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lawless, cutting out the pages that were being read 81.684 he handed them over to the fire; for because of the winter season a brazier was set nearby. 24. And they did not seek, it says, the Lord; nor did the king and all his servants who heard all these words tear their garments. But just as he accuses them of the utmost insensibility, so he praises Elnathan, and Delaiah, and Gemariah. For these men suggested to the king that he not burn the book, but he did not listen to them. But the impious king was not satisfied with the lawlessness that he had dared to commit; but he ordered Baruch and Jeremiah to be arrested. But the God of all things commands Jeremiah to write the former words in another book. For the scroll was burned, but the divine law has remained unharmed. So also, though the body that was taken suffered, the Word has remained impassible; and the prophet was commanded to say these things also to Jehoiakim. 29, 30. Thus says the Lord, You burned this book, saying, Why have you written in it, saying, The king of Babylon shall surely come and shall destroy this land, and shall cause man and beast to cease from it. Therefore, thus said the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah, He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out in the heat of the day, and in the frost of the night. The prophecy is true. For though Jeconiah his son reigned, yet after three months he was led away captive. And he threatens him and all his house with destruction, and the city with desolation, and the people with the foretold evils. And the prophet again fulfilled what was commanded, and again wrote the prophecy, with Baruch ministering. "And there were added to it," it says, "still more words than these." For since the impious king grew angry when he heard the threats, the Master commanded them to be multiplied. But let us, I beseech you, both fear the divine threats and believe the good promises, and walk worthy of the calling with which we were called, that we may both escape the experience of the threats, and enjoy the promised good things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom glory is due to the Father, with the all-holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. VOLUME 8. CHAPTER 37. As the divine prophet is about to recount the events of the capture of the city, he first teaches at what age Zedekiah began to reign, and for how long he reigned; and that at the time of the siege, having learned the prophecies spoken by the prophet against him and the city, he sent some men and besought him to offer prayers to God on his behalf; and at that time he was not living in a prison, but was going about the city without fear. And while the Babylonians were besieging the city, the Egyptians came to the aid of the Jews, clearly because the king had called them for an alliance. When the Chaldeans learned this, they withdrew from the siege. Therefore the Lord God instructed the prophet to tell the king and the rulers neither to trust in the help of the Egyptians, nor to despise the Chaldeans; for the Egyptians will return to their own land as quickly as possible, and the Chaldeans, having returned again, will both besiege the city and hand it over to the fire. And teaching that he himself had cast the vote against them, he also adds

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παράνομος, τὰς ἀναγινωσκομένας ἐκτέμνων σελίδας 81.684 τῷ πυρὶ παρεδίδου· διὰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ χειμῶνος ὥραν ἐσχάρα παρέκειτο. κδʹ. Καὶ οὐκ ἐζήτησαν, φησὶ, τὸν Κύριον· οὐδὲ διέῤῥηξαν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ πάντες οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ, οἱ ἀκούσαντες πάντας τοὺς λόγους τούτους. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τούτων τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀναλγησίαν κατηγορεῖ, οὕτως ἐπαινεῖ τὸν Ἐλναθὰν, καὶ ∆αλαΐαν, καὶ Γαμαρίαν. Ὑπέθεντο γὰρ οὗτοι τῷ βασιλεῖ, μὴ κατακαῦσαι τὸ βι βλίον, καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσεν αὐτῶν. Οὐκ ἠρκέσθη δὲ τῇ τολμηθείσῃ παρανομίᾳ ὁ δυσσεβὴς βασιλεύς· ἀλλὰ τὸν Βαροὺχ καὶ τὸν Ἱερεμίαν συλληφθῆναι προσ έταξεν. Ὁ δὲ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ κελεύει ἐν ἑτέρῳ βιβλίῳ τοὺς προτέρους λόγους συγγράψαι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ χάρτης ἐκαύθη, ὁ δὲ θεῖος νόμος μεμένη κεν ἀβλαβής. Οὕτω καὶ τοῦ ληφθέντος σώματος πε πονθότος, ὁ Λόγος μεμένηκεν ἀπαθής· εἰπεῖν δὲ ὁ προφήτης καὶ τῷ Ἰωακεὶμ ἐκελεύσθη ταῦτα. κθʹ, λʹ. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος, Σὺ κατέκαυσας τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο εἰπὼν, ∆ιατί ἔγραψας ἐπ' αὐτῷ λέ γων, ὅτι Εἰσπορευόμενος εἰσπορεύσεται βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ διαφθερεῖ τὴν γῆν ταύτην, καὶ ἐκλείψει ἀπ' αὐτῆς ἄνθρωπος καὶ κτῆνος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὕτως εἶπε Κύριος ἐπὶ Ἰωακεὶμ βασιλέα Ἰούδα, Οὐκ ἔσται αὐτῷ καθήμενος ἐπὶ θρόνου ∆αβὶδ, καὶ τὸ θνησιμαῖον αὐτοῦ ἔσται ἐῤῥιμμένον ἐν τῷ καύματι τῆς ἡμέρας, καὶ ἐν τῷ παγετῷ τῆς νυκτός. Ἀψευδὴς ἡ προφητεία. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐβασί λευσεν Ἰεχονίας ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τρεῖς μῆνας ἀπήχθη αἰχμάλωτος. Ἀπειλεῖ δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ παντὶ τῷ οἴκῳ τὸν ὄλεθρον, καὶ τῇ πόλει τὴν ἐρημίαν, καὶ τῷ λαῷ τὰ προῤῥηθέντα κακά. Πεπλήρωκε δὲ πάλιν τὸ προσταχθὲν ὁ προφήτης, καὶ γέγραφε πάλιν τὴν προφητείαν, τοῦ Βαροὺχ ὑπουργήσαντος. "Καὶ προσετέθησαν, φησὶν, ἔτι ἐν αὐτῷ λόγοι πλείονες ἢ οὗτοι." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐχαλέπηνεν ὁ δυσσεβὴς βασι λεὺς ἀκούσας τῶν ἀπειλῶν, πολλαπλασίως γενέσθαι ταύτας προσέταξεν ὁ ∆εσπότης. Ἡμεῖς δὲ, παρα καλῶ, καὶ τὰς θείας δείσωμεν ἀπειλὰς, καὶ ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς πιστεύσωμεν ὑποσχέσεσιν, καὶ ἀξίως περι πατήσωμεν τῆς κλήσεως, ἧς ἐκλήθημεν, ἵνα καὶ τῶν ἀπειλῶν τὴν πεῖραν ἐκφύγωμεν, καὶ ὑπισχνουμένων ἀπολαύσωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα πρέπει, σὺν τῷ παναγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΤΟΜΟΣ Ηʹ . ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΖʹ. Μέλλων ὁ θεσπέσιος προφήτης τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν ἐξηγεῖσθαι τῆς πόλεως, διδάσκει πρῶτον ποίαν ἄγων ἡλικίαν ἤρξατο τῆς βασιλείας ὁ Σεδεκίας, καὶ πόσον ἐβασίλευσε χρόνον· καὶ ὅτι κατὰ τὸν τῆς πολιορκίας καιρὸν, τὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς πόλεως εἰρημένας ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου προῤῥήσεις μαθὼν, ἀποστείλας τινὰς παρεκάλεσεν αὐτὸν τὰς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πρεσβείας προσενεγκεῖν τῷ Θεῷ· κατ' ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν οὐ δεσμωτήριον ᾤκει, ἀλλ' ἀδεῶς ἐν τῇ πόλει διῆγε. Τῶν δὲ Βαβυλωνίων πολιορκούντων τὴν πόλιν, ἧκον εἰς ἐπικουρίαν τῶν Ἰουδαίων οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, δηλονότι τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς συμμαχίαν αὐτοὺς καλέσαντος. Τοῦτο δὲ μαθόντες Χαλδαῖοι, τῆς πολιορκίας ἀπέστη σαν. Ὁ τοίνυν ∆εσπότης Θεὸς τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν εἰπεῖν παρηγγύησε τῷ προφήτῃ, μήτε τῇ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐπικουρίᾳ θαῤῥῆσαι, μήτε τῶν Χαλ δαίων καταφρονῆσαι· οἱ γὰρ Αἰγύπτιοι καταλήψονται τὴν ἐνεγκοῦσαν ὡς τάχιστα, καὶ οἱ Χαλδαῖοι πάλιν ἀναστρέψαντες, καὶ πολιορκήσουσι τὴν πόλιν, καὶ πυρὶ παραδώσουσι. Καὶ διδάσκων, ὡς αὐτὸς κατ' αὐτῶν τὴν ψῆφον ἐξήνεγκεν, ἐπιφέρει καὶ