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Ephraim from Judah the king of the Assyrians. For through these barbarians he declares the attack, by which they uprooted the city from its foundations and taking them captive, departed. And he foretells these things, not so that they might happen, but so that, becoming more prudent through fear, they might ward off the threat. But since they neither became better by the good things which they undeservedly enjoyed (and that they enjoyed them undeservedly, the king's disposition and his excessive unbelief showed), nor were they changed by the threat of terrible things, but stubbornly resisted the remedy for either benefit, he then brings a deeper incision, cutting out the corruption and excising those who are incurably sick. What then is: From the day that Ephraim took away from Judah the king of the Assyrians? The barbarians came, intending to snatch them all away; but leaving Judah and the two tribes, they turned against Israel. What he says, therefore, is this: from that day, from which the ten tribes will draw the barbarians' army against themselves, turning them away from you, by the excess of their own sin, and having called them against themselves, they will be carried away; from that day on, you must be anxious and afraid. For proceeding on their way they will come also upon you, if you do not change. And he says, from that day he will bring them. For they were not captured at the same time as the Israelites were carried away, but a short time passed in between.

7.8 What he says, therefore, is this, that by decree he would have brought on the days from that time; but God waited and was long-suffering, although the merit of their sins from that time demanded punishment; which he is accustomed to do in many places, when the appointed day has come, to postpone and delay; which is both the greatest proof of his love for mankind and the clearest demonstration of the ingratitude of those unwilling to use his long-suffering as they ought. This, therefore, he says here also, that from then was the threat, from then the decree, from that time the divinely-sent wrath, so that by bringing the punishment to the gates, he might rouse them to repentance and make them better, and after the capture of the others, place them in distress, lest, since some were carried away and others escaped, they should become more careless on this account. And it will be in that day, the Lord will whistle for the flies, which will dominate part of the river of Egypt. Do you see how I was not speaking in vain, that wishing to increase the fear, from that day he brandishes the threat. At any rate, the following text declares this, by which he heightens the fear in his speech, both by making clear to them the armies which were most terrifying to them, and by declaring the ease of the attack, which shook them beyond measure, and by showing the denseness of the host, which especially drove their minds to distraction; and all these things he has intimated through the following words. But consider. And it will be in that day, he says, the Lord will whistle for the flies. He here called the Egyptians flies, on account of their insolence and shamelessness, and because though constantly driven off, they constantly attacked and did not allow even a little respite, but often caused them countless troubles, just as flies do to wounds, so they perpetually settled upon their misfortunes. These, then, God will bring, he says. But he did not say, will bring, but will whistle, showing the ease of their coming up and the invincible power of God, and that it is sufficient for Him only to nod, and all things follow. And it is fitting that he begins the threat with these, of whom they had already had experience through their deeds. And for the bee, which is in the land of the Assyrians. The Syrian and the Hebrew, as they say, do not say, bees, but, wasps. For since they were not very experienced with them, by the image of the wasp he cast them into great distress, declaring through this creature their vehemence, their striking power, their defensiveness, the bitterness of their wounds, the swiftness of their arrival, the difficulty of guarding against them. And they will come and all will rest in the ravines of the land and in the holes of the rocks and in the caves and in every cleft and in every tree. Having spoken of the terror of the

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Ἐφραῒμ ἀπὸ Ἰούδα τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τούτων τῶν βαρβάρων τὴν ἔφοδον δηλοῖ, δι' ἧς τὴν πόλιν πρόρριζον ἀνέσπασαν καὶ λαβόντες αὐτοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἀπῆλθον. Καὶ προλέγει ταῦτα, οὐχ ἵνα γένηται, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῷ φόβῳ γενόμενοι σωφρονέστεροι, τὴν ἀπειλὴν ἀποκρούσωνται. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὔτε ὑπὸ τῶν χρηστῶν, ὧν παρ' ἀξίαν ἀπήλαυσαν, ἐγένοντο βελτίους (ὅτι δὲ παρ' ἀξίαν ἀπήλαυσαν, ἔδειξεν ἡ γνώμη τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἡ ὑπερβάλλουσα ἀπιστία), οὔτε τῇ ἀπειλῇ τῶν φοβερῶν μετεβάλλοντο, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἑκάτερον τῆς ὠφελείας τὸ φάρμακον ἀντέστησαν χαλεπῶς, ἐπάγει λοιπὸν βαθυτέραν τὴν τομήν, τὴν σηπεδόνα ἐκτέμνων καὶ τοὺς ἀνίατα νοσοῦντας ἐκκόπτων. Τί δέ ἐστιν· Ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἀφεῖλεν Ἐφραῒμ ἀπὸ Ἰούδα τὸνβασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων; Ἐπῆλθον οἱ βάρβαροι, πάντας αὐτοὺς ἀναρπασόμενοι· ἀλλ' ἀφέντες τὸν Ἰούδα καὶ τὰς δύο φυλάς, ἐτράπησαν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Ὃ τοίνυν λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστιν· ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης, ἀφ' ἧς αἱ δέκα φυλαὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὰς ἐφελκύσονται τὸ τῶν βαρβάρων στρατόπεδον, ὑμῶν ἀποστήσαντες, τῇ τῆς οἰκείας ἁμαρτίας ὑπερβολῇ καὶ καθ' ἑαυτῶν καλέσαντες αὐτοὺς ἀπενεχθῶσιν, ἀπ' ἐκείνης χρὴ δεδοικέναι καὶ φοβεῖσθαι λοι πόν. Ὁδῷ γὰρ προβαίνοντες καὶ ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἥξουσιν, εἰ μὴ μεταβάλλοισθε. Καί φησιν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἐπάξει αὐτούς. Οὐ γὰρ ὁμοῦ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν ἀπενεχθέντων, κἀκεῖνοι ἑάλωσαν, ἀλλὰ βραχὺς μεταξὺ γέγονε χρόνος.

7.8 Ὃ τοίνυν λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι τῇ ψήφῳ ἔκτοτε ἐπήγαγεν ἂν τὰς ἡμέρας· ἀλλ' ἀνέμενεν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἐμακροθύμει, καίτοι τῆς ἀξίας τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἔκτοτε ἀπαιτούσης τὴν τιμωρίαν· ὅπερ πολλαχοῦ ποιεῖν εἴωθε, τῆς κυρίας παραγενομένης ἡμέρας, ἀναβάλλεσθαι καὶ ἀναδύεσθαι· ὃ καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας τεκμήριον μέγιστον καὶ τῆς ἀγνωμοσύνης τῶν οὐκ ἐθελόντων εἰς δέον αὐτοῦ κεχρῆσθαι τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ ἀπόδειξις σαφεστάτη. Τοῦτο οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησιν, ὅτι ἀπὸ τότε ἡ ἀπειλή, ἀπὸ τότε ἡ ἀπόφασις, ἐκ τότε ἡ θεήλατος ὀργή, ἵνα ἐπὶ θύραις ἀγαγὼν τὴν τιμωρίαν, διαναστήσῃ πρὸς μετάνοιαν καὶ βελτίους ἐργάσηται καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἅλωσιν ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ καταστήσῃ, μηδέ, ἐπειδὴ οἱ μὲν ἀπηνέχθησαν, οἱ δὲ διέφυγον, ῥᾳθυμότεροι ταύτῃ γένωνται. Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, συριεῖ Κύριος μυίαις, αἳ κυριεύσουσι μέρους ποταμοῦ Αἰγύπτου. Ὁρᾷς ὡς οὐ μάτην ἔλεγον, ὅτι τὸν φόβον αὐξῆσαι βουλόμενος, ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἐπισείει τὴν ἀπειλήν. Τὰ γοῦν ἑξῆς τοῦτο δηλοῖ, δι' ὧν ἐπαίρει τὸν φόβον τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τὰ στρατόπεδα αὐτοῖς δῆλα ποιῶν, ἅπερ ἦν αὐτοῖς φοβερώτατα, καὶ τὴν εὐκολίαν τῆς ἐφόδου δηλῶν, ὃ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς αὐτοὺς κατέσειε, καὶ τὸ στῖφος τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐμφαίνων, ὃ μάλιστα αὐτῶν ἐξίστη τὴν διάνοιαν· ταῦτα δὲ ἅπαντα διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ᾐνίξατο. Σκόπει δέ. Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, φησί, συριεῖ Κύριος μυίαις. Μυίας ἐνταῦθα τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἐκάλεσε, διὰ τὸ ἀναιδὲς καὶ ἀναίσχυντον καὶ ὅτι συνεχῶς διακρουόμενοι συνεχῶς ἐπῄεσαν καὶ οὐδὲ μικρὸν ἀναπνεῖν συνεχώρουν, ἀλλὰ μυρία παρεῖχον αὐτοῖς πράγματα πολλάκις, καθάπερ αἱ μυῖαι τοῖς τραύμασιν, οὕτω διηνεκῶς ταῖς τούτων ἐφιζάνοντες συμφοραῖς. Τούτους οὖν ἄξει, φησίν, ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ' οὐκ εἶπεν, ἄξει, ἀλλὰ Συριεῖ, τὴν εὐκολίαν ἐμφαίνων τῆς ἀνόδου καὶ τὸ ἄμαχον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως καὶ ὅτι ἀρκεῖ νεῦσαι μόνον καὶ πάντα ἕπεται. Καὶ εἰκότως ἀπὸ τούτων πρότερον ἄρχεται τῆς ἀπειλῆς, ὧν ἤδη διὰ τῶν ἔργων πεῖραν εἰλήφεισαν. Καὶ τῇ μελίσσῃ, ἥ ἐστιν ἐν χώρᾳ Ἀσσυρίων. Ὁ Σύρος καὶ ὁ Ἑβραῖος, ὥς φασιν, οὐλέγουσι, μελίσσας, ἀλλά, Σφῆκας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐ σφόδρα αὐτῶν ἦσαν ἐν πείρᾳ, τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ σφηκὸς εἰς πολλὴν αὐτοὺς ἐνέβαλλεν ἀγωνίαν, τὸ σφοδρὸν αὐτῶν, τὸ πληκτικόν, τὸ ἀμυντικόν, τὸ πικρὸν τῶν τραυμάτων, τὸ ταχὺ τῆς παρουσίας, τὸ δυσφύλακτον διὰ τοῦ ζώου τούτου δηλῶν. Καὶ ἐλεύσονται καὶ ἀναπαύσονται πάντες ἐν ταῖς φάραγξι τῆς χώρας καὶ ἐν ταῖς τρώγλαις τῶν πετρῶν καὶ εἰς τὰ σπήλαια καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν ῥαγάδα καὶ ἐν παντὶ ξύλῳ. Εἰπὼν τὸ φοβερὸν τῶν