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he was accustomed to stay while traveling. And they handed him over to a house of custody, to 64.1001 the prison, to the house of Jonathan the scribe, because they made his house a prison, because a crowd came to the house of the pit, and to the Chereth. That is, they made the house of Jonathan a prison, and a crowd was shut up there; and "to the Chereth" means, to the house of detention. For so the Hebrew *Pethchlo*, which is interpreted, a house of detention; for instead of "prison," it is customary to say "detention." And they were embittered. Just like deadly beasts, so then they were insolent also to the prophets. For if he was fleeing, what of it? Are you not silencing him? Are you not preventing him from speaking? What of it, if he fled? And yet if he had fled, it would have been a relief to you; you would have been freed from the reproofs, you would be free from the accusation. But see everywhere the perverted accusation and malice; for what reason did they also scourge him? To retaliate for his boldness. And Zedekiah sent you. For what reason did he call him? He thought that his boldness would become more humble on account of the affliction, and that he would hear other words. Then, so that he might be unsuspected, he does not ask him simply, but says: Is there a word of the Lord? Giving him also a plausible way of retreat. But the silence was much more fearful than the prison. And he said: There is. Do you see the apostolic achievements prefigured? so it also happened with them; they were the same everywhere; nothing checked their boldness. And where are your prophets? He should have suffered these things, not I who speak the truth. For did I bring it on? for if things had not turned out, they would have rightly said, that he has excessively grieved us; but now that they have turned out, how is it not just for me to be crowned? And I do not say that I have done a good deed, but what wrong have I done? and he asks to be released from the prison. For who, when suffering badly, would not want to be set free? So that you may know that he was of the same nature. And he commanded. Not to the former one, and he orders loaves of bread to be given to him. For what need was there to be angry any longer, when things had turned out? But he did not yet let down his boldness.

CHAP. 38.

And in the pit there was no water, but only mire, and Jeremiah was in the mire. The pit, being open to the air, was filled with mud. They cast him in, therefore, and he sank, and was stuck in the mud; however, he was not wholly submerged; for he could not have lived thus. You have acted wickedly in what you have done. The man has done no wrong; the whole thing has come from their malice; having nothing to accuse him of, they did these things to the man of God. 64.1004 And Abdemelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king, the one underground. That is, into the stable. For by "underground" he means the one that is in plain sight. For so the Hebrew also says. And he took from there old rags, and old ropes, and threw them to Jeremiah the prophet, and the rest. He took the horses' coverings, and the felt cloths, which it is custom to spread over the seats. For what was said before again: And the old rags, and the *maleen*, this it signifies: that is, the felt cloths. So from this also the old ropes. Instead of "the old under-coverings of the horses" he says. Having thrown these, therefore, to the prophet, he says: Place them under the elbows of your hands, underneath the ropes. Instead of, "under the armpits," so that being thus securely bound he might be brought up. And Jeremiah said. For what reason do you wish to hear? so that you may destroy me, by this he especially draws down his wrath; and yet it is the greatest virtue of a prophet, when he not only foretells burdensome things, but also finds a way out of the terrible things. For this is truly of prophecy. Since what gain is it, tell me, to profit only in grief and despondency, just as

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ὁδοιπορῶν μένειν εἰώθει. Καὶ παρέδωκαν αὐτὸν εἰς οἶκον φυλακῆς εἰς 64.1001 τὸ δεσμωτήριον, εἰς τὸν οἶκον Ἰωνάθαν τοῦ γραμματέως, ὅτι τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ ἐποίησαν φυλακὴν, ὅτι ἦλθεν ὄχλος εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ λάκκου, καὶ εἰς τὴν Χερέθ. Τουτέστιν, τὴν οἰκίαν Ἰωνάθαν εἱρκτὴν ἐποίησαν, καὶ ὄχλος ἐγκέκλειστο ἐκεῖ· τὸ δὲ εἰς τὴν Χερὲθ, τουτέστιν, εἰς τὸν τῆς ἐποχῆς οἶκον. Οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Ἑβραῖος Φεθχλὼ, ὅπερ ἑρμηνεύει, οἶκον ἐποχῆς· ἀντὶ γὰρ τῆς φυλακῆς, ἐποχὴν ἔθος ἔχει λέγειν. Καὶ ἐπικράνθησαν. Καθάπερ τὰ θανατοῦντα θηρία, οὕτω λοιπὸν ὕβριζον καὶ εἰς τοὺς προφήτας. Εἰ γὰρ ἔφευγε, τί ἦν; οὐχ ὑμεῖς αὐτὸν ἐπιστομίζετε; οὐχ ὑμεῖς αὐτὸν κωλύετε τοῦ φθέγγεσθαι; Τί ἦν, εἰ ἔφυγε; Καὶ μὴν εἰ ἔφυγεν, ὑμῖν κοῦφον ἦν· ἀπηλλάττεσθε τῶν ἐλέγχων, ἐλεύθεροι τῆς κατηγορίας ἦτε. Ἀλλ' ὅρα πανταχοῦ τὴν κατηγορίαν καὶ κακίαν διεστραμμένην· τίνος ἕνεκεν καὶ ἐμάστιξαν αὐτόν; ἀμύνεσθαι ὑπὲρ τῆς παῤῥησίας. Καὶ ἀπέστειλέ σε Σεδεκίας. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐκάλεσεν αὐτόν; ἐνόμισεν αὐτοῦ τὴν παῤῥησίαν ὑπὸ τῆς θλίψεως ταπεινοτέραν γενέσθαι, καὶ ἑτέρων ἀκούσεσθαι ῥημάτων. Εἶτα ἵνα ἀνύποπτος γένηται, οὐκ ἐρωτᾷ αὐτὸν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλά φησιν· Εἰ ἔστι λόγος Κυρίου; ∆ιδοὺς αὐτῷ καὶ εὐπρόσωπον ἀναχώρησιν. Ἀλλὰ πολλῷ φοβερωτέρα ἦν τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου ἡ σιγή. Καὶ εἶπεν· Ἔστιν. Ὁρᾷς τὰ ἀποστολικὰ κατορθώματα προανατυπούμενα; οὕτω καὶ ἐπ' ἐκείνων ἐγένετο· πανταχοῦ ἦσαν οἱ αὐτοί· οὐδὲν αὐτῶν τὴν παῤῥησίαν ἀνέκοπτεν. Καὶ ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ προφῆται ὑμῶν; Ταῦτα ἐκεῖνος παθεῖν ἐχρῆν, οὐκ ἐμὲ τὸν ἀληθεύοντα. Μὴ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἐπήγαγον; εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐξέβη τὰ πράγματα, καλῶς ἔλεγον, ὅτι περισσῶς ἐλύπησεν ἡμᾶς· νῦν δὲ ἐκβάντων, πως οὐχὶ καὶ στεφανοῦσθαί με δίκαιον; Καὶ οὐ λέγω ὅτι εὐηργέτησα, ἀλλὰ τί ἠδίκησα; καὶ ἀξιοῖ ἀπολυθῆναι τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἐθέλοι πάσχων κακῶς ἀπαλλαγῆναι; Ἵνα εἰδῇς, ὅτι τῆς αὐτῆς ὑπῆρχε φύσεως. Καὶ συνέταξεν. Οὐκ εἰς τὴν προτέραν, καὶ κελεύει ἄρτους δίδοσθαι αὐτῷ. Τί γὰρ ἔδει λοιπὸν ὀργίζεσθαι, τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκβάντων; Ὁ δὲ οὐδέπω καθυφῆκε τὴν παῤῥησίαν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΗʹ.

Καὶ ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ οὐκ ἦν ὕδωρ, ἀλλ' ἢ βόρβορος, καὶ ἦν Ἱερεμίας ἐν τῷ βορβόρῳ. Ὑπαίθριος ὢν ὁ λάκκος, πηλοῦ ἐπληροῦτο. Ἔῤῥιψαν τοίνυν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐβυθίσθη, καὶ ἐνεπάρη τῷ πηλῷ· οὐ μὴν ὅλος ἐβαπτίσθη· οὐδὲ γὰρ ζῇν οὕτως ἠδύνατο. Ἐπονηρεύσω ἃ ἐποίησας. Οὐδὲν ἠδίκησεν ὁ ἀνήρ· τὸ πᾶν τῆς ἐκείνων κακίας γέγονεν· οὐδὲν ἔχοντες ἐγκαλεῖν, ταῦτα εἰργάσαντο εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ. 64.1004 Καὶ ἔλαβεν Ἀβδεμέλεχ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν ὑπόγεων. Τουτέστιν, εἰς τὸν στάβλον. Ὑπόγεων γὰρ ἵνα εἴπῃ, τὴν εἰς τὸ φανερὸν οὖσαν. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἑβραῖος λέγει. Καὶ ἔλαβεν ἐκεῖθεν παλαιὰ ῥάκη, καὶ παλαιὰ σχοινία, καὶ ἔῤῥιψεν αὐτὰ πρὸς Ἱερεμίαν τὸν προφήτην, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἔλαβε τῶν ἵππων τὰ στρώματα, καὶ τὰ πιλωτὰ, ἃ ἔθος ἐπιστρωννύειν τοῖς ἐπικαθίσμασι. Τὸ γὰρ ἔμπροσθεν πάλιν λεγόμενον· Καὶ τὰ παλαιὰ ῥάκη, καὶ τὸ μαλέην, τοῦτο μηνύει· τουτέστι, τὰ πιλωτά. Ὥστε κἀντεῦθεν τὰ παλαιὰ σχοινία. Ἀντὶ τοῦ τὰ παλαιὰ ὑποστρώματα τῶν ἵππων λέγει. Ταῦτα τοίνυν ῥίψας τῷ προφήτῃ φησί· Θὲς αὐτὰ ὑπὸ τοὺς ἀγκῶνας τῶν χειρῶν σου, ὑπὸ κάτω τῶν σχοινίων. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὑπὸ τὰς μάλας, ἵνα οὕτως ἀσφαλῶς δεδεμένος ἀναχθῇ. Καὶ εἶπεν Ἱερεμίας. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀκοῦσαι βούλει; ἵνα με ἀνέλῃς, ταύτῃ μάλιστα αὐτοῦ θυμὸν κατασπᾷ· καίτοι μεγίστη ἀρετὴ προφήτου, ὅταν μὴ μόνον προλέγῃ τὰ φορτικὰ, ἀλλὰ καὶ διέξοδον εὑρίσκει τῶν δεινῶν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὄντως προῤῥήσεως. Ἐπειδὴ τί κέρδος εἰπέ μοι, λύπην καὶ ἀθυμίαν κερδαίνειν μόνον, καθάπερ