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CHAPTER 48. But the prophet transfers the prophecy to Moab. a'. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to Moab: Woe upon Nebo, because it is lost; it is captured. This was an idol, and Isaiah the prophet mentions it; he says thus: "Bel has fallen, Nebo is broken;" and there is also a city named after the idol. Kiriathaim was taken; Masigath was put to shame and defeated. (b'.) There is no longer healing for Moab, an exultation in Heshbon. They were splendid cities, in which the Moabites took great pride. "They devised evil against her: Come, let us cut her off from being a nation, and she will cease to be." Then he teaches that not even by fleeing will they enjoy salvation. "A sword will walk behind you." And this indicates the pursuers. 81.720 g'. Because a voice of those crying out from Horonaim. This is another city. And he says that Zoar received the sorrowful message, and the other cities will be filled with wailing; he urges them to flight, and to live in the desert like the wild asses; and teaching them not to trust in walls, but in the incorruptible Maker and Master, he added: z'. Because you trusted in your fortress, afflictions will come upon you; and not only will you be captured by the enemies, but Chemosh also will go forth into captivity. This was an idol of the Moabites. Its priests and its rulers together. (h'.) And destruction will come upon every city. And he says that the valley and the plain will receive the same suffering. He also foretells the complete desolation by the enemies. th'. For give, he says, signs to Moab. In the deserts and completely impassable places, placing some signs made of stones, thus they make their journey, and looking to those they travel without straying. "For by touch it will be kindled." That is, it will be set on fire. "And her cities will become impassable." Because of there being no inhabitant in her. From where will she have an inhabitant? And he teaches through what follows that the God of all things commands these things to happen. i'. Cursed is he who does the works of God negligently, and cursed is he who keeps his sword from blood. But if the prophetic word subjects to curses those who slaughter negligently where God commands, what penalty will we pay for neglecting the spiritual work? ia'. Moab has been at ease from his youth, and was confident in his glory, and he has not been poured from vessel to vessel. That is, he has not changed his dwelling, nor become a migrant. "And he has not gone into captivity; for this reason his taste has remained in him, and his scent has not departed." He remained in the figure of speech, and since he mentioned a vessel, necessarily also taste and scent. For this reason, he says, he has remained in prosperity, and has not had experience of misfortune. as having always lived in the same places ib'. For this reason, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord; and I will send to him men who will tilt him, and they will tilt him, and they will break his vessels in pieces, and they will shatter his horns. He has set these things both parabolically and figuratively; and 81.721 for he has spoken of 'tilting' as concerning a vessel, instead of 'they will empty out'; and it will not suffice for them to take the things in the vessels, but they will also shatter these. And he calls the cities vessels, and the things inside the vessels, wealth; and the enemies have done both, and have plundered, and have burned. ig'. And Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their hope. In Bethel Jeroboam set up the calf; therefore the prophetic word teaches that just as Israel received no help from the idols, so Moab gained nothing from Chemosh. Then he shows them boasting in their strength, yet enduring destruction, since the God of all things commanded this. And having said that the time of punishment has come, he urges the neighbors to stir him to courage, and to rouse him to his former strength; and he commands them to say: iz'. How the glorious staff is broken, the rod of magnificence? And these things also declare your strength,

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ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΜΗʹ. Ὁ δὲ προφήτης ἐπὶ τὴν Μωὰβ μεταφέρει τὴν πρόῤῥησιν. αʹ. Τῇ Μωὰβ οὕτως εἶπε Κύριος τῶν δυνά μεων, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· Οὐαὶ ἐπὶ Νεβὼ, ὅτι ἀπ ώλετο· ἑάλω. Τοῦτο εἴδωλον ἦν, καὶ μέμνηται αὐτοῦ Ἡσαΐας ὁ προφήτης· λέγει δὲ οὕτως· "Ἔπεσε Βὴλ, συνετρίβη Νεβών·" ἔστι δὲ καὶ πόλις ἐπ ώνυμος τοῦ εἰδώλου. Ἐλήφθη Καριαθέμ· κατῃσχύνθη καὶ ἡτ τήθη Μασιγάθ. (βʹ.) Οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι ἰατρεία Μωὰβ, γαυρίαμα ἐν Ἐσεβών. Πόλεις ἦσαν λαμπραὶ, ἐφ' αἷς μέγα ἐφρόνουν οἱ Μωαβῖται. "Ἐλογίσαντο ἐπ' αὐτὴν κακά· ∆εῦτε, ἐκκόψωμεν αὐτὴν ἀπὸ ἔθνους, καὶ παῦσιν παύσεται." Εἶτα διδάσκει, ὡς οὐδὲ φεύγοντες τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπολαύσονται. "Ὄπισθέν σου βαδιεῖται μάχαιρα." Τοῦτο δὲ τοὺς διώκοντας δηλοῖ. 81.720 γʹ. Ὅτι φωνὴ κεκραγότων ἐξ Ὠρωναΐμ. Ἄλληπόλις αὕτη. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τὴν Ζογορὰ τὴν λυπη ροῦ δέξασθαι ἀγγελίαν, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις ὀλο λυγῆς ἐμπλησθήσεσθαι· παρακελεύεται αὐτοῖς καὶ φυγὴν, καὶ τοῖς ἀγρίοις ὄνοις παραπλησίως ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ διάγειν· καὶ διδάσκων μὴ περιβόλοις θαῤῥεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀφθάρτῳ Ποιητῇ καὶ ∆εσπότῃ, ἐπήγαγεν· ζʹ. Ἐπειδὴ ἐπεποίθεις ἐν τῷ ὀχυρώματί σου, ἥξουσί σοι θλίψεις· καὶ οὐ μόνον σὺ τοῖς πο λεμίοις συλληφθήσῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ Χαμὼς ἐξελεύ σεται ἐν ἀποικίᾳ. Εἴδωλον δὲ ἦν τοῦτο τῶν Μωα βιτῶν. Οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτοῦ ἅμα. (ηʹ.) Καὶ ἥξει ὄλεθρος ἐπὶ πᾶσαν πόλιν. Λέγει δὲ τὸν αὐλῶνα, καὶ τὴν πεδιάδα, τὸ αὐτὸ δέξεσθαι πάθος. Προλέγει καὶ τὴν παντελῆ τῶν πολεμίων ἐρημίαν. θʹ. ∆ότε γὰρ, φησὶ, σημεῖα τῇ Μωάβ. Ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις καὶ παντελῶς ἀβάτοις, σημεῖά τινα τιθέντες ἐκ λίθων, οὕτω τὴν πορείαν ποιοῦνται, καὶ εἰς ἐκεῖνα ἀφορῶντες ὁδεύουσιν ἀπλανῶς. "Ὅτι ἁφῇ ἀναφθήσεται." Τουτέστιν, ἐμπρησθήσεται. "Καὶ αἱ πόλεις αὐτῆς εἰς ἄβατον ἔσονται." Παρὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἐνοικοῦντα ἐν αὐτῇ. Πόθεν ἔνοικος αὐτῇ; ∆ιδάσκει δὲ διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ὡς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς ταῦτα κελεύει γενέσθαι. ιʹ. Ἐπικατάρατος ὁ ποιῶν τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀμελῶς, καὶ ἐπικατάρατος ὁ ἐξαίρων μάχαι ραν αὐτοῦ ἀφ' αἵματος. Εἰ δὲ τοὺς ἀμελῶς σφάτ τοντας, ἔνθα κελεύει Θεὸς, ἀραῖς ὁ προφητικὸς ὑπο βάλλει λόγος, ποίας ἡμεῖς τίσομεν δίκας τῆς πνευ ματικῆς ἐργασίας ὀλιγωροῦντες; ιαʹ. Ἀνεπαύσατο Μωὰβ ἐκ παιδαρίου, καὶ πεποιθὼς ἦν ἐπὶ τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐνέχεεν ἐξ ἀγγείου εἰς ἀγγεῖον. Τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἐνήλλαξεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐνοίκησιν, οὐδὲ μετανάστης ἐγένετο. "Καὶ εἰς ἀποικισμὸν οὐκ ᾤχετο· διὰ τοῦτο ἔστη γεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἡ ὀσμὴ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐξέλιπεν." Ἐπ έμεινε τῇ τροπῇ, καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἀγγείου ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀναγκαίως καὶ γεύσεως, καὶ ὀσμῆς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, φησὶ, μεμένηκεν ἐν εὐπραξίᾳ, καὶ δυσκληρίας πεῖραν οὐκ ἔλαβεν. ὡς ἀεὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐνδιατρίψας χωρίοις ιβʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, φησὶ Κύριος· καὶ ἀποστελῶ αὐτῷ κλίνοντας, καὶ κλινοῦσιν αὐτὸν, καὶ τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ λεπτυ νοῦσι, καὶ τὰ κέρατα αὐτοῦ συντρίψουσιν. Παραβολικῶς καὶ ταῦτα καὶ τροπικῶς τέθεικε· καὶ 81.721 γὰρ τὸ κλίνουσιν ὡς περὶ ἀγγείου εἴρηκεν, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐκκενώσουσι· καὶ οὐκ ἀποχρήσει αὐτοῖς τὰ ἐν τοῖς ἀγγείοις λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα συντρίψουσι. Καλεῖ δὲ ἀγγεῖα μὲν τὰς πόλεις, τὰ δὲ ἔνδον τῶν ἀγγείων τὸν πλοῦτον· ἀμφότερα δὲ πεποιήκασιν οἱ πολέμιοι, καὶ ἐπόρθησαν, καὶ ἐνέπρησαν. ιγʹ. Καὶ καταισχυνθήσεται Μωὰβ ἀπὸ Χα μὼς, ὥσπερ κατῃσχύνθη οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ Βαι θὴλ, ἐλπίδος αὐτῶν. Ἐν τῇ Βαιθὴλ ὁ Ἱεροβοὰμ τὴν δάμαλιν ἔστησεν· διδάσκει τοίνυν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος, ὅτι καθάπερ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ οὐδεμιᾶς ἐπικουρίας ἐκ τῶν εἰδώλων τετύχηκεν, οὕτως ἡ Μωὰβ οὐδὲν ἀπ ώνατο τοῦ Χαμώς. Εἶτα δείκνυσιν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ ῥώμῃ μεγαλοῤῥημονοῦντας, ὄλεθρον δὲ ὑπομένοντας, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο προσέταξεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός. Εἰρηκὼς δὲ τὸν τῆς τιμωρίας ἐληλυθέναι καιρὸν, τοῖς γει τνιῶσι παρακελεύεται διεγεῖραι αὐτὸν εἰς ἀνδρείαν, καὶ εἰς τὴν προτέραν διαναστῆσαι ῥώμην· παρ εγγυᾷ δὲ αὐτοὺς εἰπεῖν· ιζʹ. Πῶς συνετρίβη βακτηρία εὐκλεὴς, ῥάβδος μεγαλώματος; ∆ηλοῖ δὲ ταῦτα καὶ τὴν ἰσχύν σου,