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of the ten tribes to overthrow the Davidic kingdom, he shows its invincibility and prophesies the stone that will be cut from there without hands, which became a great mountain and covered the inhabited world.

17And I will make judgment for a hope, and my mercy for weights.

Symmachus translated this thus: "And I will make judgment a line and righteousness a plummet."

Instead of: I will cast a just vote against those who speak against me.

For the |135 a| plummet shows the surface of the stones to be level, and the line directs the posts of the building.

Through these, therefore, he showed the justice of the vote.

From here let us also understand the interpretation of the Seventy: he calls hope a just judgment and mercy mingled with justice.

For the doorpost received its straightness through building instruments.

And those who trust in falsehood are vain; because a storm will not pass us by, 18lest he should also take away your covenant of death, and your hope towards Hades will not remain; if a sweeping storm should come, you will be for it to trample upon; 19when it comes, it will take you.

And Symmachus put these things thus: "And the rampart because of the hail, the false trust and the shelter because of the water will flood; and your compact with death will be wiped out and your refuge with Hades."

He says nothing will deliver you from the terrible things brought upon you, but the vanity of your hope will be exposed.

Because early in the morning it will pass by, day and night there will be a wicked hope.

By "early in the morning" he means speed and foretells the evils that will be brought upon them day and night.

Learn to hear, 20you who are distressed.

Through these things you will learn with contrition to praise the prophetic word.

We are not able to fight, and we are too weak to be gathered together.

21As on the mountain of divisions the Lord will rise up, <as> in the valley of Gibeon, with wrath he will do his works, works of bitterness.

He reminded us of a history; for when the blessed Joshua son of Nun was general and was warring with the five kings, who marched against the Gibeonites, the God of all himself manifestly came to their aid, slinging flakes of hailstones from above against them.

Thus, he says, he will now also show his punishing power.

But his wrath will act strangely, and his bitterness is strange.

For no longer does he provide for you as his own people, but as against those who have completely ignored him, he will use his wrath against you.

22And you, do not rejoice, nor will your bonds be strong; because I have heard from the Lord Sabaoth things determined and decreed which he will do upon all the earth.

He called their boldness "bonds."

And he exhorts them not to rejoice nor to trust in their own power; for what I have foretold, I have heard from the God of all; and the divine word is true.

23Give ear and hear my voice, pay attention and hear my words.

24Will the man who plows be plowing all day? Or will he prepare seed before working his land?

25And when he has leveled its surface, then he sows a little black cumin and cumin, and again he sows wheat and barley and millet and spelt in your borders.

Having threatened the ten tribes with punishment, he transfers the discourse to those dwelling in Jerusalem and exhorts them to listen eagerly to the prophecy and shows the farmer not always cultivating their souls and sowing.

He calls them black cumin and cumin, and the other seeds, the other people.

For just as bread from wheat and barley and spelt, when it receives cumin and black cumin, becomes more pleasant, so through these God provided benefit to the other nations.

For this reason he also named the holy apostles "salt," having clearly called the other people "grain."

This he also teaches more clearly in what follows:

26And you will be chastised by the judgment of God and will rejoice.

He says, "I will chastise you in a fatherly way, not

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τῶν δέκα φυλῶν καταλύειν τὴν ∆αυιτικὴν βασι λείαν, τὸ ἄμαχον αὐτῆς ὑποδείκνυσι καὶ τὸν ἐκεῖθεν δίχα χειρῶν τμηθησόμενον προθεσπί ζει λίθον, ὃς ἐγένετο ὄρος μέγα καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐκάλυψεν. 17Καὶ θήσω κρίσιν εἰς ἐλπίδα, τὴν δὲ ἐλεημοσύνην μου εἰς σταθμούς. Τοῦτο ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτω ἡρμήνευσεν· «Καὶ θήσω κρίμα εἰς σπαρτίον καὶ δικαιοσύνην εἰς διαβήτην.» Ἀντὶ τοῦ· ∆ικαίαν κατὰ τῶν ἀντιλεγόντων ἐξοίσω ψῆφον. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ |135 a| διαβήτης ἴσην δείκνυσι τῶν λίθων τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν, καὶ ἡ σπάρτος διευθύνει τῆς οἰκο δομίας τοὺς σταθμούς. ∆ιὰ τούτων τοίνυν ἔδειξε τῆς ψήφου τὸ δίκαιον. Ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα ἑρμηνείαν νοήσωμεν· ἐλ πί δα φησὶ δικαίαν κρίσιν καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην τῷ δικαίῳ συγκεκραμένην. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ τῆς θύρας σταθμὸς διὰ τῶν οἰκο δομικῶν ὀργάνων ἐδέξατο τὴν εὐθύτητα. Καὶ οἱ πεποιθότες μάτην ψευδεῖς· ὅτι οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἡμᾶς καταιγίς, 18μὴ καὶ ἀφέλῃ ὑμῶν τὴν διαθήκην τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ ἐλπὶς ὑμῶν πρὸς τὸν ᾅδην οὐ μὴ ἐμμείνῃ· καταιγὶς φερομένη ἐὰν ἐπέλθῃ, ἔσεσθε αὐτῇ εἰς καταπάτημα· 19ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ, λήψεται ὑμᾶς. Καὶ ταῦτα οὕτως ὁ Σύμμαχος τέθεικεν· «Καὶ ὁ προμαχὼν ὁ διὰ τὴν χάλαζαν, ἡ πεποί θησις ἡ ψευδὴς καὶ ἡ σκέπη ἡ διὰ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπικλύσει· καὶ ἐξαλειφθήσεται ἡ συνθήκη ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν θάνατον καὶ ἡ προσφυγὴ ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν ᾅδην.» Οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς φησιν ἀπαλλάξει τῶν ἐπιφ ερο μένων δεινῶν, ἀλλ' ἐλεγχθήσεται τῆς ἐλπίδος ὑμῶν τὸ μάταιον. Ὅτι πρωὶ πρωὶ παρελεύσεται, ἡμέρας καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ ἔσται ἐλπὶς πονηρά. Πρωὶ πρωὶ τὴν ταχύτητα λέγει καὶ προλέγει τὰ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ ἐπενεχθησόμενα αὐτοῖς κακά. Μάθετε ἀκούειν 20στενοχωρούμενοι. ∆ι' αὐτῶν μαθήσεσθε τῶν πραγμάτων μετὰ κατ ανύ ξεως τὸν προφητικὸν ἐπαι νεῖ<ν> λόγον. Οὐ δυνάμεθα μάχεσθαι, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἀσθενοῦμεν τοῦ ἡμᾶς συναχθῆναι. 21Ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῶν διακοπῶν ἀναστήσεται κύριος <ὡς> ἐν τῇ φάραγγι Γαβαών, μετὰ θυμοῦ ποιήσει τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, πικρίας ἔργα. Ἱστορίας ἡμᾶς ἀνέμνησεν· τοῦ μακαρίου γὰρ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυὴ στρατη γοῦντος καὶ τοῖς πέντε βασι λεῦσι πολεμοῦντος, οἳ κατὰ τῶν Γαβαωνιτῶν ἐπεστράτευσαν, ἐπήμυνε προφανῶς καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων θεὸς νι φάδας λίθων χαλάζης ἄνωθεν κατ' αὐτῶν σφενδονήσας. Οὕτως φησὶ καὶ νῦν δείξει τὴν τιμωρητικὴν αὐτοῦ δύναμιν. Ὁ δὲ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ ἀλλοτρίως χρήσεται, καὶ ἡ πικρία αὐτοῦ ἀλλοτρία. Οὐκέτι γὰρ ὑμῶν ὡς οἰκείου προμηθεῖται λαοῦ, ἀλλ' ὡς κατ' ἐκείνων τῶν παντάπασιν αὐτὸν ἠγνοη κότων χρήσεται καθ' ὑμῶν τῷ θυμῷ. 22Καὶ ὑμεῖς μὴ εὐφρανθείητε, μηδὲ ἰσχύσουσιν ὑμῶν οἱ δεσμοί· διότι συντετελεσμένα καὶ συντετμημένα πράγματα ἤκουσα παρὰ κυρίου Σαβαὼθ ἃ ποιήσει ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν. ∆εσμοὺς τὸ θράσος ἐκάλεσεν. Παρεγγυᾷ δὲ αὐτοῖς μὴ εὐφραίνεσθαι μηδὲ τῇ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει θαρρεῖν· ἃ γὰρ προεῖπον, παρὰ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων θεοῦ ἀκήκοα· ἀψευδὴς δὲ ὁ θεῖος λόγος. 23Ἐνωτίζεσθε καὶ ἀκούετε τῆς φωνῆς μου, προσέχετε καὶ ἀκούετε τοὺς λόγους μου. 24Μὴ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μέλλει ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριᾶν; ἢ σπόρον προετοιμάσει πρὸ τοῦ ἐργάσαι τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ; 25Καὶ ὅταν αὐτῆς ὁμαλίσῃ τὸ πρόσωπον, τότε σπείρει μικρὸν μελάνθιον καὶ κύμινον, καὶ πάλιν σπείρει πυρὸν καὶ κριθὴν καὶ κέγχρον καὶ ζειὰν ἐν τοῖς ὁρίοις σου. Ἀπειλήσας ταῖς δέκα φυλαῖς τὴν τιμω ρίαν πρὸς τοὺς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ κατοικοῦντας μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον καὶ παρακελεύεται αὐτοῖς προθύμως τῆς προ φ ητείας ἀκούειν καὶ δείκνυσι τὸν μὲν γεωργὸν οὐκ ἀεὶ γεωργοῦντα αὐτῶν τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ κατασπείροντα. Με λάν θιον καὶ κύμινον αὐτοὺς καλεῖ, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα σπέρματα τοὺς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἐκ πυρῶν καὶ κριθῶν καὶ ζειῶν ἄρτος τὸ κύμινον δεχόμενος καὶ τὸ μελάνθιον ἡδίων γίνεται, οὕτω διὰ τούτων τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔθνεσιν ὁ θεὸς τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἐπόριζεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστό λους ἅλας ὠνόμασεν, δηλονότι τοὺς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους σῖτον κ εκληκώς . Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐφεξῆς διδάσκει σαφέστερον· 26Καὶ παιδευθήσῃ κρίματι θεοῦ καὶ εὐφραν θήσῃ. Σέ φησι πατρικῶς, παιδεύσω, οὐ