54

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΒʹ. And here, therefore, He promised these things; but since they raged against our God and Savior, and stirred up judgment against themselves, from this point he moves on to another prophecy, which received its fulfillment in the tenth year of the reign of Zedekiah. This was 81.672 the eighteenth year for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The city was being besieged by him at this time; and the prophet was living in a prison, since Zedekiah the king had thrown him in, because he had foretold the capture of the city, and the enslavement of the king and of the people. For this reason, he says, "he was living in the prison." Nevertheless, he is ordered by God to buy his brother's field; "For to you," he says, "the purchase belongs, as being the nearest of kin." And the one selling it came to me, and I purchased it as I was commanded, and I received the deed concerning it, with everyone present, both the seller and those who had witnessed. He gave this to Baruch, saying that God had commanded this to be put in an earthen vessel, so that it might last for many days. God commanded this to be done, persuading the people through these very events, that they would truly be called back from captivity, and would receive their ancestral land. For the prophet also said this: ιεʹ. For thus said the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel: Houses, and fields, and vineyards will yet be possessed in this land. And when these things had thus happened, I, he says, offered a supplication to the Master, saying these things: that, You are the creator of heaven and earth, and you oversee all things, and nothing has escaped your notice, neither of things present, nor of things to come; and you have immeasurable treasures of mercy, but you also exact penalties for sins. And if the children should also imitate the wickedness of their fathers, you bring greater punishments upon them, as not having been instructed by their fathers' evils. And having added many other such things, and having mentioned the wonders that happened in Egypt, and the gifts provided after the deliverance from there, and indeed also the ingratitude of those who had received benefits, he inquires, why ever, with the enemies sitting before it, and besieging the city, and those within being destroyed by famine and plague, did you command me to buy a field, and to receive the deed concerning it, when the city is being overthrown? To these things God says: κζʹ. I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; shall any word be hidden from me? The creator and Master of all, he says, is He able to be ignorant of anything that happens? κηʹ. For this reason the Lord says these things: This city will surely be given over into the hands of the Chaldeans, and into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it. Then he says how, entering, they will burn it, and the houses in which they sacrificed to Baal, and poured out drink offerings to other gods. He also rebukes the purpose of what was done. 81.673 "To provoke me to anger." I am giving over the city, he says, because of the lawlessness of its inhabitants. For they have continually provoked me, from the day I built it, until this day. For which reason I have determined to remove it from my presence, on account of all the evil of the sons of Israel, and of the sons of Judah. For with one accord both the kings, and the priests, and the rulers, and those prophesying falsely, with all the people, have turned their back to me, and not their face; for having abandoned me, they were serving idols. And the blessed Ezekiel also teaches that, giving their backs to the temple, they were worshiping the sun; but I, he says, did not cease teaching them the truth through the prophets. But impiety in their houses was not enough for them, but even in the very house dedicated to me they set up the images of idols. λεʹ. And they built the altars to Baal, in the valley of the son of Hinnom, the towers that are in Geb. And from this it is clear, that the Topheth of an idol

54

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΒʹ. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν ἐπηγγείλατο ταῦτα· ἐπειδὴ δὲ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐλύττησαν, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτῶν τὴν δίκην ἐκίνησαν, ἐντεῦθεν ἐφ' ἑτέραν μεταβαίνει προφητείαν, ἧς ἐδέξατο τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἐν τῷ δεκάτῳ ἔτει τῆς Σεδεκίου βασιλείας. Οὗτος δὲ ἦν 81.672 ἐνιαυτὸς ὀκτωκαιδέκατος τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλεῖ Βαβυλῶνος. Ἐπολιορκεῖτο δὲ ὑφ' αὐτοῦ κατὰ τόνδε τὸν καιρὸν ἡ πόλις· ὁ δὲ προφήτης δεσμωτήριον ᾤκει, ἐμβεβληκότος αὐτὸν Σεδεκίου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐπειδήπερ τῆς πόλεως τὴν ἅλωσιν προηγόρευσε, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τὸν ἀνδραποδισμόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο φησὶ, "τὸ δεσμωτήριον ᾤκει." Προτάτ τεται δὲ ὅμως ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρίασθαι τὸν τοῦ ἀδελ φοῦ ἀγρόν· "Σοὶ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ ἀγορασία προσ ήκει, ὡς πελάζοντι κατὰ τὴν συγγένειαν." Ἀφίκετο δὲ πρός με καὶ ὁ τοῦτον ἀποδιδόμενος, καὶ ἐπριάμην ὡς προσετάχθην, καὶ τὴν περὶ τούτου συγγραφὴν ἐδεξάμην, πάντων παρόντων, τοῦ τε ἀποδομένου καὶ τῶν μεμαρτυρηκότων. Ταύτην δέδωκε τῷ Βα ροὺχ, τὸν Θεὸν εἰρηκὼς προστεταχέναι ἐν ἀγγείῳ τοῦτο τεθεῖναι ὀστρακίνῳ, ὥστε εἰς πολλὰς διαρκέσαι ἡμέρας. Τοῦτο δὲ γενέσθαι προσέταξεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν πείθων τὸν λαὸν τῶν πραγμάτων, ὅτι ἀλη θῶς ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἀνακληθήσονται, καὶ τὴν πατρῴαν γῆν ἀπολήψονται. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ προφή της ἔφη· ιεʹ. Ὅτι οὕτως εἶπε Κύριος παντοκράτωρ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· Ἔτι κτηθήσονται οἰκίαι, καὶ ἀγροὶ,καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἐν τῇ γῇ ταύτῃ. Τούτων δὲ οὕτως γεγενημένων, ἱκετείαν ἐγὼ, φησὶ, προσενήνοχα τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, ταῦτα λέγων ὅτι, Οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς εἶ δη μιουργὸς, καὶ πάντα ἐφορᾷς, καὶ οὐδέν σε λέληθεν, οὔτε τῶν παρόντων, οὔτε τῶν ἐσομένων· ἔχεις δὲ καὶ ἐλέου θησαυροὺς ἀμετρήτους, εἰσπράττῃ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων εὐθύνας. Εἰ δὲ καὶ οἱ παῖδες τὴν τῶν πατέρων πονηρίαν μιμήσαιντο, μείζους αὐτοῖς τιμω ρίας ἐπάγεις, ὡς τοῖς πατρῴοις μὴ παιδευθέντας κακοῖς. Καὶ ἕτερα δὲ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα προστεθεικὼς, καὶ τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ γεγενημένων μνημονεύσας θαυ μάτων, καὶ τῶν μετὰ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἀπαλλαγὴν παρα σχεθεισῶν δωρεῶν, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῆς τῶν εὐεργετη θέντων ἀχαριστίας, πυνθάνεται, τί δή ποτε τῶν πο λεμίων προκαθημένων, καὶ τὴν πόλιν πολιορκούντων, καὶ τῶν ἔνδον ὑπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ καὶ λοιμοῦ φθειρομέ νων, ἀγρόν μοι προσέταξας πρίασθαι, καὶ τὴν περὶ τούτου λαβεῖν συγγραφὴν, ἀναστάτου γιγνομένης τῆς πόλεως; Πρὸς ταῦτά φησιν ὁ Θεός· κζʹ. Ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς πάσης σαρκός· μὴ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ κρυβήσεται πᾶς λόγος; Ὁ πάντων, φησὶ, δημιουργὸς καὶ ∆εσπότης, ἀγνοῆσαί τι δύναται τῶν γιγνομένων; κηʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος· παραδιδο μένη παραδοθήσεται ἡ πόλις αὕτη εἰς χεῖρας Χαλδαίων, καὶ εἰς χεῖρας Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασι λέως Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ λήψεται αὐτήν. Εἶτα λέγει ὅπως εἰσελθόντες ἐμπρήσουσιν αὐτὴν, καὶ οἰκίας ἐν αἷς ἔθυον τῇ Βάαλ, καὶ ἔσπενδον σπονδὰς θεοῖς ἑτέ ροις. Ἐλέγχει καὶ τὸν τῶν γιγνομένων σκοπὸν. 81.673 "Πρὸς τὸ παραπικράναι με." Παραδίδωμι δὲ, φησὶ, τὴν πόλιν διὰ τὴν τῶν οἰκητόρων παρανομίαν. Ἀεὶ γάρ με παροξύναντες διετέλεσαν, ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ᾠκοδόμησα αὐτὴν, ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης. Οὗ δὴ χάριν ἐδοκίμασα ἀπαλλάξαι αὐτὴν ἀπὸ προσώπου μου, περὶ πάσης τῆς κακίας τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ υἱῶν Ἰούδα. Ὁμοθυμαδὸν γὰρ καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς, καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες, καὶ οἱ τὰ ψευδῆ προφη τεύοντες, σὺν παντὶ τῷ λαῷ, ἐπέστρεψαν ἐπ' ἐμὲ νῶτον, καὶ οὐ πρόσωπον· ἐμὲ γὰρ καταλιπόντες, τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλάτρευον. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἐζεκιὴλ, ὡς τὰ νῶτα τῷ ναῷ διδόντες, προσεκύνουν τὸν ἥλιον· ἐγὼ δὲ, φησὶν, οὐ διέλιπον διὰ τῶν προ φητῶν ἐκπαιδεύων αὐτοὺς τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Αὐτοῖς δὲ οὐκ ἀπέχρησεν ἡ ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις ἀσέβεια, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἀφιερωμένῳ μοι οἴκῳ ἔστησαν τὰ τῶν εἰδώλων ἰνδάλματα. λεʹ. Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησαν τοὺς βωμοὺς τῇ Βάαλ, ἐν φάραγγι υἱοῦ Ἐννὼμ, πύργους τοὺς ἐν Γέβ. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον, ὡς τὸ Θαφὲθ εἰδώλου