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you wish to judge the son of the lawless man to endure punishment for the father, and you ask one another, Why did he not pay for the father's transgressions? But I say to you, "Because the son has done judgment, and righteousness, and mercy, he has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he shall surely live." Since he did not walk the same way as his father, but preferred my way to that of his father, he found an end worthy of his way. 20. The soul that sins, it shall die, the son shall not bear the iniquity of his father, nor shall the father bear the iniquity of his son. He again declared the same things more clearly and concisely: "The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the lawlessness of the lawless shall be upon him." He says the same things many times, wishing their memory to become firm in his hearers. 21, 22. And if the lawless man turns from all his lawless deeds which he has done, and keeps all my commandments, and does judgment, and righteousness, and mercy, he shall surely live, and shall not die. And all his transgressions that he has committed, they shall not be remembered against him; in his righteousness that he has done, he shall live. So far am I, he says, from exacting punishments of one for another, that even the transgressor of the law himself, though he may have committed ten thousand transgressions, if he changes, and shows repentance, and chooses the way of righteousness, I will both receive him and deem him worthy of life; then he reveals his own goodness. 23. Do I indeed desire the death of the lawless, says the Lord Adonai, as that he should turn from his wicked way, and live? Not the death, he says, of the lawless but his repentance I desire; for not that I might punish did I create the nature of men, but that I might impart life; and the facts bear witness to these words; for he would not have inspired prophets, and sent apostles, and given written laws, and promised good things, and threatened Gehenna, if he wished to punish; but he would have let men be carried along as they wish; but now he continues to do all these things, that he might free them from the threatened terrors; that the things said are not merely words, but facts, both 81.977 things that have happened, and are happening, the divine Scripture is a witness. For Hezekiah, born of the impious father Ahaz, not only did not pay the penalty for his father, but also became most illustrious from his own piety. But the all-blessed Manasseh, having walked in a way diametrically opposed to his father, enjoyed none of his father's piety; but having used repentance, he enjoyed salvation. But Amon, his son, having emulated his father's wickedness, but not his repentance, ended his life badly; but his child Josiah, having abhorred his father's impiety, and having adorned his soul with all forms of virtue, is numbered in the catalogue of the saints, having drawn no stain from his father's transgression; but his children, not emulating him, but having lived with all impiety, paid the penalties for their own offenses, reaping no benefit from their father's love of God. And so from the history of the holy Scriptures itself, the oracles of the Master have appeared true. Let us then return to the sequence of the interpretation. 24. And when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, according to all the iniquities that the lawless man did, if he does so, he shall not live; all his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered; in the transgression which he has committed, and in his sins which he has sinned, in them he shall die. Just as, he says, if one of the lawless, abhorring his former life, should choose the opposite, I will accept his repentance, and I will deem him worthy of life; so, if one of the righteous, completely leaving the way of righteousness, should turn to the other, he will lose all his former course, and he will find the end appropriate to his way; for in his sins he shall die. But one must pay attention, that he did not simply say, If he sins, but "If he turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity according to all the iniquities,

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κρίνοντες βούλεσθε τοῦ παρανόμου τὸν υἱὸν τιμωρίαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑπομεῖναι, καὶ ἀλ λήλων πυνθάνεσθε, Τί δήποτε τὰς τοῦ πατρὸς παρα νομίας οὐκ ἔτισεν; Ἐγὼ δὲ ὑμῖν φημι, "Ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς κρίμα, καὶ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἔλεον ἐποίησε, πάντα τὰ νόμιμά μου συνετήρησε, καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὰ, ζωῇ ζήσεται." Ἐπειδὴ οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν ὥδευσε τῷ πατρὶ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐμὴν ὁδὸν τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς προετίμησεν, ἄξιον εὕρατο τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ τέλος. κʹ. Ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα αὕτη ἀποθα νεῖται, ὁ υἱὸς οὐ λήψεται τὴν ἀδικίαν τοῦ πα τρὸς αὑτοῦ, οὐδὲ ὁ πατὴρ λήψεται τὴν ἀδικίαν τοῦ υἱοῦ αὑτοῦ. Τὰ αὐτὰ πάλιν σαφέστερον καὶ συντόμως παρεδήλωσε· "∆ικαιοσύνη δικαίου ἐπ' αὐ τὸν ἔσται, καὶ ἀνομία ἀνόμου ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἔσται." Πολλάκις τὰ αὐτὰ λέγει, βεβαίαν αὐτῶν τὴν μνήμην ἐν τοῖς ἀκούουσι γενέσθαι βουλόμενος. καʹ, κβʹ. Καὶ ὁ ἄνομος ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψῃ ἐκ πα σῶν τῶν ἀνομιῶν αὑτοῦ ὧν ἐποίησε, καὶ φυλά ξηται πάσας τὰς ἐντολάς μου, καὶ ποιήσῃ κρί μα, καὶ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἔλεον, ζωῇ ζήσεται, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ. Πάντα δὲ παραπτώματα αὐτοῦ ὅσα ἐποίησεν, οὐ μνησθήσεται αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ αὑτοῦ, ᾗ ἐποίησε, ζήσεται. Τοσοῦτον δὲ, φησὶν, ἀπέχω τοῦ δίκας ἕτερον ὑπὲρ ἑτέρου εἰσ πράξαι, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν παραβάτην τοῦ νόμου, κἂν μυρίας παρανομίας ἐργάσηται, μεταβαλλόμενον, καὶ μεταμελείᾳ χρώμενον, καὶ τὴν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὁδὸν προαιρούμενον, καὶ δέξομαι, καὶ ζωῆς ἀξιώσω· εἶτα τὴν οἰκείαν ἀγαθότητα παραδηλοῖ. κγʹ. Οὐ μὴ θελήσει θελήσω τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἀνόμου, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος, ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέ ψαι αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὑτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς, καὶ ζῆσαι αὐτόν; Οὐ τὸν θάνατον, φησὶ, τοῦ ἀνό μου ἀλλὰ τὴν μετάνοιαν ποθῶ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἵνα κολάσω, τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν ἐδημιούργησα, ἀλλ' ἵνα ζωῆς μεταδῶ· μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τοῖς λόγοις τὰ πράγματα· οὐ γὰρ ἂν προφήταις ἐνέπνευσε, καὶ ἀποστόλους ἀπέστειλε, καὶ ἐγγράφους ἔδωκε νόμους, καὶ ἀγαθὰ ὑπισχνεῖται, καὶ γέενναν ἀπειλεῖ, κολάζειν βουλό μενος· ἀλλ' εἴασεν ἂν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὡς ἂν θέλωσι, φέρεσθαι· νῦν δὲ ταῦτα πάντα διατελεῖ ποιῶν, ἵνα τῶν ἠπειλημένων ἐλευθερώσῃ δεινῶν· ὅτι δὲ οὐ λόγοι μόνον τὰ εἰρημένα, ἀλλὰ τὰ πράγματα, καὶ 81.977 γενόμενα, καὶ γιγνόμενα, μάρτυς ἡ θεία Γραφή. Ὁ γὰρ Ἐζεκίας ἐκ δυσσεβοῦς πατρὸς τοῦ Ἄχαζ φὺς, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἔτισεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πατρὸς δίκας, ἀλλὰ καὶ περιφανέστατος ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας εὐσεβείας ἐγένετο. Ὁ δέ γε πανόλβιος Μανασσῆς, ἐκ διαμέτρου ἐναντίαν ὁδεύσας τῷ φύσαντι, οὐδὲν τῆς πατρῴας εὐσεβείας ἀπώνατο· μεταμελείᾳ δὲ χρησάμενος τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπήλαυσεν. Ἀμὼν δὲ ὁ τούτου υἱὸς, τὴν μὲν πα τρῴαν πονηρίαν ζηλώσας, τὴν δὲ μετάνοιαν οὐκέτι, κακῶς τὸν βίον κατέλυσεν· ὁ δὲ τούτου παῖς Ἰω σίας, τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν ἀσέβειαν βδελυξάμενος, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς εἴδεσι τὴν ψυχὴν κατακοσμή σας, τῷ τῶν ἁγίων συνηρίθμηται καταλόγῳ, οὐδε μίαν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς παρανομίας λώβην ἑλκύσας· οἱ δὲ τούτου παῖδες, τοῦτον μὲν οὐ ζηλώσαντες, δυσ σεβείᾳ δὲ πάσῃ συζήσαντες, δίκας τῶν οἰκείων πλημμελημάτων ἐξέτισαν, ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς φιλο θεΐας οὐδὲν ὄφελος καρπωσάμενοι. Καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τοίνυν τῆς τῶν ἁγίων Γραφῶν ἱστορίας, ἀληθῆ πέ φηνε τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὰ λόγια. Φέρε τοίνυν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τῆς ἑρμηνείας ἐπανέλθωμεν. κδʹ. Καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀποστρέψαι δίκαιον ἀπὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὑτοῦ, καὶ ποιῆσαι ἀδικίαν, κατὰ πάσας τὰς ἀδικίας ἃς ἐποίησεν ὁ ἄνομος, ἐὰν ποιήσῃ, οὐ μὴ ζήσεται· πᾶσαι αἱ δικαιο σύναι αὐτοῦ, ἃς ἐποίησεν, οὐ μὴ μνησθῶσιν· ἐν τῷ παραπτώματι, ᾧ παρέπεσε, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αὑτοῦ, αἷς ἥμαρτεν, ἐν αὐταῖς ἀπο θανεῖται. Ὥσπερ, φησὶν, εἴ τις τῶν παρανόμων, τὸν πρότερον βδελυξάμενος βίον, τὸν ἐναντίον προ έλοιτο, δέξομαι τὴν μετάνοιαν, καὶ ζωῆς αὐτὸν ἀξιώ σω· οὕτως, εἴ τις τῶν δικαίων, παντελῶς τὴν τῆς δικαιοσύνης καταλιπὼν ὁδὸν, εἰς τὴν ἑτέραν τράπη ται, πάντα μὲν τὸν πρότερον ἀπολέσει δρόμον, πρόσφορον δὲ τῇ ὁδῷ εὑρήσει τὸ τέλος· ἐν γὰρ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αὑτοῦ ἀποθανεῖται. Ἐπιστῆσαι δὲ χρὴ, ὡς οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ, ἀλλ' "Ἐὰν ἀποστραφῇ ἀπὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὑτοῦ, καὶ ποιήσῃ ἀδικίαν κατὰ πάσας τὰς ἀδικίας,