἀνάκλησιν. γʹ. Εἰσδέξομαι γὰρ, φησὶ, τοὺς καταλοίπους τοῦ λαοῦ ἀπὸ πάσης τῆς γῆς, ἧς ἔξωσα αὐ τοὺς ἐν τῇ νομῇ αὐτῶν, καὶ αὐξηθήσονται, καὶ πληθυνθήσονται. Ἐπαγγέλλεται δὲ καὶ τὰ μείζονα ἀγαθά. δʹ. Καὶ ἀναστήσω αὐτοῖς ποιμένας, οἳ ποιμα