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I will fulfill. He also promises to deem them worthy of all care, and to provide good things to those who pray; "For when, He says, you seek Me with all your heart, I will appear to you, says the Lord." Know this also, that I will deliver to famine and slaughter those who escaped the former captivity. "And I will make them like the souareim figs, which cannot be eaten because of their badness." What He called shameful above, here He named souareim. Souareim in the Hebrew language means things that grow in the woods, that is, wild, uncared for, not worthy of cultivation, useless for food. ιηʹ. And I will give them up to be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. For all will fear when they hear of the calamities brought upon them. "And for an oath, and for a hissing, and for a reproach, among all the nations where I have scattered them." Many are accustomed to say, "May I not suffer what so-and-so suffered!" This, therefore, He says "for an oath"; and "for a hissing" we have often spoken of. And of reproach the blessed David also makes mention: "We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to those around us;" and again: "You have made us a reproach to the nations." These things, He says, they will suffer, "Because I sent to them My servants the prophets, rising early and sending, and they did not listen, says the Lord." By "rising early," He has shown His care. 81.652 For He did not consider this a secondary matter, but made their care a matter of great diligence. Then He foretells the destruction of the two false prophets, Ahab, and Zedekiah. "For I will give them, He says, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will strike them down before your eyes." κβʹ. And a curse will be taken up from them in all the captivity of Judah, and in Babylon, saying, May the Lord make you as He made Zedekiah, and Ahab. From this we clearly learn the interpretation of the curse; and He also states the manner of the punishment. "Whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire." κγʹ. Because of the lawlessness they committed in Israel. He also teaches the form of this. "And they committed adultery with the wives of their fellow citizens, and spoke an unjust word in My name, which I did not command them. And I am the knower, and the witness, says the Lord." For nothing of what happens, He says, escapes Me; but I see even the things dared in secret. And He also threatens Shemaiah the Nehelamite, for daring to prophesy contrary things, and for writing to Zephaniah the priest, and to the priests serving under him. And he wrote these things: κϛʹ. The Lord has made you priest, in place of Jehoiada the priest. Jehoiada the high priest was much talked of; Therefore, wishing to lift up Zephaniah's pride, he made mention of that one's office. "To be an overseer in the house of the Lord, for every man who prophesies, and for every man who is mad; that you should put him into the Sinōch prison, and into the stocks." And we have already said that they used to call the prophets mad; and it is clear from this also; for he associated the prophet with the madman; and the Syriac translates Sinōch as prison. And he says, that "For this reason you are in authority, so as to imprison and punish those who prophesy evil things"; for this he makes clear through what follows. κζʹ, κηʹ. For why then, he says, have you not rebuked Jeremiah, for daring to write such things, that you should both build houses and plant gardens? Zephaniah the high priest read this letter to the prophet; and immediately the God of all commands the prophet to write back, and to signify to the people in Babylon, that Shemaiah has spoken falsely, not having been sent by the God of all. For which reason I will deliver him and his entire family to be uprooted by death, and he will not see the change from grievous things. Therefore, having learned these things, let us fear falsehood, and let us believe the truth, and let us cast out doubt from our souls, 81.653 and let us follow the divine words, so that we may see the good things of the Jerusalem above, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord

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πληρώσω. Ὑπισχνεῖται δὲ καὶ πάσης αὐτοὺς ἀξιώσειν κηδε μονίας, καὶ προσευξομένοις παρέξειν ἀγαθά· "Ὅταν γὰρ, φησὶ, ζητήσητέ με ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν, ἐπιφανοῦμαι ὑμῖν, φησὶ Κύριος." Ἴστε δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς τοὺς διαφυγόντας τὴν προτέραν αἰχμαλω σίαν, καὶ λιμῷ καὶ σφαγῇ παραδώσω. "Καὶ δώσω αὐτοὺς, ὥσπερ τὰ σῦκα σουαρεὶμ, ἃ οὐ βρωθήσε ται ἀπὸ πονηρίας." Ἅπερ εἶπεν ἄνω αἰσχρὰ, ἐνταῦθα σουαρεὶμ ὠνόμασε. Σουαρεὶμ δὲ ἔστι τῇ Ἑβραίων φωνῇ τὰ ἐν ταῖς ὕλαις φυόμενα, τουτέστι τὰ ἄγρια, τὰ ἀνεπιμέλητα, τὰ φυτουργίας οὐκ ἀξιού μενα, τὰ εἰς βρῶσιν ἄχρηστα. ιηʹ. Καὶ δώσω αὐτοὺς εἰς σάλον πάσαις ταῖς βασιλείαις τῆς γῆς. ∆είσουσι γὰρ ἅπαντες τὰς ἐπ ενεχθείσας ἀκούοντες συμφοράς. "Καὶ εἰς ὅρκον, καὶ εἰς συριγμὸν, καὶ εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν, ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, οὗ διέσπειρα αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ." Εἰώθασι πολλοὶ λέγειν, Μὴ πάθοιμι ἃ ὁ δεῖνα πέπονθε! τοῦτο οὖν λέγει εἰς ὅρκον· τὸ δὲ εἰς συριγμὸν πολλάκις εἰρή καμεν. Τοῦ δὲ ὀνειδισμοῦ καὶ ὁ μακάριος μέμνηται ∆αβίδ· "Ἐγενήθημεν ὄνειδος τοῖς γείτοσιν ἡμῶν, μυκτηρισμὸς καὶ χλευασμὸς τοῖς κύκλῳ ἡμῶν·" καὶ πάλιν· "Ἔθου ἡμᾶς εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν τοῖς ἔθνεσι." Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶ, πείσονται, "Ὅτι ἀπ έστειλα πρὸς αὐτοὺς τοὺς δούλους μου τοὺς προφή τας, ὀρθρίζων καὶ ἀποστέλλων, καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν, φησὶ Κύριος." ∆ιὰ τοῦ ὀρθρίζων, τὸ ἐπιμελὲς δεδήλωκεν. 81.652 Οὐ γὰρ πάρεργον εἶχε τοῦτο, καὶ λίαν σπουδαίαν αὐ τῶν ἐποίει τὴν φροντίδα. Ἔπειτα προλέγει καὶ τῶν δύο ψευδοπροφητῶν τὸν ὄλεθρον, τοῦ Ἀχιὰβ, καὶ τοῦ Σεδεκίου. "∆ώσω γὰρ αὐτοὺς, φησὶν, εἰς χεῖρας Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ πατάξει αὐτοὺς κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν." κβʹ. Καὶ λήψονται ἐπ' αὐτοῖς κατάραν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ἀποικίᾳ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, λέγοντες, Ποιήσαι σε Κύριος, ὡς Σεδεκίαν ἐποίησε, καὶ Ἀχιάβ. Σαφῶς ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν τῆς κατάρας τὴν ἑρμηνείαν· λέγει δὲ καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας τὸν τρό πον. "Οὓς ἀπετηγάνισε βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐν πυρί." κγʹ. ∆ι' ἣν ἐποίησαν ἀνομίαν ἐν Ἰσραήλ. ∆ιδά σκει καὶ ταύτης τὸ εἶδος. "Καὶ ἐμοιχῶντο τὰς γυναῖκας τῶν πολιτῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ λόγον ἐχρημάτισαν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου ἄδικον, ὃν οὐκ ἐχρημάτισα αὐτοῖς Καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ γνώστης, καὶ ὁ μάρτυς, λέγει Κύριος." Οὐδέν με γὰρ, φησὶ, λανθάνει τῶν γιγνομένων· ἀλλ' ὁρῶ καὶ τὰ ἐν παραβύστῳ τολμώ μενα. Ἀπειλεῖ δὲ καὶ Σαμαίᾳ τῷ Ἐλαμίτῃ, ὡς ἐναντία χρησμῳδῆσαι τετολμηκότι, καὶ ἐπιστεῖλαι Σο φονίᾳ τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦτον τελοῦσιν ἱερεῦσιν. Ἐπέστειλε δὲ ταῦτα· κϛʹ. Κύριος ἔδωκέ σε εἰς ἱερέα, ἀντὶ Ἰωδαὲ τοῦ ἱερέως. Ἰωδαὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς πολυθρύλλητος ἦν· Ἐπᾶραι τοίνυν τοῦ Σοφονίου τὸ φρόνημα βουληθεὶς, τῆς ἐκείνου ἀρχῆς ἐμνημόνευσεν. "Γενέσθαι σε εἰς ἐπιστάτην ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου, παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ προφη τεύοντι, καὶ παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ μαινομένῳ· ἵνα δῷς αὐ τὸν εἰς τὸ κλεῖσμα Σινὼχ, καὶ εἰς τὸν καταρά κτην." Καὶ ἤδη προειρήκαμεν, ὡς ἐπιλήπτους ἐκά λουν τοὺς προφήτας· δῆλον δὲ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν· τὸν γὰρ προφήτην συνέταξε τῷ μαινομένῳ· τὸ δὲ Σινώχ ὁ Σύρος εἰρκτήν ἡρμήνευσεν. Λέγει δὲ, ὅτι ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἄρχεις, ὥστε τοὺς κακὰ προφητεύοντας καθείργειν, καὶ κολάζειν· τοῦτο γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς δηλοῖ. κζʹ, κηʹ. Τί γὰρ δὴ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐπεπλήξατε τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ, τοιαῦτα γράψαι τετολμηκότι, ὥστε ὑμᾶς καὶ οἰκοδομὰς οἰκοδομῆσαι, καὶ κή πους φυτεῦσαι; Ταύτην ἀνέγνω τὴν ἐπιστολὴν Σοφονίας ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς τῷ προφήτῃ· παραυτίκα δὲ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ἀντιγράψαι τῷ προφήτῃ παρακελεύε ται, καὶ τῷ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι σημῆναι λαῷ, ὡς ψευδῆ Σαμαίας προειρηκώς ἐστιν, οὐκ ἀποσταλεὶς παρὰ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ. Οὗ δὴ χάριν πρόῤῥιζον αὐτὸν σὺν τῷ γένει παντὶ παραδώσω θανάτῳ, καὶ τῶν ἀνιαρῶν οὐκ ὄψεται τὴν μεταβολήν. Ταῦτα τοίνυν μεμαθηκότες, δείσωμεν τὸ ψεῦδος, καὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ πιστεύσωμεν, καὶ τὴν ἀμφιβολίαν τῶν ψυχῶν ἐξελά 81.653 σωμεν, καὶ τοῖς θείοις ἀκολουθήσωμεν λόγοις, ὅπως ἴδωμεν τῆς ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὰ ἀγαθὰ, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν