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and the prophet is forbidden to pray for them, and God rejects their whole burnt offerings, and their fasts, and threatens the false prophets with evils, because they said that there would be no calamities for the people. He supplicates God; but He says, He will not listen, not even if Moses and Samuel should intercede for them, but He will give them over to the sword and death, and famine and captivity, and to a scattering of evils. And Jeremiah prays that those who reproach him be punished; but God says to him: If you bring forth the precious from the worthless, you shall be as my mouth. Jeremiah is commanded not to marry, nor to mourn, nor to have fellowship with the Israelites in what is done for the dead. A prophecy about the apostles, about Christ; the prophet foretells the words of those who disbelieve him, and prays against them. And he exhorts the Jews, so that they might keep the sabbath. The prophet is sent to the potter's house. At last I will speak, says God, against kingdoms, so as to destroy them; and if they turn back, I will not destroy. And at last I will speak, he says, concerning a nation or a kingdom, that it be built up. And if they do what is evil, I also will not do concerning the good things which I spoke of doing for them. This chapter is useful against the Jews, when they say that the Lord promised them good things. For having disobeyed our 56.379 Lord Jesus Christ, they themselves became the cause of their present evils. The prophet foretells the plot made against him by the Jews, and prays against them, because they have rendered evil for good. Jeremiah is commanded to take an earthen jar, and having testified to the evils of the people, to break the jar before their eyes, and to say: Thus shall Jerusalem be broken. And having been thrown into the stocks by Pashur, he prophesies to Pashur the evils that await him. Then he is vexed at those who slander him, and prays against them, and curses his own day. King Zedekiah sends to learn from Jeremiah, if Nebuchadnezzar will depart from him. But he says, that God will fight against the Jews, and king Zedekiah. But if the people should wish to willingly go over to Nebuchadnezzar, he will be saved, and the king will not perish, if, having departed from his own wickedness, he would be willing to heed the commands of God. A prophecy against Jehoiakim and Jeconiah, and against the shepherds to the Lord, and an accusation of the false prophets. He prophesies good things for Judah. But to the people left in Jerusalem with Zedekiah, he prophesies through the example of the figs the coming of Nebuchadnezzar, and declaring the destruction of all the nations through this cup. He foretells the destruction of Jerusalem. And Jeremiah is seized for death by the priests, and he escapes the danger. The prophet is commanded to put bonds on himself, and to say to the ambassadors of the foreigners, so as to report to their kings to submit to Nebuchadnezzar; for God threatens death to those not submitting to him. And he gives this exhortation both to Zedekiah, and to the people, and to the priests. But the false prophet Hananiah opposed Jeremiah the prophet, saying, the sacred vessels will return, and Jeconiah, who was the son of Jehoiakim the brother of Zedekiah. And he also broke the prophet's yokes. Therefore Jeremiah is sent, foretelling his death in that very year, as also happened. He foretells evils for the false prophets in Babylon, and for the people a long time of captivity, but that nevertheless there would be a return. At these things Shemaiah was indignant, and he rebukes the priest, because he did not prevent Jeremiah from prophesying such things. For this reason God threatens to destroy him. Then a word of comfort to Israel. He reveals the time at which they were about to return from Babylon. And this was that of the passover, as it is also possible to find in Ezra, that they returned at the feast of the unleavened bread. So that the Jews are clearly convicted of lying. For the things written in this place about them

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καὶ κωλύεται προσεύχεσθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ὁ προφήτης, καὶ παραιτεῖται ὁ Θεὸς τὰ ὁλοκαυτώματα αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς νηστείας, καὶ ἀπειλεῖ τοῖς ψευδοπροφήταις κακὰ, ἐπειδὴ ἔλεγον ὅτι οὐκ ἔσονται συμφοραὶ τῷ λαῷ. Ἱκετεύει τὸν Θεόν· ὁ δέ φησιν, οὐκ εἰσακούσεσθαι, οὐδὲ ἐὰν Μωϋσῆς καὶ Σαμουὴλ πρεσβεύωσιν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ δώσειν αὐτοὺς εἰς μάχαιραν καὶ θάνατον, καὶ λιμὸν καὶ αἰχμαλωσίαν, καὶ εἰς διασπασμὸν κακῶν. Καὶ Ἱερεμίας εὔχεται τιμωρηθῆναι τοὺς ὀνειδίζοντας αὐτόν· ὁ δὲ Θεός φησιν αὐτῷ· Ἐὰν ἐξάγῃς τίμιον ἀπὸ ἀναξίου, ὡς στόμα μου ἔσῃ. Κελεύεται μὴ γῆμαι ὁ Ἱερεμίας, μηδὲ θρηνεῖν, μηδὲ τοῦ γινομένου τοῖς ἀποθνήσκουσι κοινωνεῖν τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις. Περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων, περὶ Χριστοῦ προφητεία· τοὺς λόγους τῶν ἀπιστούντων αὐτῷ ὁ προφήτης προλέγει, καὶ κατεύχεται αὐτῶν. Καὶ παραινεῖ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, ὥστε τὸ σάββατον τηρεῖν. Εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ κεραμέως πέμπεται ὁ προφήτης. Πέρας λαλήσω, φησὶν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπὶ βασιλείας, ὥστε ἀναιρεῖν αὐτήν· καὶ ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψωσιν, οὐ μὴ ἀνέλω. Καὶ πέρας λαλήσω, φησὶν, ἐπὶ ἔθνος ἢ βασιλείαν, τοῦ ἀνοικοδομεῖσθαι. Καὶ ἐὰν ποιήσωσι τὸ πονηρὸν, οὐ ποιήσω κἀγὼ περὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὧν ἐλάλησα ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς. Τοῦτο δὲ χρήσιμον πρὸς Ἰουδαίους τὸ κεφάλαιον, ὅταν λέγωσιν ὅτι ἐπηγγείλατο αὐτοῖς ἀγαθὰ ὁ Κύριος. Ἀπειθήσαντες γὰρ τῷ 56.379 Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοῖς αἴτιοι ἐγένοντο τῶν παρόντων κακῶν. Τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ γινομένην ἐπιβουλὴν ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων ὁ προφήτης προλέγει, καὶ κατεύχεται αὐτῶν, ὅτι πονηρὰ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν ἀποδεδώκασι. Κελεύεται ὁ Ἱερεμίας βικὸν ὀστράκινον λαβὼν, καὶ διαμαρτυράμενος τὰ κακὰ τοῦ λαοῦ, συντρῖψαι τὸν βικὸν κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ εἰπεῖν· Οὕτω συντριβήσεται Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καὶ ἐμβληθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Πασχὼρ εἰς τὸν καταράκτην, προφητεύει τῷ Πασχὼρ τὰ ἐκδεξόμενα αὐτῷ κακά. Εἶτα ἀσχάλλει ἐπὶ τοῖς διασύρουσιν αὐτὸν, καὶ κατεύχεται αὐτῶν, καὶ καταρᾶται τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ. Πέμπει Σεδεκίας ὁ βασιλεὺς μαθεῖν παρὰ Ἱερεμίου, εἰ ἀπελεύσεται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ. Ὁ δέ φησιν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς πολεμήσει τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, καὶ τὸν βασιλέα Σεδεκίαν. Εἰ δὲ βούλοιτο ὁ λαὸς ἑκὼν προσχωρῆσαι τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, σωθήσεσθαι αὐτὸν, καὶ τὸν βασιλέα δὲ οὐκ ἀπολεῖσθαι, εἰ τῆς οἰκείας ἀποστὰς κακίας, τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ προστάγμασι προσέχειν ἐθέλοι. Κατὰ τοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ καὶ τοῦ Ἰεχονίου, καὶ κατὰ τῶν ποιμένων εἰς τὸν Κύριον προφητεία, καὶ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν κατηγορία. Χρηστὰ τῷ Ἰούδᾳ προφητεύει. Τῷ δὲ ὑπολειφθέντι λαῷ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ μετὰ Σεδεκίου διὰ τοῦ ὑποδείγματος τῶν συκῶν προφητεύει τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ τὴν ἄνοδον, καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν ἀπώλειαν διὰ τοῦ ποτηρίου τούτου δηλῶν. Προαγορεύει ἀπώλειαν τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καὶ συλλαμβάνεται ἐπὶ θανάτῳ Ἱερεμίας ὑπὸ τῶν ἱερέων, καὶ ἐκφεύγει τὸν κίνδυνον. Κελεύεται ὁ προφήτης περιθεῖναι ἑαυτῷ δεσμοὺς, καὶ τοῖς πρέσβεσι τῶν ἀλλοφύλων εἰπεῖν, ὥστε ἀπαγγεῖλαι τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν αὐτοῖς ὑποταγῆναι τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ· ἀπειλεῖν γὰρ τὸν Θεὸν θάνατον τοῖς μὴ ὑποτασσομένοις αὐτῷ. Παραινεῖ δὲ ταύτην τὴν παραίνεσιν καὶ τῷ Σεδεκίᾳ, καὶ τῷ λαῷ, καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν. Ὁ δὲ ψευδοπροφήτης Ἀνανίας ἀνθίστατο Ἱερεμίᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ, λέγων, τὰ σκεύη τὰ ἱερὰ ἐπανήξειν, καὶ τὸν Ἰεχονίαν, ὃς ἦν υἱὸς Ἰωακεὶμ ἀδελφοῦ Σεδεκίου. Καὶ συνέτριψε καὶ τοὺς κλοιοὺς τοῦ προφήτου. Πέμπεται τοίνυν ὁ Ἱερεμίας θάνατον αὐτῷ προλέγων ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκείνῳ τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ, ὡς καὶ συνέβη. Τὰ κακὰ τοῖς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι ψευδοπροφήταις προλέγει, καὶ τῷ λαῷ μακρὸν τὸν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας χρόνον, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔσεσθαι ἐπάνοδον. Ἐπὶ τούτοις ἠγανάκτει Σαμέας, καὶ ἐπιτιμᾷ τῷ ἱερεῖ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκώλυσε τὸν Ἱερεμίαν τοιαῦτα προφητεῦσαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀπειλεῖ ὁ Θεὸς ἀπολέσειν αὐτόν. Εἶτα λόγος παρακλητικὸς τῷ Ἰσραήλ. ∆ηλοῖ τὸν καιρὸν, καθ' ὃν ἔμελλον ἐπανέρχεσθαι ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος. Οὗτος δὲ ἦν ὁ τοῦ φασὲκ, καθὼς καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἔσδρᾳ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν, ὅτι τῇ ἑορτῇ τῶν ἀζύμων ἐπανῆλθον. Ὥστε φανερῶς ἐλέγχονται ψευδόμενοι Ἰουδαῖοι. Τὰ γὰρ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ γεγραμμένα περὶ αὐτῶν