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21The oracle of the wilderness of the sea. He calls |127 a| Babylon a wilderness of the sea, sea on account of its former prosperity and the multitude of inhabitants imitating waves, but wilderness on account of the disaster that later befell it. As a whirlwind should pass through the wilderness, coming from the wilderness, from a fearful land. It is a personification, spoken from the person of Babylon. And the army of the Persians and Medes is called a whirlwind, which it prays would pass through and not advance against it. Then it lays bare its fear: A fearful 2vision and a harsh one has been announced to me. Grievous things, it says, and difficult things I foresee. He that despises, despises, and he that is lawless, is lawless. Against me are the Elamites, and the ambassadors of the Persians come against me. Symmachus has said these things thus: "He who despises is despised, and he who brings misery is made miserable. Go up, Elam, besiege, Medes." Formerly, it says, I despised, but now I am despised; formerly I made others miserable, but now I suffer what I did. The verdict is just. Go up therefore, Elam—this is a Persian nation—, besiege, O Medes. Now therefore I will groan and comfort myself. Groaning comforts the one who is in pain. For it is like some smoke sent forth from within the heart from the fire of despondency, therefore, he fittingly said: I groan and will comfort myself. Why must one groan? Because 3my loins were filled with dissolution, and pains seized me like a woman in labor; for the one formerly well-girded and noble, the one warring against all the nations, I am now deprived of strength and I have a pain that imitates labor pains. And what is the cause of the change? I did wrong so as not to hear, I strove so as not to see. 4My heart wanders, and lawlessness overwhelms me, my soul is set in fear. I could not bear, it says, the counsels of Daniel—for he said to Nebuchadnezzar: "O king, let my counsel be pleasing to you, and in alms wash away your sins and your iniquities in compassion for the poor"—, I saw very great wonders and I was not willing to perceive what was necessary, that furnace not burning up the noble athletes. For this is what it says: I did wrong so as not to listen, I strove so as not to see. Having set these things from the person of Babylon, the prophet shows God commanding the enemies to take courage against Babylon: 5For, he says, prepare the table, watch the watchtower, eat, drink; arise, you rulers, prepare your shields. Then he teaches that he was commanded to set spies on a certain lookout point and to report what was seen. And having done this, he saw two horsemen, one riding on a donkey and the other on a camel. And it signifies the cavalry army through the horses, and the baggage animals through the donkey and the camel. 7And he said to me, he says: Listen with great attention 8and call Uriah to the watchtower; the Lord has spoken. Keep silent, he says, and let the tongue cease, but let the hearing listen. And have Uriah as a partner; "For on the testimony of two and three witnesses every word will be established." Then he stood on the watchtower as though all day and all night, still waiting for what would be announced, and he saw someone riding on a chariot of a pair of horses and shouting that 9Babylon has fallen, and all its statues and its handmade things have been shattered to the ground. And it is clear that they were invisible powers who were conveying these things. Having heard these words, the prophet does not endure to hide them but indicates them to his kinsmen: 10Hear, you who are left behind and are in pain, hear what I have heard from the Lord Sabaoth, what the God of Israel has announced to us. And these things were sufficient to bring comfort to those who believe. Thus having prophesied the things concerning Babylon and having joined these things to the prophecy concerning the Egyptians, he foretells the salvation of Idumea. And here he calls the race of Esau Idumea; for he was named Edom from his reddish appearance. And Esau and Jacob were brothers; but nevertheless, although tracing their lineage from Abraham, the Israelites and Idumeans were very hostilely disposed toward each other .................... |127 b| ...thus they maintained the ancestral hatred. But these things more clearly in

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21Τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς ἐρήμου θαλάσ σης. Ἔρημον θάλασσαν τὴν |127 a| Βαβυλῶνα καλεῖ, θάλασσαν μὲν διὰ τὴν προτέραν εὐημερίαν καὶ τῶν οἰκητόρων τὸ πλῆθος κύματα μιμουμένων, ἔρημον δὲ διὰ τὴν ἐπενεχθεῖσαν ὕστερον συμφοράν. Ὡς καταιγὶς δι' ἐρήμου διέλθοι, ἐξ ἐρήμου ἐρχομένη, ἐκ γῆς φοβερᾶς. Ἠθοποιία ἐστὶν ἐκ προσώπου τῆς Βαβυλῶνος λεγομένη. Καλεῖται δὲ καταιγίδα τῶν Περσῶν καὶ Μήδων τὴν στρατιάν, ἣν εὔχεται διελθεῖν καὶ μὴ κατ' αὐτῆς χωρῆσαι. Εἶτα τὸ δέος αὐτῆς γυμνοῖ· Φοβερὸν 2τὸ ὅραμα καὶ σκληρὸν ἀνηγγέλη μοι. Ἀνιαρά φησι καὶ χαλεπὰ προορῶ. Ὁ ἀθετῶν ἀθετεῖ, καὶ ὁ ἀνομῶν ἀνομεῖ. Ἐπ' ἐμοὶ οἱ Ἐλαμῖται,καὶ οἱ πρέσβεις τῶν Περσῶν ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἔρχονται. Ταῦτα ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως εἴρηκεν· «Ὁ ἀθετῶν ἀθετεῖται, καὶ ὁ ταλαιπωρίζων ταλαιπωρεῖ. Ἀνάβηθι Ἐλάμ, πολιορκεῖτε Μῆδοι.» Πάλαι φησὶν ἐγὼ ἠθέτουν, νῦν δὲ ἐγὼ ἀθετοῦμαι· πάλαι ἄλλους ἐγὼ ταλαιπώρους ἐποίουν, νῦν δὲ πάσχω ἃ ἔδρων. ∆ικαία ἡ ψῆφος. Ἀνάβηθι τοίνυν Ἐλάμ-ἔθνος δὲ τοῦτο Περσικόν-, πολιορκεῖτε ὦ Μῆδοι. Νῦν οὖν στενάξω καὶ παρακαλέσω ἐμαυτόν. Παραμυ θεῖται τὸν ὀδυνώμενον ὁ στεναγμός. Οἷον γάρ τις καπνὸς ἐκ τοῦ τῆς ἀθυμίας πυρὸς ἔνδοθεν ἐκ τῆς καρδίας ἐκπέμπεται, εἰκότως τοίνυν ἔφη· Στενάζω καὶ παρακαλέσω ἐμαυτόν. ∆ιὰ τί δ έον στενάζειν; ὅτι 3ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ ὀσφῦς μου ἐκλύσεως, καὶ ὠδῖνες ἔλαβόν με ὡς τὴν τίκτουσαν· ἡ γὰρ εὔζωνος πάλαι καὶ γενναία, ἡ κατὰ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν στρατεύουσα νῦν τῆς ἰσχύος ἐστέρημαι καὶ ὀδύνην ἔχω μιμουμένην ὠδῖνας. Τίς δὲ τῆς μεταβολῆς ἡ αἰτία; Ἠδίκησα τοῦ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι, ἐσπούδασα τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν. 4Ἡ καρδία μου πλανᾶται, καὶ ἡ ἀνομία με βαπτίζει, ἡ ψυχή μου ἐφέσ τηκεν εἰς φόβον. Οὐκ ἠνεσχόμην φησὶ τῶν τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ συμβολῶν-ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἔλεγε τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ· «Βασιλεῦ, ἡ βουλή μου ἀρεσάτω σοι, καὶ ἐν ἐλεημοσύναις ἀπόλουσαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου καὶ τὰς ἀνομίας σου ἐν οἰκτιρ μοῖς πενήτων»-, εἶδον θαύμα τα μέγιστα καὶ τὸ δέον συνιδεῖν οὐκ ἠθέλησα, τὴν κάμινον ἐκείνην τοὺς γενναίους οὐ κατακαίουσαν ἀθλητάς. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει· Ἠδίκησα τοῦ μὴ εἰσακοῦσαι, ἐσπούδασα τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν. Ταῦτα ἐκ προσώπου τῆς Βαβυλῶνος τεθεικὼς ὁ προφήτης δείκνυσι τὸν θεὸν κελεύοντα τοῖς πολεμίοις καταθαρρῆσαι τῆς Βαβυλῶνος· 5Ἑτοιμάσατε γάρ φησι τὴν τράπεζαν, σκοπεύσατε τὴν σκοπιάν, φάγετε, πίετε· ἀναστάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες ἑτοιμάσατε θυρεούς. Εἶτα διδάσκει ὡς προσετάχθη στῆσαι κατασκόπους ἔν τινι περιω πῇ καὶ τὸ ὁρώμενον ἀπαγγεῖλαι. Καὶ τοῦτο δράσας εἶδε δύο ἱππεῖς, τὸν μὲν ἐπὶ ὄνου τὸν δὲ ἐπὶ καμήλου ὀ χού μενον. Σημαίνει δὲ διὰ μὲν τῶν ἵππων τὴν ἱππικὴν στρατιάν, διὰ δὲ τῆς ὄνου καὶ τῆς καμήλου τὰ σκευοφόρα ζῷα. 7Καὶ εἶπέ μοί φησιν· Ἀκρόασαι ἀκρόασιν πολλὴν 8καὶ κάλεσον Οὐρίαν εἰς τὴν σκοπιάν· κύριος εἶπεν. Ἡσυχίαν ἄγε φησί, καὶ ἡ μὲν γλῶττα πεπαύ σθω, ἡ δὲ ἀκοὴ ἀκροάσθω. Ἔχε δὲ κοινωνὸν τὸν Οὐρίαν· «Ἐπὶ γὰρ στόματος δύο καὶ τριῶν μαρτύρων σταθήσεται πᾶν ῥῆμα.» Εἶτα ἔστη εἰς σκοπιὰν ὡς πανημέριον καὶ παννύχιον ἔτι τὸ ἀπαγγελησόμενον περιμένων καὶ εἶδέ τινα ἐπὶ ξυνω ρ ίδος ὀχ ούμενον κα ὶ β οῶντα ὡς 9Πέπτωκε Βαβυλών, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἀγάλματα αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ χειροποίητα αὐτῆς συνετρίβη εἰς τὴν γῆν. ∆ῆλον δὲ ὡς ἀόρατοι δυνάμεις ἦσαν αἱ ταῦτα διαπορθμεύουσαι. Τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ προφήτης τῶν λόγων οὐκ ἀνέχεται κρύψαι ἀλλὰ τοῖς ὁμοφύ λοις σημαίνει· 10Ἀκούσατε οἱ καταλελειμμένοι καὶ ὀδυ νώμενοι, ἀκούσατε ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ κυρίου Σαβαώθ, ἃ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀνήγγειλεν ἡμῖν. Ἱκανὰ δὲ ἦν ταῦτα τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἐνθεῖναι ψυχαγωγίαν. Οὕτω τὰ περὶ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος προθεσπίσας καὶ τῇ περὶ Αἰγυπτίων ταῦτα προφητείᾳ συνάψας τὴν σωτηρίαν τῆς Ἰδου μαίας προλέγει. Ἰδουμ αίαν δὲ ἐνταῦθα τοῦ Ἠσαῦ τὸ γένος καλεῖ· Ἐδὼμ γὰρ οὗτο ς ἀπὸ τῆς πυρρᾶς ὠνομάσθη μορφῆς. Ἠ σαῦ δὲ καὶ Ἰακὼβ ἀδελφοί· ἀλλ' ὅμως καίπερ ἐξ Ἀ βραὰμ τὸ γένος κατάγοντες Ἰσραηλῖται καὶ Ἰδουμαῖοι μάλα δυσμενῶς περὶ ἀλλήλους διέκειν το .................... |127 b| ...τως τὸ προ γονικὸν ἐφύλαξαν μῖσος. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα σαφέστερον ἐν