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And the false prophets were corrupting them there. *Behold, I will give you into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and so on. These were false prophets, and after Jeremiah, following the death of Hananiah, wrote a letter having the power which he foretold to those in the colony, they prophesied the opposite. Therefore God speaks against them through the prophet, and says: Against Ahab and against Zedekiah. For he who hears who Ahab is and who this wretched one who was roasted in a pan might be, learned both the prophecy and their hidden sins. *Because of the iniquity they committed in Israel, and they committed adultery with the wives of the citizens. For when the Babylonian heard them say these things, he sent for them, brought them to Babylon, and having roasted them in a pan, killed them. But the phrase, they committed adultery with the wives of the citizens, the Hebrew has, of his companions. And I am the one who knows, and a witness, says the Lord. That is, what you do secretly, hidden from the many, I see these things and I exact justice from you. And to Shemaiah. And he also tells what will happen to their wives. The Lord made you a priest. What then, does he also send a prophet to this Shemaiah? Behold, three prophecies: one, that they will complete seventy years; another, that they will return; another, that those with Ahab will die, and they will be a curse. *Because he sent to you in Babylon, saying: It is a long time, build houses, and so on. This Shemaiah was an exile with those who were carried away; therefore, rejoicing in the return, he was delighted with those saying these things. Therefore, when the prophet wrote that letter, and exhorted the people to be content with the dwelling in Babylon, being indignant at Zephaniah, who was then a priest, he first writes these things which I have now set forth from the prophecy, rebuking Zephaniah because he did not exact justice from Jeremiah for sending these things; but the phrase, into the confinement of Sinoh, that is, into the confinement of the prison. For Sinoh is interpreted 64.968 as a place of confinement; for the Hebrew cannot say prison clearly, but instead of a jail, uses the word for a place of confinement. Behold, I will visit. What could be more monstrous than this? Shemaiah was the one not destined to see the good things of Jerusalem that preceded, and he gave them faith that it did not happen automatically; for since those with Jeconiah willingly surrendered themselves, so that they might not think they had received less by obeying God; You will see, he says, what will follow these things.

CHAPTER 30.

Thus said the Lord. So confident am I, he says, in the prediction, that I want it to be in writing, which the outcome will especially demonstrate. You will hear a voice of fear. Fear dissolves all strength; great is the love of God for mankind, not only because he brings terrible things, but also fear before the terrible things; they will be changed to the weakness of women. They have been turned. For fear does this also; it does not discipline from within, but from one's neighbors. For the day is great. Great according to the excess of terrible things, there is no other like it. It is said hyperbolically, and the time is short; the matter is not a prophecy, but an experience. I will break the yoke. But nevertheless they will recover from the inescapable terrors. And they will not serve. How do they serve God? Because they offered the first fruits; so it also happens in our case; when we do not work for God, nor offer to him the fruit of the flesh, but to the passions of the soul, just as they did to idols, another punishment remains. And David. What could be holier than this, when those who were distinguished, and had boldness before God, those with Zerubbabel, this great one from the

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Κἀκείνους ἐκεῖ διέφθειρον οἱ ψευδοπροφῆται. *Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ δώσω ὑμᾶς εἰς χεῖρας Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Οὗτοι ψευδοπροφῆται ἦσαν, καὶ τοῦ Ἱερεμίου μετὰ τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Ἀνανία γράψαντος ἐπιστολὴν ἔχουσαν τὴν δύναμιν, ἣν προεῖπεν πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀποικίᾳ, τὰ ἐναντία προεφήτευον. Λέγει τοίνυν κατ' αὐτῶν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου, καί φησι· Ἐπὶ Ἀχιὰβ καὶ ἐπὶ Σεδεκίαν. Ὁ γὰρ ἀκούων, τίς ὁ Ἀχιὰβ καὶ τίς εἴη ὁ δύσμορος οὗτος ὁ ἀποτηγανισθεὶς, ἐμάνθανε καὶ τὴν προφητείαν, καὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῶν τὰ κεκρυμμένα. *∆ι' ἣν ἐποίησαν ἀνομίαν ἐν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐμοιχῶντο τὰς γυναῖκας τῶν πολιτῶν. Ἀκούσας γὰρ ὁ Βαβυλώνιος ταῦτα λέγειν αὐτοὺς, ἀποστείλας παρέστησεν εἰς τὴν Βαβυλῶνα, καὶ τηγανίσας ἀπέκτεινε. Τὸ δὲ, ἐμοιχῶντο τὰς γυναῖκας τῶν πολιτῶν, ὁ Ἑβραῖος. τῶν ἑταίρων αὐτοῦ, ἔχει. Καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ γνώστης, καὶ μάρτυς, φησὶ Κύριος. Τουτέστιν, ἃ κρυφῆ πράττετε λανθάνοντες τοὺς πολλοὺς, ταῦτα ὁρῶ ἐγὼ καὶ εἰσπράττομαι ὑμᾶς τὴν δίκην. Καὶ πρὸς Σαμέαν. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τὰ συμβησόμενα εἰς τὰς γυναῖκας αὐτῶν. Κύριος ἔδωκέ σε ἱερέα. Τί οὖν, καὶ τούτῳ τῷ Σαμέᾳ πέμπει προφήτην; Ἰδοὺ τρεῖς προφητεῖαι· μία, ὅτι ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη ποιοῦσιν· ἑτέρα, ὅτι ἀνελεύσονται· ἑτέρα, ὅτι οἱ περὶ Ἀχιὰβ ἀποθανοῦνται, καὶ ἀρὰ ἔσονται. *∆ιότι ἀπέστειλε πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα λέγων· Μακράν ἐστιν, οἰκοδομήσατε τὰς οἰκίας, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Σαμέας οὗτος ἄποικος ἦν μετὰ τῶν ἀπαχθέντων· ἡδόμενος τοίνυν τῇ ἐπανόδῳ ἐτέρπετο τοῖς ταῦτα λέγουσι. Τοῦ τοίνυν προφήτου τὴν ἐπιστολὴν γράψαντος ἐκείνην, καὶ παραινοῦντος τῷ λαῷ στέργειν τὴν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι οἴκησιν, ἀγανακτήσας πρὸς τὸν Σοφονίαν, τότε ἱερέα τυγχάνοντα, πρῶτον γράφει ταῦτα, ἃ νῦν ἐκ τῆς προφητείας παρεθέμην, ἐπιτιμῶν τῷ Σοφονίᾳ, ὅτι μὴ δίκην εἰσεπράξατο τὸν Ἱερεμίαν ἐπιστείλαντα ταῦτα· τὸ δὲ, εἰς τὸ ἀπόκλεισμα Σινὼχ, τουτέστιν, εἰς τὸ ἀπόκλεισμα τῆς φυλακῆς. Τὸ γὰρ Σινὼχ, ἐγκλειστήριον ἑρμηνεύ 64.968 εται· ὁ γὰρ Ἑβραῖος φυλακὴν οὐ δύναται σαφῶς εἰπεῖν, ἀντὶ δὲ δεσμωτηρίου, τῇ τοῦ ἐγκλειστηρίου χρῆται φωνῇ. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπισκέψομαι. Τί τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν τερατωδέστερον; Σαμέας ἦν ὁ μὴ μέλλων ὁρᾷν τὰ ἀγαθὰ Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὰ προλαβόντα, κἀκείνοις πίστιν ἔδωκεν, ὅτι οὐκ αὐτόματα συνέβη· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ περὶ Ἰεχονίαν ἑκοντὶ παρέδωκαν ἑαυτοῖς, ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσιν ἔλαττον ἐσχηκέναι ὑπακούσαντες τῷ Θεῷ· Ὄψεσθε, φησὶν, ἃ τούτους διαδέξεται.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Λʹ.

Οὕτως εἶπε Κύριος. Οὕτω θαῤῥῶ, φησὶ, τῇ προῤῥήσει, ὅτι καὶ ἔγγραφον αὐτὴν εἶναι βούλομαι, ὃ μάλιστα ἐπιδείξεται τὸ τέλος. Φωνὴν φόβου ἀκούσεσθε. ∆ιαλύει τὴν ἰσχὺν πᾶσαν ὁ φόβος· πολλὴ ἡ φιλανθρωπία τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐχ ὅτι δεινὰ ἐπάγει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τῶν δεινῶν τὸν φόβον· πρὸς τὴν τῶν γυναικῶν ἀσθένειαν μεταστήσονται. Ἐστράφησαν. Καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο ὁ φόβος ποιεῖ· οὐ σωφρονίζει οἴκοθεν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τῶν πλησίον. Ὅτι μεγάλη ἡ ἡμέρα. Μεγάλη κατὰ τὴν τῶν δεινῶν ὑπερβολὴν, οὐκ ἔστι τοιαύτη. Ὑπερβολικῶς εἴρηται, καὶ χρόνος στενός ἐστιν· οὐκ ἔστι προφητεία τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀλλὰ πεῖρα. Συντρίψω τὸν ζυγόν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκ τῶν ἀφύκτων δεινῶν ἀνοίσουσιν. Καὶ οὐκ ἐργῶνται. Πῶς τῷ Θεῷ ἐργῶνται; Ἐπειδὴ τὰς ἀπαρχὰς ἀνέφερον· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν γίνεται· ὅταν μὴ τῷ Θεῷ ἐργαζώμεθα, μηδὲ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς σαρκὸς καρπὸν αὐτῷ προσενέγκωμεν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς πάθεσι τῆς ψυχῆς, καθάπερ τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐκεῖνοι, ἑτέρα τιμωρία μένει. Καὶ τὸν ∆αβίδ. Τί τούτου ἁγιώτερον γένοιτ' ἂν, ὅταν οἱ διαπρέψαντες, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν παῤῥησίαν ἐσχηκότες οἱ περὶ Ζοροβάβελ, τοῦτον δὴ μέγαν παρὰ τοῦ