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After mentioning the lawlessness of Zedekiah, he foretold the coming dominion of the world from the royal seed, necessarily teaching the people not to use the proverb that accuses God of injustice, that because the fathers ate sour grapes, the children's teeth were set on edge, or, according to Symmachus, were blunted. For behold, he says, though the kings of that time were lawless, the seed from them will rule the world. For I will not endure to demand from the children the penalties for what their fathers transgressed; for I am the Lord of both these and those, and I exercise the same care for all; for all souls are mine, but the soul that sins, it shall pay the penalty. Then he teaches us what the kinds of righteousness are, and how it is possible both to enjoy life and to be delivered from punishment. 5. But the man who is righteous, who does judgment and righteousness. That is, the one who holds the scales of justice level. 6. He will not eat upon the mountains. The one who is far from the worship of idols, he says; for on the mountains their sanctuaries were established. "And he shall not lift up his eyes to the desires of the house of Israel." Instead of, If 81.973 he does not follow the evil thoughts of Israel; and through these likewise, he indicated both impiety and lawlessness. "And he shall not defile his neighbor's wife, nor shall he approach a woman in her menstrual period." It is fitting, he says, that he neither plunder another's bed, nor approach one who is in a flow of blood; for this too was forbidden by the law. 7. And he shall not oppress a man, and he shall restore a debtor's pledge, and he does not seize plunder. If he should be seen free, he says, from all greed. Then the heightening of virtue: "He will give his bread to the hungry, and will cover the naked with a garment." For it is not enough not to seize, but it is necessary also to take in those in need as sharers of one's possessions. 8. He will not give his money at interest, and he will not take increase. For these too are kinds of greed. "He will turn his hand away from injustice." He concisely forbade lawlessness. "And he will execute judgment between a man and his neighbor." If he should appear a just judge, not rendering his verdict according to favor or enmity; then concisely: 9. And he has walked in my statutes, and has kept my ordinances to do them; he is righteous, he shall surely live, says the Lord ADONAI. The one who has done all the things that were said, he says, and is free from all the things that were forbidden, will both be honored with the name of righteous, and will gather the fruits of life. 10. And if he begets a pestilent son, who sheds blood, and commits sins. Then concisely: "He does not walk in the way of his righteous father." But he did each of the things already forbidden, and walked the opposite path; this one, he says, has committed iniquity. 13. He shall not live; he has committed all these iniquities, he shall surely be put to death, his blood shall be upon him. The lawless one, he says, will in no way be benefited by his father's virtue, choosing a life contrary to his, but he will reap the fruits of his own seeds. 14. But when, he says, he begets a son, and he sees all his father's sins which he committed, and is afraid, and does not do according to them. Then he says in order: That he delivered himself from the worship of idols, and has not shared in the lawlessness of the house of Israel, and has not conspired against the marriages of others, has hated every kind of greed, but has brought effective therapy to those in need, driving away famine from some, and clothing others and delivering them from nakedness, and has kept all the commandments together. 81.976 17. This one, he says, will not die in the iniquities of his father, but will surely live. For it is not just for this one to pay the penalty for that one's lawlessness. 18, 19. But his father, he says, because he oppressed with oppression, and seized plunder, and did contrary things in the midst of the people, also died in his own iniquity. And you say, Why did not the son bear the iniquity of his father? But you say unjustly

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τῆς τοῦ Σεδεκίου παρανομίας μνημονεύσας, τὴν ἐκ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ σπέρματος προ εθέσπισεν ἐσομένην τῆς οἰκουμένης ἡγεμονίαν, ἀναγκαίως διδάσκει τὸν λαὸν μὴ κεχρῆσθαι τῇ ἀδι κίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ κατηγορούσῃ παροιμίᾳ, ὅτι τῶν πατέ ρων φαγόντων ὄμφακα οἱ ὀδόντες τῶν τέκνων ᾑμωδίασαν, ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, ἐγομφίασαν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶ, παρανόμων ὄντων τῶν τηνικαῦτα βασιλέων τὸ ἐξ αὐτῶν σπέρμα τῆς οἰκουμένης κρα τήσει. Οὔτε γὰρ ἀνέξομαι, ὧν οἱ πατέρες ἐπλημμέ λησαν, τὰς εὐθύνας ἀπαιτῆσαι τοὺς παῖδας· καὶ τούτων γὰρ κἀκείνων ∆εσπότης εἰμὶ, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἁπάντων τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιοῦμαι· πᾶσαι γὰρ αἱ ψυχαὶ ἐμαί εἰσιν, ἡ δὲ ἁμαρτάνουσα ψυχὴ, αὕτη τίσει τὰς δίκας. Εἶτα διδάσκει ἡμᾶς τίνα τῆς δικαιο σύνης τὰ εἴδη, καὶ πῶς δυνατὸν, καὶ ζωῆς ἀπολαῦ σαι, καὶ τιμωρίας ἀπαλλαγῆναι. εʹ. Ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ὅς ἐστι δίκαιος, ὁ ποιῶν κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην. Τουτέστιν, ὁ ἶσα κατέχων τὰ τῆς δίκης ζυγά. ʹ. Ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων οὐ φάγεται. Ὁ τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων, φησὶ, θεραπείας πόῤῥω γινόμενος· ἐν γὰρ τοῖς ὄρεσι τὰ τούτων ἵδρυτο τεμένη. "Καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὑτοῦ οὐ μὴ ἐπάρῃ πρὸς τὰ ἐπιθυμή ματα τοῦ οἴκου Ἰσραήλ." Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἐὰν μὴ 81.973 ἀκολουθήσῃ τοῖς κακοῖς Ἰσραὴλ ἐνθυμήμασι· καὶ διὰ τούτων δὲ ὡσαύτως, καὶ τὴν ἀσέβειαν καὶ τὴν παρανομίαν ἐδήλωσε. "Καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλη σίον αὑτοῦ οὐ μὴ μιάνῃ, καὶ πρὸς γυναῖκα ἐν ἀφ έδρῳ οὖσαν οὐ προσεγγιεῖ." Προσήκει δὲ αὐτὸν, φησὶ, μήτε ἀλλοτρίαν συλῆσαι εὐνὴν, μήτε τῇ ἐν ῥύσει αἵματος οὔσῃ πλησιάσαι· καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ ἀπηγόρευτο τῷ νόμῳ. ζʹ. Καὶ ἄνθρωπον οὐ μὴ καταδυναστεύσῃ, καὶ ἐνεχυρασμὸν ὀφείλοντος ἀποδώσῃ, καὶ ἅρπαγμα οὐχ ἁρπᾶται. Πάσης, φησὶ, πλεονεξίας εἰ ὀφθείη ἐλεύθερος. Εἶτα ἡ ἐπίτασις τῆς ἀρετῆς· "Τὸν ἄρτον αὑτοῦ πεινῶντι δώσει, καὶ γυμνὸν περιβαλεῖ ἱμά τιον." Οὐκ ἀρκεῖ γὰρ τὸ μὴ ἁρπάσαι, ἀλλὰ δεῖ καὶ κοινωνοὺς τῶν ὄντων τοὺς δεομένους λαβεῖν. ηʹ. Τὸ ἀργύριον αὑτοῦ ἐπὶ τόκῳ οὐ δώσει, καὶ πλεονασμὸν οὐ λήψεται. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα πλεονεξίας εἴδη. "Ἀπὸ ἀδικίας ἀποστρέψει χεῖρα αὑτοῦ." Συντόμως τὴν παρανομίαν ἀπηγόρευσεν. "Καὶ κρῖμα ποιήσει ἀναμέσον ἀνδρὸς καὶ τοῦ πλησίον αὑτοῦ." Εἰ δίκαιος ἀναφανείη κριτὴς, μὴ πρὸς χάριν ἢ ἀπέχθειαν ἐκφέρων τὴν ψῆφον· εἶτα συντόμως· θʹ. Καὶ ἐν τοῖς προστάγμασί μου πεπόρευται, καὶ τὰ δικαιώματά μου πεφύλακται τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτά· δίκαιος οὗτός ἐστι, ζωῇ ζήσεται, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος. Ὁ τὰ εἰρημένα, φησὶ, πάντα πεποιηκὼς, καὶ τῶν ἀπειρημένων πάντων ἐλεύθερος, καὶ τῇ τοῦ δικαίου προσηγορίᾳ τιμηθήσεται, καὶ τοὺς τῆς ζωῆς τρυγήσει καρπούς. ιʹ. Καὶ ἐὰν γεννήσῃ υἱὸν λοιμὸν, ἐκχέοντα αἷμα, καὶ ποιοῦντα ἁμαρτήματα. Εἶτα συντόμως· "Ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ πατρὸς αὑτοῦ τοῦ δικαίου οὐ πορεύεται." Ἀλλ' ἕκαστον τῶν ἤδη ἀπηγορευμέ νων εἰργάσατο, καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν ὁδὸν ὥδευσεν· ἀνομίαν, φησὶ, πεποίηκεν οὗτος. ιγʹ. Ζωῇ οὐ ζήσεται, πάσας τὰς ἀνομίας ταύ τας ἐποίησε, θανάτῳ θανατωθήσεται, τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἔσται. Οὐδὲν, φησὶν, ὁ παράνομος ἐκ τῆς πατρῴας ἀρετῆς ὠφεληθήσεται, ἐναντίον ἐκεί νῳ προαιρούμενος βίον, ἀλλὰ τῶν οἰκείων σπερμά των δρέψεται τοὺς καρπούς. ιδʹ. Ὅταν δὲ, φησὶ, γεννήσῃ υἱὸν, καὶ ἴδῃ πά σας τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ πατρὸς αὑτοῦ ἃς ἐποίησε, καὶ φοβηθῇ, καὶ μὴ ποιήσῃ κατὰ ταύτας. Εἶτα ἐφεξῆς λέγει· Ὅτι τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων ἑαυτὸν λατρείας ἀπήλλαξε, καὶ τῆς τοῦ οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ παρανομίας οὐ κεκοινώνηκε, γάμοις τε ἀλλοτρίοις οὐκ ἐπεβούλευσε, πᾶν εἶδος πλεονεξίας ἐμίσησε, τὴν δὲ δυνατὴν θε ραπείαν τοῖς δεομένοις προσήνεγκεν, τῶν μὲν λιμὸν ἐξελαύνων, τοὺς δὲ περιβάλλων καὶ γυμνότητος ἀπαλλάττων, καὶ πάσας ὁμοῦ τᾶς ἐντολὰς διεφύλα ξεν. 81.976 ιζʹ. Οὐ τελευτήσει οὗτος, φησὶν, ἐν ταῖς ἀδι κίαις τοῦ πατρὸς αὑτοῦ, ἀλλὰ ζωῇ ζήσεται. Οὔτε γὰρ δίκαιον, τοῦτον ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκείνου παρανομίας εἰσπράττεσθαι δίκας. ιηʹ, ιθʹ. Ὁ δὲ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, ἐπειδὴ θλί ψει ἔθλιψε, καὶ ἅρπαγμα ἥρπασε, καὶ ἐναντία ἐποίησεν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ ἀπέθανεν ἐν τῇ ἀδικίᾳ αὑτοῦ. Καὶ εἴπατε, Τί οὐκ ἔλαβεν ὁ υἱὸς τὴν ἀδικίαν τοῦ πατρὸς αὑτοῦ; Ὑμεῖς δέ φησιν ἀδίκως