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by the Babylonian, but while being under truce, and not choosing to take him as his own captive. Concerning the one who went to Egypt, he says: of the utmost misfortune for one who has died not even to be able to reach his homeland, but also to be cast out unburied; nothing worse than this could happen. He will not return to it anymore; in the place where he relocated him, there he will die, and he will not see this land anymore. For they supposed that he, having promised to pay tribute, would return again, just as Manasseh also returned. Therefore he was not exhorting them to hope for these things. So it is clear that when he was taken captive in the city, Jeremiah said these things. And Zedekiah had the beginning of his reign. For Nebuchadnezzar appointed him to rule the place. He therefore connected the things said in the beginning of Zedekiah's reign with the reply given to the messengers sent by him to the prophet. *As he who builds his house not with righteousness, and the rest. He speaks about Zedekiah, blaming him for having excessive elegance in his houses, and accusing him of wronging those who serve and toil. He rebukes Jehoiakim, as one building splendid things from plunder, and beautifying houses, not withholding the wages of the hired worker. Why do you build the house, and destroy the salvation of your own soul? The neighbor works; for if he were a stranger, he ought to be deprived of his wages. Will you be king, because you compete with the cedar? That is, will you indeed remain in the kingdom, and you raise your buildings too high? *Did not your father eat, and drink, and execute judgment, and righteousness? Then it was well with him. Your father, that is, that David, was not esteemed for being concerned with injustice and the care of houses, but for being occupied with the worship of God. He means either Josiah, or Ahaz; the one by nature, the other by character. Behold, they are not. Do you see where beauty is placed? not in the form of the limbs, but in their good use. *Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: They will not lament, Alas, Lord, and Alas, brother, and the rest. Some said this was a cutting from the preceding parts; but I think it is placed in sequence; and I think this is the meaning: He recalled the things 64.941 concerning Jehoiakim, which he foretold, so that he might persuade them that the things said by him were true. Swept away. What is, swept away? An ally, he says; As dung, seized. For the Babylonian, having killed him, thus cast him out, and he was not buried. Or he was buried like a donkey, mixed with ashes and earth and dust. For from the tumult his body was neither lamented nor washed; for this was the most grievous thing; for he was the most grievous of all. Do you see the boldness of the prophet, what sort of things he foretells, and does not shrink back? *Go up to Lebanon, and cry out, and to Bashan give your voice, and shout to the other side of the sea. That is, saying these things I was not heard. Did he then go up? I do not think so, but so that his voice would become very clear. Because they were crushed. He means her allies, in whom she trusted. I spoke in your transgression, and you said, I will not listen. That is, with evils impending, I preached, and they rejected the exhortation of my words. And you said; I will not listen. And what formerly had the account of virtue, he also lost this, that when he killed them, then they sought him. And yet who would not listen in affliction? and not now, but you have always been such. The wind will shepherd all your shepherds. In whom you expected to be in security. For whenever we trust in some matter, God takes it away; so that we may no longer hope in it, and may expect in him. Because then you will be ashamed. Not when they appear, he says, but when they are taken away from the midst. As I live, says the Lord. If like a signet ring one should bind tightly on the hand

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ὑπὸ τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου, ἀλλὰ ὑποσπόνδου οὔσης, καὶ οὐχ αἱρουμένου, ὡς οἰκεῖον αἰχμάλωτον αὐτὸν λαβεῖν. Περὶ τοῦ εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀπελθόντος φησίν· ἐσχάτης δυστυχίας τὸ μηδὲ ἀποθανόντα δυνηθῆναι τῆς πατρίδος ἐπιτυχεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄταφον ῥιφῆναι· οὐδὲν χεῖρον τούτου γένοιτ' ἄν. Οὐκ ἀναστρέψει εἰς αὐτὸν οὐκέτι· ἐν τῷ τόπῳ οὗ μετῴκισεν αὐτὸν, ἐκεῖ ἀποθανεῖται, καὶ τὴν γῆν ταύτην οὐκ ὄψεται ἔτι. Ὑπέλαβον γὰρ αὐτὸν αὖθις ὑποστρέψειν ὑποσχόμενον, φόρους τελέσειν, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ Μανασσῆς ὑπέστρεψεν. Οὐ τοίνυν ταῦτα ἐλπίζειν αὐτοὺς παρεκελεύετο. Ὥστε δῆλον ὅτι ἐν τῇ πόλει ληφθέντος αὐτοῦ αἰχμαλώτου ταῦτα ἔφη ὁ Ἱερεμίας. Εἶχε δὲ ἀρχὴν ὁ Σεδεκίας τῆς βασιλείας. Αὐτὸν γὰρ κατέστησε κρατεῖν τὸν τόπον ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ. Συνῆψεν οὖν τὰ ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τοῦ Σεδεκίου λεχθέντα, τῇ ἀποκρίσει τῇ γενομένῃ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγγέλους τοὺς ἀποσταλέντας ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν προφήτην. *Ὡς ὁ οἰκοδομῶν τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ οὐ μετὰ δικαιοσύνης, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Περὶ τοῦ Σεδεκίου λέγει, μεμφόμενος αὐτῷ, ὡς περιττὴν τῶν οἴκων εὐπρέπειαν ἔχοντι, καὶ ἐγκαλῶν ὡς ἀδικοῦσι τοὺς ὑπηρετουμένους καὶ κάμνοντας. Καθάπτεται τοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ, ὡς ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς οἰκοδομοῦντος λαμπρὰ, καὶ καλλωπίζοντος οἰκίας, μὴ μισθοὺς ἀποστεροῦντος μισθωτοῦ. Τί τὴν οἰκίαν οἰκοδομεῖς, καὶ σωτηρίαν τῆς σαυτοῦ ψυχῆς καθαιρεῖς; Ὁ πλησίον ἐργᾶται· εἰ γὰρ ἀλλότριος ἦν, ἀποστερηθῆναι τῶν μισθῶν ἔδει. Μὴ βασιλεύσεις, ὅτι ἁμιλλᾶσαι πρὸς τὴν κέδρον; Τουτέστι, Μὴ γὰρ ἐπιμενεῖς τῇ βασιλείᾳ, καὶ ἄγαν εἰς ὕψος ἐγείρεις τὰς οἰκοδομάς; *Ὁ πατήρ σου μὴ οὐχὶ ἔφαγε, καὶ ἔπιε, καὶ ἐποίησε κρῖμα, καὶ δικαιοσύνην; Τότε ἀγαθὸν ἦν αὐτῷ. Ὁ πατήρ σου, τουτέστιν, ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἐκεῖνος, οὐ περὶ ἀδικίαν ἔχων, καὶ οἴκων ἐπιμέλειαν, εὐδοκίμησεν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ θεραπείαν ἀσχολούμενος. Ἤτοι τὸν Ἰωσίαν φησὶν, ἤτοι τὸν Ἄχαζ· τὸ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου. Ἰδοὺ οὐκ εἰσίν. Ὁρᾷς τὸ κάλλος ποῦ τίθεται; οὐκ ἐν τῷ τύπῳ τῶν μελῶν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ καλῇ χρήσει. *∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος ἐπὶ Ἰωακεὶμ υἱὸν Ἰωσίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα· Οὐ μὴ κόψωνται, οἴμοι, Κύριε, καὶ οἴμοι, ἀδελφοὶ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τινὲς μὲν ἔφασαν ἀπότμημα εἶναι τοῦτο τῶν ἔμπροσθεν· οἶμαι δὲ κεῖσθαι ἀκολούθως· τὴν δὲ ἔννοιαν ταύτην εἶναι ἡγοῦμαι· Ἐμνημόνευσε τῶν 64.941 κατὰ τὸν Ἰωακεὶμ, ὧν προεῖπεν, ὡς ἂν πείσῃ αὐτοὺς ἀληθῆ εἶναι τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα. Συμψησθείς. Τί ἐστι, συμψησθείς; Σύμμαχός φησι· Ὡς κόπριον συλληφθείς. Ὁ γὰρ Βαβυλώνιος αὐτὸν ἀνελὼν, οὕτως ἔῤῥιψε, καὶ οὐκ ἐτάφη. Ἢ ἐτάφη καθάπερ ὄνος, συμφυρεὶς σποδῷ καὶ γῇ καὶ κονιορτῷ. Ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ θορύβου οὔτε ἐκόπη, οὔτε ἀπεπλύνθη αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα· τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν τὸ χαλεπώτατον· οὗτος γὰρ ἦν ὁ χαλεπώτατος πάντων. Ὁρᾷς παῤῥησίαν προφήτου, οἷα αὐτὸς προλέγει, καὶ οὐχ ὑποστέλλεται; *Ἀνάβηθι ἐπὶ τὸν Λίβανον, καὶ κράξον, καὶ εἰς τὴν Βασὰν δὸς τὴν φωνήν σου, καὶ βόησον εἰς τὸ πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης. Τουτέστι, Ταῦτα λέγων οὐκ ἠκουόμην. Ἆρα ἀνέβαινε; οὐκ ἔγωγε οἶμαι, ἀλλ' ὥστε κατάδηλον γενέσθαι τὴν φωνήν. Ὅτι συνετρίβησαν. Τοὺς συμμάχους αὐτῆς λέγει, οἷς ἐθάῤῥει. Ἐλάλησα ἐν τῇ παραπτώσει σου, καὶ εἶπας, Οὐκ ἀκούσομαι. Τουτέστιν, ἐφεστώτων κακῶν, ἐκήρυξα, καὶ ἀπείπαντο τῶν λόγων τὴν παραίνεσιν. Καὶ εἶπας· Οὐκ ἀκούσομαι. Καὶ ὃ πρότερον εἶχεν ἀρετῆς λόγον, καὶ τοῦτο ἀπώλεσε τὸ, ὅτε ἀπέκτονεν αὐτοὺς, τότε ἐξεζήτουν αὐτόν. Καίτοι τίς ἐν θλίψει οὐκ ἂν ἀκούσειεν; καὶ οὐ νῦν, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ τοιαύτη γέγονας. Πάντας τοὺς ποιμένας σου ποιμανεῖ ἄνεμος. Ἐφ' οἷς προσεδόκας εἶναι ἐν ἀδείᾳ. Ὅταν γὰρ εἴς τι θαῤῥῶμεν πρᾶγμα, ἀναιρεῖ αὐτὸ ὁ Θεός· ἵν' ἐπ' αὐτῷ λοιπὸν μὴ ἐλπίζωμεν, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ προσδοκῶμεν. Ὅτι τότε αἰσχυνθήσῃ. Οὐ φαινομένων, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἀναιρουμένων ἐκ τοῦ μέσου. Ζῶ ἐγὼ, λέγει Κύριος. Εἰ καθάπερ σφενδόνην τις συσφίγξει ἐπὶ τῆς χειρὸς