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through the following; 11You who are at ease, be astonished; you who are confident in wealth, be grieved; strip yourselves, become naked, gird your loins with sackcloths 12and beat your breasts for the desirable field and for the fruitful vine. Since you do not bewail your lawlessness, you lament the punishments brought upon you because of it. 13In the land of my people thorns and grass will grow up, and from every house gladness will be taken away. And these things are indicative of the desolation. A wealthy city. Instead of: formerly. 14Houses abandoned, that is: will be. They will leave behind the wealth of the city, desirable houses. For seeing the enemies, they will prefer flight above all else. And the villages shall be caves forever, a delight for wild asses, pastures for shepherds. These villages have remained desolate even to this day. We find the names of some in the scripture, but only their traces are seen by some. 15Until a spirit from on high comes upon you, and the wilderness shall be as Carmel, and Carmel shall be counted as a forest. The word has shown the grace that came from heaven after the ascension of our God and Savior; for after that gift |140 a| the former wilderness—that is, the Gentiles—which did not receive the prophetic plow, received the fruitfulness of Carmel. And tropologically he called Carmel the grace that formerly flourished for the Jews. But the Jews formerly flourished in prophets and righteous men and priests, but now they have imitated the barrenness of the forests. And he has shown this change also in the things previously interpreted. 16And judgment shall rest in the wilderness, that is: among the Gentiles. And righteousness shall dwell in Carmel. Among the same ones; for he called the wilderness Carmel. 17And the works of righteousness shall be peace. For he who follows the divine commandments is at peace with God. And righteousness will secure rest. For the fruit of righteousness and peace with God is the release from present evils and a life without grief and free from cares. And they shall be confident forever. For the mindset of those who have believed in God is firm. 18And my people shall dwell in a city of peace and in cities of security and in houses of confidence, and they shall rest with wealth. He speaks of the city of peace in the heavens; "For the Jerusalem above," he says, "is free, which is the mother of us all." And he speaks of the cities of security and the various mansions; for he says, "Many are the mansions in my father's house." And they also have the inviolable wealth; for he says, "Lay up treasures where neither moth nor rust destroys, nor do thieves break in and steal." 19But if the hail comes down, it will not come upon you. And in the present life you will become, through my help, stronger than those who war against you. And those who dwell in the forests shall be confident as those in the plain. He called the Gentiles a forest, as formerly unfruitful, and Judea a plain, as formerly fruit-bearing. Therefore he foretells that the heralds of the truth will live fearlessly also among the Gentiles. But if one wishes to understand the passage literally, let him look at the ascetics on the tops of the mountains, dwelling alone on the peaks, yet more confident than those who inhabit the greatest cities because of the multitude of inhabitants. 20Blessed is he who sows upon all water, where ox and ass tread. The word alluded to the one church gathered from Gentiles and Jews. For according to the law the ass is unclean, and such were the Gentiles before the epiphany of the Savior; and the ox is clean according to the law, which is why it was offered both for the high priest and for the people. Therefore he calls those from the Gentiles an ass, and those from the Jews who have believed an ox, and water the deliverance from sins and purification of souls, the all-holy baptism, and the seed the teaching word. But since he promised the aforementioned things, and the heralds of the truth endured many pains, being driven out and persecuted and scourged and enduring countless kinds of death, through his prophetic tongue the Lord

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διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς· 11Εὐθηνοῦσαι ἔκστητε, λυπήθητε αἱ πεποιθυῖαι ἐπὶ πλούτῳ, ἐκδύσασθε, γυμναὶ γένεσθε, περιζώσασθε τὰς ὀσφύας σάκκους 12καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μαστῶν κόπτεσθε ἐπὶ ἀγρῷ ἐπιθυμήματος καὶ ἐπὶ ἀμπέλῳ γενήματος. Ἐπειδὴ τὴν παρανομίαν οὐκ ὀλοφύρεσθε, τὰς διὰ ταύτην ὑμῖν ἐπαγομένας τιμωρίας θρηνεῖτε. 13Ἐν τῇ γῇ τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἄκανθα καὶ χόρτος ἀναβήσεται, καὶ ἐκ πάσης οἰκίας ἀρθήσεται εὐφροσύνη. Καὶ ταῦτα τῆς ἐρημίας δηλωτικά. Πόλις πλουσία. Ἀντὶ τοῦ· πάλαι. 14Οἶκοι ἐγκαταλελειμμένοι, τουτέστιν· ἔσονται. Πλοῦτον πόλεως ἀφήσουσιν, οἴκους ἐπιθυμήματος. Τοὺς γὰρ πολε μίους ὁρῶντες πάντων προτιμήσουσι τὴν φυγήν. Καὶ ἔσονται αἱ κῶμαι σπήλαια ἕως αἰῶνος, εὐφροσύνη ὄνων ἀγρίων, βοσκήματα ποιμένων. Αὗται αἱ κῶμαι μέχρι καὶ τήμερον μεμενήκασιν ἔρημοι. Ἐνίων τὰ μὲν ὀνόματα εὑρίσκομεν ἐν τῇ γρ αφῇ, αὐτῶν δὲ τὰ ἴχνη μόνα παρ' ἐνίων ὁρᾶται. 15Ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ἐφ' ὑμᾶς πνεῦμα ἀφ' ὑψηλοῦ, καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἔρημος ὡς ὁ Χερμέλ, καὶ ὁ Χερμὲλ εἰς δρυμὸν λογισθήσεται. Τὴν οὐρανόθεν ἐπιφοιτήσασαν χάριν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀνάληψιν ὁ λόγος δεδήλωκεν· μετὰ γὰρ ἐκείνην τὴν δωρεὰν |140 a| ἡ μὲν πάλαι ἔρημος-τουτέστι τὰ ἔθνη-ἡ προφητικὸν ἄροτρον οὐ δεξαμένη τοῦ Καρμήλου τὴν εὐκαρπίαν ἐδέξατο. Κάρμηλον δὲ τροπικῶς τὴν πάλαι Ἰουδαίοις ἐπανθήσασαν ὠνόμασε χάριν. Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ πάλαι ἤνθουν ἐν προφήταις καὶ δικαίοις καὶ ἱερεῦσι, νῦν δὲ τῶν δρυμῶν τὴν ἀκαρπίαν μεμίμηνται. Ταύτην δὲ τὴν μεταβολὴν κἀν τοῖς προηρμηνευμένοις δεδήλωκεν. 16Καὶ ἀναπαύσεται ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ κρίμα, τουτέστιν· ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Καὶ δικαι οσύνη ἐν τῷ Καρμήλῳ κατοικήσει. Ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς· τὴν γὰρ ἔρημον ὠνόμασε Κάρμηλον. 17Καὶ ἔσται τὰ ἔργα τῆς δικαιοσύνης εἰρήνη. Εἰρη νεύει γὰρ πρὸς θεὸν ὁ ταῖς θείαις ἑπόμενος ἐντολαῖς. Καὶ κρατήσει ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἀνάπαυσιν. Τῆς γὰρ δικαιο σύνης καὶ τῆς πρὸς θεὸν εἰρήνης καρπὸς ἡ τῶν κακῶν τῶν παρόντων ἀπαλλαγὴ καὶ ὁ ἄλυπος βίος καὶ φροντίδων ἀπηλλαγμένος. Καὶ πεποιθότες ὦσιν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. Βέβαιον γὰρ τῶν εἰς τὸν θεὸν πεπιστευκότων τὸ φρόνημα. 18Καὶ κατοικήσει ὁ λαός μου ἐν πόλει εἰρήνης καὶ ἐν πόλεσιν ἀμεριμνίας καὶ ἐν οἴκοις πεποιθήσεως, καὶ ἀναπαύ σονται μετὰ πλούτου. Πόλιν εἰρήνης τὴν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς λέγει· «Ἡ γὰρ ἄνω» φησὶν «Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστίν, ἥτις ἐστὶ μήτηρ πάντων ἡμῶν.» Πόλεις δὲ ἀμεριμνίας καὶ τὰς διαφόρους λέγει μονάς· «Πολλαὶ» γάρ φησι «μοναὶ παρὰ τῷ πατρί μου.» Ἔχουσι δὲ καὶ τὸν πλοῦτον τὸν ἄσυλον· «Θησαυρίζετε» γάρ φησιν «ὅπου σὴς καὶ βρῶσις οὐκ ἀφανίζει οὔτε κλέπται διορύττουσι καὶ κλέπτου σιν.» 19Ἡ δὲ χάλαζα ἐὰν καταβῇ, οὐκ ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἥξει. Καὶ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα δὲ βίον κρείττους διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπικουρίας τῶν πολεμούντων γενήσεσθε. Καὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐν τοῖς δρυμοῖς πεποιθότες ὡς ἐν τῇ πεδινῇ. ∆ρυμὸν τὰ ἔθνη προσηγόρευσε τὰ ἄκαρπα πάλαι καὶ πεδινὴν τὴν Ἰουδαίαν ὡς πάλαι καρποφοροῦσαν. Προλέγει τοίνυν ὡς ἀδεῶς τῆς ἀληθ είας οἱ κήρυκες καὶ μεταξὺ τῶν ἐθνῶν πολιτεύσονται. Εἰ δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν βούλεταί τις τὸ χωρίον νοῆσαι, ὁράτω τοὺς ἐν ταῖς κορυφαῖς τῶν ὀρῶν ἀσκητάς, μόνους μὲν ἐνδιαιτωμένους ταῖς ἀκρωρεί αις , μᾶλλον δὲ θαρροῦντας ἢ τοὺς τὰς μεγίστας πόλεις οἰκοῦντας τῷ πλήθει τῶν οἰκητόρων. 20Μακάριος ὁ σπείρων ἐπὶ πᾶν ὕδωρ, οὗ βοῦς καὶ ὄνος πατεῖ. Τὴν μίαν ἐκκλησίαν τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ Ἰουδαίων συνειλεγμένην ὁ λόγος ᾐνίξατο. Ἀκάθαρτος γὰρ κατὰ νόμον ὁ ὄνος, τοιαῦτα δὲ ἦν καὶ τὰ ἔθνη πρὸ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐπιφανείας· καὶ καθαρὸς δὲ κατὰ νόμον ὁ βοῦς, διὸ καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ προσεφέρετο. Καλεῖ τοίνυν ὄνον μὲν τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν, βοῦν δὲ τοὺς ἐξ Ἰουδαίων πεπιστευκότας, ὕδωρ δὲ τὸ λυτήριον τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ καθαρτήριον τῶν ψυχῶν, τὸ πανάγιον βάπτισμα, σπόρον δὲ τὸν διδασκαλικὸν λόγον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὰ εἰρημένα ὑπέσχετο, πολλὰς δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας οἱ κήρυκες ὀδύνας ὑπέμενον ἐξελαυνόμενοι καὶ διωκόμενοι καὶ μαστιγούμενοι καὶ μυ ρία θανάτων ὑπομέ νοντες εἴδη, διὰ τῆς προφητικῆς αὐτοῦ γλώττης ὁ δεσπότης