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Jerusalem? or who will be afraid because of you? Great is the wickedness, when one being punished does not even bring those who watch to pity; and yet in every way, even those who have been wronged are accustomed to make a truce with those who have wronged them, when they see them being punished. But your deeds are beyond forgiveness, and pity. You have turned away from me, you will go backward. Do you see how I am not the cause? Their widows were multiplied, and beyond the sand of the sea. They made widows more than the sand of the sea, they introduced childlessness, and lest they think the misery is of nature, a mutilation of the body is. or a mutilation of the body, they made the mother of many children childless. Misery at midday. See how he brought the punishment, so that these might not be thought to be the usual ones, but truly certain ones sent by God. *I have suddenly cast upon her terror and haste. He speaks of the woman with many children. Terror, that is, fear; haste, that is to say, confusion. *She who bore seven has languished. That is, she with many children became childless. Her soul grew faint; that is, mourning. Her sun has set while it was still day. For the calamity did not permit her even to see the light clearly. Woe is me, mother, why have you borne me a man who judges, and is at variance with all the earth? As long as the prophet had hopes of persuading God, he lamented nothing of the sort; but when he saw the situation was desperate, being distressed he says these things. And what he says is this: A man of no account, and humble, and cast off, having no strength; why then have you borne me, who am about to stand against the whole inhabited world? For since the false prophets were saying the opposite things, and he was commanded to say the opposite, there were disputes, and daily battles. *I have not lent, nor has anyone lent to me. The prophet despairs, suffering all terrible things from the Jews. Why, he says, was I born, always fighting against the lawless, and contending with them, and reproving their evils, a man wishing to live in peace, and having neither ever owed anyone, nor had a debtor? My strength has failed among those who curse me. That is, I grew weary being reproached by them, and assailed with countless revilings. And yet, that which establishes all fights, this is not with me; I am clean of borrowings. 64.905 To those who accuse, he says, to those who insult, to those who mock, to those who curse. For it is not for an ordinary soul to bear these things, just as not even Job was moved, until these things happened. May it be, Lord, that they prevail. What is it? he says. For what especially grieved him more than other pains was this, that he was not conscious in himself of anything deserving what was happening. That is, if they curse justly, confirm their words. If I did not stand by you in the time of their evils. I do not say, If I spoke against them, he says, but if I did not stand by on behalf of them when they were about to be punished. And may they be heard not only in this, that I should be punished, but also in that they should obtain good things. May the things of their curse come true, may good things come true for them *That is, if you do not bear witness with me, that when you told me to announce to them the attack of the enemies, I stood praying for them, asking good things for them. Will iron be known, and your strength a garment of bronze? That is, it has walls without iron, and if a bronze garment, it will not even be recognized is. and if it has walls of iron, and if a bronze garment it will not even be recognized, that this very thing is of iron. Such things they will endure. *That is, I will fence you with my help, as with an iron or bronze garment. He calls the chain-mail tunic an iron garment; and the armor a bronze one. Just as, then, those who are clothed in these things are beyond all harm from an arrow, since it does not penetrate; so you too will suffer nothing from them. But some say concerning the people, that not even so fortified are they saved. *Your strength and your treasures I will give for plunder. As to the people, instead of, because of their evils

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Ἱερουσαλήμ; ἢ τίς δειλιάσει ἐπὶ σοί; Πολλὴ ἡ κακία, ὅταν μηδὲ κολαζόμενός τις εἰς ἔλεον ἀγάγῃ τοὺς θεωροῦντας· καίτοιγε πάντως, καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ ἠδικημένοι σπένδεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς ἠδικηκότας εἰώθασιν, ὅταν ἴδωσι τιμωρουμένους. Ἀλλὰ τὰ σὰ μείζονα συγγνώμης ἐστὶ, καὶ ἐλέους. Σὺ ἀπεστράφης με, ὀπίσω πορεύσῃ. Ὁρᾷς, πῶς οὐκ ἐγὼ αἴτιος; Ἐπληθύνθησαν αἱ χῆραι αὐτῶν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἄμμον τῆς θαλάσσης. Χήρας ἐποίησαν ὑπὲρ τὴν ἄμμον τῆς θαλάσσης, ἀτεκνίαν εἰσήγαγον, καὶ ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσι φύσεως εἶναι τὸ ταλαιπώρημα, πήρωσις σώματος ἴσ. ἢ πήρωσιν σώματος, τὴν πολύτεκνον ἄπαιδα ἐποίησαν. Ταλαιπωρίαν ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ. Ὅρα πῶς τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπήγαγεν, ὥστε μὴ νομισθῆναι ταύτας εἶναι τὰς συνήθεις, ἀλλ' ὄντως θεηλάτους τινάς. *Ἐπέῤῥιψα ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἐξαίφνης τρόμον καὶ σπουδήν. Περὶ τῆς πολύπαιδος λέγει γυναικός. Τρόμον, τουτέστι φόβον· σπουδὴν, ἵνα εἴπῃ, ταραχήν. *Ἐκενώθη ἡ τίκτουσα ἑπτά. Τουτέστιν, ἄπαις ἡ πολύπαις ἐγένετο. Ἀπεκάκησεν ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῆς· τουτέστι, πενθοῦσα. Ἐπέδυ ὁ ἥλιος αὐτῇ ἔτι μεσούσης ἡμέρας. Ἡ γὰρ συμφορὰ, οὐδὲ καθαρῶς ὁρᾷν τὸ φῶς συνεχώρει. Οἴμοι ἐγὼ, ὡς τίνα, μῆτερ, μὲ ἔτεκες ἄνδρα δικαζόμενον, καὶ διακρινόμενον πάσῃ τῇ γῇ; Ἕως εἶχεν ἐλπίδας ὁ προφήτης, τοῦ τὸν Θεὸν πεῖσαι, οὐδὲν ἐπωδύρετο τοιοῦτον· ἐπεὶ δὲ εἶδεν ἀπεγνωσμένα τὰ πράγματα στενοχωρηθεὶς ταῦτά φησιν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἄνθρωπος εὐτελὴς, καὶ ταπεινὸς, καὶ ἀπεῤῥιμμένος, μηδεμίαν ἔχων ἰσχύν· ὡς τίνα οὖν με ἔτεκες, μέλλοντα πρὸς πᾶσαν ἵστασθαι τὴν οἰκουμένην; Τῶν γὰρ ψευδοπροφητῶν τἀναντία λεγόντων, τούτου κελευομένου τἀναντία λέγειν, ἀμφισβητήσεις, καὶ μάχαι καθημεριναί. *Οὐκ ὠφέλησα, οὐδὲ ὠφέλησέ με οὐδείς. Ἀποδυσπετεῖ ὁ προφήτης τὰ πάνδεινα πάσχων παρὰ Ἰουδαίων. Τί, φησὶν, ἐτικτόμην ἑκάστοτε πρὸς τοὺς παρανόμους μαχόμενος, καὶ δικαζόμενος πρὸς αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐλέγχων αὐτῶν τὰ κακὰ, ἀνὴρ ἐν εἰρήνῃ διάγειν βουλόμενος, καὶ οὔτε ὀφλήσας πώποτέ τινι, οὔτε χρεώστην ἐσχηκώς; Ἡ ἰσχύς μου ἐξέλιπεν ἐν τοῖς καταρωμένοις με. Τουτέστιν, ἔκαμον ὑπ' αὐτῶν ὀνειδιζόμενος, καὶ μυρίαις λοιδορίαις βαλλόμενος. Καὶ μὴν, ὃ πάσας συνίστησι τὰς μάχας, τοῦτο παρ' ἐμοὶ οὐκ ἔστιν· καθαρός εἰμι δανεισμάτων. 64.905 Τοῖς αἰτιωμένοις, φησὶ, τοῖς ὑβρίζουσι, τοῖς σκώπτουσι, τοῖς ἐπαρωμένοις. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι τῆς τυχούσης ψυχῆς ταῦτα φέρειν, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ὁ Ἰὼβ, οὐ πρότερον ἐκινήθη, πρὶν ἢ ταῦτα γενέσθαι. Γένοιτο, ∆έσποτα, κατευθυνόντων αὐτῶν. Τί ἐστι; φησί. Τὸ γὰρ μάλιστα αὐτὸν ἐκλυποῦν ἄλλ. ὀδυνῶν, τοῦτο ἦν, ὅτι οὐδὲν συνῄδει τῶν γινομένων ἑαυτῷ. Τουτέστιν, εἰ δικαίως ἐπαρῶνται, κύρωσον αὐτῶν τὰ ῥήματα. Εἰ μὴ παρέστην σοι ἐν καιρῷ τῶν κακῶν αὐτῶν. Οὐ λέγω, Εἰ κατεῖπον, φησὶν, ἀλλ' εἰ μὴ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν μελλόντων κολάζεσθαι παρέστην. Καὶ μὴ μόνον εἰς τοῦτο ἀκουσθεῖεν, εἰς τὸ ἐμὲ τιμωρηθῆναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὸ αὐτοὺς τυχεῖν τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Γένοιτο ἀληθῆ τὰ τῆς ἀρᾶς αὐτῶν, γένοιτο αὐτοῖς ἀληθῆ τὰ ἀγαθά *Τουτέστιν, εἰ μὴ συμμαρτυρεῖς, ὅτι ἡνίκα ἀναγγέλλειν αὐτοῖς τῶν πολεμίων τὴν ἔφοδον ἔλεγες, εἱστήκειν προσευχόμενος ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, ἀγαθὰ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν αἰτῶν. Εἰ γνωσθήσεται σίδηρος, καὶ περιβόλαιον χαλκοῦ ἡ ἰσχύς σου; Τουτέστιν, ἄνευ σιδήρου τὰ τείχη ἔχει, καὶ εἰ ἱμάτιον χαλκοῦν, οὐδὲ ἐπιγνώσεται ἴσ. καὶ εἰ σιδήρου τὰ τ. ἔχ. καὶ εἰ ἱμ. χαλκοῦν οὐδὲ ἐπιγνωσθήσεται, ὅτι αὐτὸ τοῦτό ἐστι σιδηροῦν. Τοιαῦτα ὑποστήσονται. *Τουτέστι, περιφράξω σε τῇ ἐμαυτοῦ βοηθείᾳ, καθάπερ σιδηρέῳ ἢ χαλκέῳ ἐνδύματι. Σιδήρεον μὲν ἔνδυμα λέγει, τὸν ἁλυσιδωτὸν χιτῶνα· χάλκεον δὲ, τὸ καταφρακτόν. Ὥσπερ οὖν οἱ ταῦτα ἐνδεδυμένοι πάσης εἰσὶν ἐκτὸς βλάβης τοῦ βέλους, οὐ καθικνουμένου· οὕτως οὐδὲ σὺ τὶ πείσῃ παρ' αὐτῶν. Τινὲς δὲ περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ, ὅτι οὐδὲ οὕτω φραξάμενοι σώζονται. *Ἰσχύν σου καὶ θησαυρούς σου εἰς προνομὴν δώσω. Ὡς πρὸς τὸν λαὸν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, διὰ τὰ κακὰ αὐτῶν