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he has suffered what he did not expect; and he was thus like one who is hungry and thirsty, but in a dream eats and drinks, and after waking becomes aware of the deception; for so he too, after the destruction of the many myriads, had a sense of his own weakness. 9Be astonished and amazed and be deceived and utterly deceived and be drunk, not with wine, and be dizzy, not from strong drink nor moved by wine, 10because the Lord has made you drink a spirit of slumber and will shut your eyes and the eyes of your rulers and of your prophets who see secret things. Instead of "slumber," Symmachus put "deep sleep," and Theodotion "ecstasy," and Aquila "stupor." The Jews, marveling at the destruction of the Assyrian, hoped to always be stronger than their enemies. This the prophetic word calls deception. And God is said to put them into a deep sleep or ecstasy, having granted them that unexpected salvation against all hope. But they should have known that they then gave an occasion for sparing to the divine love for mankind by having shown repentance. But after these things, having embraced excessive wickedness, they did not reasonably trust in the divine love for mankind. Therefore, they deceived themselves by not being willing to perceive the wisdom of the divine economy. For which reason it says: 11And all these words will be to you as the words of the sealed book, which if they give it to a man who knows letters, saying to him, "Read this," he will say, "I cannot read, |136 a| for it is sealed"; 12and this book will be given into the hands of a man who does not know letters, and they will say to him, "Read this," and he will say, "I cannot read, I do not know letters." Through these words he has revealed their disobedience and contentiousness and lack of understanding. Nevertheless, the divine word also foretells something else. For long ago neither were the Jews able to perceive the prophecies concerning the Lord, being veiled and, as it were, laid away within seals, nor were the Gentiles who did not know the prophetic writings; but after the Lord's epiphany, when the seals were removed—for the events bear witness to the words— both very many of the Jews learned the meaning of the prophecies and the Gentiles have learned the letters of piety and read the book, which to the unbelieving among the Jews has still remained sealed. And the Lord himself was the first to remove the seals of the prophecy; for having entered into the synagogue and taken the prophet Isaiah and read: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind," and so on, he added, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." The prophet, however, or rather, his God, brings another accusation against them: 13For the Lord said, he says: This people draws near to me, with their mouth and with their lips they honor me, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. And the Lord recalled this testimony when accusing the Pharisees and teaching how, despising the divine law, they used their own laws. And the prophet Jeremiah also accuses them, saying: "You are near in their mouth and far from their kidneys" <and the blessed David: "And they loved him with their mouth> and with their tongue they lied to him." And through these he alludes to the swiftness of their denial; for just as the tongue is near the lips, so, he says, is denial to their confession. 14Therefore, behold, I will proceed to remove this people, and I will remove them with a removal. For not only will I lead them away to Babylon, but I will also scatter them into all the inhabited world. And I will destroy the wisdom of its wise, and the understanding of its <prudent> I will hide. For the things of the Pharisees and scribes are gone; for what seemed to be wisdom was full of folly. 15Woe to those who deeply make

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πέπονθεν ἅπερ οὐκ ἤλπισεν· καὶ ἐῴκει οὕτω ς τῷ πεινῶντι μὲν καὶ διψῶντι, ὄναρ δὲ ἐσθίοντι καὶ πίνοντι, μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐγρήγορσιν τῆς ἀπά της α ἰσθα νομένῳ· οὕτω γὰρ κἀκεῖνος μετὰ τὸν ὄλεθρον τῶν πολλῶν μυριάδων αἴσθησιν τῆς οἰκείας ἔσχεν ἀσθενείας. 9Θαυμάσατε καὶ ἔκστητε καὶ ἀπατήθητε καὶ ὑπεραπατήθητε καὶ μεθύσθητε οὐκ ἀπὸ οἴνου καὶ κραιπαλήσατε οὐκ ἀπὸ σίκερα οὐδὲ ἀπὸ οἴνου κινούμενοι, 10ὅτι πεπότικεν ὑμᾶς κύριος πνεῦμα κατανύξεως καὶ καμμύσει τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν προφητῶν ὑμῶν τῶν ὁρώντων τὰ κρυπτά. Ἀντὶ τοῦ κατανύξεως «καρώσεως» μὲν ὁ Σύμμαχος τέθεικεν, ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων «ἐκστάσεως», ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας «καταφορᾶς». Τὸν ὄλεθρον τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου θαυμάσαντες Ἰουδαῖοι ἤλπισαν ἀεὶ κρείττους ἔσεσθαι τῶν πολεμούν των. Ταύτην καλεῖ ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος ἀπάτην. Ὁ δὲ θεὸς αὐτοὺς λέγεται καρῶσαι ἢ ἐκστῆσαι, παρὰ πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα τὴν παράδοξον αὐτοῖς ἐκείνην δωρησάμενος σωτηρίαν. Ἔδει δὲ αὐτοὺς συνειδέναι ὡς φειδοῦς τη νι καῦτα παρέσχον ἀφορμὴν τῇ θείᾳ φιλανθρωπίᾳ μεταμελείᾳ χρησάμενοι. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τὴν ὑπερ βάλλουσαν ἀσπα σάμενοι πονηρίαν οὐκ εἰκότως ἐθάρρουν τῇ θείᾳ φιλανθρωπίᾳ. Ἑαυτοὺς τοίνυν ἠ πάτησαν τῆς θείας οἰκονομίας τὴν σοφίαν οὐκ ἐθελήσαντες συνιδεῖν. Οὗ δὴ χάριν φησίν· 11Καὶ ἔσται ὑμῖν πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ὡς οἱ λόγοι τοῦ βιβλίου τοῦ ἐσφραγισμένου, ὃ ἐὰν δῶσιν αὐτὸ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐπισταμένῳ γράμματα λέγοντες αὐτῷ· Ἀνάγνωθι ταῦτα, καὶ ἐρεῖ· Οὐ δύναμαι ἀναγνῶναι, |136 a| ἐσφράγισται γάρ· 12καὶ δοθήσεται τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπου μὴ ἐπισταμένου γράμματα καὶ ἐροῦσιν αὐτῷ· Ἀνάγνωθι ταῦτα, καὶ ἐρεῖ· Οὐ δύναμαι ἀναγνῶναι, οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι γράμματα. Τὸ ἀπειθὲς αὐτῶν καὶ ἀντίλο γον καὶ ἀσύνετον διὰ τούτων τῶν λόγων ἐδήλωσεν. Προλέγει δὲ ὅμως καὶ ἕτερόν τι ὁ θεῖος λόγος. Πάλαι γὰρ τὰς περὶ τοῦ κυρίου προρρήσεις οὔτε Ἰουδαῖοι συνορᾶν ἠδύναντο κεκαλυμμένας καὶ οἱονεὶ σφραγίδων ἐντὸς ἀποκειμένας οὔτε τὰ ἔθνη τὰ προφητικὰ μὴ ἐπιστάμενα γράμματα· μετὰ μέντοι τὴν δεσποτικὴν ἐπιφάνειαν ἀφαιρεθεισῶν τῶν σφραγίδων-τὰ γὰρ πράγματα μαρτυρεῖ τοῖς λόγοις- καὶ πλεῖστοι ἐξ Ἰουδαίων τῶν προρρήσεων ἔμαθον τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ τὰ ἔθνη μεμάθηκε τῆς εὐσεβείας τὰ γράμματα καὶ ἀναγινώσκουσι τὸ βιβλίον, ὃ τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσι τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐσφραγισμένον ἔτι μεμένηκεν. Πρῶτος δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος τὰς τῆς προφητ είας περιεῖλε σφραγῖδας· εἰσελ θὼν γὰρ εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν καὶ λαβὼν τὸν προφήτην Ἡσαΐαν καὶ ἀναγνούς· «Πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέ με, εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με, ἰάσασθαι τοὺς συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν, κηρύξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς ἐπήγαγεν· «Σήμερον ἐπληρώθη ἡ γραφὴ αὕτη ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ὑμῶν.» Ὁ μέντοι προφήτης, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ τούτου θεός, καὶ ἑτέραν αὐτοῖς ἐπάγει κατηγορίαν· 13Εἶπε γάρ φησι κύριος· Ἐγγίζει μοι ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν καὶ ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτῶν τιμῶσί με, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ ταύτης τῆς μαρτυρίας ὁ κύριος ἐμνημόνευσε τῶν Φαρισαίων κατηγορῶν καὶ διδάσκων ὡς τοῦ θείου νόμου καταφρονοῦντες ἰδίαις ἐχρῶντο νομοθεσίαις. Καὶ ὁ προφήτης δὲ Ἱερεμίας κατηγορεῖ αὐτῶν λέγων· «Ἐγγὺς εἶ τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν καὶ πόρρω ἀπὸ τῶν νεφρῶν αὐτῶν» <καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αυίδ· «Καὶ ἠγάπησαν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν> καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ αὐτῶν ἐψεύσαντο αὐτῷ.» Αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τούτων τῆς ἀρνήσεως τὴν ὀξύτητα· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ γλῶσσα πελάζει τοῖς χείλεσιν, οὕτως φησὶ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ αὐτῶν ἡ ἄρνησις. 14∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ προσθήσω τοῦ μεταθεῖναι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον καὶ μεταθήσω αὐτοὺς μεταθέσει. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἀπάξω, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην διασπερῶ. Καὶ ἀπολῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν <συνετῶν> αὐτοῦ κρύψω. Φροῦδα γὰρ τὰ τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ γραμματέων· ἀνοίας γὰρ ἦν πλήρης ἡ δοκοῦσα σοφία. 15Οὐαὶ τοῖς βαθέως ποιοῦσι