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having put the full armor on the faithful, he added: «Above all, taking up the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God», and again: «For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit.» Thus the divine prophet, having shown us the time of the consummation and the destruction of the lawless and the choirs of the saints and the complete overthrow of the devil, turned his discourse to another prophecy: 2 A beautiful vineyard, his desire, to lead a song against it. Again here he signifies the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Assyrians, and using personification he introduces the city itself, saying that I am a beautiful vineyard having God as a husbandman, and thus I am so flourishing and beautiful that many desire my possession. 3 I am a strong city, a city under siege. I have no security, he says, from the walls, for I am surrounded on all sides by the enemy. In vain I will water it; for it will be captured by night, and by day it will fall; 4 for there is no wall that took hold of it. The phrase: In vain I will water it, Symmachus translated thus: «suddenly I will water it,» and so did the Others. That is, the army besieging me. And I will water it suddenly through my repentance and my earnest prayer; for that army does not have the wall of piety protecting it. For which reason it is also struck down at night and without human hands, and during the day those who fled will receive destruction. Who will set me to guard stubble in a field? Because of this enemy I have rejected it. The prophetic word shows the city praying to see the enemy army lying like stubble deprived of its ears of grain. For on account of this prayer, he says, that paradoxical miracle occurred; for the prophet taught this through the following words: Therefore on account of this the Lord has done all that he ordained. And he is said to have rejected, because king Hezekiah did not pay the customary tribute. I am burned up, 5 those dwelling in it, that is, in the army, will cry out. Such a plague will be brought upon them. Then they will exhort one another to propitiate God through repentance: Let us make peace with him, let us make peace, 6 those who are coming. Let us be reconciled, he says, to the master, let us put an end to the indignation against us by a change of life. Then the fruit of repentance is shown: The children of Jacob will sprout, and Israel will blossom, and the inhabited world will be filled with his fruit. Not only, he says, will you be delivered from this siege, but you will also bring forth the fruit of salvation for the inhabited world. And through these things he indicates not only the master Christ, who has sprouted from them according to the flesh, but also the holy apostles and generally |133 b| all those from the Jews who have believed; for through these the inhabited world received salvation. Having thus foretold the affairs of the Jews, he predicts the plague of the Assyrians: 7 Shall he be smitten as he himself smote? Or shall he be slain as he himself slew? You, he says, being drawn up for battle and fighting, slew the neighbors of Jerusalem; but you, men grappling with you will not strike you down, but the battle and the victory will be invisible. 8 Fighting and reproaching he will send them forth. You fight and are drawn up for battle and move your tongue against the God of all and reproach with weakness the one who has made all things, but I in silence will deliver you to death. Were you not the one meditating with your harsh spirit to destroy them with a spirit of wrath? 9 Therefore the iniquity of Jacob will be taken away, and this is his blessing, when I take away his sin. You hoped, he says, to destroy the city, men and all; but for this reason I will deem them worthy of my providence, not looking at their transgressions, because of your blasphemy. This God also says through another prophet: «Not for your sake do I act, O house of Israel, but for my name's sake, that it may not be profaned among

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περ ιθεὶς τοῖς πιστοῖς πανοπλίαν ἐπήγαγεν· «Ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἀναλαβόντες τὸν θυρεὸν τῆς πίστεως καὶ τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστι ῥῆμα θεοῦ», καὶ πάλιν· «Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐνεργὴς καὶ τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον καὶ διϊκνούμενος ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς καὶ πνεύματος.» Οὕτως ὁ θεῖος προφήτης ὑποδείξας ἡμῖν τὸν τῆς συντε λείας καιρὸν καὶ τῶν ἀνόμων τὸν ὄλεθρον καὶ τοὺς τῶν ἁγίων χοροὺς καὶ τὴν παντελῆ τοῦ διαβόλου κατάλυσιν ἐφ' ἑτέραν προφητείαν τὸν λόγον μετέθηκεν· 2Ἀμπελὼν καλὸς ἐπιθύμημα αὐτοῦ ἐξάρχειν κατ' αὐτοῦ. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν πολιορκίαν σημαίνει καὶ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων τὸν ὄλεθρον καὶ προσωποποιίᾳ κεχρημένος αὐτὴν εἰσάγει τὴν πόλιν λέγουσαν ὅτι ἀμπελών εἰμι καλὸς θεὸν ἔχων φυτουργὸν καὶ οὕτως εὐανθής εἰμι καὶ καλός, ὡς πολλοὺς τῆς ἐμῆς ἐφίεσθαι κτήσεως. 3Ἐγὼ πόλις ὀχυρά, πόλις πολιορκουμένη. Οὐδεμίαν φησὶν ἀπὸ τῶν περιβόλων ἀσφάλειαν ἔχω· πάντοθεν γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων κεκύ κλωμαι. Μάτην ποτιῶ αὐτήν· ἁλώσεται γὰρ νυκτός, ἡμέρας δὲ πεσεῖται· 4τεῖχος γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν, ὃ ἐπελάβετο αὐτῆς. Τό· μάτην ποτιῶ αὐτήν, ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσεν· «ἐξαίφνης ποτιῶ αὐτήν», οὕτω δὲ καὶ οἱ Λοιποί. Τουτέστι τὴν π ολι ορκοῦσάν με στρατιάν. Ποτιῶ δὲ αὐτὴν ἐξαίφνης διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς μετανοίας καὶ τῆς σπουδαίας μου προσευχῆς· ἐκείνη γὰρ οὐκ ἔχει τῆς εὐσεβείας τὸ τεῖχος φυλάττον αὐτήν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ νύκτωρ καὶ δίχα χει ρῶν ἀνθρω πίνων κατακοντίζεται, καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν οἱ φυγόντες τὸν ὄλεθρον δέξονται. Τίς με θήσει φυλάσσειν καλάμην ἐν ἀγρῷ; ∆ιὰ τὴν πολεμίαν ταύτην ἠθέτηκα αὐτήν. ∆είκνυσιν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος προσευχομέν ην τὴν πόλιν, τῶν ἀσταχύων ἐστερη μένην καλάμην τῶν πολεμίων τὴν στρατιὰν κειμένην ἰδεῖν. ∆ιὰ ταύτην γάρ φησι τὴν εὐχὴν καὶ τὸ παράδοξον ἐκεῖνο γεγένηται θαῦμα· τοῦτο γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ὁ προφήτης ἐδίδαξεν· Τοίνυν διὰ τοῦτο ἐποίησε κύριος πάντα ὅσα συνέταξεν. Ἠθετηκέναι δὲ λέγεται, ἐπειδὴ τὸν συνήθη δασμὸν οὐ τε τέλεκεν Ἐζεκίας ὁ βασιλεύς. Κατακέκαυμαι, 5βοήσονται οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ, τουτέστιν ἐν τῇ στρα τιᾷ. Το ιαύτη αὐτοῖς ἐπενεχθήσεται πληγή. Εἶτα ἀλλήλοις παρακελεύσονται διὰ μετανοίας τὸν θεὸν ἱλεώσασθαι· Ποιήσωμεν εἰρήνην αὐτῷ, εἰρήνην ποιήσωμεν 6οἱ ἐρχόμενοι. Καταλλάξωμέν φησι τὸν δεσπότην, παύσωμεν τὴν καθ' ἡμῶν ἀγανάκτησιν τῇ τοῦ βίου μεταβολῇ. Εἶτα δείκνυται ὁ τῆς μετανοίας καρπός· Τέκνα Ἰακὼβ βλαστήσει, καὶ ἐξανθήσει Ἰσραήλ, καὶ πλησθήσεται ἡ οἰκουμένη τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ. Οὐ μόνον φησὶ τῆς πολιορ κίας ταύτης ἀπαλλαγήσεσθε, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν σωτήριον καρπὸν τῇ οἰκουμένῃ βλαστήσετε. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τούτων οὐ μόνον τὸν δεσπότην Χριστόν, ὃς ἐξ αὐτῶν κατὰ σάρκα βεβλάστηκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστόλους κ αὶ καθόλου |133 b| πάντας τοὺς ἐξ Ἰουδαί ων πεπιστευκότας· διὰ τούτων γὰρ ἡ οἰκουμένη τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐδέξατο. Οὕτω τὰ Ἰουδαίω ν προαγορεύσας προλέγει τὴν τῶν Ἀσσυρίων πληγήν· 7Μὴ ὡς αὐτὸς ἐπάταξε, καὶ αὐτὸς οὕτως πληγήσεται; Ἢ ὡς αὐτὸς ἀνεῖλε, καὶ αὐτὸς οὕτως ἀναιρεθήσεται; Σύ φησι παραταττόμενος καὶ μα χόμενος ἀνεῖλες τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τοὺς περιοίκους· σὲ δὲ οὐκ ἄνθρωποι συμπλεκόμενοι κατακοντί σ ουσιν, ἀλλ' ἀόρατος ἡ μάχη καὶ ἡ νίκη γενήσεται. 8Μαχόμενος καὶ ὀνειδίζων ἐξαποστελεῖ αὐτούς. Σὺ μά χῃ καὶ παρατάττῃ καὶ κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τὴν γλῶτταν κινεῖς καὶ ἀσθένειαν ὀνειδίζεις τῷ τὰ πάντα πεποιηκότι, ἐγὼ δὲ σιγῶν παρα πέμψω σε θανάτῳ. Οὐ σὺ ἦσθα ὁ μελετῶν τῷ πνεύματί σου τῷ σκληρῷ ἀνελεῖν αὐτοὺς πνεύματι θυμοῦ; 9∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀφαιρεθήσεται ἡ ἀνομία Ἰακώβ, καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ εὐλογία αὐτοῦ, ὅταν ἀφέλωμαι αὐτοῦ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ἤλπισάς φησιν αὔτανδρον καταλῦσαι τὴν πόλιν· ἀλλὰ τούτου χάριν ἐγὼ τῆς ἐμῆς αὐτοὺς ἀξιώσω προνοίας, οὐκ ἀποβλέπων εἰς τὰ ἐκείνων πλημμελήματα διὰ τὴν σὴν βλασφημίαν. Τοῦτο καὶ διὰ ἑτέρου προφήτου φησὶν ὁ θεός· «Οὐ δι' ὑμᾶς ποιῶ, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου, ἵνα μὴ βεβηλωθῇ ἐν