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Sodom is situated; for it is more to the south; and Samaria is on the left, being situated more to the north. And He calls the subject cities and villages daughters of both this one and that one. And wishing to show the excess of their impiety, He added: 47. And you did not even walk in their ways, nor did you act according to their iniquities; in a little while you even surpassed them in all your ways. You have increased, He says, by your own inventions their wicked practices, and you are in danger of receiving the prize for impiety. 48. As I live, says the Lord Adonai, Sodom your sister has not done, she and her daughters, as you have done, you and your daughters. Then He shows the difference. 49, 50. But the iniquity of Sodom was in pride, and in fullness of bread and abundance they lived wantonly, she and her daughters; this was in her, and in her daughters; and they did not help the hand of the poor and needy, and they were haughty. And they committed iniquities before me, and I took them away, as I saw fit. Being surfeited, he says, with an abundance of goods, they drifted into pride and arrogance, and those enjoying all luxury looked down on those in need; whence they fell into the utmost licentiousness, and they endured punishments worthy of their impieties. 51. And Samaria has not sinned half of your sins, and you have multiplied your iniquities beyond them, and you have justified your sisters in your sins, and in all 81.952 your iniquities which you have committed. And this comparison He makes not only according to the quality of the sin, but according to the care received. For even if Samaria sinned and dared myriad lawless acts, yet she was far from the divine temple, and had at least some small excuse, being under another king, and not being able to perform the lawful rites in the divine temple. And Sodom had neither a prophet, nor a lawgiver, but enjoyed only the teaching of the natural law. But you, having both the law, and priests, and prophets, and the divine temple, and the lawful worship, practiced their impiety; wherefore you show them to be worthy of pardon. 52. And you also, bear your exceeding torment, in which you have corrupted your sisters by your sins, in which you have sinned more than they, and you have justified them more than yourself. He did not simply say, "you have justified," but "more than yourself." For you, having imitated their transgression, have no defense, being helped by the law and the prophets; but they, through the excess of your impiety, are likely to obtain pardon. Receive, therefore, the punishment for your practices, through which you became harmful to them also. "And you also, be ashamed, and receive your dishonor, in that you have justified your sisters." When someone in honor does not understand, having been clothed in dishonor he comes to a perception of his former honor. And so Jerusalem, not recognizing the honor given to her by God, through the siege and captivity came to know her own God; wherefore she cries out, having been taught by the blessed David: "The shame of my face has covered me, from the voice of one who reproaches and slanders, from the face of an enemy and persecutor." 53. And I will turn back, He says, their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and I will turn back the captivity of Samaria and her daughters. It is fitting to know the idioms of Scripture; for otherwise it is not possible to discern its purpose. It has, therefore, among many others, this idiom as well, to speak of things that have happened as if they will happen, and things that will happen as if they have happened. So, therefore, here also He speaks of things that have already happened as if they will happen: Sodom turned away from me, and the cities under her; and likewise also Samaria with her subjects. But I too turned away and exacted punishments for what she sinned. And of you likewise again I will turn back your captivity in their midst; (54.) that you may bear your torment, and be dishonored for all that you have done in provoking me to anger. 81.953 The same things, He says, you also will suffer as they did, and you will pay the penalty for the offenses you have committed against me. 55. And the

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Σόδομα κεῖται· νο τιώτερα γάρ· ἐξ εὐωνύμων δὲ ἡ Σαμάρεια, βορειο τέρα διακειμένη. Θυγατέρας δὲ καὶ ταύτης κἀκείνης τὰς ὑποκειμένας καὶ πόλεις καὶ κώμας ὀνομάζει. ∆εῖξαι δὲ βουλόμενος τὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπερβολὴν, ἐπήγαγεν· μζʹ. Καὶ οὐδ' ὡς ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν ἐπορεύ θης, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν ἐποίησας· παρὰ μικρὸν καὶ ὑπέρκεισαι αὐτὰς ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς σου. Ηὔξησας, φησὶν, ἐπινοίαις τὰ πο νηρὰ ἐκείνων ἐπιτηδεύματα, καὶ κινδυνεύεις τὰ νι κητήρια τῆς ἀσεβείας λαβεῖν. μηʹ. Ζῶ ἐγὼ, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος, εἰ ἐποίησε Σόδομα ἡ ἀδελφή σου αὕτη, καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτῆς, ὃν τρόπον ἐποίησας σὺ, καὶ αἱ θυγατέ ρες σου. Εἶτα δείκνυσι τὸ διάφορον. μθʹ, νʹ. Πλὴν τὸ ἀνόμημα Σοδόμων ἐν ὑπερη φανίᾳ, καὶ ἐν πλησμονῇ ἄρτων καὶ εὐθηνίαις ἐσπατάλων αὐτὴ καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτῆς· τοῦτο ὑπῆρχεν ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ ἐν ταῖς θυγατράσιν αὐτῆς· καὶ χεῖρα πτωχοῦ καὶ πένητος οὐκ ἀντελαμβά νοντο, καὶ ἐμεγαλαύχουν. Καὶ ἐποίησαν ἀνο μήματα ἐνώπιόν μου, καὶ ἐξῆρα αὐτὰς, καθὼς εἶδον. Ὑπερμαζήσαντες, φησὶ, τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀφθο νίᾳ εἰς ὑπερηφανίαν καὶ ἀλαζονείαν ἐξώκειλαν, καὶ ὑπερεώρων τοὺς ἐν ἐνδείᾳ οἱ πάσης χλιδῆς ἀπο λαύοντες· ὅθεν εἰς τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀκολασίαν ἐξέπε σαν, καὶ δίκας ὑπέμειναν τῶν ἀσεβημάτων ἀξίας. ναʹ. Καὶ Σαμάρεια κατὰ ἡμίση τῶν ἁμαρτη μάτων σου οὐχ ἥμαρτεν, καὶ ἐπλήθυνας τὰς ἀνο μίας σου ὑπὲρ αὐτὰς, καὶ ἐδικαίωσας τὰς ἀδελφάς σου ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις σου, καὶ πάσαις 81.952 ταῖς ἀνομίαις σου αἷς ἐποίησας. Ταύτην δὲ τὴν παρεξέτασιν οὐ κατὰ μόνην ποιεῖται τὴν τῆς ἁμαρ τίας ποιότητα, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν τῆς κηδεμονίας. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐξήμαρτε, καὶ μυρία παράνομα ἡ Σαμά ρεια τετόλμηκεν, ἀλλὰ πόῤῥω ἦν τοῦ θείου νεὼ, καὶ εἶχε σμικρὰν γοῦν τινα συγγνώμην, ὑφ' ἕτε ρον μὲν τελοῦσα βασιλέα, ἐπιτελεῖν δὲ ἐν τῷ θείῳ νεῷ τὰ νόμιμα μὴ δυναμένη. Καὶ τὰ Σόδομα δὲ οὔτε προφήτην εἶχεν, οὔτε νομοθέτην, μόνης δὲ τῆς τοῦ φυσικοῦ νόμου διδασκαλίας ἀπήλαυε. Σὺ δὲ καὶ νόμον ἔχουσα, καὶ ἱερέας, καὶ προφήτας, καὶ τὸν θεῖον νεὼν, καὶ τὴν ἔννομον λατρείαν, τὴν ἐκείνων ἀσέβειαν ἐπετήδευσας· διὸ συγγνώμης ἐκείνας ἀπο φαίνεις ἀξίας. νβʹ. Καὶ σὺ κόμισαι τὴν βάσανόν σου ὑπερ βάλλουσαν, ἐν ᾗ ἔφθειρας τὰς ἀδελφάς σου ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις σου, αἷς ἠνόμησας ὑπὲρ αὐ τὰς, καὶ ἐδικαίωσας αὐτὰς ὑπὲρ σεαυτήν. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, ἐδικαίωσας, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ σεαυτήν. Σὺ μὲν γὰρ, τὴν ἐκείνων παρανομίαν μιμησαμένη, οὐκ ἔχεις ἀπολογίαν ὑπὸ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν βοη θουμένη· ἐκεῖναι δὲ διὰ τὴν τῆς σῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπερ βολὴν τυχεῖν συγγνώμης ἐθέλουσι. ∆έξαι τοίνυν τῶν σῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων τὴν τιμωρίαν, δι' ὧν κἀ κείναις ἐπιβλαβὴς ἐγένου. "Καὶ σὺ αἰσχύνθητι, καὶ λάβε τὴν ἀτιμίαν σου, ἐν τῷ δικαιῶσαί σε τὰς ἀδελ φάς σου." Ὅταν τις ἐν τιμῇ ὢν μὴ συνίῃ, ἀτιμίᾳ περιβληθεὶς εἰς αἴσθησιν ἔρχεται τῆς προτέρας τι μῆς. Καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ τοίνυν, τὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ δο θεῖσαν αὐτῇ μὴ γνωρίσασα τιμὴν, διὰ τῆς πολιορ κίας καὶ αἰχμαλωσίας τὸν ἑαυτῆς ἐπέγνω Θεόν· διὸ βοᾷ ὑπὸ τοῦ μακαρίου διδαχθεῖσα ∆αβίδ· "Ἡ αἰσ χύνη τοῦ προσώπου μου ἐκάλυψέ με, ἀπὸ φωνῆς ὀνειδίζοντος καὶ καταλαλοῦντος, ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐχθροῦ καὶ ἐκδιώκοντος." νγʹ. Καὶ ἀποστρέψω, φησὶν, ἀποστροφὰς αὐ τῶν, τὴν ἀποστροφὴν Σοδόμων, καὶ τῶν θυγα τέρων αὐτῆς, καὶ ἀποστρέψω τὴν ἀποστρο φὴν Σαμαρείας, καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων αὐτῆς. Προσ ήκει τὰ τῆς Γραφῆς ἰδιώματα εἰδέναι· οὔτε γὰρ δυνατὸν ἑτέρως αὐτῆς τὸν σκοπὸν διαγνῶναι. Ἔχει τοίνυν πρὸς ἄλλοις πολλοῖς καὶ τοῦτο ἰδίωμα, τὸ καὶ τὰ γεγενημένα, ὡς ἐσόμενα λέγειν, καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα ὡς γεγενημένα. Οὕτω τοίνυν κἀνταῦθα τὰ ἤδη γε γενημένα, ὡς ἐσόμενα λέγει· Ἀπεστράφη με Σό δομα, καὶ αἱ ὑπ' αὐτὴν πόλεις· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἡ Σαμάρεια σὺν τοῖς ὑπηκόοις. Ἀλλὰ κἀγὼ ἀπεστρά- φην καὶ δίκας ὧν ἥμαρτεν ἐπραξάμην. Καὶ σοῦ δὲ πάλιν ὡσαύτως ἀποστρέψω τὴν ἀποστροφήν σου ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν· (νδʹ.) ὅπως κομίσῃ τὴν βάσανόν σου, καὶ ἀτιμωθήσῃ ἐκ πάντων ὧν ἐποίησας ἐν τῷ σε παροργίσαι με. 81.953 Ταὐτὰ, φησὶν, ἐκείναις πείσῃ καὶ σὺ, καὶ ὧν εἰς ἐμὲ πεπλημμέληκας δώσεις τὰς δίκας. νεʹ. Καὶ ἡ