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CHAPTER 42.

And all came. They know they are unworthy of receiving an answer,

since they often disbelieved what was said. For this reason he says, Have mercy on us, even if we are unworthy. As your eyes see. We have you, he says, as a witness of our misfortunes. Let God tell us, he says, what must be done. Those who considered the matter so important, how they become supine after achieving it! And they themselves said to Jeremiah. We have sent you, and we have called upon you, and we have a need, whatever he may command, that all will hear whether it is good or bad; ready for the promises, but nowhere for the deeds. If you will remain. And what is the benefit, if we suffer the same thing? And I will plant you. You have suffered no ordinary punishment. Do not be afraid. What is more trustworthy than this saying? And if you were saying? Do you see how he reveals their own thoughts to them? which was the greatest proof that the matter was a prophecy, not only that they wanted to enter, but also what they were expecting when they said it. CHAPTER 43. *And Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men, who said to Jeremiah, Pray for us to the Lord. They said, speaking to Jeremiah: You speak falsely. The Lord our God has not sent you to us, saying: Do not go into Egypt to dwell there. But Baruch the son of Neriah is setting you against us, to give us into the hands of the Chaldeans, to kill us, and to carry us away to Babylon. That is, You did not speak these things to us according to the will of God, but Baruch advised you to say these things to us, to curry favor with the Chaldeans, since they are now the ones in power. For what reason, tell me? Have you not, through all this time, had experience of his judgment? Even if nothing 64.1012 else, was he not free to go wherever he wished, yet chose to remain with you? And Jeremiah the prophet. For what reason did these men follow? Lest some worse evil happen. See the first disease. Again into Egypt. How they always bring evils upon themselves. But yet God did not abandon them even when they arrived there, nor did he say: What is the profit? So they went down into Egypt. But see what things Jeremiah prophesies to them, being the mouth of God. And in no way considering if they had grieved him, but just as an affectionate father follows everywhere his maddened child; not simply after this did he set down the things concerning Baruch. Take for yourself large stones. He places stones in the brickwork. He always does something physical, to persuade, so as to astonish them more. But he was not strong enough to capture or persuade them. Thus said the Lord of hosts, and what follows. God commanded him at the place of the bricks; for this is to place stones in the brick kiln, so as to form the shape of a throne, and to plaster it with clay. And so he foretold the coming of Nebuchadnezzar, and how, having taken the city, he will place his own throne upon that spot. And he commanded him to do this, so that you might not speak in vain. For seeing that in Egypt where the king of Egypt sat, he did this under those very royal residences, they could no longer say that he was announcing his coming to curry favor with the Babylonian. For he would rather have spoken to please the one present, than flatter the one who was absent and heard nothing. And he will place his weapons upon him, and he will raise his weapons against them, and he will enter, and he will strike the land of Egypt. It is stated obscurely in the Greek; for what he wishes to say, is this, that the

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ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΜΒʹ.

Καὶ προσῆλθον πάντες. Ἴσασιν ἀναξίους ἑαυτοὺς ὄντας τοῦ τυχεῖν ἀποκρίσεως,

ἐπειδὴ πολλάκις ἠπίστησαν τοῖς εἰρημένοις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν, Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, εἰ καὶ ἀνάξιοί ἐσμεν. Καθὼς οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου βλέπουσι. Μάρτυρα ὧν συμφορῶν σε, φησὶν, ἔχομεν. Εἰπάτω, φησὶν, ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς, τί δεῖ πρᾶξαι. Οἱ περισπούδαστον οὕτω πρᾶγμα νομίσαντες, μετὰ τὸ τυχεῖν πῶς ὕπτιοι γίνονται! Καὶ αὐτοὶ εἶπον τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ. Ἡμεῖς σε ἀπεστείλαμεν, καὶ παρεκαλέσαμεν, καὶ ἀνάγκην ἔχομεν, ὅπερ ἂν ἐπιτάξῃ, πάντας ἀκούσειν εἴτε ἀγαθὸν, εἴτε κακόν· πρόχειροι περὶ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, περὶ δὲ τὰς πράξεις οὐδαμοῦ. Ἐὰν καθίσαντες καθίσητε. Καὶ τί τὸ ὄφελος, ἐὰν τὸ αὐτὸ πάθωμεν; Καὶ φυτεύσω ὑμᾶς. Ἐδώκατε τιμωρίαν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν. Μὴ φοβήθητε. Τί τούτου ἀξιοπιστότερον τοῦ ῥητοῦ; Καὶ εἰ ἐλέγετε ὑμεῖς; Ὁρᾷς, πῶς αὐτοῖς ἀποκαλύπτει τὰς οἰκείας διανοίας; ὅπερ μέγιστον τεκμήριον ἦν τοῦ προφητείαν εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα, οὐχ ὅτι μόνον ἐβούλοντο εἰσελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τί προσδοκῶντες ἔλεγον. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΜΓʹ. *Καὶ εἶπεν Ἀζαρίας υἱὸς Ἰωσίου, καὶ Ἰωαννὰνυἱὸς Καρίε, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ ὑπερήφανοι, οἱ εἰπόντες Ἱερεμίᾳ, ∆εήθητι ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πρὸς Κύριον. Εἶπον λέγοντες τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ· Ψευδῆ σὺ λαλεῖς. Οὐκ ἀπέστειλέ σε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν πρὸς ἡμᾶς λέγων· Μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς Αἴγυπτον οἰκεῖν ἐκεῖ. Ἀλλὰ Βαροὺχ υἱὸς Νηρίου συμβάλλει σε πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἵνα δώσει ἡμᾶς εἰς χεῖρας Χαλδαίων, τοῦ θανατῶσαι ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἀποικίσαι ἡμᾶς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα. Τουτέστιν, Οὐ κατὰ γνώμην Θεοῦ ταῦτα πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐφθέγξω, ἀλλὰ ταῦτά σοι συνεβούλευσε Βαροὺχ εἰπεῖν πρὸς ἡμᾶς, τοῖς Χαλδαίοις χαριζόμενος, ἐπειδήπερ ἐκεῖνοι νῦν ἐν τῷ κρατεῖν τυγχάνουσι. Τίνος ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ; διὰ παντὸς τοῦ χρόνου οὐκ ἐλάβετε πεῖραν αὐτοῦ τῆς γνώμης; Εἰ καὶ μηδὲν 64.1012 ἕτερον, οὐχὶ κύριος ὢν ἀπελθεῖν ὄποι βούλεται, μεθ' ὑμῶν εἵλετο μένειν; Καὶ Ἱερεμίαν τὸν προφήτην. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἠκολούθησαν οὖτοι; ἵνα μὴ χεῖρόν τι γένηται κακόν. Ὅρα τὴν πρώτην νόσον. Πάλιν εἰς Αἴγυπτον. Πῶς ἑαυτοῖς ἀεὶ τὰ κακὰ ἐπισπῶνται. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ ἐκεῖ παραγενομένους εἴασεν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐδὲ εἶπε· Τί τὸ κέρδος; λοιπὸν κατῆλθον εἰς Αἴγυπτον. Ἀλλ' ὅρα αὐτοῖς οἷα προφητεύει ὁ Ἱερεμίας, στόμα Θεοῦ ὤν. Καὶ οὐδαμοῦ σκοπῶν εἴ τι ἐλύπησαν, ἀλλὰ καθάπερ πατὴρ φιλόστοργος πανταχοῦ παρακολουθεῖ τῷ παιδὶ μαινομένῳ· οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα τὰ τοῦ Βαροὺχ ἔθηκεν. Λάβε σεαυτῷ λίθους μεγάλους. Τίθησι λίθους ἐν τῷ πλινθίῳ. Ποιεῖ τι ἀεὶ σωματικὸν, ἵνα πείσῃ, ὥστε αὐτοὺς καταπλῆξαι πλέον. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἴσχυσεν αὐτοὺς ἑλεῖν οὐδὲ πεῖσαι. Οὕτως εἶπε Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Προσέταξεν αὐτῷ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τοῦ τόπου τῶν πλίνθων· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ πλινθείῳ λίθους καταθέσθαι, ὥστε εἶναι σχῆμα θρόνου, καὶ πηλῷ καταχρίσαι. Καὶ οὕτω προεῖπε τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ τὴν ἄνοδον, καὶ ὡς ἑλὼν τὴν πόλιν ὑπ' ἐκείνου τοῦ τόπου τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θρόνον θήσει. Τοῦτο δὲ προσέταξεν αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι, ὅπως ἂν μὴ μάτην φθέγγησθε. Ὁρῶντες γὰρ, ὅτι ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἔνθα ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκαθέζετο τῆς Αἰγύπτου ὑπ' αὐτῶν τῶν βασιλειῶν τοῦτο ἐποίει, οὐκ ἔτι λέγειν ἐδύναντο κατὰ χάριν τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου μηνύειν ἐκείνου τὴν ἄνοδον. Μᾶλλον γὰρ ἂν τῷ παρόντι πρὸς χάριν ἐφθέγξατο, ἢ τὸν ἀπόντα καὶ μηδὲν ἀκούοντα ἐκολάκευσεν. Καὶ θήσει τὰ ὅπλα αὐτοῦ ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀρεῖ τὰ ὅπλα αὐτοῦ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται, καὶ πατάξει τὴν γῆν Αἰγύπτου. Ἀσαφῶς κεῖται ἐν τῷ Ἑλληνικῷ· ὃ γὰρ βούλεται εἰπεῖν, τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι τὴν