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they will lie slain, and they will be as dung upon the earth. 34, 35. Howl, you shepherds, and cry out, and beat yourselves, you rams of the flocks, because your days for slaughter have been fulfilled, and your scatterings, and you will fall like choice rams. And flight shall perish from the shepherds, and salvation from the rams of the flocks. He called the kings shepherds, the subjects sheep, and the rulers the rams of the flocks; he threatens all with flight and exile. He foretells the lamentations, both of the kings, and of the rulers. 81.641 37. For the good things of peace have ceased, he says, from the face of the Lord’s fierce anger. "The good things of peace" are: farming, planting, commerce, the works of crafts, the exchanges of contracts, marriages, gatherings, feasts, gladness, and whatever is similar to these. CHAPTER 26. After this he again sets forth another prophecy, which he was commanded to deliver to the people in the time of King Jehoiakim. He was commanded to stand in the divine court, and to prophesy to the people, and to convey all the divine words. "For you shall not take away a word," he says. Then he teaches the reason for what will happen. 3. Perhaps they will listen, and each will turn from his evil way, and I will cease from the evils that I am planning to do to them, because of their evil deeds. He said "perhaps" not as if he were ignorant; for he knew their disobedience; but he inserted the doubt, so that they, by attending to the divine decree, might not give up on their salvation; this is similar to what was said through Ezekiel: "If perhaps they will hear, if perhaps they will see." For that was not out of ignorance; but so that they would not say, "He has foretold our disobedience, and he is without falsehood, how then is it possible for us to be changed?" but he teaches through what has been said, that it is possible, if they are willing, to accept a change of behavior. For this reason he also adds the threat: "Because if you do not listen to my words, which I deliver to you through the prophets." 6. I will make this house like Shiloh; and I will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth. When the priests, and the false prophets, and all the people heard these things, they threatened the prophet with death; but when the rulers found out, they ran from the palace to the divine temple; and when the priests with the false prophets had accused the prophet of blasphemy, as having made a prediction against the city and the divine temple, the prophet said that he had been sent from the God of all, and that the words spoken by him were divine oracles; and he also offers them advice: 13. "For make your ways better," he says, "and your works. Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will cease from the evils that he has spoken against you." But if you disobey, and use your accustomed judgment; 81.644 14. "Behold, I am in your hands; do to me, as is expedient, and what seems best to you." Then he points out the fruit of the murder. 15. "But knowing, you will know, if you kill me, that you are bringing innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city." "For," he says, "having been commanded by God, I made these speeches." Hearing these things, both the rulers and the people condemn the unjust vote of the priests and the false prophets, saying that the prophet was innocent, as he had ministered the divine words. Then some of the elders remind them of an old prophecy, and say that Micah the Morasthite once prophesied that Zion would be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem would be like a fruit-keeper’s hut, and the mountain of the house would be like a grove of the forest; and having said these things, he suffered nothing terrible. For on the contrary, the

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ἀνῃρημένοι κείσονται, καὶ ἀντὶ κόπρου ἐν τῇ γῇ ἔσονται. λδʹ, λεʹ. Ἀλαλάξατε, οἱ ποιμένες, καὶ κεκράξατε, καὶ κόψασθε, οἱ κριοὶ τῶν προβάτων, ὅτι ἐπλη ρώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ὑμῶν εἰς σφαγὴν, καὶ οἱ σκορπισμοὶ ὑμῶν, καὶ πεσεῖσθε ὡς κριοὶ ἐκλε κτοί. Καὶ ἀπολεῖται φυγὴ ἀπὸ τῶν ποιμένων, καὶ σωτηρία ἀπὸ τῶν κριῶν τῶν προβάτων. Ποιμένας τοὺς βασιλέας ἐκάλεσε, πρόβατα δὲ τοὺς ὑπηκόους, κριοὺς δὲ προβάτων τοὺς ἄρχοντας· πᾶσι δὲ φυγὴν καὶ μετανάστασιν ἀπειλεῖ. Προλέγει δὲ τοὺς θρήνους, καὶ τῶν βασιλέων, καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων. 81.641 λζʹ. Ὅτι ἐπαύσατο, φησὶ, τὰ καλὰ τῆς εἰρήνης ἀπὸ προσώπου ὀργῆς θυμοῦ Κυρίου. "Τὰ δὲ καλὰ τῆς εἰρήνης," γεωργίαι, φυτουργίαι, ἐμπορίαι, τεχνῶν ἐργασίαι, συμβολαίων ἀντιδόσεις, γάμοι, σύλλογοι, ἑορταὶ, θυμηδίαι, καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ἐστὶ παραπλήσια. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Κϛςʹ. Μετὰ ταύτην πάλιν ἑτέραν τίθησι προφητείαν, ἣν ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰωακεὶμ προσενεγκεῖν τῷ λαῷ προσετάχθη. Προσετάχθη δὲ ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ τῇ θείᾳ στῆ ναι, καὶ τῷ λαῷ χρησμῳδῆσαι, καὶ πάντας τοὺς θείους διαπορθμεῦσαι λόγους. "Μὴ ἀφέλῃς γὰρ, φησὶ, ῥῆμα." Εἶτα τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ ἐσομένου διδά σκει. γʹ. Ἴσως ἀκούσονται, καὶ ἀποστραφήσονται ἕκαστος ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὑτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς, καὶ παύσομαι ἀπὸ τῶν κακῶν, ὧν λογίζομαι ἐγὼ τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς, ἕνεκεν τῶν πονηρῶν ἐπιτηδευ μάτων αὐτῶν. Τὸ ἴσως οὐχ ὡς ἀγνοῶν εἴρηκεν· ᾔδει γὰρ αὐτῶν τὸ ἀπειθές· ἀλλὰ τέθεικε τὴν ἀμ φιβολίαν, ἵνα μὴ τῇ ἀποφάσει τῇ θείᾳ προσέχοντες, ἀπαγορεύσωσι τὴν σωτηρίαν· τούτῳ ἔοικε καὶ τὸ διὰ τοῦ Ἐζεκιὴλ εἰρημένον· "Ἐὰν ἄρα ἀκούσωσιν, ἐὰν ἄρα ἴδωσιν." Οὐ γὰρ ἐκεῖνο ἀγνοίας· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ λέγωσι, Προείρηκεν ἡμῶν τὴν ἀπείθειαν, ἀψευ δὴς δέ ἐστι, πῶς οἷόν τε τοίνυν ἡμᾶς μεταβληθῆναι; διδάσκει δὲ διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων, ὅτι δυνατὸν, ἂν θελήσωσι, δέξασθαι τοῦ τρόπου μεταβολήν. Τούτου χάριν καὶ τὴν ἀπειλὴν προστίθησιν· "Ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσητε τῶν λόγων μου, οὓς διὰ τῶν προφητῶν ὑμῖν προσφέρω." ϛʹ. ∆ώσω τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον, ὥσπερ τὴν Σηλώ· καὶ τὴν πόλιν δώσω ταύτην εἰς κατάραν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι τῆς γῆς. Τούτων ἀκούσαντες οἱ ἱερεῖς, καὶ οἱ ψευδοπροφῆται, καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς, θάνατον ἀπ ειλοῦσι τῷ προφήτῃ· πυθόμενοι δὲ οἱ ἄρχοντες, ἔδραμον ἐκ τῶν βασιλείων εἰς τὸν θεῖον νεών· τῶν δέ γε ἱερέων σὺν τοῖς ψευδοπροφήταις βλασφημίας τὸν προφήτην γραψαμένων, ὡς κατὰ τῆς πόλεως καὶ τοῦ θείου νεὼ τὴν πρόῤῥησιν ποιησάμενον, εἶπεν ὁ προφήτης, παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἀπεστάλθαι, καὶ θείους εἶναι χρησμοὺς τοὺς παρ' αὐτοῦ προ φερομένους λόγους· προσφέρει δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ παρ αίνεσιν· ιγʹ. Βελτίους γὰρ, φησὶ, ποιήσατε τὰς ὁδοὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν. Ἀκούσατε τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν, καὶ παύσεται Κύριος ἀπὸ τῶν κακῶν, ὧν ἐλάλησεν ἐφ' ὑμᾶς. Εἰ δὲ ἀπειθεῖτε, καὶ τῇ συνήθει χρῆσθε γνώμῃ· 81.644 ιδʹ. Ἰδοὺ ἐγώ εἰμι ἐν χερσὶν ὑμῶν· ποιήσατέ μοι, ὡς συμφέρει, καὶ ὃ βέλτιον ὑμῖν φαίνεται. Εἶτα τῆς μιαιφονίας ὑποδείκνυσι τὸν καρπόν. ιεʹ. Ἀλλ' ἢ γνόντες γνώσεσθε, εἰ ἀναιρεῖτέ με, ὅτι αἷμα ἀθῶον ὑμεῖς δίδοτε ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ταύτην. Προσταχθεὶς γὰρ, φησὶ, ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐποιησάμην. Τού των ἀκούοντες καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες, καὶ ὁ λαὸς, τῶν ἱερέων καὶ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν τὴν ἄδικον ἐλέγχουσι ψῆφον, ἀθῶον εἶναι φήσαντες τὸν προφήτην, ὡς τοῖς θείοις λόγοις διακονήσαντα. Εἶτά τινες τῶν γεραιο τέρων παλαιᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀναμιμνήσκουσι προφητείας, καί φασι Μιχαίαν τὸν Μωραθίτην προφητεῦσαί ποτε, ὅτι Σιὼν ὡς ἀγρὸς ἀροτριαθήσεται, καὶ Ἱερου σαλὴμ ὡς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἔσται, καὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦ οἴκου ἔσται ὡς ἄλσος δρυμοῦ· καὶ ταῦτα εἰρηκότα μηδὲν πεπονθέναι δεινόν. Τοὐναντίον γὰρ, τὴν