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they demolished the city's walls; but the rest Nabuzardan, the king's chief cook, enslaved. He left a few living in poverty, commanding them to farm; 11, 12. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave a command to Nabuzardan concerning Jeremiah, saying: Take him, and set your eyes upon him, and do him no harm; but rather, as he shall speak to you, so you shall do with him. Both Nebuchadnezzar the king and Abdemelech the Ethiopian increased the accusation against the Jews. For though they were foreigners, they respected the prophet; but the Jews, having been brought up on prophetic words, neither wished to heed the divine words, and they subjected the prophets to all kinds of punishments. Nevertheless, the promise of God has received its fulfillment; for having appointed the prophet, He promised to show him to be invincible, and like an iron pillar, and a bronze wall, for they will fight against him, but they will not prevail. Nabuzardan, however, and the whole company of the rulers, sent for Jeremiah from the prison, and handed him over to Godolias, whom he commanded to rule over those who were left in Judea. The prophet also thought it worthy of writing the things spoken beforehand by God concerning Abdemelech, which also had come to their fulfillment. For nothing is neglected, nor unrewarded by Him; but then, he says, God promised these things, saying: 81.693 Behold, I bring my word upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they will be before your face in that day. (17, 18.) And I will save you in that day, says the Lord; and I will by no means give you into the hands of men, whom you fear before their face. Because I will surely save you, and you shall by no means fall by the sword; and your life shall be to you as a prize, because you have trusted in me, says the Lord. "Truly blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob; and his hope is in the Lord his God;" and, "Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord." For what did the kingdom profit Zedekiah? What did slavery harm Abdemelech? For the one, on account of his impiety, suffered all those things; but the other, on account of his piety, did not experience the evils. CHAP. 40. Then the prophet teaches what Nabuzardan the chief cook says to him, The Lord your God has declared these evils upon this city. (3.) And the Lord has brought it about, and has done as he said, because you have sinned against him, and have not listened to his voice, and this thing has happened to you. And from this it is clear, that God from the beginning chose Israel for the benefit of the other nations; for both the miracles that happened on account of them astonished everyone, and clearly taught that their God is the only true God; and again, in turn, the grievous things happening to them accused their own lawlessness, but proclaimed the just verdict of God. At once, therefore, Nabuzardan said that these had deservedly paid the penalty, and that God had done just things. Then he gives a choice to the prophet, and he promises him care in Babylon, if he should choose to dwell there; and he also promises to leave him behind, if he should choose this, and says: Behold, all the land is before you; wherever it is good and pleasing for you to go, go. (5.) And before I depart, you decide, and return to Godolias, the son of Ahikam, the son of Saphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed in the land of Judah, and dwell with him in the midst of your people; but if not, wherever seems good in your eyes to go, go. You are your own master, he says, you are beyond my authority, you are under the divine sovereignty, do what seems good to you. Using these and such words, and having given very many gifts, he released him; the 81.696 prophet, however, to the

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τοὺς τῆς πόλεως περιβόλους κατέλυσαν· τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἐξηνδραπόδισε Ναβουζαρδὰν ὁ ἀρχι μάγειρος τοῦ βασιλέως. Ὀλίγους δέ τινας πενίᾳ συζῶντας κατέλιπε, γεωργεῖν παρακελευσάμενος· ιαʹ, ιβʹ. Καὶ ἐνετείλατο Ναβουχοδονόσορ βα σιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος περὶ Ἱερεμίου Ναβουζαρδὰν λέγων· Λάβε αὐτὸν, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου θὲς ἐπ' αὐτὸν, καὶ μὴ ποιήσῃς αὐτῷ μηδὲν κακόν· ὅτι ἀλλ' ἢ καθὼς ἐὰν λαλήσῃ πρὸς σὲ, οὕτως ποιήσεις μετ' αὐτοῦ. Ηὔξησε τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατηγορίαν, καὶ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ Ἀβδεμέλεχ ὁ Αἰθίοψ. Ἀλλόφυλοι γὰρ ὄντες τὸν προφήτην ᾐδέσθησαν· Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ προφητικοῖς λόγοις ἐντεθραμμένοι, οὔτε τοῖς θείοις προσέχειν ἠβουλήθη σαν λόγοις, καὶ τοὺς προφήτας παντοδαπαῖς τιμω ρίαις ὑπέβαλον. Πέρας μέντοι εἴληφεν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελία· χειροτονήσας γὰρ τὸν προφήτην, ὑπ έσχετο ἄμαχον αὐτὸν δείξειν, καὶ στύλῳ σιδηρῷ, καὶ τείχει χαλκῷ ὅμοιον, ὅτι πολεμήσουσι μὲν αὐτὸν, οὐ περιγενήσονται δέ. Ὁ μέντοι Ναβουζαρδὰν, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ τῶν ἀρχόντων συμμορία, μετεπέμψαντο τὸν Ἰερεμίαν ἐκ τῆς εἱρκτῆς, καὶ τῷ Γοδολίᾳ παρέδω καν, ὃν ἄρχειν τῶν καταλειφθέντων ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ προσέταξε. Συγγραφῆς δὲ ὁ προφήτης ἠξίωσε καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ Ἀβδεμέλεχ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ προῤῥηθέντα, καὶ τέλους τετυχηκότα. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀτημέλητον, οὐδὲ ἄμισθον παρ' αὐτῷ· τότε δὲ, φησὶν, ὑπέσχετο ὁ Θεὸς ταῦτα λέγων· 81.693 Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ φέρω τὸν λόγον μου ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ταύτην εἰς κακὰ, καὶ οὐκ εἰς ἀγαθά· καὶ ἔσον ται κατὰ πρόσωπόν σου ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ. (ιζʹ, ιηʹ.) Καὶ σώσω σε ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, φησὶ Κύριος· καὶ οὐ μὴ δώσω σε εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων, ὧν σὺ φοβῇ ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν. Ὅτι σώζων σώσω σε, καὶ ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ οὐ μὴ πεσῇ· καὶ ἔσται σοι ἡ ψυχή σου εἰς εὕρημα, ὅτι ἐπεποίθεις ἐπ' ἐμὲ, φησὶ Κύριος. "Ἀληθῶς μακάριος, οὗ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβ βοηθὸς αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὐτοῦ·" καὶ, "Μακάριος ὁ λαὸς οὗ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοῦ." Τί γὰρ ὤνησε τὸν Σεδε κίαν ἡ βασιλεία; Τί δὲ παρέβλαψε τὸν Ἀβδεμέλεχ ἡ δουλεία; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἐκεῖνα πέπον θεν ἅπαντα· ὁ δὲ διὰ τὴν εὐλάβειαν πεῖραν οὐκ ἔλαβε τῶν κακῶν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Μʹ. Εἶτα διδάσκει ὁ προφήτης, τίνα πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Να βουζαρδὰν ὁ ἀρχιμάγειρος λέγει, Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ἐχρημάτισε τὰ κακὰ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ταύτην. (γʹ.) Καὶ ἐπήγαγε, καὶ ἐποίησε Κύριος, καθὼς ἐλάλησεν, ὅτι ἡμαρ τήκατε αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε τῆς φωνῆς αὐ τοῦ, καὶ ἐγένετο τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ὑμῖν. Καὶ ἐντεῦ θεν δῆλον, ὡς ἐπ' εὐεργεσίᾳ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ὁ Θεὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐξελέξατο· τά τε γὰρ δι' αὐτοὺς γινόμενα θαύματα κατέπληττεν ἅπαντας, καὶ σαφῶς ἐδίδασκεν, ὅτι ὁ τούτων Θεὸς μόνος ἀλη θὴς Θεός· καὶ αὖ πάλιν, τὰ συμβαίνοντα αὐτοῖς λυπηρὰ, τῆς μὲν αὐτῶν κατηγόρει παρανομίας, τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ τὴν δικαίαν ἐκήρυττε ψῆφον. Αὐτίκα τοίνυν ἔφη Ναβουζαρδὰν, καὶ τούτους δίκας ἀξίως δεδωκέναι, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν δίκαια δεδρακέναι. Εἶτα αἵρεσιν δίδωσι τῷ προφήτῃ, καὶ ὑπισχνεῖται μὲν τὴν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι θεραπείαν, εἰ ἐκείνης τὴν οἴκησιν προέλοιτο· ἐπαγγέλλεται δὲ καὶ καταλείψειν, εἰ τοῦτο προέλοιτο, καί φησιν· Ἰδοὺ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ ἐναντίον σου· ὅπου ἂν ᾖ ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἀρεστόν σοι πορευθῆναι, πο ρεύου. (εʹ.) Καὶ πρὶν ἢ ἀπαλλαγῶ ἐγὼ, ἀπόῤῥιψαι σὺ, καὶ ἀνάστρεψον πρὸς Γοδολίαν, υἱὸν Ἀχί καμ, υἱοῦ Σαφὰν, ὃν κατέστησε βασιλεὺς Βαβυ λῶνος ἐν γῇ Ἰούδα, καὶ οἴκησον μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ σου· εἰ δὲ μὴ, εἰς πάντα τὰ καλὰ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς σου πορευθῆναι, πορεύου. Αὐτοκράτωρ εἶ, φησὶν, ἔξω τῆς ἐμῆς ἐξουσίας τελεῖς, ὑπὸ τὴν θείαν εἶ δεσποτείαν, τὸ δοκοῦν σοι πράττε. Τούτοις καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις χρησάμενος λόγοις, καὶ πλεῖστα δῶρα δεδωκὼς, ἀπέλυσεν· ὁ 81.696 μέντοι προφήτης πρὸς τὸν