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having been put to shame, we accuse our own ingratitude. For no harm has come to You from our impiety; but we have received the fruits of our seeds, and pitiably, because he who accuses his kinsmen also joins himself to the transgressors. 8. "To us," he says, "belongs the shame of face, and to our kings, and to our rulers, and to our fathers, we who have sinned against you." Each of these things is sufficient to bend even the most cruel to mercy, let alone the most gentle and benevolent. For through these words he shows that not only the humble and obscure of the people were filled with shame, but also the kings themselves, and the rulers, and the priests; for these he called fathers. And showing the justice of the punishment, he added: "We who have sinned against you." But we have received the fruits worthy of our transgression; 9. "but to the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses." For it is fitting for you, being gentle and benevolent, to use mercy and pity towards us. And persisting in the accusation of transgression (for he heard God saying through another prophet: "Declare your iniquities first, that you may be justified"), he makes the transgression of the people his own, and makes this accusation, announcing the divine mercy. 10. "Because we have departed," he says, "and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he gave before our face by the hand of his servants the prophets." For being enlightened, he says, by the prophets, and guided toward what is right, we spent all our time contradicting. 11. "And all Israel have transgressed your law, and turned aside so as not to hear your voice." For if some had transgressed, but others had become strict guardians of your laws, they would not have endured this calamity; but since the transgression has been dared in common by all, he says rightly: "The curse has come upon us, and the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him." He calls an oath that which was made by God in Deuteronomy: "For I will lift," he says, "my hand to heaven, and I will swear by my right hand, and 81.1464 I will say: 'I live forever, for I will sharpen my sword like lightning, and my hand will take hold of judgment; and I will execute vengeance, and I will repay justice to my enemies, and to those who hate me I will repay. I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword will devour flesh from the blood of the wounded, and from captivity, from the head of the rulers of the nations.'" And a little before this he says: "I said: I will scatter them, and I will make their memory cease from among men." And the curse, he means that which was made by the six tribes on Mount Gebal. That oath, therefore, he says, and the curse made in the law of Moses, has reached its end upon us. 12. "And he has established his words, which he spoke against us, and against our judges, and whoever judged us, to bring upon us great evils." And showing the excess of the evils, "Such as," he says, "have not happened under the whole heaven according to what happened in Jerusalem." For I find, he says, no example of our evils. Then teaching the truthfulness of the divine prophecy: 13. "As," he says, "it is written in the law of Moses." And showing the justice of the punishment, "All," he says, "these evils have come upon us, and we did not entreat the face of the Lord our God, to turn from our iniquities, and to understand in all your truth, O Lord." For not even when so many and such great calamities were brought upon us, did we wish to make use of repentance, and to cease from our former transgression, and to serve you by the keeping of the laws. Therefore he says: 14. "The Lord our God has watched over our wickedness, and has brought it upon us." For as if shaking off long-suffering like some sleep, he brought upon us the punishment worthy of our deeds; "because Holy," he says, "is the Lord our God in all his work which he has done, because we did not listen to his voice." For he himself, he says, is innocent

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ἐν αἰσχύνῃ γενόμενοι, τῆς ἰδίας ἀγνωμοσύνης κατ ηγοροῦμεν. Σοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀσεβείας οὐδεμία προσεγένετο βλάβη· ἡμεῖς δὲ τῶν σπερμά των ἐδεξάμεθα τοὺς καρποὺς, καὶ ἐλεεινῶς, ὅτι τῶν ὁμοφύλων κατηγορῶν, καὶ ἑαυτὸν τοῖς παρα βάταις συνάπτει. ηʹ. "Ἡμῖν, φησὶν, ἡ αἰσχύνη τοῦ προσώπου, καὶ τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ τοῖς πα τράσιν ἡμῶν, οἵτινες ἡμάρτομέν σοι." Ἱκανὸν δὲ τού των ἕκαστον εἰς ἔλεον ἐπικάμψαι καὶ τὸν ὠμότατον, μήτιγε τὸν ἡμερώτατον καὶ φιλανθρωπότατον. ∆εί κνυσι γὰρ διὰ τῶν λόγων οὐ τοὺς εὐτελεῖς τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἀφανεῖς μόνους αἰσχύνης ἀναπλησθέντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐ τοὺς τοὺς βασιλέας, καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας· τούτους γὰρ πατέρας ὠνόμασε. Καὶ δεικνὺς τῆς τιμωρίας τὸ δίκαιον, προστέθεικεν· "Οἵτινες ἡμάρ τομέν σοι." Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς μὲν ἀξίους ἐκομισάμεθα τῆς παρανομίας τοὺς καρπούς· θʹ. "Τοῦ Κυρίου δὲ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν οἱ οἰκτιρμοὶ καὶ ἱλασμοί." Πρέπει γάρ σοι, ἡμέρῳ ὄντι καὶ φιλαν θρώπῳ, ἐλέῳ καὶ οἴκτῳ περὶ ἡμᾶς χρήσασθαι. Καὶ ἐπιμένων τῇ τῆς παρανομίας κατηγορίᾳ (ἤκουσε γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ δι' ἑτέρου προφήτου λέγοντος· "Λέγε σὺ τὰς ἀνομίας σου πρῶτον, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς"), οἰκειοῦται τὴν τοῦ λαοῦ παρανομίαν, καὶ τὴν ταύ της ποιεῖται κατηγορίαν, τὸν θεῖον ἔλεον ἐπαγ γέλλων. ιʹ. "Ὅτι ἀπέστημεν, φησὶ, καὶ οὐκ εἰσηκούσα μεν τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, πορεύεσθαι ἐν τοῖς νόμοις αὐτοῦ, οἷς ἔδωκε κατὰ πρόσωπον ἡμῶν ἐν χειρὶ τῶν δούλων αὑτοῦ τῶν προφητῶν." Φωτιζό μενοι γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν, καὶ ποδηγού μενοι πρὸς τὸ δέον, ἀντιλέγοντες πάντα τὸν χρόνον διετελέσαμεν. ιαʹ. "Καὶ πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ παρέβησαν τὸν νόμον σου, καὶ ἐξέκλιναν τοῦ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι τῆς φωνῆς σου." Εἰ γὰρ οἱ μὲν παρέβησαν, οἱ δὲ φύλακες ἀκριβεῖς τῶν σῶν νόμων ἐγένοντο, οὐκ ἂν τὴν συμφορὰν ὑπέμει ναν ταύτην· ἐπειδὴ δὲ κοινὴ παρὰ πάντων ἡ παρα νομία τετόλμηται, εἰκότως φησίν· "Ἐπῆλθεν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἡ κατάρα, καὶ ὁ ὅρκος ὁ γεγραμμένος ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Μωσῆ δούλου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι ἡμάρτομεν αὐτῷ." Ὅρκον δὲ καλεῖ τὸν ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγενημένον· "Ἀρῶ γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν τὴν χεῖρά μου, καὶ ὀμοῦμαι τῇ δεξιᾷ μου, καὶ 81.1464 ἐρῶ· Ζῶ ἐγὼ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ὅτι παροξυνῶ ὡς ἀστρα πὴν τὴν μάχαιράν μου, καὶ ἀνθέξεται κρίματος ἡ χείρ μου, καὶ ἐκδικήσω, καὶ ἀνταποδώσω δίκην τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μου, καὶ τοῖς μισοῦσί με ἀνταποδώσω· μεθύσω τὰ βέλη μου ἀφ' αἵματος, καὶ ἡ μάχαιρά μου φάγεται κρέα ἀφ' αἵματος τραυματιῶν, καὶ αἰχμαλωσίας, ἀπὸ κεφαλῆς ἀρχόντων ἐθνῶν." Καὶ μικρὸν πρὸ τούτων φησίν· "Εἶπον· ∆ιασπερῶ αὐτοὺς, παύσω δὲ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐ τῶν." Τὴν δὲ κατάραν, τὴν ὑπὸ τῶν ἓξ φυλῶν, τὴν ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ Γεβὰλ γεγενημένην λέγει. Ἐκεῖνος τοίνυν, φησὶν, ὁ ὅρκος, καὶ ἡ κατάρα ἡ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Μωσέως γεγενημένη, πέρας ἔλαβεν ἐφ' ἡμῶν. ιβʹ. "Καὶ ἔστησε τοὺς λόγους αὑτοῦ, οὓς ἐλάλησεν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς κριτὰς ἡμῶν, καὶ ὅσοι ἔκριναν ἡμᾶς, ἐπαγαγεῖν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς κακὰ μεγάλα." Καὶ δεικνὺς τὴν τῶν κακῶν ὑπερβολὴν, "Οἷα, φησὶν, οὐ γέγονεν ὑποκάτω παντὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατὰ τὰ γενόμενα ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ." Οὐ γὰρ εὑρίσκω, φησὶ, παράδειγμα τῶν ἡμετέρων κακῶν. Εἶτα διδάσκων τῆς θείας προῤῥήσεως τὸ ἀψευδές· ιγʹ. "Καθὼς, φησὶ, γέγραπται ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Μω σέως." Καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας ἐμφαίνων τὸ δίκαιον, "Πάντα, φησὶ, τὰ κακὰ ἦλθεν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐκ ἐδεήθημεν τοῦ προσώπου Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ἀποστρέψαι ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδικιῶν ἡμῶν, καὶ τοῦ συνιέναι ἐν πάσῃ ἀληθείᾳ σου, Κύριε." Οὐδὲ γὰρ τῶν τοσού των ἡμῖν καὶ τηλικούτων ἐπενεχθεισῶν συμφορῶν, μεταμελείᾳ χρήσασθαι ἠβουλήθημεν, καὶ παύσασθαι μὲν τῆς προτέρας παρανομίας, θεραπεῦσαι δέ σε τῇ φυλακῇ τῶν νόμων. ∆ιό φησιν· ιδʹ. "Ἐγρηγόρησε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τὴν κακίαν ἡμῶν, καὶ ἤγαγεν αὐτὴν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς." Ὥσπερ γάρ τινα ὕπνον τὴν μακροθυμίαν ἀποσεισάμενος, τὴν ἀξίαν τῶν πεπολιτευμένων ἡμῖν ἐπήγαγε τιμωρίαν· ὅτι Ἅγιος, φησὶ, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ποίησιν αὑτοῦ ἣν ἐποίησε, διότι οὐκ εἰσηκού σαμεν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ." Αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀθῶός