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fearing the threat, they then escaped the wrath by a change of life; but you, he says, have dared very grievous things. For we also once saw Uriah the son of Shemaiah, who had once prophesied such things, and then, fearing king Jehoiakim, and having fled to Egypt, being slain by king Jehoiakim; for having brought him from there, he speared him; he also makes clear the one who used pious words, and says: 24. But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that he might not be delivered into the hands of the people to kill him. CHAPTER 27. Thus having completed this narrative, he moves on to another, older than this one. 1. In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord to Jeremiah, saying. Then he says how he was commanded to place yokes on his neck, and to send these to the neighboring kings, whose names he also gives. And he was commanded to send out these words through the embassies. 5. I have made both the earth, and the men, and the beasts, as many as are on the face of the earth, in my great strength, and with my high arm. And I will give it to whomever it seems good in my eyes. The phrase, "in my great strength, and with my high arm," he has used because of the greatness of the elements and the weakness of the hearers; for it is sufficient for him just to will it and to produce whatever he wishes. 81.645 6. And now it is I; I have given this land into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon my servant, and the beasts of the field I have given him to work for him, and to serve him. By beasts of the field, he means the barbarian nations. I am Creator, he says, and Master; as I will, I govern. 7. And all the nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the time of his own land comes. He clearly taught that just as he used the Babylonians as executioners, and through them exacted justice on the other nations, later he would also deliver them to utter destruction; and he threatens those who contradict, and those who push away this yoke, with famine and slaughter, and enslavement. And he charges them not to believe soothsayers, and diviners, and augurs, and dream interpreters, but to yield, and to accept the yoke of the Babylonian; and he promises peace to those who obey. These things he also said to Zedekiah the king, and charges him not to believe the false prophets, who promise peace, and the restoration of the divine vessels that had been carried off to Babylon. For these men speak falsehoods. 18. But if they are prophets, and the word of the Lord is in them, let them entreat the Lord of hosts, that the vessels left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah, and of Jerusalem, may not go to Babylon. The phrase, "Let them entreat the Lord," means "let them prevent," and let them overcome the divine prophecies, and show the divine prophecies to be void. For you will see all the remaining sacred vessels being carried to Babylon, and after this seventieth year being sent from there, being returned to my consecrated house; and of the Mekonoth the third book of Kings also makes mention; and they fulfilled the need for mixing bowls; and they were made of bronze. CHAPTER 28. After these things he narrates how, when Zedekiah was reigning, in the fourth year, Hananiah the false prophet, in the presence of the people and the priests, dared to say: 2, 3, 4. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; I have broken the yoke of the king

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ἀπει λὴν δείσαντες τηνικαῦτα τῇ μεταβολῇ τοῦ βίου διέφυγον τὴν ὀργήν· ὑμεῖς δὲ, φησὶ, παγχάλεπα τετολμήκατε. Καὶ γὰρ Οὐρίαν ποτὲ τὸν Σαμαίου, τοιαῦτά ποτε χρησμοδοτήσαντα, εἶτα δείσαντα τὸν βασιλέα Ἰωακεὶμ, καὶ εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἀποδράντα, περιείδομεν ἀναιρούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰωακείμ· ἐκεῖθεν γὰρ ἀγαγὼν αὐτὸν κατηκόντισε· δῆλον ποιεῖ καὶ τὸν τοῖς εὐσεβέσι λόγοις κεχρημένον, καί φησι· κδʹ. Πλὴν χεὶρ Ἀχικὰμ υἱοῦ Σαφὰν ἦν μετὰ Ἱερεμίου τοῦ μὴ παραδοθῆναι αὐτὸν εἰς χεῖρας τοῦ λαοῦ μὴ ἀνελεῖν αὐτόν. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΖʹ. Οὕτω τοῦτο τὸ διήγημα συμπληρώσας, ἐφ' ἕτερον μεταβαίνει τούτου πρεσβύτερον. αʹ. Ἐν ἀρχῇ βασιλείας Ἰωακεὶμ υἱοῦ Ἰωσίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα, ἐγένετο ὁ λόγος οὗτος παρὰ Κυρίου πρὸς Ἱερεμίαν, λέγων. Εἶτα λέγει ὡς προσετάχθη κλοιοὺς τῷ τραχήλῳ περιθεῖναι, καὶ τού τους ἀποστεῖλαι τοῖς ἐκ γειτόνων βασιλεῦσιν, ὧν καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα τίθησιν. Ἐκελεύσθη δὲ καὶ τούτους τοὺς λόγους ἐκπέμψαι διὰ τῶν πρεσβειῶν. εʹ. Ἐγὼ ἐποίησα καὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ τοὺς ἀν θρώπους, καὶ τὰ κτήνη, ὅσα ἐπὶ προσώπου τῆς γῆς, ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ μου τῇ μεγάλῃ, καὶ τῷ βραχίονί μου τῷ ὑψηλῷ. Καὶ δώσω αὐτὴν, ᾧ ἐὰν δόξῃ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς μου. Τὸ, "ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ μου τῇ μεγάλῃ, καὶ τῷ βραχίονί μου τῷ ὑψηλῷ," διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν στοιχείων καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀσθένειαν τέθεικεν· αὐτὸ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τὸ βουληθῆναι καὶ παραγαγεῖν ὅσα βούλεται. 81.645 ϛʹ. Καὶ νῦν ἐγώ εἰμι· δέδωκα τὴν γῆν ταύ την ἐν χειρὶ Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶ νος τοῦ δούλου μου, καὶ τὰ θηρία τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρ γάσασθαι δέδωκα αὐτῷ, καὶ δουλεύειν αὐτῷ. Θηρία τοῦ ἀγροῦ, τὰ βάρβαρα ἔθνη λέγει. Ποιητής εἰμι, φησὶ, καὶ ∆εσπότης, ὡς βούλομαι κυβερνῶ. ζʹ. Καὶ δουλεύσουσιν αὐτῷ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ὁ καιρὸς τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ. Σαφῶς ἐδίδαξεν, ὅτι καθάπερ δημίοις χρησάμενος τοῖς Βαβυλωνίοις, καὶ δίκας δι' αὐτῶν τὰ ἄλλα ἔθνη εἰσπραξάμενος, ὕστερον καὶ αὐτοὺς πανωλεθρίᾳ παραδώσει· ἀπειλεῖ δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἀντιλέγουσι, καὶ τὸν δὲ τὸν ζυγὸν ἀπωθου μένοις, λιμὸν καὶ σφαγὴν, καὶ ἀνδραποδισμόν. Παρ εγγυᾷ δὲ αὐτοῖς, μὴ πιστεῦσαι χρησμῳδοῖς, καὶ μάντεσι, καὶ οἰωνοσκόποις, καὶ ὀνειροπόλοις, ἀλλ' εἶξαι, καὶ δέξασθαι τὸν τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου ζυγόν· καὶ ὑπισχνεῖται εἰρήνην τοῖς πειθομένοις. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔφη καὶ Σεδεκίᾳ τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ παρεγγυᾷ μὴ πι στεῦσαι τοῖς ψευδοπροφήταις, εἰρήνην ὑπισχνουμέ νοις, καὶ τῶν ἀποκομισθέντων εἰς Βαβυλῶνα θείων σκευῶν τὴν ἀποκατάστασιν. Ψευδῆ γὰρ οὗτοι λέ γουσι. ιηʹ. Εἰ δὲ προφῆταί εἰσι, καὶ ἔστι λόγος Κυρίου ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἀπαντησάτωσαν τῷ Κυρίῳ τῶν δυνάμεων, πρὸς τὸ μὴ πορευθῆναι τὰ σκεύη τὰ ἀπολειφθέντα ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου, καὶ ἐν οἴκῳ βασι λέως Ἰούδα, καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, εἰς Βαβυλῶνα. Τὸ, "Ἀπαντησάτωσαν τῷ Κυρίῳ," ἀντὶ τοῦ "κωλυσά τωσαν," καὶ νικησάτωσαν τὰς θείας προῤῥήσεις, καὶ δειξάτωσαν ἀργὰς τὰς θείας προῤῥήσεις. Ὄψεσθε γὰρ πάντα τὰ ὑπολειφθέντα ἱερὰ σκεύη εἰς τὴν Βα βυλῶνα μετακομιζόμενα, καὶ μετὰ τὸν ἑβδομηκον τούτην χρόνον ἐκεῖθεν πεμπόμενα, ἀφιερωμένῳ μοι ἀποδιδόμενα οἴκῳ· τῶν δὲ Μεχωνὼθ καὶ ἡ τρίτη τῶν Βασιλειῶν μέμνηται· χρείαν δὲ κρατήρων ἐπλήρουν· ἐπεποίηντο δὲ ἐκ χαλκοῦ. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΗʹ. Μετὰ ταῦτα διηγεῖται, ὡς Σεδεκίου βασιλεύοντος, ἐν τῷ τετάρτῳ ἔτει, Ἀνανίας ὁ ψευδοπροφήτης, καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ τῶν ἱερέων παρόντων, εἰπεῖν ἐτόλ μησε· βʹ, γʹ, δʹ. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· Συνέτριψα τὸν ζυγὸν βασιλέως