44

not to pray for them; wishing to show him that he is not more philanthropic than God, nor even a little bit close, see what he does. He makes their deceits and their counsels become manifest, parading these things, both what they did, and what they said. So that he might learn that He does not listen to them not because He is at a loss, but He does not pity them because they are unworthy. But I am like an innocent lamb. The simplicity of the prophet is wonderful. God does not accept anything thus; so he also suffered the former things from a simple trial. Come, and let us put wood in his bread. What is wood? Let us crucify him, as one accursed, that he may not even die a common death, and the wickedness is with one accord. *They devised a device against me, saying; Come, and let us put wood into his bread, and let us destroy him from the land of the living. That is a deadly root; for this he calls wood. O Lord, judging righteously. May I see your vengeance upon them, because to you I have revealed my cause. That is, you have exacted a just penalty from them. For knowing their wickedness, he ceased to pray. See the boldness simply, and I suffer these things in vain; from you I want vengeance, if you wish, he says. But it would not come from you, unless it came with justice, as when the demand is from the judge. He did not simply say judging righteously, testing the reins. If anything has been secretly dared against them, if anything in thought, you know, who knows the secrets of all. To you I have revealed my cause. That is, I have told you my righteous claims. You, Lord, on 64.872 to come forth. You see that he does not entrust it to himself, but to God; you have heard my just claims; do as you will. Therefore thus says the Lord against the men of Anathoth, who seek my soul, who say, You shall not prophesy in the name of the Lord; but if not, you shall die, etc. You see that the matter pertained to God. They were preventing him from speaking the things from God; Isaiah also says this: Do not tell us the way of the Lord, but tell us other things. And their wickedness is great, when they do not even endure a voice that is able to heal; and see the wickedness. The citizens themselves, who ought to be priding themselves on the prophet, themselves attempt to kill him. Where the good sprouted, there the wickedness is greater. Perhaps there was also much envy. Behold, I will visit upon them; and their sons, and their daughters, etc. But see, they paid a harder penalty; why also the children? For what reason? Perhaps they themselves were also wicked, and were not made wise by the example of the men. You see how I am indignant when you are insulted; so also you when I am insulted. Because I will bring evils upon the inhabitants in Anathoth in the year of their visitation. Again he brought the word to a postponement, when he was thus urging the punishment; persuading him and showing how good he is. I will not bring it now, he says, but in a year, so that he also gave them a deadline for repentance.

CH. 12.

You are righteous, O Lord. More commonly, he himself is also perplexed by these things. He is not dizzy about the nature of the thing, but about the manner, and says: For we know that you are righteous, but I do not find the manner of righteousness. As if someone, seeing a builder, or one demolishing [perh.] then seeing a house [being] demol. should say: We know that you are a builder, but I do not see the manner of the building of another building. For because of this, he says, I also appeal to you. And after a little: Neither will anyone condemn you as unjust, nor will anyone condemn me as seeking unreasonably. Because I will make my defense to you. That is, having known you to be righteous, from the judgments which you have taught me. I make a defense for that for which I supplicated you. Nevertheless, I will speak judgments to you. The opposite, he says, now I will plead my case to you, O Master, hastening the

44

μὴ εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν· δεῖξαι αὐτῷ βουλόμενος, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπότερος, ἀλλὰ οὐδὲ κατὰ μικρὸν ἐγγὺς, ὅρα τί ποιεῖ. Τοὺς δόλους αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς βουλὰς κατασκευάζει γενέσθαι φανερὰς, ἐκπομπεύων ταῦτα, καὶ τί ἔπραττον, καὶ τί ἔλεγον. Ἵνα μάθῃ ὅτι οὐκ ἀπορῶν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀκούει, ἀλλ' ἀναξίους ὄντας οὐκ ἐλεεῖ. Ἐγὼ δὲ ὡς ἀρνίον ἄκακον. Θαυμαστὴ ἡ ἀφέλεια τοῦ προφήτου. Οὐδὲν οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς προσίεται· ἄρα καὶ τὰ πρότερα ἐξ ἀφελοῦς πείρας ἔπαθεν. ∆εῦτε, καὶ ἐμβάλωμεν ξύλον εἰς τὸν ἄρτον αὐτοῦ. Τί ἐστι ξύλον; Σταυρώσωμεν αὐτὸν, ὡς ἐπικατάρατον, μηδὲ κοινῷ τελευτήσει θανάτῳ, καὶ μετὰ ὁμονοίας ἡ κακία. *Ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἐλογίσαντο λογισμὸν, λέγοντες· ∆εῦτε, καὶ ἐμβάλωμεν ξύλον εἰς τὸν ἄρτον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκτρίψωμεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ γῆς ζώντων. Τουτέστι ῥίζαν θανάσιμον· τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει ξύλον. Κύριε, κρίνων δίκαια. Ἴδοιμι τὴν παρὰ σοῦ ἐκδίκησιν ἐξ αὐτῶν, ὅτι πρὸς σὲ ἀπεκάλυψα τὸ δικαίωμά μου. Τουτέστι δικαίαν εἴσπραξαι παρ' αὐτῶν δίκην. Γνοὺς γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν πονηρίαν, ἐπαύσατο τοῦ προσεύχεσθαι. Ὅρα παῤῥησίαν ἁπλῶς, καὶ εἰκῆ ταῦτα πάσχω· παρὰ σοῦ βούλομαι ἐκδίκησιν, ἂν θέλῃς, φησίν. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ γένοιτο παρὰ σοῦ, ὃ μὴ μετὰ τοῦ δικαίου γένοιτο, ὡς ὅταν παρὰ τοῦ κριτοῦ ἡ ἀπαίτησις. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν κρίνων δίκαια, δοκιμάζων νεφρούς. Εἴ τι λάθρα κατ' αὐτῶν τετόλμηται, εἴ τι κατὰ διάνοιαν, σὺ οἶδας ὁ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα πάντων εἰδώς. Πρὸς σὲ ἀπεκάλυψα τὸ δικαίωμά μου. Τουτέστι τὰ δίκαιά μού σοι εἶπον. Σὺ Κύριος ἐπ 64.872 εξελθεῖν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐχ ἑαυτῷ ἐπιτρέπει, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ, ἤκουσάς μου τὰ δικαιώματα· ὡς θέλεις ποίησον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας Ἀναθὼθ, τοὺς ζητοῦντας τὴν ψυχήν μου, τοὺς λέγοντας, Οὐ μὴ προφητεύσεις ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου· εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἀποθάνῃ, κ. τ. λ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι εἰς Θεὸν ἔτεινε τὸ πρᾶγμα. Ἐκώλυον λέγειν τὰ παρὰ Θεοῦ· τοῦτο καὶ Ἡσαΐας λέγει· Μὴ λέγετε ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου, ἀλλὰ λέγετε ἡμῖν ἕτερα. Κἀκείνων πολλὴ ἡ κακία, ὅταν μὴ ἀνέχωνται μηδὲ φωνῆς θεραπεῦσαι δυναμένης· καὶ ὅρα τὴν κακίαν. Αὐτοὶ οἱ πολῖται καλλωπίζεσθαι ὀφείλοντες ἐπὶ τῷ προφήτῃ, αὐτοὶ αὐτὸν ἐπιχειροῦσιν ἀνελεῖν. Ἔνθα ἐβλάστησε τὸ καλὸν, ἐκεῖ πλείων ἡ κακία. Ἴσως καὶ φθόνος ἦν πολύς. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπισκέψομαι ἐπ' αὐτούς; καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν, καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες, κ. τ. λ. Ἀλλ' ὅρα, χαλεπωτέραν ἔδωκαν δίκην· διατί καὶ οἱ παῖδες; Τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ἴσως καὶ αὐτοὶ πονηροὶ ἦσαν, οὐδὲ τῷ παραδείγματι τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐσωφρονίσθησαν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἀγανακτῶ ὑβριζομένου σου· οὕτω καὶ σὺ ὑβριζομένου μου. Ὅτι ἐπάξω κακὰ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν Ἀναθὼθ ἐν ἐνιαυτῷ ἐπισκέψεως αὐτῶν. Πάλιν εἰς ἀναβολὴν τὸν λόγον ἤγαγεν, ὅτε οὕτως ἐπείγει τὴν τιμωρίαν· πείθων αὐτὸν καὶ δεικνὺς πῶς ἐστιν ἀγαθός. Οὐχὶ νῦν ἐπάξω, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐνιαυτῷ, ὥστε καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς καὶ προθεσμίαν μετανοίας.

ΚΕΦ. ΙΒʹ.

∆ίκαιος εἶ, Κύριε. Κοινότερον μὲν καὶ αὐτὸς ταῦτα διαπορεῖ. Οὐ περὶ τὴν τοῦ πράγματος φύσιν ἰλιγγιᾷ, ἀλλὰ περὶ τὸν τρόπον, καὶ φησίν· Οἴδαμεν γὰρ ὅτι δίκαιος εἶ, πλὴν τὸν τρόπον τῆς δικαιοσύνης οὐχ εὑρίσκω. Ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις οἰκοδόμον, ἢ κατασκάπτοντα ἴσ. εἶτα κατασ. οἰκίαν βλέπων λέγοι· Οἴδαμεν ὅτι οἰκοδόμος εἶ, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁρῶ τὸν τρόπον τῆς οἰκοδομῆς ἄλλ. οἰκοδομίας. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτό φησι, καὶ σοὶ ἐντυγχάνω. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Οὔτε σοῦ τις καταγνώσεται ὡς ἀδίκου, οὔτε ἐμοῦ τις καταγνώσεται, ὡς ἀλόγως ζητοῦντος. Ὅτι ἀπολογήσομαι πρὸς σέ. Τουτέστι γνούς σε δίκαιον, ἐξ ὧν ἐδίδαξάς με τὰ κεκριμένα. Ἀπολογοῦμαι ὑπὲρ οὗ σε ἱκέτευσα. Πλὴν κρίματα λαλήσω πρὸς σέ. Τὸ ἐναντίον, φησὶ, νῦν δικαιολογήσομαι πρὸς σὲ, ὦ ∆εσπότα, ἐπισπεύδων τῶν