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71

went forth from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon, and devoured the rulers of Moab. And he foretells to them also something pleasing. 47. And I will turn back the captivity of Moab in the last days, says the Lord. He showed both through the punishment and through the philanthropy, that he is Lord of all, rich to all who call upon him, and that he is not God of the Jews only, but of all men. "Thus far the judgment of Moab." That is, the sentence pronounced against him. CHAPTER 49. The word of prophecy then passes on to the sons of Ammon, and the Lord of all says to them: 1. Are there no sons in Israel, or is there no one to take possession for them? Why has Milcom taken possession of Gilead, and their people dwell in its cities? The ten tribes held Gilead. Therefore, when these were taken captive, the Ammonites seized it. To them God says: Did you despise the people, or me? For by "one to receive" instead of "the one who will receive" and help, he has named himself. And Milcom was an idol of the sons of Ammon. Do you think, he says, that which is not can overcome me who always am? 2. Therefore behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, 81.728 and I will make the tumult of wars heard against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon. Rabbah was a city of Arabia; and "I will make heard" means I will cause to be heard. "And it will become inaccessible and a ruin; and its altars will be burned with fire, and Israel will take possession of their rule, says the Lord." And he continues to foretell the things that will happen to the Ammonites. 3. Wail, Heshbon, for your strength has perished; cry out, daughters of Rabbah; gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn, and run up through the walls, for Milcom will go into exile, and his priests, and his rulers with him. He also showed the weakness of the idols; for they too went away captive with their worshippers. 4. Why do you exult in the fields of the Anakim? Your fields flowed away, daughter of dishonor. He accuses her of shamelessness, and insolence in wealth. For this is what the following also teaches. "She who trusts in her treasures, who says, 'Who will come against me?'" And since she paid attention to visible things and was ignorant of the invisible God, he teaches who the punisher is. 5. Behold, I bring fear upon you, said the Lord of hosts, from all your neighborhood. From all sides, he says, those who announce the army of the enemies will run to you. "And you will be scattered each one to his own face, and there will be no one to gather the emigrant. For you will not flee in the same direction, but because of the excess of fear you will be scattered; and he foretells a return for these also, so that the Jews may not be proud, as though they alone had obtained a return. And he also foretells sad things for Idumea; and since they boasted in wisdom, he says they have been deprived of it. "There is no wisdom in Teman, counsel has perished from the prudent." This was a city, and Eliphaz ruled over it; for Eliphaz was the king of the Temanites. 8. His place was deceived; sink yourselves down deep to sit, you who dwell in Dedan, for he has done difficult things; I brought upon him 81.729 at the time when I visited him. And Dedan is another city; and he exhorts them to hide under the earth; for this is, "sink down deep to sit." And he teaches that he himself brings the punishment upon them; even if in the preceding time, he says, I used long-suffering. 9. Because grape-gatherers have come to you, and they will not leave you a remnant. He calls the enemies grape-gatherers, whom he says plunder and ravage everything; and he also teaches the time of the attack. "As thieves in the night they will lay their hand." 10. For I have stripped Esau, I have uncovered their hidden places; they will not be able to hide. The greatest and highest mountains lie beside Idumea; therefore, digging caves in these, they fled into them when enemies were attacking; but they failed in their hope, with the one having delivered them up from there

71

ἐξῆλθεν ἐξ Ἐσεβὼν, φλὸξ ἐκ πόλεως Σεὼν, καὶ κατέφαγεν ἀρχηγοὺς Μωάβ. Προλέγει δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ θυμήρη τινά. μζʹ. Καὶ ἐπιστρέψω τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Μωὰβ ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν, φησὶ Κύριος. Ἔδειξε καὶ διὰ τῆς τιμωρίας, καὶ διὰ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, ὡς αὐτός ἐστι Κύριος πάντων, πλουτῶν εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἐπικαλουμένους αὐτὸν, καὶ ὅτι οὐχὶ Ἰουδαίων μόνον ἐστὶ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ πάντων ἀνθρώπων. "Ἕως ἐνταῦθα τὸ κρῖμα Μωάβ." Τουτέστιν, ἡ κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐξ ενεχθεῖσα ψῆφος. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΜΘʹ. Μεταβαίνει δὲ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἀμμὼν τῆς προφητείας ὁ λόγος, καί φησι πρὸς αὐτοὺς τῶν ὅλων ὁ Κύριος· αʹ. Μὴ υἱοὶ οὐκ εἰσὶν ἐν Ἰσραὴλ, ἢ παρα ληψόμενος οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς; ∆ιατί παρέλαβε Μελχὼμ τὴν Γαλαὰδ, καὶ ὁ λαὸς αὐτῶν ἐν πόλεσιν αὐτῆς οἰκεῖ; Τὴν Γαλααδῖτιν αἱ δέκα κατεῖχον φυλαί. Τούτων τοίνυν αἰχμαλώτων γεγενη μένων, ταύτην κατέσχον οἱ Ἀμμωνῖται. Πρὸς τού τους φησὶν ὁ Θεός· Τοῦ λαοῦ κατεφρονήσατε, ἢ ἐμοῦ; "Παραληψόμενον" γὰρ ἀντὶ τοῦ "τὸν ληψόμενον" καὶ ἐπικουρήσοντα, ἑαυτὸν κέκληκε. Μελχὼμ δὲ εἴδωλον ἦν τῶν υἱῶν Ἀμμών. Ἐκεῖνο, φησὶ, τὸ μὴ ὂν, ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἀεὶ ὄντος περιγενέσθαι νομίζετε; βʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, φησὶ Κύ 81.728 ριος, καὶ ἀκουτιῶ ἐπὶ Ῥαββὰθ υἱῶν Ἀμμὼν θόρυβον πολέμων. Ῥαββὰθ πόλις ἦν τῆς Ἀρα-βίας· τὸ δὲ, "ἀκουτιῶ" ἀκουσθῆναι ποιήσω. "Καὶ ἔσται εἰς ἄβατον καὶ ἀπώλειαν· καὶ οἱ βωμοὶ αὐτῆς ἐν πυρὶ κατακαυθήσονται, καὶ παραλήψεται Ἰσραὴλ τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτῶν, φησὶ Κύριος." Καὶ ἐπιμένει τὰ συμβησόμενα τοῖς Ἀμμωνίταις προ λέγων. γʹ. Ὀλόλυξον, Ἐσεβὼν, ὅτι ὤλετο ἡ ἰσχύς σου· κεκράξατε, θυγατέρες Ῥαββάθ· περιζώ σασθε σάκκους, καὶ κόπτεσθε, καὶ ἀναδρά μετε διὰ τῶν τειχῶν, ὅτι Μελχὼμ εἰς ἀποικίαν βαδιεῖται, καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτοῦ ἅμα. Ἔδειξε καὶ τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἀσθένειαν· αἰχμάλωτα γὰρ καὶ αὐτὰ μετὰ τῶν προσκυνούντων ἀπῆλθον. δʹ. Τί ἀγαλλιᾶσθε ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις Ἐνακίμ; διέῤῥευσε τὰ πεδία σου, θύγατερ τῆς ἀτι μίας. Ἀναίδειαν αὐτῆς κατηγορεῖ, καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ πλούτῳ θράσος. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς διδάσκει. "Ἡ πεποιθυῖα ἐπὶ τοῖς θησαυροῖς αὑτῆς, ἡ λέ γουσα, Τίς ἐπελεύσεται ἐπ' ἐμέ;" Καὶ ἐπειδὴ τοῖς ὁρωμένοις προσεῖχε, καὶ τὸν ἀόρατον ἠγνόει Θεὸν, διδάσκει τίς ὁ κολάζων. εʹ. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ φέρω ἐπὶ σὲ φόβον, εἶπε Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, ἀπὸ πάσης τῆς περιοίκου σου. Πανταχόθεν, φησὶ, δραμοῦνται οἱ μηνύοντές σοι τῶν πολεμίων τὴν στρατιάν. "Καὶ διασπαρήσεσθε ἕκα στος εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὑτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ συν άγων μετανάστην. Οὐ γὰρ κατὰ ταὐτὸν φεύξετε, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τοῦ δέους ὑπερβολὴν σκεδασθήσεσθε· προλέγει δὲ καὶ τούτοις ἐπάνοδον, ἵνα μὴ μέγα φρονῶσιν Ἰουδαῖοι, ἅτε μόνοι τῆς ἐπανόδου τετυ χηκότες. Προλέγει δὲ καὶ τῇ Ἰδουμαίᾳ τὰ σκυθρωπά· καὶ ἐπειδὴ ηὔχουν ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ, ταύτης αὐτοὺς ἐστε ρῆσθαί φησιν. "Οὐκ ἔστι σοφία ἐν Θαιμὰν, ἀπώ λετο βουλὴ ἐκ συνετῶν." Πόλις ἦν αὕτη, καὶ ταύτης ἐβασίλευσεν Ἐλιφάζ· Ἐλιφὰζ γὰρ ὁ Θαιμανῶν βασιλεύς. ηʹ. Ἠπατήθη ὁ τόπος αὐτοῦ· βαθύνατε ἑαυτοὺς εἰς κάθισιν, οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν ∆αι δὰν, ὅτι δύσκολα ἐποίησεν· ἤγαγον ἐπ' αὐ 81.729 τὸν ἐν χρόνῳ ᾧ ἐπεσκεψάμην αὐτόν. Καὶ ἡ ∆αι δὰν ἑτέρα πόλις· παρακελεύεται δὲ αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ γῆν κρυβῆναι· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι, "βαθύνατε εἰς κάθισιν." Καὶ διδάσκει, ὡς αὐτὸς αὐτοῖς ἐπάγει τὴν τιμωρίαν· εἰ καὶ ἐν τῷ προλαβόντι χρόνῳ, φησὶν, ἐχρησάμην μακροθυμίᾳ. θʹ. Ὅτι τρυγηταὶ ἦλθόν σοι, καὶ οὐ κατα λείψουσί σοι κατάλειμμα. Τρυγητὰς τοὺς πολε μίους καλεῖ, οὓς λέγει πάντα ληΐζεσθαι καὶ πορθεῖν· διδάσκει δὲ καὶ τὸν τῆς ἐφόδου καιρόν. "Ὡσεὶ κλέπται ἐν νυκτὶ ἐπιθήσουσι χεῖρα αὑτῶν." ιʹ. Ὅτι ἐγὼ κατέσυρα τὸν Ἠσαῦ, ἀνεκάλυψα κρυπτὰ αὐτῶν· κρυβῆναι οὐ μὴ δύνωνται. Μέγιστα ὄρη καὶ ὑψηλὰ τῇ Ἰδουμαίᾳ παράκεινται· σπήλαια τοίνυν ἐν τούτοις ὀρύττοντες, εἰς ἐκεῖνα κατέφυγον δυσμενῶν ἐπιόντων· ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἥμαρτον, κἀκεῖθεν αὐτοὺς παραδεδωκότος τοῦ