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I will do, and she will suffer these things, which Nineveh suffered, the ancient metropolis of the Assyrians. And having punished them, I will bring Israel back to his ancestral land; for he calls it Bashan, and Carmel, and mount Ephraim. And he foretells also the change for the better, and the release from the former error. Then again he calls the land of the Chaldeans 'the land of those who provoke to bitterness'; and the enemies 'a sword'; and he commands these to rush upon those, and to do the things commanded by him. And 'a hammer of all the earth,' he called the kingdom of the Babylonians, as having brought a blow upon all the nations, and having destroyed the other kingdoms. For it is the property of a hammer to pulverize the things struck by it. 25, 26. The Lord has opened his treasury, and has brought out the instruments of his wrath; for there is a work for God, and the Lord of hosts, in the land of the Chaldeans. For her times have come. He calls the enemies instruments of wrath, as serving his wrath. And treasuries, he called the punitive decree, and her times, the punishment. For no longer, he says, will the Master be long-suffering, but will demand justice for the impiety. Then teaching how he himself brings on the punishment, he urges also to search the storehouses, and to destroy everything, and to leave not even a trace of her former prosperity. And he foretells also those fleeing from there, the multitude of the Jews, and their seizing Jerusalem, and announcing the evils that have befallen Babylon. Then having urged her to suffer what she has done, 'For render to her,' he says, 'according to her works,' and having shown her madness against God himself, he directs his words to her. 31. Behold, I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, O insolent one. The given name alludes to the pride against God, and signifies the lawlessness toward all men. For the day of your fall has come, and the time of your vengeance. (32.) And your insolence will grow weak, and will fall, and there will be no one to raise it up; and I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it will devour all that is round about her. Forest, the multitude of the inhabitants; 'those round about,' the subjects; 'and weakness of insolence,' the destruction of the dynasty. And these things, he says, they will suffer, because having enslaved my people, they were not willing to give them back their freedom at the proper time. For this reason, 81.745, he threatens to hand over to the enemies, both the city, and the inhabitants, and the oracles of falsehood, and those accustomed to be pre-eminent in it, and those who have come to their aid, and the treasures laid up. And he threatens also to make her water disappear; and water he tropically calls the multitude; but it is likely he also foretells the things that will happen to the water. For long ago the Euphrates cut through her middle, but now the river has been diverted into another course, and a very small channel passes through the ruins. And he calls the houses of the city islands, as the surrounding walls were washed by water, and again having the river in the middle of the city. And he calls idols the apparitions of demons; and daughters of Sirens the Syrian interpreted as ostriches; and it is a custom in the divine Scripture to call demons thus, because of their charming and deceiving men; and these, however, and those are indicative of the desolation. 'And it will not be built up again for ever, and it will not be inhabited again for generations and generations.' And both have reached their end; for it was not built up, but has been deprived of its surrounding walls even to this day, and for the most part remained uninhabited; for this he said 'for generations and generations.' And even now a few Jews inhabit this land. And he likens it to Sodom and Gomorrah, both because of its former impiety, and because of the punishment later inflicted. And he shows also the full armor of the enemies, and says it is like a surging sea; and he compares it to fire

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πράξομαι, καὶ ταῦτα πείσεται, ἃ πέπονθεν ἡ Νινευῒ, ἡ παλαιὰ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων μητρόπολις. Τούτους δὲ τιμωρησά μενος, ἐπανάξω τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὴν πατρῴαν γῆν· Βάσαν γὰρ, καὶ Κάρμηλον, καὶ ὄρος Ἐφραῒμ, αὐτὴν καλεῖ. Προλέγει δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω μετα βολὴν, καὶ τὴν τῆς προτέρας πλάνης ἀπαλλαγήν. Εἶτα "γῆν παραπικραινόντων" πάλιν τὴν τῶν Χαλ δαίων καλεῖ· μάχαιραν δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους· καὶ κε λεύει τούτοις κατ' ἐκείνων ὁρμῆσαι, καὶ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ κελευόμενα πράξαι. "Σφύραν δὲ πάσης τῆς γῆς," τὴν τῶν Βαβυλωνίων βασιλείαν ὠνόμασεν, ὡς πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι ἐπενεγκοῦσαν πληγὴν, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας καταλύσασαν βασιλείας. Ἴδιον γάρ ἐστι σφύρας τὸ λεπτύνειν τὰ παρ' αὐτῆς τυπτόμενα. κεʹ, κϛʹ. Ἤνοιξε Κύριος τὸν θησαυρὸν αὑτοῦ, καὶ ἐξήνεγκε τὰ σκεύη τῆς ὀργῆς αὑτοῦ· ὅτι ἔργον ἐστὶ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ Κυρίῳ τῶν δυνάμεων, ἐν γῇ Χαλδαίων. Ὅτι ἐληλύθασιν οἱ καιροὶ αὐτῆς. Σκεύη ὀργῆς τοὺς πολεμίους καλεῖ, ὡς τῇ ὀργῇ ὑπουργοῦντας. Θησαυροὺς δὲ, τὴν τιμωρητι κὴν ψῆφον, καιροὺς δὲ αὐτῆς, τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐκάλε σεν. Οὐκέτι γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ ∆εσπότης μακροθυμήσει, ἀλλ' ἀπαιτήσει δίκας τῆς ἀσεβείας. Εἶτα διδάσκων, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐπάγει τὴν τιμωρίαν, παρακελεύεται καὶ τὰς ἀποθήκας ἐρευνῆσαι, καὶ πάντα διαφθεῖραι, καὶ μηδὲ ἴχνος τῆς προτέρας εὐπραξίας καταλιπεῖν. Προλέγει δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐκεῖθεν ἀποδιδράσκοντας, τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καταλαμ-βάνοντας, καὶ μηνύοντας τὰ κατειληφότα τὴν Βαβυ λῶνα κακά. Ἔπειτα παρακελευσάμενος αὐτὴν πα θεῖν ἃ δέδρακεν, "Ἀνταπόδοτε γὰρ αὐτῇ, φησὶ, κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῆς," καὶ τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ μανίαν ἐπιδείξας, πρὸς αὐτὴν ποιεῖται τοὺς λόγους. λαʹ. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ σὲ, λέγει Κύριος τῶν δυνά μεων, τὴν ὑβρίστριαν. Ἡ τεθεῖσα προσηγορία τὸν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τύφον αἰνίττεται, καὶ τὴν εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους παρανομίαν δηλοῖ. Ὅτι ἥκει ἡμέρα τῆς πτώσεώς σου, καὶ καιρὸς ἐκδικήσεώς σου. (λβʹ.) Καὶ ἀσθενήσει ἡ ὕβρις σου, καὶ πεσεῖται, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ ἀνιστῶν αὐτήν· καὶ ἀνάψω πῦρ ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ αὐτῆς, καὶ καταφάγεται πάντα τὰ κύκλῳ αὐτῆς. ∆ρυμὸν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἐνοικούντων· "Τὰ δὲ κύκλῳ," τοὺς ὑπηκόους· "ἀσθένειαν δὲ ὕβρεως," τὴν τῆς δυνα στείας κατάλυσιν. Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶ, πείσονται, ὅτι τὸν ἐμὸν ἐξανδραποδίσαντες λαὸν, ἀποδοῦναι τὴν ἐλευθε ρίαν αὐτοῖς εἰς καιρὸν οὐκ ἠθέλησαν. Τούτου δὴ 81.745 χάριν, ἀπειλεῖ παραδώσειν τοῖς πολεμίοις, καὶ τὴν πόλιν, καὶ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας, καὶ τὰ τῆς ψευδολο γίας μαντεῖα, καὶ τοὺς ἀριστεύειν ἐν αὐτῇ εἰω θότας, καὶ τοὺς εἰς ἐπικουρίαν αὐτῶν ἀφικομένους, καὶ τοὺς ἀποκειμένους θησαυρούς. Ἀπειλεῖ δὲ καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ αὐτῆς φροῦδον ποιήσειν· ὕδωρ δὲ τροπικῶς τὸ πλῆθος καλεῖ· εἰκὸς δὲ προαγορεύειν καὶ τὰ τῷ ὕδατι συμβησόμενα. Πάλαι γὰρ αὐτὴν μέσην ἔτεμνεν ὁ Εὐφράτης, νῦν δὲ ὁ μὲν ποταμὸς ἐτέτραπτο εἰς ἑτέραν ὁδὸν, σμικροτάτη δὲ διώρυξ διὰ τῶν ἐρει πίων ὁδεύει. Νήσους δὲ καλεῖ τὰς τῆς πόλεως οἰκίας, ὡς κύκλῳ τοὺς περιβόλους ὕδατος περικλύζοντος, καὶ πάλιν ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πόλεως ἐχούσας τὸν ποταμόν. Ἰνδάλματα δὲ τὰς τῶν δαιμόνων φαντασίας κα λεῖ· θυγατέρας δὲ Σειρήνων ὁ Σύρος τοὺς στρουθο καμήλους ἡρμήνευσε· καὶ δαίμονας δὲ ἔθος οὕτω καλεῖν τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, διὰ τὸ καταθέλγειν καὶ ἐξ απατᾷν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους· καὶ οὗτοι μέντοι κἀκεῖνοι τῆς ἐρημίας σημαντικοί. "Καὶ οὐκ οἰκοδομηθήσε ται ἔτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ οὐ κατοικηθήσεται ἔτι εἰς γενεὰς καὶ γενεάς." Καὶ τετύχηκεν ἀμφό τερα πέρατος· οὔτε γὰρ ᾠκοδομήθη, ἀλλ' ἐστέρηται τῶν περιβόλων μέχρι καὶ τήμερον, καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἀοίκητος ἔμεινε· τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν "εἰς γενεὰς καὶ γενεάς." Καὶ νῦν δὲ ὀλίγοι τὴν γῆν ταύτην οἰκοῦ σιν Ἰουδαῖοι. Ἀπεικάζει δὲ αὐτὴν Σοδόμοις καὶ Γομόῤῥοις, καὶ διὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀσέβειαν, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐπενεχθεῖσαν ὕστερον ζημίαν. Ὑποδείκνυσι δὲ καὶ τῶν πολεμίων τὴν πανοπλίαν, καὶ ἐοικέναι φησὶ θαλάσσῃ κυμαινούσῃ· καὶ πυρὶ παραβάλλει