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princes in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and we were filled with bread and we became prosperous and we saw no evil.” And Azarias and Johanan and those like them cried out openly to the same prophet: “You speak falsely, the Lord our God has not sent you to us, saying: Do not enter Egypt to dwell there. But Baruch the son of Neriah sets you against us, that you may give us into the hands of the Chaldeans to kill us and to carry us away to Babylon.” The prophet at hand speaks of this disobedience of theirs and their impious opinion: Turn us away from this path and take away from us the oracle of the Holy One of Israel. Thus the prophecy clearly resembles its basis. 12∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ ἅγιος· Because you have disobeyed these words and hoped in falsehood and because you have murmured and become confident in this word, 13therefore this sin shall be to you as a falling wall, immediately, of a strong city that has been captured, whose fall is immediate; 14and its fall shall be as the shattering of an earthen vessel of fine pottery, so that one cannot find among them a sherd with which you might take fire from a hearth and with which you might draw a little water. He compared the hope in the Egyptians to a wall being demolished and a city being captured, and to the parable he added another parable: for he said that the city suffering these things is like an earthen vessel being shattered and enduring such a shattering, that even the sherds of the vessel remain completely useless because of their smallness. But the Master, being benevolent, after the threat offers an exhortation to repentance: 15Ὅτι οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· when you turn back and groan, then you shall be saved and you shall know where you were, when you trusted in vain things. The definition of repentance is not only to groan over sins but also to flee them and to turn away from their path and to travel the opposite path. For the divine word has also made this clear: When you turn back and groan. Not when you simply groan, but when, having left the path of transgression, you lament what has happened, then you will obtain salvation and you will come to a perception of your former impiety. Your strength has become futile. And you were not willing to hear 16but you said: We will flee on horses; for this reason you will flee. And you said: We will be on swift mounts; for this reason those who pursue you will be swift. The opposite of what you hope for will happen. Then he foretells how ten thousand will not withstand the attack of a few enemies, and signifying their great destruction he added: 17until you are left like a mast on a mountain and as one bearing a standard on a hill. Symmachus translated "the standard" as "a sail," while Aquila and Theodotion translated it as "a banner." And what he says is this: The many trees on the mountains are not so conspicuous; but if somewhere on a mountaintop a single pine or cypress should be left, it is very conspicuous to those passing by. Thus he says you too, though few, will be left out of the many myriads, and your evils will become conspicuous. 18And again God will wait to have compassion on you, and for this reason he will be exalted to have mercy on you. But nevertheless, even after these things he will deem you worthy of his forbearance and will teach those who are ignorant of his own strength. Because the Lord our God is your judge. |138 a| Blessed are all they that wait for him, 19because a holy people will dwell in Zion. And the prophet has said these things, urging them to remain and not to flee to Egypt. And he also foretold the return from Babylon; for he called them a holy people. Such was Jesus the son of Josedec, such was Zerubbabel, such was Ezra, such was Nehemiah and <οἱ> with them all who brought diligence to the building both of the temple and of the city. And the discourse also refers to the faithful after the incarnation of our savior, who, when the unbelievers were driven out of Jerusalem, inhabited the city with a brilliant life and propitiated God with continual hymns. And Jerusalem wept with weeping: Have mercy on me. By personification

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ἄρχοντες ἐν πόλεσιν Ἰούδα καὶ ἐν διόδοις Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ ἐπλήσθημεν ἄρτων καὶ ἐγενήθημεν χρηστοὶ καὶ κακὰ οὐκ εἴδομεν.» Καὶ Ἀζαρίας δὲ καὶ Ἰωανὰν καὶ οἱ τούτοις παραπλήσιοι ἄντικρυς πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν ἐβόων προφήτην· «Ψευδῆ λαλεῖς σύ, οὐκ ἀπέστειλέ σε κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν πρὸς ἡμᾶς λέγων· Μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς Αἴγυπτον οἰκεῖν ἐκεῖ. Ἀλλὰ Βαροὺχ υἱὸς Νηρίου συμβάλλει σε πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἵνα δῷς ἡμᾶς εἰς χεῖρας Χαλδαίων τοῦ θανατῶσαι ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀποικίσαι ἡμᾶς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα.» Ταύτην αὐτῶν τὴν ἀπείθειαν καὶ τὴν δυσσεβῆ γνώμην ὁ μετὰ χεῖρας λέγει προφήτης· Ἀποστρέψατε ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ ταύτης καὶ ἀφέλετε ἡμῶν τὸ λόγιον τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰσραήλ. Οὕτως ἐναργῶς ἔοικε τῇ ἐκ βάσει ἡ πρόρρησις. 12∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ ἅγιος· Ὅτι ἠπειθήσατε τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις καὶ ἠλπίσατε ἐπὶ ψεύδει καὶ ὅτι ἐγογγύσατε καὶ πεποιθότες ἐγένεσθε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ, 13διὰ τοῦτο ἔσται ὑμῖν ἡ ἁμαρτία αὕτη ὡς τεῖχος πῖπτον παραχρῆμα πόλεως ὀχυρᾶς ἑαλωκυίας ἧς παραχρῆμα πάρεστι τὸ πτῶμα· 14καὶ τὸ πτῶμα αὐτῆς ἔσται ὡς σύντριμμα ἀγγείου ὀστρακίνου ἐκ κεραμίου λεπτά, ὥστε μὴ εὑρεῖν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὄστρακον ἐν ᾧ πῦρ ἀρεῖς ἀπὸ καύστρας καὶ ἐν ᾧ ἀποσυριεῖς ὕδωρ μικρόν. Τὴν ἐπ' Αἰγυπ τίους ἐλπίδα περιβόλῳ καταλυομένῳ καὶ πόλει ἁλισκομένῃ ἀπείκασε καὶ τῇ παραβολῇ παραβολὴν ἑτέραν παρέθηκεν· ἐοικέναι γὰρ ἔφη τὴν ταῦτα πάσχουσαν πόλιν ἀγγείῳ ὀστρακίνῳ συντριβομένῳ καὶ τοσαύτην ὑπομένοντι συντρι βήν, ὡς παντελῶς ἄχρηστα διαμεῖναι διὰ σμικρότητα καὶ αὐτὰ τοῦ ἀγγείου τὰ ὄστρακα. Φιλάνθρωπος δὲ ὢν ὁ δε σπότης μετὰ τὴν ἀπειλὴν μετανοίας προφέρει παραίνεσιν· 15Ὅτι οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· ὅταν ἀποστραφεὶς στενάξῃς, τότε σωθήσῃ καὶ γνώσῃ ποῦ ἦσθα, ὅτε ἐπεποίθεις ἐπὶ τοῖς ματαίοις. Μετανοίας ὅρος οὐ τὸ στένειν μόνον ἐπὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ φεύγειν ταύτας καὶ τὴν τούτων ὁδὸν ἀποστρέφεσθαι καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν ὁδεύειν. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ θεῖος δεδήλωκε λόγος· Ὅταν ἀποστραφεὶς στενάξῃς. Οὐχ ὅταν ἁπλῶς στενάξῃς ἀλλ' ὅταν καταλιπὼν τὴν παρανομίας ὁδὸν τὰ γεγενημένα θρηνήσῃς, τότε τεύξῃ τῆς σωτηρίας καὶ τῆς προτέρας δυσσεβείας ἐν αἰσθήσει γενήσῃ. Ματαία ἡ ἰσχὺς ὑμῶν ἐγενήθη. Καὶ οὐκ ἐβούλεσθε ἀκούειν 16ἀλλ' εἴπατε· Ἐφ' ἵππων φευξόμεθα· διὰ τοῦτο φεύξεσθε. Καὶ εἴπατε· Ἐπὶ κούφοις ἀναβάταις ἐσόμεθα· διὰ τοῦτο κοῦφοι ἔσονται οἱ διώκοντες ὑμᾶς. Ὧν ἐλπίζετε τἀναντία γενήσεται. Εἶτα προλέγει ὡς μύριο ι κα ὶ τὴν ὀλίγων πολεμίων οὐ δέξονται προσβολήν, καὶ τὸν πολὺν αὐτῶν σημαίνων ὄλεθρον ἐπήγαγεν· 17ἕως ἂν καταλειφθῆτε ὡς ἱστὸς ἐπ' ὄρους καὶ ὡς σημαίαν φέρων ἐπὶ βουνοῦ. Τὴν σημαίαν ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος «ἱστίον» ἡρμήνευσεν, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας καὶ Θεοδοτίων «σύσσημον». Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Τὰ πολλὰ δένδρα ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν οὐχ οὕτως ἐστὶν ἐπίσημα· εἰ δέ που ἐν ὄρους κορυφῇ μία πίτυς ἢ κυπάριττος κατα λειφθείη, λίαν ἐστὶ τοῖς παριοῦσιν ἐπίσημος. Οὕτω φησὶ καὶ ὑμεῖς ὀλίγοι μὲν ἐκ τῶν πολλῶν καταλειφθήσεσθε μυριάδων, ἐπίσημα δὲ ὑμῶν γενήσεται τὰ κακά. 18Καὶ πάλιν μενεῖ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ οἰκτειρῆσαι ὑμᾶς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὑψωθήσεται τοῦ ἐλεῆσαι ὑμᾶς. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα φειδοῦς ὑμᾶς ἀξιώσει καὶ διδάξει τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας τὴν οἰκείαν ἰσχύν. ∆ιότι κριτὴς ὑμῶν κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν. |138 a| Μακάριοι πάντες οἱ ὑπομένοντες αὐτόν, 19διότι λαὸς ἅγιος ἐν Σιὼν κατοικήσει. Καὶ ταῦτα προτρέ πων αὐτοὺς μένειν καὶ μὴ καταφεύγειν εἰς Αἴγυπτον εἴρηκεν ὁ προφήτης. Προεδήλωσε δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον· λαὸν γὰρ ἅγιον ἐκείνους ἐκάλεσεν. Τοιοῦτος ἦν Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ἰωσεδέκ, τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Ζοροβάβελ, τοιοῦτος ὁ Ἔζρας, τοιοῦτος ὁ Νεεμίας καὶ <οἱ> μετὰ τούτων πᾶσαν εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομίαν καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τῆς πόλεως εἰσενεγκόντες σπουδήν. Ἀνάγεται δὲ ὁ λόγος καὶ εἰς τοὺς μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν πιστούς, οἳ τῶν ἀπίστων ἐκ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐξελαθέντων ᾤκησαν τὴν πόλιν βίῳ λαμπρῷ καὶ ὕμνοις διηνεκέσι τὸν θεὸν ἐξιλεούμενοι. Καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ κλαυθμῷ ἔκλαυσεν· Ἐλέησόν με. Προσωποποιίᾳ