77

they might learn the divine ordinances. And you shall say to them: Thus says Adonai the Lord: (4, 5) Set on the cauldron, set it on, pour water into it, and put into it the pieces of meat, every good piece, leg and shoulder stripped of flesh from the bones. Taken from the choice cattle, and pile the bones under them. He calls the city a cauldron; the water poured in, the various calamities; and the pieces of meat, and legs and shoulders from choice cattle, those in prosperity, and wealth, and power, both rulers and leaders, and priests, delivered over to calamities in the same way; and the bones burning underneath, those living in poverty who were delivered over to famine first; and the fire, the Babylonian and his army. To these he adds: "It has boiled, it has boiled, and indeed its bones are cooked in its midst." For when the fire, he says, was thrown in, the bones burning underneath were consumed by the fire; for they have become a prey to famine, and those who escaped the assault of famine have come to the height of evils, receiving the attacks of the besiegers. 6. Therefore thus says Adonai the Lord: O city of blood, a cauldron, in which there is scum, and the scum has not gone out of it, bring it out piece by piece; no lot has fallen upon it. He taught us here that he also called the city a cauldron above, and he calls sin the scum of the cauldron. But it is a very great accusation that not even so great a fire of calamities consumed the scum of the cauldron. And the phrase "bring it out piece by piece; no lot has fallen upon it," signifies that no one escaped the calamities brought upon them, nor were some chosen by lot for destruction and others for salvation, as happened in the sieges that had already occurred before, but all without exception, some were delivered to famine, others to pestilence; and those who survived these things were either killed in battle, or were besieged and enslaved; and he also teaches the cause of the evils. 7. For her blood was in her midst. These things, he says, they endure, paying the penalty for their excessive bloodshed. I have set it on a bare rock, I have not poured it out on the ground, that the ground might cover it. 81.1053 (8) To arouse wrath for vengeance, I have given her blood for vengeance, I have set it on a bare rock that it might not be covered. I will not cover, he says, the transgressions dared by them, but I will make them bare, and I will show them to all, like some blood, not poured out on the earth and swallowed up, but thrown upon a smooth rock, and preserved forever, for an accusation of those who dared to shed it. 9-12. Therefore thus says Adonai the Lord: O city of blood, I myself will make the pile great. And I will multiply the wood, and I will kindle the fire, that the flesh may be boiled down, and the broth be reduced, and the bones be scorched. And let it stand empty on its coals; it was heated that it might be scorched, and that its bronze might be heated and burned, and that its impurity might melt in its midst, and that its scum might be consumed. Her scum is humbled, and it shall not go out from her. "I will make the pile great," he says, that is, I will increase the beginning of the evils. "And I will multiply the wood," instead of, I will provide many pretexts, and material for the fire of evils, so that I may kindle this, and "the flesh being boiled," that is, the men in the city, I may prepare to be consumed; and some may be consumed by famine, being scorched like bones, and others may be burned by all kinds of calamities, like flesh being boiled; and by the great assault of the fire the broth also shall be consumed, and every necessary need and pretext of comfort, so that henceforth the bronze itself by itself, coming into contact with the fire, may be melted down, and be consumed together with the scum. For when the defenders of the city were defeated, it was finally captured, became desolate, and was given over to fire; but nevertheless, he says, even when so many evils befell it, it was not freed from its scum, but the inclination to sin remained in it. Therefore he adds: Her scum is great, her scum shall be put to shame. (13.) In your impurity is boiling. You, he says, in your transgression the boiling

77

μάθωσι τὰ θεῖα θεσπίσματα. Καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· (δʹ, εʹ) Ἐπίστησον τὸν λέβητα, ἐπίστησον, ἔκχεε εἰς αὐτὸν ὕδωρ, καὶ ἔμβαλε εἰς αὐ τὸν διχοτομήματα, πᾶν διχοτόμημα καλὸν, σκέ λος καὶ ὦμον ἐκσεσαρκωμένα ἀπὸ τῶν ὀστῶν. Ἐξ ἐπιλέκτων κτηνῶν εἰλημμένων, καὶ ὑπόκαιε τὰ ὀστᾶ ὑποκάτω αὐτῶν. Λέβητα προσαγορεύει τὴν πόλιν· ὕδωρ δὲ ἐκχεόμενον τὰς παντοδαπὰς συμφοράς· καὶ διχοτομήματα δὲ, καὶ σκέλη καὶ ὤμους ἐξ ἐπιλέκτων κτηνῶν, τοὺς ἐν εὐπορίᾳ, καὶ πλούτῳ, καὶ δυνάμει ἄρχοντάς τε καὶ ἡγουμέ νους, καὶ ἱερέας, κατὰ ταὐτὸν παραδεδομένους ταῖς συμφοραῖς· ὀστᾶ δὲ ὑποκαιόμενα, τοὺς πενίᾳ συ ζῶντας προτέρους τῷ λιμῷ παραδοθέντας· πῦρ δὲ, τὸν Βαβυλώνιον καὶ τὴν τούτου παράταξιν. Τούτοις ἐπάγει· "Ἐξέζεσεν, ἐξέζεσε, καί γε ἥψηται τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτῆς ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς." Τοῦ γὰρ πυρὸς, φη σὶν, ἐμβληθέντος, τά τε ὑποκαιόμενα ὀστᾶ τῷ πυρὶ κατεδαπανήθη· τοῦ γὰρ λιμοῦ γεγένηται παραν άλωμα, καὶ οἱ διαφυγόντες τὴν τοῦ λιμοῦ προσβολὴν ἐν ἀκμῇ γεγένηνται τῶν κακῶν, τὰς τῶν πολιορκούν των δεχόμενοι προσβολάς. ʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ὦ πόλις αἱμάτων, λέβης, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ἰὸς ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ ὁ ἰὸς οὐκ ἐξῆλθεν ἐξ αὐτῆς, κατὰ μέλος αὐτῆς ἐξήνεγκεν· οὐκ ἔπεσεν ἐπ' αὐτὴν κλῆρος. Ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι καὶ ἄνω λέβητα τὴν πόλιν ὠνόμασεν, ἰὸν δὲ τοῦ λέβητος τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καλεῖ. Μεγίστη δὲ κατηγορία, ὅτι οὐδὲ τοσοῦτο πῦρ τῶν συμφορῶν τὸν τοῦ λέβητος ἰὸν ἐδαπάνησε. Τὸ δὲ "Κατὰ μέλος ἐξήνεγκεν, οὐκ ἔπεσεν ἐπ' αὐτὴν κλῆρος," δηλοῖ ὅτι οὐδεὶς τὰς ἐπενεχθείσας διέφυγε συμφορὰς, οὐδὲ ἐκληρώθησαν οἱ μὲν εἰς ὄλεθρον, οἱ δὲ εἰς σωτηρίαν, καθάπερ ἐν ταῖς ἤδη πρότερον γε γενημέναις πολιορκίαις συνέβη, ἀλλὰ πάντες ἁπαξ απλῶς, οἱ μὲν λιμῷ, οἱ δὲ λοιμῷ παρεδόθησαν· οἱ δὲ ταῦτα διαβάντες, ἢ πολεμοῦντες ἀνῃρέθησαν, ἢ πολιορκηθέντες ἐξηνδραποδίσθησαν· διδάσκει δὲ καὶ τῶν κακῶν τὴν αἰτίαν. ζʹ. Ὅτι αἷμα αὐτῆς ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ἐγένετο. Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶν, ὑπομένουσι τῆς ἄγαν μιαιφονίας τίνοντες δίκας. Ἐπὶ λεωπετρίαν τέταχα αὐτὸ, οὐκ ἐκκέχυκα αὐτὸ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, τοῦ καλύψαι αὐτὸν τὴν γῆν. 81.1053 (ηʹ) Τοῦ ἀναβῆναι θυμὸν εἰς ἐκδίκησιν, ἐκδικη θῆναι δέδωκα τὸ αἷμα αὐτῆς, ἐπὶ λεωπετρίαν τέταχα αὐτὸ τοῦ μὴ καλύψαι αὐτό. Οὐ κατα καλύψω, φησὶ, τὰς ὑπ' αὐτῶν τολμηθείσας παρανο μίας, ἀλλὰ γυμνὰς αὐτὰς καταστήσω, καὶ πᾶσιν ὑποδείξω, καθάπερ τι αἷμα, οὐκ ἐπὶ γῆς ἐκχεόμενον καὶ καταποθούμενον, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ λείας βαλλόμενον πέ τρας, καὶ εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς φυλαττόμενον, εἰς κατ ηγορίαν τῶν ἐκχέαι τοῦτο τετολμηκότων. θʹ-ιβʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ὦ πόλις τῶν αἱμάτων, καί γε ἐγὼ μεγαλυνῶ τὸν δαλόν. Καὶ πληθυνῶ τὰ ξύλα, καὶ ἀνα καύσω τὸ πῦρ, ὅπως τακῇ τὰ κρέα, καὶ ἐλατ τωθῇ ὁ ζωμὸς, καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ συμφρυγῇ. Καὶ στῇ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄνθρακας αὐτῆς κενή· ἐξήφθη ὅπως προσκαυθῇ, καὶ θερμανθῇ, καὶ ἐκφρυγῇ ὁ χαλκὸς αὐτῆς, καὶ τακῇ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ἡ ἀκαθαρσία αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐκλίπῃ ὁ ἰὸς αὐτῆς. Τα πεινωθῇ ὁ ἰὸς αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐξέλθῃ ἐξ αὐτῆς. "Μεγαλυνῶ, φησὶ, τὸν δαλὸν," τουτέστιν, αὐξήσω τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν κακῶν. "Καὶ πληθυνῶ τὰ ξύλα," ἀντὶ τοῦ, πολλὰς ἀφορμὰς παρέξω, καὶ ὕλας τῷ πυρὶ τῶν κακῶν, ἵνα τοῦτο μὲν ἀνακαύσω, "τὰ δὲ ἑψόμενα κρέα," τουτέστι, τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει ἀνθρώ πους, κατατακῆναι παρασκευάσω· καὶ οἱ μὲν ὑπὸ λιμοῦ δαπανηθῶσι, δίκην ὀστῶν συμφρυγόμενοι, οἱ δὲ ταῖς παντοδαπαῖς κατακαυθῶσι συμφοραῖς, καθ άπερ κρέα ἑψόμενα· τῇ δὲ πολλῇ τοῦ πυρὸς προσ βολῇ καὶ ὁ ζωμὸς δαπανηθήσηται, καὶ ἅπασα ἀναγκαία χρεία καὶ πρόφασις παραψυχῆς, ὥστε λοιπὸν αὐτὸν καθ' ἑαυτὸν τὸν χαλκὸν τῷ πυρὶ προσ ομιλοῦντα κατατακῆναι, καὶ σὺν τῷ ἰῷ δαπανηθῆ ναι. Τῶν γὰρ ὑπερμαχούντων τῆς πόλεως ἡττηθέν των, ἁλοῦσα λοιπὸν ἀνάστατος ἐγένετο, καὶ πυρὶ παρεδόθη· ἀλλ' ὅμως, φησὶ, καὶ τοσούτων αὐτῇ προσπεσόντων κακῶν οὐκ ἀπηλλάγη τοῦ ἰοῦ, ἀλλ' ἔμεινεν ἐν αὐτῇ ἡ περὶ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ῥοπή. ∆ιὸ ἐπάγει· Πολὺς ὁ ἰὸς αὐτῆς, καταισχυνθήσεται ὁ ἰὸς αὐτῆς. (ιγʹ.) Ἐν τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ σου ζέμα. Σὺ, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ παρανομίᾳ σου τὴν ζέσιν