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of an appointed elder." So also here: "Her infants have gone into captivity before the face of the oppressor." He relates how she was deprived of her former comeliness, and likens her rulers to rams deprived of pasture; for they were stripped of their former strength. Then he says that Jerusalem remembered her former prosperity and adversity, and compared to those things the evils that have now come upon her; and to be more grieved for having become a cause of rejoicing for her enemies. And he continually teaches the cause of these misfortunes, working out the benefit. 8. For, he says, "Jerusalem has sinned a sin, therefore she has become an object of scorn." For this reason also those who formerly honored her have treated her with contempt, having seen her misfortune. Then he reminds her of her manifold sins. 9. "Her uncleanness is before her feet; she did not remember her latter end, and she has fallen wondrously. 81.784 For it is fitting not to trust in prosperity, but to expect change. Since therefore, he says, no man offers her comfort, you, O Master, seeing her miserably overcome, have pity. He especially laments that the enemies dared to enter the innermost parts of the temple, and says: 10. "The oppressor stretched out his hand over all her desirable things; for she saw nations entering into her sanctuary, whom you commanded not to enter into your congregation." Into the holy of holies only the high priest could enter, and this only once a year; into the holy places before this, only the priests entered; into the inner court, also the Levites; into the outer court, those of the race of Israel, and the circumcised proselytes; for the law forbade any uncircumcised person from entering even that one; however, it specifically forbids Moabites and Ammonites from entering: "For an Ammonite and a Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord, not even forever." The Lamentation recalled this law; then it recounts the evils that occurred from the famine. 11. "All her people groan, seeking bread. For they have given their desirable things for food, to restore the soul." Here he calls infants desirable things; for in the famine they even tasted human flesh. Yet he asks for divine loving-kindness. "Behold, O Lord, and look, for I have become dishonored." Then he exhorts those passing by her to see her incomparable pain. This, he says, the Master brought upon me, speaking in me; that is, he only commanded, and the evils were brought upon me; and the phrase *Epephyllise moi*. The Syrian translated this as, *He set me on fire*. He also recounts the divinely-sent plague brought upon her. 13. "From his height he sent fire into my bones, and brought it down upon me." For he himself allowed the enemies both to besiege, and to sack, and to burn the city. "He spread a net for my feet, he turned me back; he has made me desolate, in pain all the day." He calls the inescapable nature of the evils a net; for even those who fled were caught. And he shows the justice of the punishment. 14. "He has watched over my transgressions, in his hands he has entangled me." Instead of, He has bound my feet, and handed me over to the enemies. "He has made his yoke heavy upon my neck." For he forced them to serve the most savage Babylonians bitterly. "And my strength has failed, for the Lord has given into my hands 81.785 pains which I will not be able to bear." And he laments the destruction of the heroes. 15. "He has removed all my mighty men; the Lord has called a time against me to crush my chosen ones." Both the Syrian and the Hebrew call the disaster a "time"; and we ourselves are often accustomed to lament the difficulties of the times. "The Lord has trodden the winepress for the virgin daughter of Judah." (16.) "For these things I weep." Often the divine Scripture likens the greatest punishment to a winepress, because in the winepresses all the grape-clusters are pressed, and for the most part not one

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καθεστηκότος πρεσβυτέ ρου." Οὕτω κἀνταῦθα· "Τὰ νήπια αὐτῆς ἐπορεύθη σαν ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ κατὰ πρόσωπον θλίβοντος." ∆ιηγεῖται δὲ ὅπως ἀφῃρέθη τὴν προτέραν εὐπρέ πειαν, καὶ ἀπεικάζει τοὺς ἄρχοντας κριοῖς ἐστερη μένοις νομῆς· ἐγυμνώθησαν γὰρ τῆς προτέρας ἰσχύος. Εἶτα λέγει τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ παλαιᾶς εὐπρα ξίας καὶ δυσπραξίας μνησθῆναι, καὶ παραθεῖναι ἐκεί νοις τὰ νῦν ἐπελθόντα κακά· καὶ πλεῖον ἀνιᾶ σθαι διὰ τὸ γενέσθαι τοῖς δυσμενέσιν ἐπίχαρτον. Συνεχῶς δὲ διδάσκει τῶν συμφορῶν τὴν αἰτίαν, τὴν ὠφέλειαν πραγματευόμενος. ηʹ. Ἁμαρτίαν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡμάρτηκεν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, διὰ τοῦτο εἰς σάλον ἐγένετο. Οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ οἱ πρότερον αὐτὴν γεραίροντες ἐξύβρισαν εἰς αὐτὴν, τὴν δυσκληρίαν αὐτῆς θεασάμενοι. Εἶτα τῶν παντοδαπῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀναμιμνήσκει. θʹ. Ἀκαθαρσία πρὸ ποδῶν αὐτῆς· οὐκ ἐμνή σθη ἐσχάτων αὑτῆς, καὶ πέπτωκε θαυμα 81.784 στῶς. Προσήκει γὰρ μὴ τῇ εὐπραξίᾳ θαῤῥεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν μεταβολὴν προσμένειν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν, φη σὶν, οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων αὐτῇ προσφέρει παραψυχὴν, σὺ ∆έσποτα τὴν ἀθλίως κρατοῦσαν θεασάμενος, οἴκτειρον. Θρηνεῖ δὲ διαφερόντως τὸ τῶν ἀδύτων τοῦ ναοῦ κατατολμῆσαι τοὺς δυσμενεῖς, καί φησι· ιʹ. Χεῖρα αὑτοῦ ἐξεπέτασε θλίβων, ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἐπιθυμητὰ αὐτῆς· εἶδε γὰρ ἔθνη εἰσελθόντα εἰς τὸ ἁγίασμα αὐτῆς, ἃ ἐνετείλω μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν σου. Εἰς μὲν τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων μόνῳ τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ εἰσιτητὸν ἦν, καὶ τοῦτο μέντοι ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ· εἰς δὲ τὰ πρὸ τούτων ἅγια οἱ ἱερεῖς εἰσῄεσαν μόνοι· εἰς δὲ τὴν ἐνδοτέραν αὐλὴν καὶ οἱ Λευΐται· εἰς δὲ τὴν ἐξωτέραν οἵ τε ἐκ γέ νους Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ οἱ περιτετμημένοι προσήλυτοι· πάντα γὰρ ἀπερίτμητον καὶ εἰς ἐκείνην εἰσελθεῖν ὁ νόμος ἐκώλυε· διαφερόντως μέντοι Μωαβίτας καὶ Ἀμμανίτας εἰσελθεῖν ἀπαγορεύει· "Ἀμμανίτης γὰρ, καὶ Μωαβίτης, οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς ἐκκλη σίαν Κυρίου, οὐδὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα." Τοῦτον ἀνέ μνησε τὸν νόμον ὁ Θρῆνος· εἶτα διηγεῖται τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ συμβεβηκότα κακά. ιαʹ. Πᾶς ὁ λαὸς αὐτῆς καταστενάζοντες, ζη τοῦντες ἄρτον. Ἔδωκαν γὰρ τὰ ἐπιθυμήματα αὐτῆς ἐν βρώσει, τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι ψυχήν. Ἐν ταῦθα ἐπιθυμήματα τὰ βρέφη καλεῖ· ἐγεύσαντο γὰρ ἐν τῷ λιμῷ καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων κρεῶν. Αἰτεῖ μέντοι τὴν θείαν φιλανθρωπίαν. Ἴδε Κύριε, καὶ ἐπίβλεψον, ὅτι ἐγενόμην ἠτιμωμένη. Εἶτα τοὺς δι' αὐτὴν παρ ιόντας παρακαλεῖ τὴν ἀσύγκριτον αὐτῆς ὀδύνην ἰδεῖν. Ταύτην δὲ, φησὶν, ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐπήγαγέ μοι φθεγ ξάμενος ἐν ἐμοί· τουτέστι, προσέταξε μόνον, καὶ ἐπηνέχθη μοι τὰ κακά· τὸ δὲ Ἐπεφύλλισέ μοι. Ἧψέ μοι, ὁ Σύρος ἡρμήνευσε. ∆ιηγεῖται δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐπενεχθεῖσαν αὐτῇ θεήλατον πληγήν. ιγʹ. Ἐξ ὕψους αὑτοῦ ἐξαπέστειλε πῦρ ἐν τοῖς ὀστέοις μου, καὶ κατήγαγεν αὐτὸ ἐπ' ἐμέ. Αὐτὸς γὰρ συνεχώρησε τοῖς πολεμίοις, καὶ πολιορκῆ σαι, καὶ πορθῆσαι, καὶ ἐμπρῆσαι τὴν πόλιν. "∆ιεπέ τασε δίκτυον τοῖς ποσί μου, ἀπέστρεψέ με εἰς τὸ ὀπίσω· ἔδωκέ με ἠφανισμένην ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ὀδυνωμένην." ∆ίκτυον καλεῖ τὸ ἄφυκτον τῶν κακῶν· καὶ γὰρ οἱ ἀποδράντες ἑάλωσαν. ∆είκνυσι δὲ καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας τὸ δίκαιον. ιδʹ. Ἐγρηγόρησεν ἔτι τὰ ἀσεβήματά μου, ἐν χερσὶν αὑτοῦ συνέπλεξέ με. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Συν επόδισε, καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς παρέδωκεν. "Ἐβάρυνε τὸν ζυγὸν αὑτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλόν μου." Πικρῶς γὰρ τοῖς ὠμοτάτοις Βαβυλωνίοις δουλεύειν ἠνάγκασε. "Καὶ ἠσθένησεν ἡ ἰσχύς μου, ὅτι ἔδωκε Κύριος ἐν χερσί 81.785 μου ὀδύνας, ἃς οὐ μὴ δύνωμαι ὑποστῆναι." Ὀδύρεται δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀριστέων τὸν ὄλεθρον. ιεʹ. Ἐξῆρε πάντας τοὺς ἰσχυρούς μου· ὁ Κύριος ἐκάλεσεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ καιρὸν τοῦ συντρίψαι τοὺς ἐκλεκτούς μου. Τὴν συμφορὰν καὶ ὁ Σύρος, καὶ ὁ Ἑβραῖος, καιρόν καλεῖ· καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ πολ λάκις εἰώθαμεν τῶν καιρῶν τὰς δυσκολίας ὀδύρε σθαι. Ληνὸν ἐπάτησε Κύριος παρθένῳ θυγατρὶ Ἰού δα. (ιϛʹ.) Ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐγὼ κλαίω. Πολλάκις ἡ θεία Γραφὴ τὴν μεγίστην τιμωρίαν ἀπεικάζει ληνῷ, διὰ τὸ πάντας ἐν τοῖς ληνοῖς ἀποθλίβεσθαι τοὺς βότρυας, καὶ μηδεμίαν ὡς τὰ πολλὰ