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And the priests. Do not think to have comfort from your office; this most of all destroys you. And I will scatter them ... And their fathers ... And I will not long for them, and I will not spare them. For since we are often accustomed after the punishment to pity those being punished, I, he says, will not even do this. Even if the punishment be great, of old men being consumed (or wandering), yet this will not bend me, the lover of mankind. Hear, and give ear ... for the Lord has spoken. Observe throughout the whole prophet, how even when he speaks of punishment, he always gives the cause. And not only this, but when he says, I will not have mercy, I will not spare, and has spoken as if about those who are despaired of, he again introduces exhortation. For he who has said and declared such things, hear what he says: Hear, and give ear. Do not simply hear, and do not be lifted up; for nothing so produces despair as not paying attention to the words of God. For are they the threats of men, which it is often possible to prove false? It is God who is strong, who always brings the end. Give glory to your Lord before it grows dark. Believe what is said; For will you not give it to him? And after this; But before the experience of terrible things, before it grows dark, he alludes to the captivity. And before your feet stumble. For such is the nature of terrible things; darkness is always accustomed to pour over all eyes. And you will wait for light, and there a shadow of death, and they will be set in darkness. The day, he says, does not follow. For it does not happen according to the sequence of nature, but according to the habits, or connection, of terrible things; for consider what it was like for them to be led away 64.889 captive, and to be deprived of their homeland. Do you not wish to give glory to God? if only that you might ward off the terrible things. But if you do not hear, your soul will weep in secret. Consider the magnitude of the disaster, when it is not permitted even to weep for one's own sufferings, but they have been deprived of this authority as well. See how from all sides (or everywhere) he raises the magnitude of the evils, so that even in this way he might touch them. What is worse than this pain, not even being able to weep for one's own sufferings? But nothing softened their hardness and roughness. Your soul will weep in secret because of insolence. That is, it will not be possible for you to mourn with impunity in captivity. Say to the king and to those in power; Humble yourselves. For he was not speaking to them, but to the multitude. Consider how great is the boldness of the prophet, when through the subjects he indicates such things to the rulers; Do willingly what a little later will be by necessity. For will you not be humbled? But let it now be from you, so that it may not be from the enemies. Let this also be so in our case; let us judge ourselves, so that God may not judge us. Lift up your eyes, Jerusalem. He now speaks to the city itself. He speaks of future things as if they were present; and this discourse is continuous. And you have taught them lessons against yourself for your own rule. That is, by calling upon their help and practicing idolatry, you prepared them to rule over you. And you have taught them. How, tell me, and in what way? By always fleeing to them, showing that you are weak, and have been deprived of the help from God. You have revealed all the secrets; these things most of all made you sin, because you continually caused them to be called. And if you say in your heart: Why has this happened to me. See, sometimes he elevates the nature of the terrible things, and sometimes he stings them with the shame and dishonor; for in terrible things, matters of dishonor are accustomed to grieve us no less. And he has presented it as in the case of a woman behaving indecently. For the prophet does not refrain from saying anything that could touch them; and again; What are you saying after so many exhortations and prophecies? Do they still not know the cause of what is happening? Yes. For it is the custom of those being punished to wish this, to be ignorant of the causes, and especially when the multitude exceeds

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Καὶ τοὺς ἱερεῖς. Μὴ νομίσητε ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀξιώματος ἔχειν παραμυθίαν· τοῦτο μάλιστα ὑμᾶς ἀπόλλυσι. Καὶ διασκορπιῶ αὐτούς ... Καὶ τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν ... Καὶ οὐκ ἐπιποθήσω, καὶ οὐ φείσομαι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλάκις εἰώθαμεν μετὰ τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐλεεῖν τοὺς τιμωρουμένους, Ἐγὼ, φησὶν, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ποιήσω. Κἂν μεγάλη ἡ τιμωρία ᾖ γερόντων ἀναλωμένων ἄλλ. ἀλωμένων, ἀλλ' ἐμὲ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπικάμψει τὸν φιλάνθρωπον. Ἀκούσατε, καὶ ἐνωτίσασθε ... ὅτι Κύριος ἐλάλησε. Παρατήρει παρὰ πάντα τὸν προφήτην, πῶς καὶ ὅταν τιμωρίαν λέγῃ, τὴν αἰτίαν ἀεὶ τίθησι. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλ' ὅταν εἴπῃ, ὅτι Οὐκ ἐλεήσω, οὐ φείσομαι, καὶ ὡς περὶ ἀπεγνωσμένων διελέχθη, πάλιν παραίνεσιν εἰσάγει. Ὁ γὰρ τοιαῦτα εἰρηκὼς, καὶ ἀποφαινόμενος, ἄκουσον τί φησιν· Ἀκούσατε, καὶ ἐνωτίσασθε. Μὴ ἁπλῶς ἀκούσητε, καὶ μὴ ἐπαίρεσθε· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀπόνοιαν ποιεῖ, ὡς τὸ μὴ προσέχειν τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγοις. Μὴ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων εἰσὶν αἱ ἀπειλαὶ, ἃς πολλάκις καὶ διαψεύσασθαι δυνατόν; Θεός ἐστιν ὁ ἰσχύων, ὁ ἐπάγων ἀεὶ τὸ τέλος. ∆ότε τῷ Κυρίῳ ὑμῶν δόξαν πρὸ τοῦ συσκοτάσαι. Πιστεύσατε τοῖς λεγομένοις· Μὴ γὰρ οὐ δώσετε αὐτῷ; Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα· Ἀλλὰ πρὸ τῆς τῶν δεινῶν πείρας, πρὸ τοῦ συσκοτάσαι τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν αἰνίττεται. Καὶ πρὸ τοῦ προσκόψαι τοὺς πόδας ὑμῶν. Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῶν δεινῶν ἡ φύσις· σκότος ἀεὶ εἴωθε καταχέειν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἁπάντων. Καὶ ἀναμενεῖτε εἰς φῶς, καὶ ἐκεῖ σκιὰ θανάτου, καὶ τεθήσονται εἰς σκότος. Οὐ διαδέχεται, φησὶν, ἡ ἡμέρα. Οὐ γὰρ κατὰ φύσεως ἀκολουθίαν γίνεται, ἀλλὰ κατὰ συνηθειῶν ἴσ. συνάφειαν δεινῶν· ἐννόησον γὰρ οἷον ἦν ἀπάγε 64.889 σθαι αὐτοὺς αἰχμαλώτους, καὶ πατρίδος στερίσκεσθαι. Οὐ βούλεσθαι, ὡς Θεῷ δόξαν δοῦναι; κἂν ἵνα τὰ δεινὰ ἀποκρούσησθε. Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀκούσητε, κεκρυμμένως κλαύσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν. Ἐννόησον μέγεθος συμφορᾶς, ὅταν μηδὲ δακρύειν ἐξῇ τὰ πάθη τὰ οἰκεῖα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταύτην ὦσιν ἀφηρημένοι τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Ὅρα πῶς πανταχόθεν ἄλλ. πανταχοῦ ἐπαίρει τὸ μέγεθος τῶν κακῶν, ἵνα κἂν οὕτως αὐτῶν καθίκηται. Τί ταύτης τῆς ὀδύνης χεῖρον, μηδὲ δακρύειν δύνασθαι τὰ οἰκεῖα πάθη; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἐκείνων τὴν σκληρότητα ἐμάλαξε καὶ τὸ τραχύ. Κεκρυμμένως κλαύσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν ἀπὸ προσώπου ὕβρεως. Τουτέστιν, οὐδὲ μετὰ ἀδείας ὑμῖν ἔξεστι πενθεῖν ἐν τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ. Εἴπατε τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τοῖς δυναστεύουσι· Ταπεινώθητε. Οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῖς διελέγετο, ἀλλὰ τῷ πλήθει. Ἐννόησον ὅση ἡ τοῦ προφήτου παῤῥησία, ὅταν διὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων τοιαῦτα σημαίνῃ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν· Ἑκόντες ποιήσατε, ὃ μικρὸν ὕστερον μετ' ἀνάγκης ἔσται. Μὴ γὰρ οὐ ταπεινωθήσεσθε; Ἀλλὰ νῦν παρ' ὑμῶν γενέσθω, ἵνα μὴ γένηται παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν ἔστω· κρίνωμεν ἑαυτοῖς, ἵνα μὴ κρίνῃ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῖν. Ἀνάλαβε τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου, Ἱερουσαλήμ. Πρὸς τὴν πόλιν αὐτὴν διαλέγεται νῦν. Τὰ μέλλοντα, ὡς παρόντα λέγει· καὶ συνεχὴς οὗτος ὁ λόγος. Καὶ σὺ ἐδίδαξας αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ σὲ μαθήματα εἰς ἀρχήν σου. Τουτέστιν, Ἐπικαλουμένη αὐτῶν τὴν βοήθειαν, καὶ εἰδωλολατροῦσα παρεσκεύασας αὐτοὺς ἄρχειν σου. Καὶ ἐδίδαξας αὐτούς. Πῶς, εἰπὲ, καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ἀεὶ καταφεύγουσα πρὸς αὐτοὺς, δεικνύουσα, ὅτι ἀσθενής τις εἶ, καὶ τῆς βοηθείας ἠρήμωσαι τῆς παρὰ Θεοῦ. Τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα πάντα ἀπεκάλυψας· ταῦτα μάλιστά σε ἐποίησαν ἁμαρτεῖν, ὅτι συνεχῶς αὐτοὺς ἐποίεις καλεῖσθαι. Καὶ ἐὰν εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· ∆ιατί ἀπήντησέ μοι. Ὅρα, ποτὲ μὲν τῶν δεινῶν ἐπαίρει τὴν φύσιν, ποτὲ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς αἰσχύνης, καὶ τῆς ἀδοξίας αὐτοὺς δάκνει· εἴωθε γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς οὐχ ἧττον λυπεῖν ἡμᾶς τὰ τῆς ἀδοξίας. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐπὶ γυναικὸς ἀσχημονούσης παρέστησεν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ παραιτεῖται λέγειν ὁ προφήτης τὸ δυνάμενον αὐτῶν καθικέσθαι· καὶ πάλιν· Τί λέγεις μετὰ τοσαύτας παραινέσεις, καὶ προφητείας; ἔτι καὶ ἀγνοοῦσι τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν συμβαινόντων; Ναί. Ἔθος γὰρ τοῖς κολαζομένοις τοῦτο θέλειν, ἀγνοεῖν τὰς αἰτίας, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ὑπερβάλῃ τὸ πλῆθος