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preaches the Master's love for humanity. For in punishing He shows mercy, and in bringing discipline He comforts, and He mixes the verdict of the just with loving-kindness. Let us therefore fear the justice of the judgment, and trusting in His loving-kindness, let us not despair of salvation; but let us await the divine mercy, and let us travel the straight path, so that we may attain the blessed end, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom be glory to our Father, with the all-holy Spirit, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. VOLUME 11. BARUCH. CHAPTER 1. The wonderful Baruch departed for Egypt with the fugitive Jews; for this we were taught in the preceding books; however, five years after the city was captured, he reached Babylon. For the disciples brought all zeal for piety, so as to support the weak, and to guide them to the truth. Arriving therefore in Babylon, he read aloud the prophecy of the divine Jeremiah to all the captives, and indeed also to Jeconiah, who after reigning for a short time became a captive of the spear; and he did not miss his mark. For he brought them to an awareness of their former sins, so that they might know the cause of the disaster, and shed many tears, and each contribute money, and send this to the remaining priests in Jerusalem, 81.761 so as to purchase sacrificial animals, and to offer these, and to propitiate the Lord God. For the Hebrews call the manna a sacrifice. And they ask for life, both for Nebuchadnezzar, and for Belshazzar his son. Thus also the divine Apostle legislated to pray for kings who were still warring against piety, and for those in high station and authority. Such is the harmony of the old with the new. And being compelled to serve, they themselves also ask for their eyes to be enlightened, so that they might not endure any deception. And they call to mind their own sins, and they confess the justice of the divine verdict. And they entreat that their letter itself be read to God on the splendid feasts. 15. 16. And you shall say, it says, To the Lord our God belongs righteousness, but to us shame of face, as at this day, to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to our rulers, and to our priests, before the Lord. Most just, it says, is the verdict of God brought against us; but we are worthy of shame, having all transgressed in common. For with the kings, the priests also were turned to the contrary. 17, 18. Because we disobeyed him. And we have not hearkened to the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in the commandments of the Lord, which he gave before our face. And they are mindful also of the old things. 19. For from when our fathers were freed from the slavery of the Egyptians, until the present, we have continued to transgress the divine law; and we contrived so as not to hear his voice. And "we contrived," instead of, "and we devised kinds of sins;" such men the blessed Paul also calls inventors of evil things; and we reaped, he says, the fruits of our sins. 20. For the evils clung to us, and the curse, which the Lord commanded to Moses his servant. The law contains both the curses and the blessings; for those who keep it, the blessings, but for those who transgress it, the curses.

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τὴν τοῦ ∆εσπότου φιλανθρωπίαν κηρύττει. Κολά ζων γὰρ ἐλεεῖ, καὶ παιδείαν ἐπάγων ψυχαγωγεῖ, καὶ τοῦ δικαίου τὴν ψῆφον τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ κιρνᾷ. Ἡμεῖς τοίνυν τῆς κρίσεως τὸ δίκαιον δείσωμεν, καὶ τῇ φιλ ανθρωπίᾳ θαῤῥοῦντες, μὴ ἀπαγορεύσωμεν τὴν σω τηρίαν· ἀλλὰ τὸν θεῖον προσμείνωμεν ἔλεον, καὶ τὴν εὐθεῖαν πορείαν ὁδεύωμεν, ἵνα τὸ μακάριον κατα λάβωμεν τέλος, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡμῶν ἡ δόξα, σὺν τῷ παναγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεῖ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΤΟΜΟΣ ΙΑʹ. ΒΑΡΟΥΧ. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ. Αʹ. Ὁ θαυμάσιος Βαροὺχ συναπῆρε μὲν εἰς Αἴγυπτον τοῖς πεφευγόσιν Ἰουδαίοις· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐν τοῖς πρό σθεν ἐδιδάχθημεν· μετὰ πέντε μέντοι ἔτη τοῦ ἁλῶναι τὴν πόλιν, τὴν Βαβυλῶνα κατέλαβε. Πᾶσαν γὰρ εἰσ έφερον σπουδὴν τῆς εὐσεβείας οἱ τρόφιμοι, ὥστε τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς ἐπερείδειν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ποδηγεῖν. Ἀφικόμενος τοίνυν εἰς τὴν Βαβυλῶνα, τοῦ θείου Ἱερεμίου τὴν προφητείαν ὑπανέγνω πᾶσι τοῖς αἰχμαλώτοις, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῷ Ἰεχονίᾳ, ὃς ὀλίγον βασιλεύσας χρόνον ἐγένετο δορυάλωτος· καὶ οὐ δι ήμαρτε τοῦ σκοποῦ. Εἰς αἴσθησιν γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἤνεγκε τῶν προτέρων ἁμαρτημάτων, ὡς καὶ γνῶναι τῆς συμφορᾶς τὴν αἰτίαν, καὶ δάκρυα προχέαι πολλὰ, καὶ χρήματα εἰσενεγκεῖν ἕκαστον, καὶ ταῦτα ἀπο στεῖλαι τοῖς ὑπολειφθεῖσιν ἱερεῦσιν εἰς Ἱερουσα 81.761 λὴμ, ὥστε ἱερεῖα πρίασθαι, καὶ ταῦτα θῦσαι, καὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην Θεὸν ἱλεώσασθαι. Τὸ γὰρ μάννα θυσίαν οἱ Ἑβραῖοι καλοῦσι. Αἰτοῦσι δὲ ζωὴν, καὶ τῷ Ναβου χοδονόσορ, καὶ τῷ Βαλτάσαρ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ὑπὲρ τῶν ἔτι πολεμούντων τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ βασιλέων, καὶ τῶν ἐν ὑπεροχῇ καὶ ἐξουσίᾳ ὄντων, ἐνομοθέτησεν εὔχεσθαι. Τοσαύτη συμφωνία τῶν παλαιῶν πρὸς τὰ νέα. Αἰτοῦσι δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ δου λεύειν ἠναγκασμένοι φωτισθῆναι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, ἵνα μή τινα ὑπομένωσι πλάνην. Ἀναμιμνήσκουσι δὲ καὶ τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων, καὶ τῆς ψήφου τῆς θείας ὁμολογοῦσι τὸ δίκαιον. Παρακαλοῦσι δὲ καὶ αὐτὴν αὐτῶν ἀναγνωσθῆναι τῷ Θεῷ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐν ταῖς λαμπραῖς ἑορταῖς. ιεʹ. ιϛʹ. Καὶ ἐρεῖτε, φησὶ, Τῷ κυρίῳ Θεῷ ἡμῶν ἡ δικαιοσύνη, ἡμῖν δὲ ἡ αἰσχύνη τοῦ προσώπου ἡμῶν, ὡς ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη ἀνθρώπῳ Ἰούδα, καὶ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ τοῖς ἄρ χουσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἡμῶν, ἐναντίον Κυρίου. ∆ικαιοτάτη, φησὶν, ἡ καθ' ἡμῶν ἐξενεχθεῖσα τοῦ Θεοῦ ψῆφος· ἡμεῖς δὲ αἰσχύνης ἄξιοι, κοινῇ πάντες παρανομήσαντες. Μετὰ γὰρ τῶν βασιλέων, καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς τὴν ἐναντίαν ἐτρέποντο. ιζʹ, ιηʹ. Ὅτι ἠπιστήσαμεν αὐτῷ. Καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, πορεύεσθαι τοῖς προστάγμασι Κυρίου, οἷς ἔδωκε κατὰ πρόσωπον ἡμῶν. Ἀναμιμνήσκονται δὲ καὶ τῶν παλαιῶν. ιθʹ. Ἐξ οὗ γὰρ τῆς Αἰγυπτίων δουλείας ἠλευθερώθησαν οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν, μέχρι τοῦ παρ όντος, παραβαίνοντες τὸν θεῖον διετελέσαμεν νόμον· καὶ ἐσχεδιάζομεν πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀκούειν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ. Τὸ δὲ "ἐσχεδιάζομεν," ἀντὶ τοῦ, "καὶ ἐπενοοῦμεν ἁμαρτημάτων εἴδη·" τοὺς τοιούτους καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ἐφευρετὰς καλεῖ κακῶν· ἐδρεψάμεθα δὲ, φησὶ, τοὺς τῶν ἁμαρτημά των καρπούς. κʹ. Ἐκολλήθη γὰρ εἰς ἡμᾶς τὰ κακὰ, καὶ ἡ ἀρὰ, ἣν συνέταξε Κύριος τῷ Μωσεῖ τῷ παιδὶ αὑτοῦ. Περιέχει καὶ τὰς ἀρὰς, καὶ τὰς εὐλογίας ὁ νόμος· τοῖς μὲν φυλάσσουσι τὰς εὐλογίας, τοῖς δὲ παραβαίνουσι τὰς ἀράς.