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that the Babylonian will come upon them like an eagle and will take possession of their strongholds; and the Idumeans will fall into cowardice and pain, so that their heart will be like a woman in labor. Having finished the prophecy for Idumea here, he transfers the discourse to Damascus, and says: 23. Hamath and Arphad were confounded, because they heard an evil report.

Hamath, as we have already said, he calls Emesa; and there is another Hamath, now Epiphania. And Arphad some say is what is now called Raphaneae. "They were agitated in the sea, they were enraged, they cannot rest." He called the multitude of the army a sea; and he showed the initial impulse of the Damascenes; for he said of them, "They were enraged;" but he rebukes their subsequent cowardice. 24. Damascus is undone, she is turned to flight, and cast down; trembling has seized her, and pangs have taken hold of her, as of a woman in labor. He teaches also the cause of the disaster. 25. How has she not forsaken my cities? she has loved my village. My cities and villages, he says, she attempted to take; and he calls the cities and villages of Israel his own; for the Damascenes were always hostilely disposed towards them. 26, 27. For this reason your young men shall fall in your streets, and all your men of war shall fall on that day, says the Lord of hosts. And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall devour the courts of the son of Hadad. "Son of Hadad" is a name. For he was called Bar-hadad in the Syrian tongue; he was king of Damascus, and as the prophecy indicates, he adorned it with splendid buildings; to which he threatens conflagration. The prophet also foretells to the Ishmaelites, who are now called Saracens, the calamities brought upon them. 28. To Kedar, to the queen of the court, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon smote, thus said the Lord. Kedar was one of the sons of Ishmael, and this the book of Genesis teaches; at 81.736 that time, as is likely, this tribe ruled over the others; whence he also calls it a queen. And he calls the entire station of the Saracens a court; because they are nomads, dwelling in tents. And he commands to march against them, and to plunder the sheep, and the camels, and to sack the tents; and Kedem was also a son of Ishmael; and he commands these also to hide under the earth; for this is what he says. 30. Go deep for your dwelling. So as to flee the attack of the enemies. 31. Arise, go up against a prosperous nation, that dwells at ease, says the Lord. Which have no doors, nor bars; they dwell alone. The victory, he says, is easy for you; you do not need a siege, nor a blockade, nor a long time; they are easily captured, and easily subdued. And he shows also that he himself brings the punishment. "And I will scatter them to every wind, those with their faces shorn, and from every side of them I will bring their ruin." That is, they will be turned to flight into every region. Both those established toward the rising sun, and those encamped toward the west. 33. And the court shall be a habitation of sparrows, and desolate forever. No man shall sit there, nor shall a son of man dwell there. And the events bear witness to the words; for having left the utter desert, they draw near to the inhabited fortresses. He prophesies also the things that happened to Elam; and he indicates the time of the prophecy. For he said this happened as soon as Zedekiah became king. 35. Thus says the Lord of hosts; Behold, I break the bow of Elam, the beginning of their might. Elam is a city situated at the mouth of the Red Sea. This was formerly a splendid trading-post, and now those sailing to the Indies set sail from there. 36. And I will bring upon Elam four winds from the four corners of heaven, and there will be no nation that will not come there. Having conquered Egypt, the Babylonian, returning, set out against it, having indeed the former

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ἀετῷ δὲ παραπλησίως τὸν Βαβυλώνιον ἐπιστήσεσθαι, καὶ τῶν ὀχυρωμάτων κρατήσειν· τοὺς δὲ Ἰδουμαίους δει λίᾳ καὶ ὀδύνῃ περιπεσεῖσθαι, ὡς γυναικὶ τικτούσῃ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν παραβάλλεσθαι. Ἐνταῦθα περά νας τῆς Ἰδουμαίας τὴν πρόῤῥησιν, ἐπὶ τὴν ∆αμα σκὸν μεταφέρει τὸν λόγον, καί φησιν· κγʹ. Κατῃσχύνθη Ἠμὰθ καὶ Ἀρφὰθ, ὅτι ἀκοὴν πονηρὰν ἤκουσαν. Ἠμὰθ, ὡς καὶ ἤδη προειρήκα μεν, τὴν Ἔμεσαν λέγει· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλη Ἠμὰθ, ἡ νῦν Ἐπιφάνεια. Ἀρφὰθ δέ τινές φασι τὰς νῦν Ῥεφανέας καλουμένας. "Ἐξέστησαν ἐν θαλάσσῃ, ἐθυμώθησαν, ἀναπαύσασθαι οὐ μὴ δύνανται." Θά λασσαν ἐκάλεσε τὸ πλῆθος τῆς στρατιᾶς· ἔδειξε δὲ καὶ τὴν πρώτην τῶν ∆αμασκηνῶν ὁρμήν· περὶ γὰρ αὐτῶν ἔφη, "Ἐθυμώθησαν·" ἐλέγχει δὲ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα δειλίαν. κδʹ. Ἐξελύθη ∆αμασκὸς, ἀπεστράφη εἰς φυγὴν, καὶ ἐξεῤῥίφη· τρόμος ἐπελάβετο αὐτῆς, καὶ ὠδῖνες κατέσχον αὐτὴν ὡς τικτούσης. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς συμφορᾶς. κεʹ. Πῶς οὐχὶ ἐγκατέλιπε πόλεις ἐμὰς, ἐμὴν κώμην ἠγάπησεν; Ἐμὰς, φησὶ, πόλεις καὶ κώμας λαβεῖν ἐπεχείρησε· πόλεις δὲ αὑτοῦ καὶ κώμας, τὰς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὀνομάζει· ἀεὶ δὲ πρὸς ταύ τας ∆αμασκηνοὶ ἐναντίως διέκειντο. κϛʹ, κζʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πεσοῦνται οἱ νεανίσκοι σου ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις σου, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄν δρες οἱ πολεμισταὶ ἐκπεσοῦνται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, φησὶ Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων. Καὶ καύσω πῦρ ἐν τείχει ∆αμασκοῦ, καὶ καταφάγεται ἄμφοδα υἱοῦ Ἄδερ. "Υἱὸς Ἄδερ" ἐστὶν ὄνομα. Βαραδὰδ γὰρ ἐκαλεῖτο τῇ Σύρων φωνῇ· βασιλεὺς δὲ ἦν οὗτος τῆς ∆αμασκοῦ, καὶ ὡς ἡ προφητεία δηλοῖ, λαμ προῖς αὐτὴν οἰκοδομήμασι διεκόσμησεν· οἷς τὸν ἐμ πρησμὸν ἀπειλεῖ. Προλέγει δὲ ὁ προφήτης καὶ τοῖς Ἰσμαηλίταις, τοῖς νῦν καλουμένοις Σαρακηνοῖς, τὰς ἐπενεχθείσας συμφοράς. κηʹ. Τῇ Κηδὰρ, τῇ βασιλίσσῃ τῆς αὐλῆς, ἣν ἐπάταξε Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος, οὕτως εἶπε Κύριος. Κηδὰρ εἷς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσμαὴλ, καὶ τοῦτο διδάσκει τῆς Κτίσεως τὸ βιβλίον· κατ' 81.736 ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν, ὡς εἰκὸς, αὕτη τῶν ἄλλων ἐκράτει φυλῶν· ὅθεν αὐτὴν καὶ βασίλισσαν ὀνο μάζει. Αὐλὴν δὲ καλεῖ ἅπασαν τὴν τῶν Σαρακηνῶν στάσιν· ἐπειδὴ νομάδες εἰσὶν, ἐν σκηναῖς κατοι κοῦντες. Παρακελεύεται δὲ στρατεῦσαι ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, καὶ ληΐσασθαι τὰ πρόβατα, καὶ τὰς καμήλους, ἐκ πορθῆσαι δὲ καὶ τὰς σκηνάς· καὶ ὁ Κεδὲμ δὲ υἱὸς ὑπῆρχε τοῦ Ἰσμαήλ· παρακελεύεται δὲ καὶ τούτοις ὑπὸ γῆν λαθεῖν· τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει. λʹ. Βαθύνατε εἰς κάθισιν. Ὥστε φυγεῖν τῶν πολεμίων τὴν προσβολήν. λαʹ. Ἀνάστηθι, ἀνάβηθι ἐπὶ ἔθνος εὐστα θοῦν, καθήμενον εἰς ἀναψυχὴν, φησὶ Κύριος. Οἷς οὐκ εἰσὶ θύραι, οὐδὲ μοχλοί· αὐτοὶ μό νοι καταλύουσιν. Ῥᾳδία σοι, φησὶν, ἡ νίκη· οὐ δεῖ σοι πολιορκίας, οὐδὲ προσεδρείας, οὐδὲ χρόνου μακροῦ· εὐάλωτοί εἰσι, καὶ εὐχείρωτοι. ∆είκνυσι δὲ καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς ἐπάγει τὴν τιμωρίαν. "Καὶ λικμήσω αὐτοὺς παντὶ πνεύματι κεκαρμένους τὰ πρόσωπα αὑτῶν, καὶ ἐκ παντὸς πέρατος αὐτῶν οἴσω τὴν τροπὴν αὐτῶν." Τουτέστιν, εἰς ἕκαστον κλῖμα τραπήσονται εἰς φυγήν. Καὶ οἱ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον ἱδρυμένοι, καὶ οἱ πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἐσκηνωμένοι. λγʹ. Καὶ ἔσται ἡ αὐλὴ διατριβὴ στρουθῶν, καὶ ἄβατος ἕως αἰῶνος. Οὐ μὴ καθίσει ἐκεῖ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ οὐ μὴ κατοικήσει υἱὸς γηγε νοῦς. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τοῖς λόγοις τὰ πράγματα· καταλιπόντες γὰρ τὴν πανέρημον, τοῖς οἰκουμένοις φρουρίοις πελάζουσι. Προθεσπίζει δὲ καὶ τὰ τῇ Αἰλὰμ συμβεβηκότα· δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τῆς προφητείας τὸν χρόνον. Εὐθὺς γὰρ βασιλεύσαντος Σεδεκίου ταύτην ἔφη γενέσθαι. λεʹ. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ συντρίβω τόξον Αἰλὰμ, ἀρχὴν δυναστείας αὐτῶν. Αἰλὰμ πόλις ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ στομίῳ τῆς Ἐρυ θρᾶς κειμένη θαλάττης. Ἐμπόριον δὲ ἦν τοῦτο πά λαι λαμπρὸν, καὶ νῦν οἱ πρὸς Ἰνδοὺς ἀποπλέοντες ἐκεῖθεν ἀνάγονται. λϛʹ. Καὶ ἐπάξω ἐπὶ Αἰλὰμ τέσσαρας ἀνέμους ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ἄκρων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ἔθνος ὃ οὐχ ἥξει ἐκεῖ. Τῆς Αἰγύπτου κρα τήσας ὁ Βαβυλώνιος, ὥρμησεν ἐπανιὼν κατ' αὐτῆς, ἔχων μὲν τὴν προτέραν