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Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. VOLUME 7. CHAPTER 30. The Lord God, wishing to show the truth of the prophecy by having it committed to writing, commands the prophet the prophecies made both concerning the captivity and concerning the restoration. First, however, he foretells the sorrowful things. 5, 6 Thus said the Lord: A voice of fear you shall hear; fear, and there is no peace. Ask now, and see if a male has given birth? He has clearly shown the excess of the pain; for he compared the greatness of the disaster to the birth pangs of one giving birth. For this is what is meant by, "Ask and see if a male has given birth?" And what follows is also in agreement. "And concerning fear, in which they will hold their loins; because I have seen every man, and his hands are on his loins, as one giving birth." Now, showing the pain, he presents the image of one giving birth; but elsewhere, teaching of the mourning, he said each one has their hands clasped on their head. "All faces have turned to jaundice." And this is indicative of dread. 7. For great is that day, and there is none like it; and it is a time of distress and affliction for all of Jacob. From the greatness of the punishment he called the day great. Then he joins consolation to the sorrowful things. For he says: "And from this he shall be saved." And he promises to shatter the yoke of slavery. And he also foretells the change of their way. "And they shall no longer work for strangers." 9. And they shall work for the Lord their God. He called the idols strangers; for having come to know that the Lord God both supplies good things and brings on corrections, they will prefer, he says, his 81.656 prophecy above all things. "And David their king I will raise up for them." The Lord Christ has set the fulfillment to the prophecy. For from David He sprang according to the flesh, and He shepherds no longer only Israel, but all the nations, as in a shadow and a type, the prophecy also received some fulfillment in the time of Zerubbabel. Having promised these things, he again consoles them, announcing the restoration. And to the Babylonians he threatens destruction. "For I will make, he says, a full end of all the nations among whom I have scattered you there." But to them he offers promises of good things. "For you, he says, I will not make a full end, and I will correct you in judgment, and acquitting I will not acquit you." Instead of, I will correct, and I will console, and I will neither leave you uncorrected, nor will I abandon you without help; for "acquitting I will not acquit you" indicates this, that is, I will not leave you un-tried by evils; but by the greatness of the threat, wishing to change their wickedness, he adds these things also: 12, 13. Violent is your fracture; painful is your wound. There is no one judging your case. For no one among men reproved the injustice of Nebuchadnezzar. "For a painful thing you were treated," that is, with pain. "There is no benefit for you." The benefit now he has not placed upon the soul, but upon human assistance; for this is what is shown by what follows. 14. All your friends have forgotten you, they will not ask about you; for with the blow of an enemy I have struck you. For I did not use my accustomed long-suffering, but I have given a deep cut. A physician also does this when he sees a severe affliction. And teaching the justice of the punishment, he added: "A severe correction for all your injustice; because your sins were multiplied." And in agreement with these things is also what follows. 15. Why do you cry out over your fracture? Is your pain violent? Instead of, severe, but nevertheless just. "Because of the multitude of your iniquities,

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Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΤΟΜΟΣ Ζʹ. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Λʹ. ∆εῖξαι βουλόμενος ὁ ∆εσπότης Θεὸς τὴν τῆς προ φητείας ἀλήθειαν συγγραφῇ παραδοῦναι, τῷ προφήτῃ κελεύει τάς τε περὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, τάς τε περὶ τῆς ἀνακλήσεως γεγενημένας προῤῥήσεις. Πρῶτον μέντοι προλέγει τὰ σκυθρωπά. εʹ, ϛʹ Οὕτως εἶπε Κύριος· Φωνὴν φόβου ἀκού σεσθε· φόβος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν εἰρήνη. Ἐρωτήσατε δὴ, καὶ ἴδετε εἰ ἔτεκεν ἄρσεν; Σαφῶς δεδήλωκεν τὴν τῆς ὀδύνης ὑπερβολήν· τὸ γὰρ μέγεθος τῆς συμφορᾶς συνέκρινεν ὠδῖσι τικτούσης. Τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὸ "Ἐρωτήσατε καὶ ἴδετε εἰ ἔτεκεν ἄρ σεν;" Συμφωνεῖ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. "Καὶ περὶ φό βου, ἐν ᾧ καθέξουσιν ὀσφύν· διότι ἑώρακα πάντα ἄνθρωπον, καὶ αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ, ὡς τικτούσης." Νῦν μὲν τὴν ὀδύνην δεικνὺς, τῆς τικτούσης παρατίθησι τὴν εἰκόνα· ἑτέρωθι δὲ, τὸ πένθος διδάσκων, ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς συμπεπλεγμένας ἔχειν ἕκαστον ἔφη τὰς χεῖρας. "Πάντα τὰ πρόσ ωπα εἰς ἴκτερον ἐγενήθη." Καὶ τοῦτο δέους ση μαντικόν. ζʹ. Ὅτι μεγάλη ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι τοιαύτη· καὶ χρόνος στενότητός ἐστι καὶ θλίψεως παντὶ Ἰακώβ. Ἀπὸ τοῦ μεγέθους τῆς τιμωρίας τὴν ἡμέραν μεγάλην ὠνόμασεν. Εἶτα συνάπτει ψυχαγωγίαν τοῖς σκυθρωποῖς. Λέγει γάρ· "Καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου σωθήσεται." Καὶ ὑπισχνεῖται συν τρίψειν τὸν τῆς δουλείας ζυγόν. Προλέγει δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ τρόπου μεταβολήν. "Καὶ οὐκ ἐργάσονται ἔτι ἀλλοτρίοις." θʹ. Καὶ ἐργάσονται Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ αὑτῶν. Ἀλ λοτρίους τὰ εἴδωλα προσηγόρευσε· γνόντες γὰρ ὡς ὁ ∆εσπότης Θεὸς, καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ χορηγεῖ, καὶ τὰς παιδείας ἐπάγει, πάντων, φησὶ, προτιμήσουσι τὴν 81.656 αὐτοῦ προφητείαν. "Καὶ ∆αβὶδ τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῶν ἀναστήσω αὐτοῖς." Τῇ προφητείᾳ τὸ τέλος ὁ ∆εσπό της Χριστὸς ἐπιτέθεικεν. Ἐκ ∆αβὶδ γὰρ ἐβλάστησε κατὰ σάρκα, καὶ ποιμαίνει οὐκέτι μόνον τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ὡς ἐν σκιᾷ καὶ τύπῳ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ ἐδέξατό τινα ἡ πρόῤῥησις ἔκβα σιν. Ταῦτα ὑποσχόμενος πάλιν αὐτοὺς ψυχαγωγεῖ, τὴν ἀνάκλησιν ἐπαγγελλόμενος. Καὶ τοῖς μὲν Βαβυ λωνίοις ὄλεθρον ἀπειλεῖ. "Ποιήσω γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔκλει ψιν ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, εἰς οὓς διεσκόρπισά σε ἐκεῖ." Αὐτοῖς δὲ ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελίας προσφέρει. "Σὲ γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐ μὴ ποιήσω εἰς ἔκλειψιν, καὶ παι δεύσω σε εἰς κρίσιν, καὶ ἀθωῶν οὐκ ἀθωώσω σε." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, παιδεύσω, καὶ ψυχαγωγήσω, καὶ οὔτε ἀπαίδευτον ἐάσω, οὔτε ἀβοήθητον καταλείψω· τὸ γὰρ "ἀθωῶν οὐκ ἀθωώσω σε" τοῦτο δηλοῖ, ὀντὶ τοῦ, ἀπείραστόν σε τῶν κακῶν οὐκ ἐάσω· τῷ δὲ μεγέθει τῆς ἀπειλῆς μεταβαλεῖν αὐτῶν τὴν πονηρίαν βουλό μενος, ἐπάγει καὶ ταῦτα· ιβʹ, ιγʹ. Βίαιον τὸ σύντριμμά σου· ἀλγηρὰ ἡ πληγή σου. Οὐκ ἔστι κρίνων κρίσιν σου. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ἤλεγχε τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ τὴν ἀδικίαν. "Εἰς ἀλγηρὸν ἰατρεύθης," τουτέστι σὺν ὀδύνῃ. "Ὠφέλεια οὐκ ἔστι σοι." Τὴν ὠφέλειαν νῦν οὐκ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τέθεικεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς ἀνθρω πίνης ἐπικουρίας· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὰ ἑξῆς. ιδʹ. Πάντες οἱ φίλοι σου ἐπελάθοντό σου, οὐ μὴ ἐπερωτήσωσι περὶ σοῦ· ὅτι πληγῇ ἐχθροῦ ἔπαισά σε. Οὐ γὰρ ἐχρησάμην τῇ συνήθει μακροθυμίᾳ, ἀλλὰ βαθεῖαν δέδωκα τὴν τομήν. Τοῦτο καὶ ἰατρὸς ποιεῖ χαλεπὸν τὸ πάθος θεώμενος. Καὶ διδάσκων τῆς τιμωρίας τὸ δίκαιον, ἐπήγαγε· "Παι δείαν στερεὰν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀδικίαν σου· διότι ἐπλη θύνθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου." Συμφωνεῖ δὲ τούτοις καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ιεʹ. Τί βοᾷς ἐπὶ τὸ σύντριμμά σου; βίαιον τὸ ἄλγος σου; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, σφοδρὸν, ἀλλ' ὅμως δίκαιον. "∆ιὰ πλῆθος ἀνομιῶν σου,