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a message? Those weaned from milk, those drawn from the breast. 10Affliction upon affliction, expect <expect> a little longer; hope upon hope, a little longer. Since those who know how to discern do not listen to our oracles, we offer the prophecies of evils to those just weaned from milk. But the phrase, "a little longer, a little longer," hinted at the attack of the enemies that would happen after a short time; and the phrase, "hope <upon> hope," signifies the successive expectation of evils. 11Through scorn of lips, through another tongue they will speak to this people, 12saying to them: This is rest for the hungry and this is destruction, and they were not willing to listen. He calls the parabolic and figurative teaching of the prophets "another tongue," and "scorn of lips" the reproaches made by them against the prophets. For since they spurned the things spoken clearly, He offered them a veiled and parabolic prophecy, so that being compelled to investigate the depth of what was said, they might reap the benefit from it. 13And the oracle of the Lord will be to them: affliction upon affliction, hope upon hope, a little longer, a little longer, that they may go and fall backward and be broken and be endangered and be captured and fall. For since they were not willing to reap any benefit from the divine oracles, they will harvest affliction upon affliction and a continuous expectation of evils and the experience of the expected hardships. But I think the prophetic word also hints at their thoughts; for they were hoping to be delivered from evils and were saying to one another: A little longer, a little longer, and there will be a release from the pains. And Symmachus translated this thus: "They did not wish to hear, but the word of the Lord became to them command not command, command not command, expectation not expectation, expectation not expectation, a little, still a little." Through all this he hinted at their unbelief and the division of their mind; for at one time they would accept the divine oracles as a command of God, and at another time they would spurn them as not being divine. 14Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you afflicted men and you rulers of this people in Jerusalem, 15because you said: We have made a covenant with Hades and agreements with death. These things also agree with what was previously interpreted; for through these words he rebukes their arrogance and their folly; for they were always hoping to be stronger than the terrible things. But instead of "afflicted men," the Other Interpreters have put "scoffers"; for they were mocking the threats brought to them through the prophets. And he does not name the men of Ephraim as true rulers of Jerusalem, but as those who imagined they would be this; for the prophet also taught this in the preceding parts, that they planned to overthrow the Davidic kingdom and make the son of Tabeel king and to make them subject to themselves. If a rushing tempest should pass by, it will not come upon us; for we have made falsehood our hope and by falsehood we shall be sheltered. These are the words of madmen, and of those who are insolent against the very justice of God. 16Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am laying in the foundations of Zion a precious, chosen, cornerstone, an honorable foundation for its foundations, and he who believes in it shall not be put to shame. I think it is of the utmost folly to apply this prophecy to Hezekiah; for the divine words forbid believing in a man; "Do not trust," it says, "in princes, in sons of men in whom there is no salvation," and: "Cursed is the man who has hope in a man," and: "It is good to trust in the Lord rather than to trust in a man," but here the prophetic word praises the one who believes in this stone. And the cornerstone is the Lord Christ, "who made both one," who in himself joined those from the nations and those from Israel and made them one people. And he is also called the foundation; "For no one," it says, "can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." For since the... threatened

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ἀγγελίαν; Οἱ ἀπογεγαλακτισμένοι ἀπὸ γάλακτος, οἱ ἀπε σπασμένοι ἀπὸ μαστοῦ. 10Θλῖψις ἐπὶ θλῖψιν, προσδέχου <προσδέχου> ἔτι μικρόν· ἐλπὶς ἐπ' ἐλπίδι ἔτι μικρόν. Ἐπειδὴ οἱ διακρίνειν εἰδότες τῶν ἡμετέρων οὐκ ἀκούουσι θεσπισ μάτων, τοῖς ἄρτι τοῦ γάλακτος ἀπαλλαγεῖσι τῶν κακῶν τὰς προρρήσεις προσφέρομεν. Τὸ δέ· ἔτι μικρὸν ἔτι μικρόν, τὴν μετ' ὀλίγον ἐσομένην ἔφοδον τῶν πολεμίων ᾐνίξατο· τὸ δέ· ἐλπὶς <ἐπ'> ἐλπίδι, τὴν ἐπάλληλον τῶν κακῶν προσδοκίαν σημαίνει. 11∆ιὰ φαυλισμὸν χειλέων διὰ γλώσσης ἑτέρας λαλήσουσι τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ 12λέγοντες αὐτοῖς· Τοῦτο ἀνάπαυμα τῷ πεινῶντι καὶ τοῦτο σύντριμμα, καὶ οὐκ ἤθελον ἀκούειν. Γλῶσσαν ἑτέραν καλεῖ τὴν παραβολικὴν καὶ τροπικὴν τῶν προφητῶν διδασκαλίαν, φαυλισμὸν δὲ χειλέων τοὺς παρ' αὐτῶν κατὰ τῶν προφητῶν γινομένους ψόγους. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὰ σαφῶς λεγόμενα διέπτυον, συγκε καλυμμένην αὐτοῖς καὶ παραβολικὴν προφητείαν προσέφερον, ἵνα ἐρευνᾶν τὸ τῶν λεγομένων ἀναγκαζόμενοι βάθος τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ὠφέλειαν καρπώσωνται. 13Καὶ ἔσται αὐτοῖς τὸ λόγιον κυρίου· θλῖψις ἐπὶ θλῖψιν, ἐλπὶς ἐπ' ἐλπίδι ἔτι μικρὸν ἔτι μικρόν, ἵνα πορευθῶσι καὶ πέσωσιν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ συντριβήσονται καὶ κινδυνεύσουσι καὶ ἁλώσονται καὶ πεσοῦνται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἐβουλή θησάν τινα ὄνησιν ἀπὸ τῶν θείων λογίων καρπώσασθαι, δρέψονται θλῖψιν ἐπὶ θλῖψιν καὶ κακῶν προσδοκίαν διηνεκῆ καὶ τῶν προσδοκωμένων χαλεπῶν τὴν πεῖραν. Οἶμαι δὲ καὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς αὐτῶν τὸν προφητικὸν αἰνίττεσθαι λόγον· ἤλπιζον γὰρ ἀπαλλαγήσεσθαι τῶν κακῶν καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἀλλήλους· Ἔτι μικρὸν ἔτι μικρὸν καὶ λύσις ἔσται τῶν ἀλγεινῶν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσεν· «Οὐκ ἠθέλησαν ἀκοῦσαι, ἀλλ' ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς ὁ λόγος κυρίου ἐντολὴ οὐκ ἐντολή, ἐντολὴ οὐκ ἐντολή, προσδοκία οὐ προσδοκία, προσδοκία οὐ προσδοκία, μικρὸν ἔτι μικρόν.» Τὴν ἀπιστίαν αὐτῶν διὰ πάντων ᾐνίξατο καὶ τὴν τῆς γνώμης διχόνοιαν· ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ τὰ θεῖα λόγια ὡς ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ κατεδέχοντο, ποτὲ δὲ αὐτῶν διέπτυον ὡς οὐκ ὄντων θείων. 14∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀκούσατε λόγον κυρίου, ἄνδρες τεθλιμμένοι καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, 15ὅτι εἴπατε· Ἐποιήσαμεν διαθήκην μετὰ τοῦ ᾅδου καὶ μετὰ τοῦ θανάτου συνθήκας. Συμφωνεῖ καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς προηρμηνευ μένοις· τὴν ἀλαζονείαν γὰρ αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ἄνοιαν διὰ τούτων ἐλέγχει· ἀεὶ γὰρ ἤλπιζον κρείττους ἔσεσθαι τῶν δεινῶν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· ἄνδρες τεθλιμμένοι, οἱ Λοιποὶ Ἑρμηνευταὶ «ἄνδρες χλευασταὶ» τεθείκασιν· κατέπαιζον γὰρ τῶν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν προσφερομένων αὐτοῖς ἀπειλῶν. Τῆς δὲ Ἱερουσαλὴμ οὐχ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἄρχοντας τοὺς τοῦ Ἐφραὶμ ὀνομάζει, ἀλλ' ὡς τοῦτο ἔσεσθαι φαντασθέντας· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρόσθεν ὁ προφήτης ἐδίδαξεν, ὅτι τὴν ∆αυιτικὴν βασιλείαν ἐβουλεύσαντο καταλῦσαι καὶ τὸν υἱὸν Ταβεὴλ βασιλεῦσαι καὶ ὑπηκόους αὐτοὺς ἑαυτῶν καταστῆσαι. Καταιγὶς φερομένη ἐὰν παρέλθῃ, οὐ μὴ ἔλθῃ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς· ἐθήκαμεν γὰρ ψεῦδος τὴν ἐλπίδα ἡμῶν καὶ τῷ ψεύδει σκεπασθησόμεθα. Ἀνδρῶν ἐστι μεμηνότων ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα καὶ κατ' αὐτῆς τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς δίκης θρασυνο μένων. 16∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐμβάλλω εἰς τὰ θεμέλια Σιὼν λίθον πολυτελῆ ἐκλεκτὸν ἀκρογωνιαῖον ἔντιμον θεμέλιον εἰς τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῆς, καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ' αὐτῷ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ. Ἀνοίας ἐσχάτης εἶναι νομίζω τὸ ταύτην τῷ Ἐζεκίᾳ προσαρμόζειν τὴν προφητείαν· εἰς ἄνθρωπον γὰρ πιστεύειν οἱ θεῖοι ἀπαγορεύουσι λόγοι· «Μὴ πεποίθατε» γάρ φησιν «ἐπὶ ἄρχοντας, ἐπὶ υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων οἷς οὐκ ἔστι σωτηρία», καί· «Ἐπικατάρατος ἄνθρωπος ὃς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἔχει ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον», καί· «Ἀγαθὸν πεποιθέναι ἐπὶ κύριον ἢ πεποιθέναι ἐπ' ἄνθρω πον», ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ προφητικὸς ἐπαινεῖ λόγος τὸν εἰς τὸν λίθον τοῦτον πιστεύοντα. Ἀκρογωνιαῖος δὲ λίθος ὁ δεσπότης Χριστὸς «ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἀμφότερα ἕν», ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ τοὺς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ συνάψας καὶ ἕνα λαὸν ἀποφήνας. Αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ θεμέλιος κέκληται· «Θεμέλιον γάρ» φησιν «οὐδεὶς ἄλλον δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸ κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός.» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἠπείλουν οἱ