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by prophecy. If they are prophets, and the word of the Lord is in them, let them now meet the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, may not go to Babylon. Since the false prophets said that those present would suffer nothing, but the opposite, and that the 64.964 exiles would return, the prophet says. If these are truly prophets, and God has sent them, let them now meet the Lord, that is, let them pray to God, so that the things that are here may not be carried away, which is easier than for the exiles to return, so that from this we may know that that will also happen. What does it mean: Let them meet me, God, so that the vessels may not be carried away? That is, to prevent God, to persuade him, showing there also that of those praying, *Forte* coming to meet, lest perhaps for war, i.e., neither for war, or to prevent the Jews from attacking them. I do not say, he says, that they should persuade him to bring back the vessels that were taken; let them be able to prevent the remaining vessels from being taken.

CHAPTER 28.

And Jeremiah said. When Hananiah the false prophet had said that after two years the holy vessels would return from Babylon, Jeremiah said that the outcome would show the truth of the words. Truly, etc. Lest you think that I am warring against you; I wish and pray for this to be so, and for myself to be lying. But listen. Then, lest he make them more careless, see how he frightens them, all but saying that nothing of the sort will happen, and showing that all the prophets who speak grievous things, these were especially true. *And Hananiah the false prophet took the yokes from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet in the sight of all the people, and broke them, and so forth. Jeremiah, wearing the yoke on his neck according to God's command, having prophesied against the nations, prophesied also against Jerusalem. It was the fourth year of Zedekiah, as the prophet himself says. In the fifth month of this year, therefore, Hananiah the false prophet came and announced the return, i.e., the coming up of the captives, and the destruction of Nebuchadnezzar, and, as if acting by God's command, he broke the yoke. Then there is a revelation of Jeremiah against him, and a revelation of the truth of the words; for he says to him. See with us the sins, the rebukes. What then did Jeremiah do? He did nothing more, having shown a sufficient rebuke. *This year you shall die, because you took vengeance against him, having spoken against the Lord. That is, contrary to the counsel of God, and he adds: And Hananiah the false prophet died in that year in the seventh month, two months after the words of the prophet. And when these things had happened, Jeremiah writes by God's command to those in exile not 64.965 to be deceived by those who tell them that they would return; but to know that those in the land would also be taken into exile again.

CHAPTER 29.

And these are the words. For what reason, then, tell me, does he also send to those in Babylon? For did they not have Ezekiel there? What is the purpose of this letter also? it is done out of abundance. For since it was likely that they would consider him who spoke from the temple and from the holy places as more venerable, he indicates this. But behold the perverse wickedness.

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προῤῥήσει. Εἰ προφῆταί εἰσι, καὶ ἔστι λόγος Κυρίου ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἀπαντησάτωσαν δὴ τῷ Κυρίῳ τῶν δυνάμεων πρὸς τὸ μὴ πορευθῆναι τὰ σκεύη τὰ ὑπολελειμμένα ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου, καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ βασιλέως Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα. Ἐπειδὴ οἱ ψευδοπροφῆται ἔφασκον μηδὲν μὲν πάσχειν τοὺς παρόντας, τὸ δὲ ἐναντίον, καὶ τοὺς 64.964 ἀποικισθέντας ἐπανιέναι, λέγει ὁ προφήτης. Εἰ ἀληθῶς εἰσιν οὗτοι προφῆται, καὶ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπαντησάτωσαν δὴ τῷ Κυρίῳ, τουτέστιν, εὐξάσθωσαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ὥστε τὰ ὄντα μὴ ἀπαχθῆναι, ὅπερ εὔκολον μᾶλλόν ἐστιν, ἢ τοὺς ἀποικισθέντας ἐπανελθεῖν, ἵνα ἀπὸ τούτων γνῶμεν, ὡς κἀκεῖνο ἔσται. Τί ἐστιν· Ἀπαντησάτωσάν μοι τῷ Θεῷ, ὥστε μὴ ἀπαχθῆναι τὰ σκεύη; Τουτέστι κωλῦσαι τὸν Θεὸν, πεῖσαι αὐτὸν, δεικνὺς καὶ ἐκεῖ τὸ τῶν εὐχομένων Forte ἐρχομένων εἰς ἀπάντησιν, μήποτε εἰς πόλεμον ἴσ. μήτε οὐ εἰς πόλ. ἢ εἰς τὸ κωλῦσαι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἐπελθεῖν αὐτοῖς. Οὐ λέγω, φησὶν, ὅτι Πεισάτωσαν ἀναγαγεῖν τὰ σκεύη, τὰ ληφθέντα· δυνηθήτωσαν τὰ σκεύη τὰ ὑπόλοιπα κωλῦσαι.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΚΗʹ.

Καὶ εἶπεν Ἱερεμίας. Ἀνανίου τοῦ ψευδοπροφήτου εἰρηκότος, ὡς μετὰ δύο ἔτη ὑποστρέφουσι τὰ ἅγια σκεύη ἐκ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος, εἶπεν ὁ Ἱερεμίας, ὅτι τὸ πέρας δείξει τῶν λόγων τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ἀληθῶς, κ. τ. λ. Ἵνα μὴ νομίσητε, ὅτι ἐγὼ ὑμῖν πολεμῶ· βούλομαι ἐγὼ καὶ εὔχομαι τοῦτο εἶναι, καὶ ἐμαυτὸν ψεύδεσθαι. Πλὴν ἀκούσατε. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ποιήσῃ, ὅρα πῶς αὐτοὺς φοβεῖ, μονονουχὶ λέγων, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἔσται τοιοῦτον, καὶ δεικνὺς, ὅτι πάντες οἱ προφῆται οἱ τὰ λυπηρὰ λέγοντες, οὗτοι μάλιστα ἦσαν ἀληθεῖς. *Καὶ ἔλαβεν Ἀνανίας ὁ ψευδοπροφήτης ἔναντι παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τοὺς κλοιοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ τραχήλου Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ συνέτριψεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ὁ Ἱερεμίας τὸν ζυγὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ τραχήλου φέρων κατὰ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόσταγμα, προφητεύσας κατὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν προεφήτευσε καὶ κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ἦν δὲ τέταρτον ἔτος τοῦ Σεδεκίου, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ προφήτης λέγει. Ἐν τοίνυν τῷ πέμπτῳ μηνὶ τούτου τοῦ ἔτους Ἀνανίας ὁ ψευδοπροφήτης ἐλθὼν ἐμήνυεν ἄοδον ἴσ. ἄνοδον τῶν αἰχμαλωτισθέντων, καὶ τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἀπώλειαν, καὶ, ὡς δὴ κατὰ πρόσταγμα Θεοῦ ποιῶν, συνέτριψε τὸν ζυγόν. Εἶτα κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀποκάλυψις τοῦ Ἱερεμίου, καὶ ἀποκάλυψις τῆς ἀληθείας τῶν λόγων· φησὶ γὰρ πρὸς αὐτόν. Ὅρα παρ' ἡμῖν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, τοὺς ἐλέγχους. Τί οὖν ὁ Ἱερεμίας; Οὐδὲν πλέον ἐποίησεν, ἀρκοῦντα τὸν ἔλεγχον ἐπιδειξάμενος. *Τούτῳ τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ σὺ ἀποθανῇ ὅτε ἐκδίκησιν ἐποίησας αὐτῷ, λαλήσας πρὸς τὸν Κύριον. Τουτέστιν ἐναντίαν τῇ βουλῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐπάγει· Καὶ ἀπέθανεν Ἀνανίας ὁ ψευδοπροφήτης ἐν τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ ἐκείνῳ ἐν τῷ μηνὶ ἑβδόμῳ μετὰ δύο μῆνας τῶν λόγων τοῦ προφήτου. Τούτων δὲ γενομένων γράφει ὁ Ἱερεμίας κατὰ πρόσταγμα Θεοῦ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀποικίᾳ μὴ 64.965 ἀπατᾶσθαι τοῖς λέγουσιν αὐτοῖς, ἐπανιέναι· εἰδέναι δὲ ὡς καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ γῇ αὖθις ἀποικισθήσονται.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΚΘʹ.

Καὶ οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν, εἰπὲ, πέμπει καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι; Μὴ γὰρ οὐκ εἶχον ἐκεῖ τὸν Ἰεζεκιήλ; Τί βούλεται καὶ αὕτη ἡ ἐπιστολή; ἐκ περιουσίας γίνεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτοὺς καὶ αἰδεσιμώτερον νομίζειν καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ναοῦ, καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων λέγοντα, σημαίνει τοῦτο. Ἄλλ' ὅρα διεστραμμένην κακίαν.