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they might receive the world of God, to be named by the name of David? I raised up a breaking. As if some master, having handed over to an executioner one of his household who had sinned, and that one having flogged the one handed over beyond measure, and contrary to what seemed right to the master, this one who handed him over comes and almost apologizes to the one who was flogged, showing that this did not happen according to his own commission, and carefully examining his wounds, and promising a myriad punishments for that one. So also God does. The breaking is violent. Do you see him apologizing, that he received a grievous wound? For this is violent, not as much as was necessary, but much more. 64.969 There is no one judging. That is, no one avenged, no one helped. To suffer some evil is unbearable; but after suffering, not even to have someone to comfort, is more unbearable. You were healed unto pain. For since he brought the captivity to them like some medical treatment, he says, The therapy left behind much pain; as in the case of some ignorant physician, not knowing how to cut well. For this reason all who eat you. They will have shame from one another, each will feed his neighbor with his own body; they will suffer these things which they have done. For I will bring up. For even if the wound is incurable, yet not for Me. Because you were called "scattered." The rest say, "girded," since you paid the penalty. A great good, for even the wicked and desperate to be saved by God not through punishments and chastisements, but through virtue and repentance. And they will go out, singing from them. What then of those who are about to be destroyed? For indeed these things not only did not cheer them, but also grieved them more. For consider an old man, hearing that after seventy years there will be good things. For because of this he also dwells on these things with them, that he might bite them more; but those in their prime, that by bringing them to hope he might chasten them more. And they will enter. See how he speaks of their prosperity, their worship, and their security, and that they will be many, and will have their laws. For these things were dear to them. Because it is wrath. These things, he says, will be, do not seek these things now; for now is the time of our punishment.

CHAPTER 31.

At that time. When the others perish, he speaks of the things concerning the Babylonians. *Thus says the Lord: I found warmth in the desert with those who perished by the sword, going to the libations of Israel. Go, and do not destroy Israel. It is found very obscurely in the Greek; but this meaning is preserved in the Hebrew: He who was left from the sword found grace in me, as Israel in the wilderness. For what the Greek interpreted as "warmth," the Hebrew has "grace"; and the error of the interpretation has come from the name. For *om* in the Hebrew language, when aspirated, is "warmth," but *en* is "graced beauty," and "of those who perished by the sword" means "he who was left by the sword." So that he might say, "Those who were saved after the death, these I save." And "going to the libations of Israel" means, "When I was going to his rest in the wilderness," which he says more clearly through the things that follow. *Go, and do not destroy Israel. 64.972 That is, when I was walking, going before him, that I might give him rest; for so the Hebrew has it. And "go" is interpreted obscurely, because the translator did not preserve the tense. for instead of "walking," he has "go," for so also Moses appears saying: If you do not go, do not bring me up. Do you see? Everywhere he is eager to show that the whole is his. He said, "When the Babylonians are perishing, you will be saved." Then he shows what is beyond hope, and how it was not of human

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Θεοῦ δέξωνται τὸν κόσμον, τὸ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ὀνομάζεσθαι; Ἀνέστησα σύντριμμα Ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις δεσπότης δημίῳ τινὰ ἡμαρτηκότα παραδοὺς τῶν οἰκείων, ἐκείνου πέρα τοῦ μέτρου μαστίξαντος τὸν παραδεδομένον, καὶ παρὰ τὸ τῷ δεσπότῃ δοκοῦν, ἔλθων οὗτος ὁ παραδοὺς, σχεδὸν καὶ ἀπολογεῖται πρὸς τὸν μεμαστιγωμένον, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐ κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ γέγονε τοῦτο ἐπιτροπὴν, καὶ καταμανθάνων αὐτοῦ τὰ τραύματα ἀκριβῶς, καὶ ἐπαγγελλόμενος μυρίαν ἐκείνῳ τιμωρίαν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ποιεῖ. Βίαιον τὸ σύντριμμα. Ὁρᾷς αὐτὸν ἀπολογούμενον, ὅτι χαλεπὸν τὸ τραῦμα ἔλαβε; Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι βίαιον, οὐχ ὅσον ἔδει, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ πλέον. 64.969 Οὐκ ἔστι κρίνων. Τουτέστιν, οὐδεὶς ἐξεδίκησεν, οὐδεὶς ἐβοήθησεν. Ἀφόρητον τὸ κακόν τι παθεῖν· τὸ δὲ μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν μηδὲ τὸν παρακαλοῦντα ἔχειν, ἀφορητότερον. Εἰς ἀλγηρὸν ἰατρεύθης. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καθάπερ ἰατρείαν τινὰ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν προσῆγεν αὐτοῖς, λέγει, Πολλὴν ἡ θεραπεία ὀδύνην ἐναφῆκεν· ὥσπερ ἐπί τινος ἀμαθοῦς ἰατροῦ, οὐκ εἰδότος τέμνειν καλῶς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντες οἱ ἔσθοντές σε. Αἰσχύνας ἀπ' ἀλλήλων ἕξουσι, τοῖς οἰκείοις ἕκαστος τὸν πλησίον θρέψει σώμασι· πείσονται ταῦτα ἅπερ ἐποίησαν. Ὅτι ἀνάξω. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀνίατον τὸ τραῦμα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐμοί. Ὅτι ἐσπαρμένη ἐκλήθης. Οἱ λοιποί φασιν, ἐζωσμένη, ἐπειδὴ δίκην ἔδωκας. Μέγα ἀγαθὸν, μὴ διὰ τιμωρίας καὶ κολάσεις σώζεσθαι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοὺς πονηροὺς καὶ ἀπεγνωσμένους, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀρετὴν καὶ μετάνοιαν. Καὶ ἐξελεύσονται, ἀπ' αὐτῶν ᾄδοντες. Τί οὖν πρὸς ἐκείνους τοὺς μέλλοντας ἀναιρεῖσθαι; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον αὐτοὺς οὐκ εὔφρανε ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλύπει πλέον. Ἐννόησον γὰρ ἄνθρωπον γεγηρακότα, ἀκούοντα ὅτι μετὰ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη ἔσται τὰ ἀγαθά. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἐνδιατρίβει αὐτοῖς, ἵνα μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς δάκῃ· τοὺς δὲ ἐν ἡλικίᾳ, ἵνα εἰς ἐλπίδας ἀγαγὼν σωφρονίσῃ πλέον. Καὶ εἰσελεύσονται. Ὅρα πῶς λέγει τὴν εὐπραγίαν αὐτῶν, τὴν λατρείαν, καὶ τὴν ἄδειαν, καὶ ὅτι πολλοὶ ἔσονται, καὶ τὰ νόμιμα ἕξουσι. Ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἦν φίλα. Ὅτι ὀργή. Ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἔσται, μὴ νῦν ταῦτα ζήτει· νῦν γὰρ τῆς τιμωρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας ὁ καιρός.

ΚΕΦΑΛ ΛΑʹ.

Ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ. Ὅταν οἱ ἄλλοι ἀπόλωνται, τὰ κατὰ Βαβυλωνίους φησί. *Οὕτως εἶπε Κύριος· Εὗρον θερμὸν ἐν ἐρήμῳ μετὰ ὀλωλότων ἐν μαχαίρᾳ πορευομένους εἰς σπονδὰς Ἰσραήλ. Βαδίσατε, καὶ μὴ ὀλέσητε τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Σφόδρα ἀσαφῶς κεῖται παρὰ τῷ Ἑλληνικῷ· αὕτη δὲ ἡ ἔννοια σώζεται παρὰ τῷ Ἑβραίῳ· Εὗρε χάριν ἐν ἐμοὶ ὑπολελειμμένος ἐκ τῆς μαχαίρας ὡς ἐν τῇ πανερήμῳ ὁ Ἰσραήλ. Ὃ γὰρ θερμὸν ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Ἕλλην, τοῦτο, χάριν, ἔχει ὁ Ἑβραῖος· ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἐπωνυμίας τὸ σφάλμα τῆς ἑρμηνείας γέγονε. Τὸ γὰρ ὣμ κατὰ τὴν Ἑβραίων φωνὴν δασυνόμενον, θερμόν ἐστι, τὸ δὲ ἦν, κάλλος κεχαριτωμένον, τὸ δὲ, ὀλωλότων ἐν μαχαίρᾳ, τουτέστιν, ὁ ὑποληφθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς μαχαίρας. Ἵνα εἴπῃ, Τοὺς περισωθέντας μετὰ τὸν θάνατον, τούτους σώζω. Τὸ δὲ πορευομένους εἰς σπονδὰς Ἰσραὴλ, τουτέστιν, Ἡνίκα ἐπορευόμην πρὸς ἀνάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ πανερήμῳ, ὅπερ σαφέστερον διὰ τῶν ἐπαγομένων λέγει. *Βαδίσατε, καὶ μὴ ὀλέσητε τὸν Ἰσραήλ. 64.972 Τουτέστιν, ἡνίκα ἐβάδιζον προπορευόμενος αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἀναπαύσω αὐτόν· οὕτω γὰρ ἔχει ὁ Ἑβραῖος. Τὸ δὲ βαδίσατε ἡρμήνευται ἀσαφῶς, διὰ τὸ μὴ τὸν χρόνον φυλάξαι τὸν ἑρμηνευθέντα ἴσ. ἑρμηνεύσαντα· ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ, βαδίζων, βαδίσατε ἔχει, οὕτω γὰρ φαίνεται καὶ ὁ Μωσῆς λέγων· Εἰ μὴ σὺ πορεύῃ, μὴ ἀναγάγῃς με. Ὁρᾶς; Πανταχοῦ σπουδάζει δεικνύειν, ὅτι αὐτοῦ τὸ πᾶν ἐστιν. Εἶπε, Βαβυλωνίων ἀπολλυμένων, σὺ διασωθήσῃ. Εἶτα δείκνυσι τὸ παρ' ἐλπίδα, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἦν ἀνθρωπίνων