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having seized it, they finally returned, as if peace had been granted to the nation; for this reason he also mentioned those from the west. 81.780 7. For God has ordained every high mountain to be brought low, and everlasting hills, and ravines to be filled up to make the ground level, that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God. Every difficulty, he says, He has overcome; He destroyed the Babylonians who are like high mountains; those subject to them, who are like lowly ravines, He has made to rise again; and on every side the freedom for our return has been secured. 8. The shade trees, and the forests, and every fragrant tree for Israel by the command of God. These things are like what was said by David: "The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like lambs of the flock." Therefore, he tropically calls the nations lying in between "forests," which did not bear the fruit of piety to God. Yet they sent Israel back with every kind of service. And he also states the cause of these good things. 9. For God will lead Israel with gladness, by the light of his glory, with mercy and righteousness from him. With God as leader, all things are smooth and easy. He has used mercy towards the people, but righteousness against the Babylonians. For the former, though sinning, received benefit through chastisement; but victory has made the latter more frenzied and more impious. Let us therefore also entreat the God of all to become our guide and leader; so that walking by the light of his countenance according to the Davidic melody, we may not turn aside to the right or to the left, but may travel the royal road that leads to life; which may we be granted to attain by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom is the glory to the Father, together with the all-holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. VOLUME XII. LAMENTATIONS. CHAPTER I. A lament is a sign of sympathy and affection; but I think the divine prophet wrote the lamentations for the benefit 81.781 of the people of that time, and of those who would come later; so that both they and these might learn through the scriptures of how many evils sin is the cause; he composed, however, four Lamentations, arranging the sayings of each according to the number and order of the letters; and he laments the desolation of the city, remembering the former multitude of its inhabitants, and seeing her in distress who once received tribute from other cities; and using personification, he says that the city weeps night and day, there being no one to comfort her, and her friends having completely forsaken her. He also brings forward the migration of all Judea, and the harsh slavery, and says they have become easy to capture because of sin. "For all," he says, "who pursued her, have caught her in the midst of her afflictions. He also recalls the roads that resembled rivers during the time of the feasts; for from all sides everyone flocked to this city; and he laments. For it seems somehow to those who are grievously afflicted that even inanimate things undergo a certain change; and he also states the causes of these things. 5. Those who afflict her have become the head, and her enemies prosper; for the Lord has humbled her for the multitude of her impieties. This the blessed Moses also foretells to them who transgress the divine law: "For your enemies shall be above, and you shall be below;" and he speaks of the destruction to the nursing infants along with the elders: "The nursing infant," he says, "with

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κατειληφότες, ἐπανῆλθον λοιπὸν, ὡς εἰ ρήνης τῷ ἔθνει παρασχεθείσης· οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ δυσμῶν ἐμνημόνευσεν. 81.780 ζʹ. Συνέταξε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ταπεινοῦσθαι πᾶν ὄρος ὑψηλὸν, καὶ θῖνας ἀεννάους, καὶ φάραγγας πληροῦσθαι εἰς ὁμαλισμὸν τῆς γῆς, ἵνα βαδίσῃ Ἰσραὴλ ἀσφαλῶς τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξῃ. Πᾶσαν, φησὶ, δυσκολίαν κατηνύασε· τοὺς ἐοικότας ὄρεσιν ὑψηλοῖς Βαβυλωνίους κατέλυσε· τοὺς ἐκείνοις ὑπο κειμένους, φάραγξι ταπειναῖς ἐοικότας, ἀνανεῦσαι πεποίηκεν· ἡμῶν δὲ πανταχόθεν ἄδεια τῆς ἐπαν όδου γεγένηται. ηʹ. Αἱ σκιάδες, καὶ οἱ δρυμοὶ, καὶ πᾶν ξύλον εὐωδία τῷ Ἰσραὴλ προστάγματι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ταῦτα ἔοικε τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ εἰρημένοις· "Τὰ ὄρη ἐσκίρτησαν ὡσεὶ κριοὶ, καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ ὡς ἀρνία προβάτων." ∆ρυμοὺς τοίνυν τροπικῶς καλεῖ τὰ μεταξὺ διακείμενα ἔθνη, ἃ καρπὸν εὐσεβείας οὐκ ἔφερον τῷ Θεῷ. Τὸν μέντοι Ἰσραὴλ ἐπανιόντα μετὰ πάσης προὔπεμψαν θεραπείας. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τὸ αἴ τιον τῶν ἀγαθῶν. θʹ. Ἡγήσεται γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ μετ' εὐφροσύνης, τῷ φωτὶ τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, σὺν ἐλεημοσύνῃ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ παρ' αὐτοῦ. Θεοῦ ἡγουμένου πάντα λεῖα καὶ εὐμαρῆ. Κέχρηται ἐλεη μοσύνῃ μὲν περὶ τὸν λαὸν, δικαιοσύνῃ δὲ κατὰ Βαβυλωνίων. Οὗτοι μὲν γὰρ ἁμαρτάνοντες διὰ τῆς παιδείας ὠφέλειαν ἐδέξαντο· ἐκείνους δὲ μανικωτέ ρους καὶ δυσσεβεστέρους ἡ νίκη πεποίηκεν. Ἀντιβο λήσωμεν τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς, ξεναγὸν ἡμῶν γενέ σθαι καὶ ποδηγὸν τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεόν· ἵνα τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν ∆αβιτικὴν πορευόμε νοι μελῳδίαν, μὴ ἐκκλίνωμεν δεξιᾷ ἢ ἀριστερᾷ, ἀλλὰ τὴν βασιλικὴν ὁδὸν ὁδεύσωμεν, τὴν ἀπάγουσαν εἰς τὴν ζωήν· ἧς ἡμᾶς γένοιτο ἐπιτυχεῖν χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, σὺν τῷ παναγίῳ Πνεύ ματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΤΟΜΟΣ ΙΒʹ ΘΡΗΝΟΙ. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Αʹ. Ὁ μὲν θρῆνος συμπαθείας καὶ φιλοστοργίας ση μεῖον· ἡγοῦμαι δὲ τὸν θεσπέσιον προφήτην ὠφελείας 81.781 ἕνεκα, καὶ τῶν τηνικαῦτα ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τῶν εἰς ὕστερον ἐσομένων, τοὺς θρήνους συγγράψαι· ἵνα κἀκεῖνοι καὶ οὗτοι μάθωσι διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων, ὅσων πρόξενος ἡ ἁμαρτία κακῶν· τέσσαρας μέντοι συγγέγραφε Θρήνους, τὰ ἑκάστου ῥήματα καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν καὶ τὴν τάξιν τῶν στοιχείων συντεθεικώς· θρηνεῖ δὲ τῆς πόλεως τὴν ἐρημίαν, τῆς προτέρας τῶν οἰκητόρων μεμνημένος πληθύος, καὶ δυσφοροῦσαν ὁρῶν τὴν πάλαι παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων πόλεων δεχομένην τὸν φόρον· προσωποποιίᾳ δὲ κε χρημένος, λέγει νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν τὴν πόλιν δακρύειν, τοῦ ψυχαγωγοῦντος οὐκ ὄντος, καὶ τῶν φίλων αὐτῆς παντελῶς ἠρνημένων. Φέρει δὲ εἰς μέσον καὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἁπάσης τὴν μετανάστασιν, καὶ τὴν χαλεπὴν δουλείαν, καὶ εὐχειρώτους αὐτοὺς λέγει γεγενῆσθαι διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. "Πάντες γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ διώκοντες αὐτὴν, κατέλαβον αὐτὴν ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν θλιβόντων. Ἀναμιμνήσκει καὶ τῶν πο ταμοὺς μιμουμένων ὁδῶν κατὰ τὸν τῶν ἑορτῶν και ρόν· πάντοθεν γὰρ εἰς τήνδε τὴν πόλιν συνέτρεχον ἅπαντες· καὶ θρηνεῖ. ∆οκεῖ γάρ πως τοῖς ἀνιαρῶς διακειμένοις μεταβολήν τινα δέχεσθαι καὶ τὰ ἄψυχα· λέγει δὲ καὶ τὰ τούτων αἴτια. εʹ. Ἐγένοντο οἱ θλίβοντες αὐτὴν εἰς κεφαλὴν, καὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῆς εὐθηνοῦσιν· ὅτι Κύριος ἐτα πείνωσεν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀσεβειῶν αὐτῆς. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος αὐτοῖς προλέγει Μω σῆς τὸν θεῖον παραβαίνουσι νόμον· "Ὅτι ἔσονται οἱ ἐχθροί σου ἄνω, καὶ σὺ κάτω·" λέγει δὲ καὶ τοῖς θηλάζουσι σὺν τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις τὸν ὄλεθρον· "Θηλάζων, φησὶ, μετὰ