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to be taken." For the memory of their lawlessness will be the cause of their capture. 24. Therefore, thus says the Lord Adonai, Because you have brought your iniquities to remembrance, in that your impieties were revealed, that your sins might be seen in all your lawlessness, and in all your practices, because you were remembered in these things, you will be taken in them. You, he says, became the cause both of the audacity of your enemies and of the truth of the demons; 81.1017 for the wickedness of your practices, and the excess of your impiety, both stripped you of my grace and caused you to be under your enemies, who, making their assaults against you by means of divination, see that events follow their divinations; since, therefore, you have become procurers of their truth, you will rightly be captured and handed over for punishment. From here he passes to the rulers, both the king and the priests, and says: 25, 26. And you, profane, lawless one, leader of Israel, whose day has come at the time of the end of iniquity; thus says the Lord Adonai: Take off the turban, and lay aside the crown, this shall not be such. You indeed, he says, the priest, on account of your lawlessness were stripped of the priestly turban; and you, the king, having lived with impiety, have deprived yourself of the crown. Let each leadership, therefore, lay aside its symbols; for this siege, he says, is not like those of old; for the kingdom among you has received its end. And teaching the cause: "You have humbled," he says, "the exalted, and you have exalted the humble with iniquity." For using iniquity as your helper, you humbled the one exalted for virtue, and the one humbled for iniquity you raised up with your words, having corrupted what is just. Therefore he says: 27. Iniquity, iniquity I will make it. For this reason, he says, I will exact penalties from you for this iniquity. Then he adds: "Neither shall this be such until he comes to whom it belongs, and I will deliver it to him." For this siege, he says, is more grievous than the former ones; yet, he says, I will not completely extinguish the spark of the royal lineage, until he comes to whom it belongs and to whom it is fitting, and to him I will deliver the kingdom. This also blessed Paul says: "Until the seed should come, to whom it was promised, ordained through angels in the hand of a Mediator." And Jacob the patriarch, blessing Judah, said: "A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his thighs, until he comes for whom it is stored up, and he is the expectation of the nations." And here, therefore, he hinted at the kingdom of the Lord Christ, having said: "Neither shall this be such, until he comes to whom it belongs, and I will deliver it to him." For even if Jerusalem endured siege and destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, yet not such a one as that by the Romans after the saving cross. For after the first capture, when seventy years had passed, it was rebuilt again, and it received its former prosperity; but after the saving cross it endured a final desolation; and the Jews themselves, being forbidden by law, do not dare even to set foot on those borders; for this reason he said: "Neither shall this be such," instead of, such as the one that will be; for I will preserve the lineage, "until 81.1020 he comes to whom it belongs, and I will deliver it to him." For when, he says, he appears, to whom the promises refer, then, having delivered the kingdom to him, I will give these men over to utter destruction. From here he turns the prophecy against the Ammonites; for being hostilely disposed toward the Jews, they rejoiced in their misfortunes. 28, 29. And you, son of man, prophesy, and you shall say: Thus says the Lord Adonai to the sons of Ammon, and to their reproach; and you shall say: Sword, sword drawn for slaughter, and drawn for destruction; arise, that you may gleam in your vain vision, and in your false divination. But it was not the sword that divined, but those who used it. And he called the divination and the vision false, as being foreign to the truth. For even if it then signified true things, yet when the divine prophets foretold the divine decision, what it heard from them it seemed to foretell;

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ληφθῆναι." Ἡ γὰρ μνήμη τῆς παρανομίας αὐτῶν αἰτία τῆς ἁλώσεως αὐτῶν ἔσται. κδʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος, Ἀνθ' ὧν ἀνεμνήσατε τὰς ἀδικίας ὑμῶν ἐν τῷ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι τὰς ἀσεβείας ὑμῶν τοῦ ὁραθῆναι τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἀνομίαις ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ὑμῶν, ἀνθ' ὧν ἀνεμνήσατε ἐν τούτοις, ἁλώσεσθε ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ὑμεῖς, φησὶν, αἴτιοι, καὶ τῆς τῶν πολεμίων θρασύ τητος, καὶ τῆς τῶν δαιμόνων ἀληθείας ἐγένεσθε· 81.1017 τῶν γὰρ ὑμετέρων ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἡ πονηρία, καὶ ἡ τῆς ἀσεβείας ὑπερβολὴ, καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ὑμᾶς ἐγύμνω σε χάριτος, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῖς πολεμίοις γενέσθαι πεποίη κεν, οἳ διὰ μαντείαν τὰς καθ' ὑμῶν ἐφόδους ποιού μενοι, ὁρῶσιν ἀκολουθοῦντα ταῖς μαντείαις τὰ πρά γματα· ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν καὶ τῆς ἐκείνων ἀληθείας ἐγέ νεσθε πρόξενοι, εἰκότως ἁλώσεσθε, καὶ τιμωρίᾳ πα ραδοθήσεσθε. Ἐντεῦθεν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας μεταβαί νει, τόν τε βασιλέα, καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας, καί φησιν· κεʹ, κʹ. Καὶ σὺ, βέβηλε, ἄνομε, ἀφηγούμενε τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, οὗ ἥκει ἡ ἡμέρα ἐν καιρῷ ἀδικίας πέρας· τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ἀφελοῦ τὴν κίδαριν, καὶ ἀπόθου τὸν στέφανον, αὕτη οὐ τοιαύτη ἔσται. Σὺ μὲν, φησὶν, ὁ ἱερεὺς, διὰ τὴν παρανομίαν τῆς ἱερατικῆς ἐγυμνώθης κιδάρεως· σὺ δὲ, ὁ βασιλεὺς, δυσσεβείᾳ συζήσας, σεαυτὸν ἀπεστέ ρησας τοῦ στεφάνου. Ἑκατέρα τοίνυν ἡγεμονία τὰ ἑαυτῆς ἀποθέσθω σύμβολα· αὕτη γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ πολιορκία οὐκ ἔοικε ταῖς πάλαι· τέλος γὰρ ἔλαβεν ἡ καθ' ὑμᾶς βασιλεία. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκων· "Ἐτα πείνωσας, φησὶ, τὸ ὑψηλὸν, καὶ ὕψωσας τὸ ταπεινὸν ἀδικίᾳ." Ἀδικίᾳ γὰρ χρησάμενος συνεργῷ, τὸ μὲν ὑψηλὸν δι' ἀρετὴν ἐταπείνωσας, τὸ δὲ ταπεινὸν δι' ἀδικίαν τοῖς λόγοις ἐπῆρας, παραφθείρας τὸ δίκαιον. ∆ιό φησιν· κζʹ. Ἀδικίαν, ἀδικίαν θήσομαι αὐτήν. Τούτου χάριν σε, φησὶ, ταύτης τῆς ἀδικίας πράξομαι δίκας. Εἶτα ἐπάγει· "Οὐδ' αὕτη τοιαύτη ἔσται ἕως οὗ ἔλθῃ ᾧ καθήκει, καὶ παραδώσω αὐτῷ." Τῶν μὲν γὰρ προτέρων, φησὶ, πολιορκιῶν αὕτη χαλεπωτέρα· οὐ μὴν, φησὶ, παντελῶς κατασβέσω τὸν τῆς βασιλικῆς συγγενείας σπινθῆρα, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ καθήκει, καὶ ᾧ ἁρμόττει, καὶ αὐτῷ παραδώσω τὴν βασιλείαν. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλός φησιν· "Ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ τὸ σπέρμα, ᾧ ἐπήγγελται, διαταγεὶς δι' ἀγγέ λων ἐν χειρὶ Μεσίτου." Καὶ Ἰακὼβ ὁ πατριάρχης τὸν Ἰούδαν εὐλογῶν ἔφη· "Οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν." Καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν τὴν τοῦ ∆εσπότου Χριστοῦ βασιλείαν ᾐνίξατο, εἰρηκώς· "Οὐδ' αὕτη τοιαύτη ἔσται, ἕως οὗ ἔλθῃ ᾧ καθήκει, καὶ παραδώσω αὐτῷ." Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὑπέμεινε πολιορκίαν καὶ πόρθησιν ἡ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, ἀλλ' οὐ τοιαύτην, οἵαν ὑπὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων μετὰ τὸν σωτήριον σταυρόν. Μετὰ μὲν γὰρ τὴν προτέραν ἅλωσιν ἑβδομήκοντα διελθόν των ἐτῶν πάλιν ἀνῳκοδομήθη, καὶ τὴν προτέραν εὐ πραξίαν ἔλαβε· μετὰ δὲ τὸν σωτήριον σταυρὸν ἐσχά την ἐρημίαν ὑπέμεινεν· αὐτοὶ δὲ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι οὐδὲ ἐπιβῆναι τῶν ὅρων ἐκείνων τολμῶσιν ἀπειργόμενοι νόμῳ· διὰ τοῦτο ἔφη· "Οὐδ' αὕτη τοιαύτη ἔσται," ἀντὶ τοῦ, οἵα ἡ ἐσομένη· φυλάξω γὰρ τὸ γένος, "ἕως 81.1020 οὗ ἔλθῃ ᾧ καθήκει, καὶ παραδώσω αὐτῷ." Ὅταν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀναφανῇ ἐκεῖνος, εἰς ὃν αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι φέρονται, τότε παραδοὺς αὐτῷ τὴν βασιλείαν, τού τους ἐκδώσω πανωλεθρίᾳ. Ἐντεῦθεν κατὰ Ἀμμανιτῶν τρέπει τὴν προφητείαν· ἀπεχθῶς γὰρ περὶ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους διακείμενοι ταῖς τούτων ἐφήδοντο συμφο ραῖς. κηʹ, κθʹ. Καὶ σὺ, υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, προφήτευσον, καὶ ἐρεῖς· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἀμμὼν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐρεῖς· Ῥομφαία, ῥομφαία ἐσπασμένη εἰς σφάγια, καὶ ἐσπασμένη εἰς συντέλειαν· ἐγεί ρου, ὅπως στίλβῃς ἐν τῇ ὁράσει σου τῇ ματαίᾳ, καὶ ἐν τῷ μαντεύεσθαι ψευδῆ. Ἐμαν τεύσατο δὲ οὐχὶ ἡ ῥομφαία, ἀλλ' οἱ ταύτῃ χρησά μενοι. Ψευδῆ δὲ τὴν μαντείαν καὶ τὴν ὅρασιν προσηγόρευσεν, ὡς ἀλλοτρίαν τῆς ἀληθείας ὑπάρ χουσαν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τότε ἀληθῆ προεσήμαινεν, ἀλλὰ τῶν θείων προφητῶν προαγορευόντων τὴν θείαν ἀπό φασιν, ἃ παρ' ἐκείνων ἤκουσε προμηνύειν ἔδοξε·