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because your sins have prevailed, I have done these things to you." But nevertheless He threatens slaughter and slavery to the enemies who came against them; for those who had escaped death became slaves of the victors. But he continues to encourage her with good promises. 81.657 17. That I will open your healing, from a painful wound I will heal you, says the Lord. And he used the incision, and the sponge, and the harsher, and the gentler remedies. "Because Zion was called dispersed." For the neighboring nations mocked her, putting forth her captivity and her slavery. "This is your prey, because there is no one who seeks her." When, he says, I overlooked her and did not help, she was set before her enemies, as ready prey. But after the discipline of slavery I will set them free, so that they may return and build the cities, and raise up the temple, and perform the worship in it according to the law. For this He said: "And the temple will be established according to its ordinance." And He adds also those things that are characteristic of prosperity. 19. And from them will come forth singers, and the voice of those who make merry. And He promises also the increase of the race, and great fertility. "For I will pour them out, he says, and they shall not be made small." 20. And their sons, he says, shall enter in, as before, and their testimonies shall be established before my face. The Syrian interpreted testimonies as synagogues. "And I will visit upon all those who afflict them." 21. And they shall be stronger than them against them. He calls the Babylonians the afflicters; but the Medes and Persians stronger than these; for these overthrew their salvation. "And his ruler shall come forth from him." At the time of the captivity, they had the king of the Babylonians as ruler. But after the return, first they had Zerubbabel, and the son of Jozadak; and after these things, they were governed by the high priests. "For who is this, that has given his heart to turn to me? says the Lord." This he also says elsewhere: Ask the generations that were before you, who believed in the Lord, and was put to shame. Then he attributes the painful things that happened to them to the wrath of God; and showing its justice, he adds: "It will come upon the ungodly." And teaching also what is powerful, he adds: 24. The anger of the Lord's wrath shall not turn back, until he has done, and until he has fulfilled the purpose of his heart. For who has resisted his will? Rebuking their unbelief, "In the last, he says, of the days you will know these things." Since you do not believe the words, you will learn them through the experience of the events themselves. CHAPTER 31. And mixing again the joyful with the sorrowful, he teaches the cause of these things. 2. Thus said the Lord: I found warmth in the desert for Israel journeying in haste with those who perished by the sword. Both the Syrian and the Hebrew have rendered "warmth" as "pity"; and the interpretation of the Greek word has some affinity with this; for one who is warmed is softened to mercy; and he calls Babylon the desert; and he teaches that the Master pitied them while they were serving there. And what follows also agrees with the Syrian interpretation. 3. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you into compassion. Not your, he says, way is the cause of your salvation; but my mercy. And he foretells that they will again dance using timbrels and other instruments, and will care for their planting, and will celebrate the divine feasts. He also foretells the union of the tribes. 6. For there is a day of calling of one pleading in the mountains of Ephraim: Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God. For these, who formerly worshipped the heifers, will make their defense for their former sins, and will run to Zion, and the of the

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ὅτι ἴσχυσαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου, ἐποίησά σοι ταῦτα." Ἀπειλεῖ δὲ ὅμως τοῖς ἐπελθοῦσιν αὐτοῖς πολεμίοις, καὶ σφαγὴν, καὶ δουλείαν· οἱ γὰρ τὸν θάνατον διαπεφευγότες, δοῦλοι τῶν νενικηκότων ἐγένοντο. Ἐπιμένει δὲ αὐτὴν ταῖς χρησταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις ψυχαγωγῶν. 81.657 ιζʹ. Ὅτι ἀνοίξω τὸ ἴαμά σου, ἀπὸ πληγῆς ὀδυνηρᾶς ἰατρεύσω σε, φησὶ Κύριος. Καὶ τῇ τομῇ, καὶ τῇ σπογγιᾷ, καὶ τοῖς αὐστηροτέροις, καὶ τοῖς ἠπιωτέροις φαρμάκοις ἐχρήσατο. "Ὅτι διεσπαρμένη ἐκλήθη Σιών." Ἐπετώθαζε γὰρ αὐτῇ τὰ γειτο νεύοντα ἔθνη, καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν προτιθέντα, καὶ τὴν δουλείαν. "Αὕτη θήραμα ὑμῶν ἐστιν, ὅτι ζητῶν οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτήν." Ἡνίκα, φησὶ, παρεῖδον αὐτὴν καὶ οὐκ ἐπήμυνον, προὔκειτο τοῖς πολεμοῦσιν αὐτὴν, ὡς θήραμα ἕτοιμον. Ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὴν παι δείαν τῆς δουλείας αὐτοὺς ἐλευθερώσω, ὥστε ἐπαν ελθεῖν καὶ δείμασθαι τὰς πόλεις, καὶ τὸν ναὸν ἀνα στῆσαι, καὶ τὴν κατὰ νόμον ἐν αὐτῷ λατρείαν ἐπιτελεῖν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφη· "Καὶ ὁ ναὸς κατὰ τὸ κρίμα αὐτοῦ καθεδεῖται." Προστίθησι δὲ καὶ ὅσα τῆς εὐπραξίας ἴδια. ιθʹ. Καὶ ἐξελεύσονται ἀπ' αὐτῶν ᾄδοντες, καὶ φωνὴ παιζόντων. Ὑπισχνεῖται δὲ καὶ αὔξην τοῦ γένους, καὶ πολυγονίαν. "Χεῶ γὰρ αὐτοὺς, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ μὴ σμικρυνθῶσι." κʹ. Καὶ εἰσελεύσονται, φησὶν, οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν, ὡς τὸ πρότερον, καὶ τὰ μαρτύρια αὐτῶν κατὰ πρόσωπόν μου ὀρθωθήσονται. Τὰ μαρτύρια ὁ Σύρος συναγωγὰς ἡρμήνευσε. "Καὶ ἐπισκέψομαι ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς θλίβοντας αὐτούς." καʹ. Καὶ ἔσονται ἰσχυρότεροι αὐτῶν ἐπ' αὐ τούς. Θλίβοντας τοὺς Βαβυλωνίους λέγει· ἰσχυρο τέρους δὲ τούτων Μήδους καὶ Πέρσας· οὗτοι γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν κατέλυσαν. "Καὶ ὁ ἄρχων αὐτοῦ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐξελεύσεται." Κατὰ τὸν τῆς αἰχμα λωσίας καιρὸν, ἄρχοντα τῶν Βαβυλωνίων εἶχον τὸν βασιλέα. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐπάνοδον, πρῶτον μὲν ἔσχον τὸν Ζοροβάβελ, καὶ τὸν τοῦ Ἰωσεδὲκ υἱόν· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχιερέων ἰθύνοντο. "Ὅτι τίς ἐστιν οὗτος, ὃς ἔδωκε τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι πρός με; φησὶ Κύριος." Τοῦτο καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· Ἐρωτήσατε γενεὰς τὰς γενομένας προτέρας ὑμῶν, τίς ἐπίστευσε Κυρίῳ, καὶ κατῃσχύνθη. Εἶτα τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀργῇ τὰ συμβεβηκότα αὐτοῖς ἀνατίθησιν ἀλγεινά· καὶ δεικνὺς αὐτῆς τὸ δίκαιον, ἐπάγει· "Ἐπ' ἀσεβεῖς ἥξει." ∆ιδάσκων δὲ καὶ τὸ δυνατὸν, ἐπιφέρει· κδʹ. Οὐ μὴ ἀποστραφῇ ὀργὴ θυμοῦ Κυρίου, ἕως ἂν ποιήσῃ, καὶ ἕως οὗ πληρώσῃ ἐγχεί ρημα καρδίας αὑτοῦ. Τῇ γὰρ βουλῇ αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνθέστηκε; Τὴν ἀπιστίαν αὐτῶν ἐλέγχων, "Ἐπ' ἐσχάτων, φησὶ, τῶν ἡμερῶν γνώσεσθε αὐτά." Ἐπειδὴ τοὺς λόγους οὐ πιστεύετε, δι' αὐτῶν μαθήσεσθε τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς πείρας. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΑʹ. Ἀναμίξας δὲ πάλιν τὰ θυμήρη τοῖς σκυθρωποῖς, τὴν τούτων αἰτίαν διδάσκει. βʹ. Οὕτως εἶπε Κύριος· Εὗρον θερμὸν ἐν ἐρήμῳ, μετὰ ὀλωλότων ἐν μαχαίρᾳ πορευομένους ἐν σπουδαῖς Ἰσραήλ. Τὸ θερμὸν καὶ ὁ Σύρος καὶ ὁ Ἑβραῖος οἰκτιρμὸν τεθείκασιν· ἔχει δέ τινα πρὸς τοῦτο συγγένειαν καὶ ἡ ἑρμηνεία τῆς Ἑλλάδος φωνῆς· ὑποθερμαινόμενος γάρ τις χαυνοῦται εἰς ἔλεον· ἔρημον δὲ καλεῖ τὴν Βαβυλῶνα· καὶ διδά σκει ὅτι ἐκεῖ δουλεύοντας ᾤκτειρεν ὁ ∆εσπότης. Συμφωνεῖ δὲ καὶ τῇ Σύρου ἑρμηνείᾳ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. γʹ. Ἀγάπησιν αἰωνίαν ἠγάπησά σε· διὰ τοῦτο εἵλκυσά σε εἰς οἰκτείρημα. Οὐχ ὁ σὸς, φησὶ, τρό πος αἴτιός σοι τῆς σωτηρίας· ἀλλ' ὁ ἐμὸς ἔλεος. Προλέγει δὲ, ὅτι πάλιν χορεύσουσι τυμπάνοις κεχρη μένοι, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὀργάνοις, καὶ φυτουργίας φροντίσουσι, καὶ τὰς θείας ἐπιτελέσουσιν ἑορτάς. Προλέγει καὶ τὴν ἕνωσιν τῶν φυλῶν. ϛʹ. Ὅτι ἔστιν ἡμέρα κλήσεως ἀπολογου μένου ἐν ὄρεσιν Ἐφραΐμ· Ἀνάστητε, καὶ ἀναβῶμεν εἰς Σιὼν, πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν. Οὗτοι γὰρ, οἱ πάλαι ταῖς δαμάλεσι λατρεύοντες, ὑπὲρ τῶν προτέρων ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπολογήσονται, καὶ εἰς τὴν Σιὼν δραμοῦνται, καὶ τὸν τῶν