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I will make them captives. But it is spoken as from the prophet in the person of God to the people. Lord, remember me, and visit me, and acquit me from those who persecute me, not unto long-suffering. For the past is enough. And if you add these things too, who will pay heed? Therefore bring on the end. For there is no correction. Acquit me from those who persecute me. Know that. The prophet still holds to the same prayer and prophecy. But this saying seems again to be unphilosophical; but let us see whether it is of prophetic weakness, or of something else. First, he does not ask that they be killed for now, but that he himself suffer nothing terrible. Let us see whether for himself, or for the word of God. For now he says, Deliver me from those who persecute me. 64.908 For the sake of those who reject your words, make an end of them. Do you see how he did not say: I shall be. But he fears for the word, he trembles for the prophecy, lest it be considered a myth by them, and be disbelieved. The word will always be a joy to me. No one will consider me a deceiver, nor an ironist, from now on. For that he looks to himself, is clear from the former supplications, and from the consolation of God, which He would not have made to him, unless He knew him to be holding on strongly. But if he also makes the supplication for himself, this too is admirable, perhaps not admirable; then changing his position, when God also does. *Finish them, and your word will be to me for gladness and for the joy of my heart, because your name has been called upon me. That is, for me to be proven false regarding the punishment. So that I may be shown to be speaking the truth, and to be a righteous prophet, since it is not possible for me, having called upon your name, to be proven false. Do you see him fearing again for the name? I am called a prophet. So that your glory might not suffer anything, I have suffered countless things. I have profited nothing, but the opposite; deal with it in another way. I did not sit in the council of those who jest, but. Do you see that he says this too, that what needed to be done by me, has been done. I did not associate with them while being insulted, I did not stand aloof, perhaps I stood by. What then must happen? For fear of you I endured all things, and nothing has happened. I sat all alone. I had no one who shared in what was said. All disbelieved; but still none of these things turned me aside; nothing on my part was left undone. Why should those who grieve me prevail over me? For what reason, he says, do you permit them? what is the advantage? for is their benefit happening? what then? My wound. Of the soul, clearly. *My wound is grievous, from where shall I be healed? That is, these people are hostile, and do the deeds of enemies. I do not see the outcome of my words. From nowhere do I have consolation. *It has become to me as deceitful water, that has no faithfulness. That is, the prophecy. So that he might say, it was thought to be false. And just as water has no stability, so they do not think that truth is present in my words. Just as water flows by, and does not stand still, nor remain, so also my words now appear here, now there. And it jumps about, and has no faithfulness. Or if not this, The terrible things, he says, were so successive, as water rises, and did not cease. Therefore thus says the Lord: If you return, I will restore you; you will stand before my face. 64.909 That is, It was fitting for you to look to me, not to the opinion of men. If you return, I will restore you; and you will stand before my face. Since he had now turned away from the prophecy; since he thought the matter now had an end; Change, he says, from this purpose, and see if you return, to seek first the things from the prophet. There is still hope for some to be gained. Do not pay attention to my words which contain despair. For the sake of threat and fear I say these things; there are some who are precious. If you return, and I restore you, to these, he says, you will stand before my face. Not a small dignity, but an angelic one or an honor; or my face promises security. And if you bring forth

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αἰχμαλώτους ἐργάσομαι. Εἴρηται δὲ ὡς παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὸν λαόν. Κύριε, μνήσθητί μου, καὶ ἐπίσκεψαί με, καὶ ἀθώωσόν με ἀπὸ τῶν καταδιωκόντων με, μὴ εἰς μακροθυμίαν. Ἀρκεῖ γὰρ τὰ παρελθόντα. Ἂν δὲ καὶ ταῦτα προσθῇς, τίς προσέξει; λοιπὸν ἐπάγαγε τὸ τέλος Οὐ γάρ ἐστι διόρθωσις. Ἀθώωσόν με ἀπὸ τῶν καταδιωκόντων με. Γνῶθι ὡς. Ἔτι τῆς αὐτῆς ἔχεται εὐχῆς καὶ προφητείας ὁ προφήτης. ∆οκεῖ δὲ πάλιν ἀφιλόσοφος οὗτος ὁ λόγος εἶναι· ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν εἰ τῆς ἀσθενείας τῆς προφητικῆς, ἢ ἑτέρου τινός. Πρῶτον μὲν οὐκ ἀξιοῖ αὐτοὺς ἀναιρεθῆναι τέως, ἀλλ' αὐτόν τι μηδὲν παθεῖν δεινόν. Ἴδωμεν πότερον δι' ἑαυτὸν, ἢ διὰ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγον. Τέως φησὶν, Ῥῦσαί με ἐκ τῶν καταδιωκόντων με. 64.908 Ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀθετούντων τοὺς λόγους σου, συντέλεσον αὐτούς. Ὁρᾷς πῶς οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἔσομαι ἐγώ. Ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τοῦ λόγου δέδοικεν, ὑπὲρ τῆς προφητείας τρέμει, μὴ μῦθος αὐτοῖς εἶναι νομίζηται, καὶ διαπιστῆται. Ὁ λόγος ἀεὶ εἰς εὐφροσύνην ἔσται μοι. Οὐδείς με ἀπατεῶνα, οὐδὲ εἴρωνα νομίσει λοιπόν. Ὅτι γὰρ αὐτὰ ἄλλ. αὐτὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκοπεῖ, δῆλον ἐκ τῶν προτέρων ἱκεσιῶν, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ παραμυθίας, ἣν οὐκ ἂν ἐποιήσατο πρὸς αὐτὸν, εἰ μὴ σφοδρῶς αὐτὸν ᾔδει ἀντεχόμενον. Εἰ δὲ καὶ κατ' αὐτὸν ποιεῖται τὴν δέησιν, καὶ τοῦτο θαυμαστόν ἴσ. οὐ θαυμ.· τότε μεθιστάμενος, ὅτε καὶ ὁ Θεός. *Τέλεσον αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἔσται ὁ λόγος σου ἐμοὶ εἰς εὐφροσύνην καὶ χαρὰν καρδίας μου, ὅτι ἐπικέκληται τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐπ' ἐμοί. Τουτέστι, ψεύδεσθαί με τὴν τιμωρίαν. Ὥστε φανῆναί με ἀληθεύοντα, καὶ δίκαιον προφήτην ὄντα, ἐπειδὴ τὸ σὸν ὄνομα ἐπικαλούμενόν με, οὐδὲ δυνατὸν διαψεύσασθαι. Ὁρᾷς πάλιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος δεδοικότα; Προφήτης καλοῦμαι. Ἵνα μὴ ἡ δόξα σού τι πάθῃ, ἔπαθον ἐγὼ μυρία. Οὐδὲν ὤνησα, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον· ἑτέρως μεταχείρισαι. Οὐκ ἐκάθισα ἐν συνεδρίῳ αὐτῶν παιζόντων, ἀλλ'. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι Ὅσα ἔδει γενέσθαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, γέγονεν. Οὐκ ἐκοινώνησα αὐτοῖς ὑβριζόμενος, οὐκ ἀπέστην ἴσ. ἐπέστην. Τί δεῖ γενέσθαι λοιπόν; διὰ τὸν φόβον τὸν σὸν πάντα ὑπέμεινα, καὶ γέγονεν οὐδέν. Καταμόνας ἐκαθήμην. Οὐδένα κοινωνὸν εἶχον τῶν λεγομένων. Πάντες ἠπίστουν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδέν με τούτων παρέτρεψεν· οὐδὲν ἐνελείφθη τῶν παρ' ἐμοῦ. Ἵνα τί οἱ λυποῦντες κατισχύσουσί μου; Τίνος ἕνεκεν, φησὶ, συγχωρεῖς αὐτοῖς; τί τὸ πλέον; μὴ γὰρ ἡ ὠφέλεια γίνεται αὐτῶν; τί τὸ λοιπόν; Ἡ πληγή μου. Τῆς ψυχῆς δηλονότι. *Ἡ πληγή μου στερεὰ, πόθεν ἰαθήσομαι; Τουτέστιν, οὗτοι ἐχθραίνουσι, καὶ τὰ τῶν πολεμίων διαπράττονται. Τὴν ἔκβασιν τῶν ἐμῶν λόγων οὐχ ὁρῶ. Οὐδαμόθεν ἔχω παραμυθίαν. *Γινομένη ἐγενήθη μοι, ὡς ὕδωρ ψευδὲς, οὐκ ἔχον πίστιν. Τουτέστιν, ἡ προφητεία. Ἵνα εἴπῃ, ἐνομίσθη ψεύδεσθαι. Καὶ καθάπερ τὸ ὕδωρ στάσιν οὐκ ἔχει, οὕτως οὐδὲ τοῖς ἐμοῖς λόγοις ἀλήθειαν προσεῖναι νομίζουσι. Καθάπερ ὕδωρ παραῤῥεῖ, καὶ οὐχ ἕστηκεν, οὐδὲ μένει, οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἐμὰ ῥήματα νῦν ἐνταῦθα φαίνεται, νῦν ἐκεῖ. Καὶ μεταπηδᾷ, καὶ οὐκ ἔχει πίστιν. Ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο, Τὰ δεινὰ οὕτως ἐπάλληλα, φησὶν, ἦν, ὥσπερ ὕδωρ ἐπαίρει, καὶ οὐ διέλιπεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψῃς, καὶ ἀποκαταστήσω σε· πρὸ προσώπου μου στήσῃ. 64.909 Τουτέστι, Προσῆκόν σε πρὸς ἐμὲ ἀφορᾷν, μὴ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπόληψιν. Ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψῃς, καὶ ἀποκαταστήσω σε· καὶ πρὸ προσώπου μου στήσῃ. Ἐπειδὴ ἀπέστραπτο λοιπὸν τὴν προφητείαν· ἐπειδὴ πέρας λοιπὸν ἔχειν ἐνόμιζε τὸ πρᾶγμα· Μεταβαλοῦ, φησὶ, τῆς προαιρέσεως ταύτης, καὶ ὅρα ἐὰν σὺ ἐπιστρέψῃς, πρότερον τὰ παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου ζητεῖν. Ἔτι ἐλπίς ἐστι κερδηθῆναί τινας. Μὴ πρόσεχέ μου τοῖς ῥήμασι τοῖς ἀπόγνωσιν ἔχουσιν. Ἀπειλῆς ἕνεκεν ταῦτα λέγω καὶ φόβου· εἰσὶ τίμιοί τινες. Ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψῃς, καὶ ἀποκαταστήσω σε, τούτοις, φησὶ, πρὸ προσώπου μου στήσῃ. Οὐ μικρὸν ἀξίωμα, ἀλλ' ἀγγελικὸν ἢ τιμήν· ἢ ἀσφάλειαν ἐπαγγέλλεται τὸ πρόσωπόν μου. Καὶ ἐὰν ἐξαγάγῃς