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that is, not even to be grieved; for that he does not say this about a calamity, the following text indicates; for he says: Behold, I bring evils upon all flesh, says the Lord, and I will give your soul as a prize in every place, where you shall go there. That is: Do not be afraid; go and say to the people the things spoken by the prophet, knowing well that you will not share in their calamity, nor will they do you any evil; and the Prophet has set forth the manner of salvation above, saying: And the Lord hid them and they were not found. And you will seek. You seek to snatch one whole city from the dangers of having offended me. And I will give your soul. Wherever you may be, you shall not suffer anything terrible. But nevertheless, even so he insisted. So that you may learn that he was not looking out for his own interests, but those of the many. But we, when our own affairs were in safety, then we took account of the rest. *Against the power of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, who was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck in the fourth year of the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. Because these things were said then; for it is not the beginning of the vision of Egypt, but, as I said before, it recalls the things then spoken. For this Necho, having killed Josiah, appointed Jehoahaz. But when Nebuchadnezzar came, he killed Jehoahaz and appointed Jehoiakim; so the Egyptian, as if his kingdom were being torn 64.1020 from him, went to the Euphrates and engaged with Nebuchadnezzar. Therefore, since the Jews had a high opinion of the power of the Egyptians and were gaping for an alliance with them, he threatens both the defeat and the destruction of Necho, and having proclaimed war, and having declared the alliance useless as directed toward the Jews. There was another Pharaoh, this Hophra, this Necho of Necho. See how God sobered them even before by examples. This one was severely defeated, at which time Jehoiakim was also killed; and they have become no more reasonable. And see where he met him, at the Euphrates. Take up. For what reason then does he begin the prophecy, saying to arm yourselves? and with much precision he goes through all their armament, almost imitating the generals who lead to war and give commands? He either says this ironically. Because the mighty ones. See, he also tells the manner of the war, as if he were present, in what way they will be captured. Let him not flee. Neither swiftness of feet, nor strength of body, nor anything else helps, all having been clothed eq. having been cast off, if the help of God is not present. Who is this like a river. He compares them to the Nile not only because of their size, but also because they know the river, and its sudden rush; and showing that the strategy is from God; for that river also increases by God. Because it is a sacrifice. To show how the matter gladdens God, nothing human happens. Since you are preparing yourselves, I do not forbid it at all, so that you may learn that to war against God is superfluous. Go up to Gilead, and take balm for the virgin daughter of Egypt. In vain have you multiplied your medicines. There is no help for you. That is, You too, along with the others, cooperate with her. For by Gilead he means the Israelites, naming the inhabitants from the place. And it was also a city of priests, which is why he says: Take balm, that is, a plaster. As if to say, As you formerly, being pious, helped the people through the priesthood, so now, being lawless, be able to heal those wounded in the war; and they reproached them, as having often been deemed worthy of salvation in battles against their enemies through the prophets who dwelt there. As if to say, Now that you are impious, make use of the assistance of your idols for the matters at hand, and help the Egyptian, whom you consider a protector. And this he says ironically; that whatever you may do, and however many allies you may call, these things are superfluous. Because warrior against warrior has grown weak. That is, both the

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τουτέστι, τὸ μηδὲ λυπεῖσθαι· ὅτι γὰρ οὐ περὶ συμφορᾶς αὐτό φησι, μηνύει τὸ ἐπαγόμενον· φησὶ γάρ· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω κακὰ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ δώσω τὴν ψυχήν σου εἰς εὕρεμα ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, οὗ ἐὰν βαδίσῃ ἐκεῖ. Τουτέστι· Μὴ φοβοῦ· ἀπελθὼν εἰπὲ τῷ λαῷ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου λεγόμενα, εὖ εἰδὼς, ὡς οὐ κοινωνήσεις αὐτοῖς τῆς συμφορᾶς, οὐδέ τι διαθήσουσί σε κακόν· τὸν δὲ τρόπον τῆς σωτηρίας ἀνωτέρω τέθεικεν ὁ Προφήτης, φήσας· Καὶ κατέκρυψεν αὐτοὺς Κύριος καὶ οὐχ εὑρίσκοντο. Καὶ σὺ ζητήσεις. Μίαν πόλιν ὅλην ἐξαρπάσαι κινδύνων προσκρουσασάν μοι ζητεῖς. Καὶ δώσω τὴν ψυχήν. Ὅπου δ' ἂν ᾖς, οὐ μὴ πείσῃ δεινόν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὕτως ἐπέκειτο. Ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐχὶ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἐσκόπει, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν πολλῶν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ, ὅτε τὰ ἡμέτερα ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ ἦν, τότε τῶν λοιπῶν ἐποιούμεθα λόγον. *Ἐπὶ δύναμιν Φαραὼ Νεχαὼ βασιλέως Αἰγύπτου, ὃς ἦν ποταμῷ Εὐφράτῃ ἐν Χάρμης, ὃν ἐπάταξε Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος ἐν τῷ ἔτει τῷ τετάρτῳ υἱοῦ Ἰωακεὶμ βασιλέως Ἰούδα. Ὅτι ταῦτα τότε εἴρηται· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἀρχὴ τῆς Αἰγύπτου ὁράσεως, ἀλλ', ὡς προέφην, τὰ τότε ῥηθέντα ὑπομιμνήσκει. Οὗτος γὰρ ὁ Νεχαὼ ἀνελὼν τὸν Ἰωσίαν κατέστησεν Ἰωάχαζ. Ἐπελθὼν δὲ ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, ἀνεῖλε μὲν τὸν Ἰωάχαζ, κατέστησε δὲ τὸν Ἰωακείμ· ὡς οὖν τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας παρα 64.1020 σπωμένης ὁ Αἰγύπτιος εἰς τὸν Εὐφράτην γενόμενος συμβάλλει τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ. Ἰουδαίων τοίνυν μεγάλα περὶ τῆς δυνάμεως Αἰγυπτίων φρονούντων, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων συμμαχίαν κεχηνότων, ἀπειλεῖ καὶ τὴν ἧτταν, καὶ τὴν ἀπώλειαν τοῦ Νεχαὼ, καὶ κηρύξας πόλεμον, καὶ ματαίαν συμμαχίαν ἀποφηνάμενος ὡς πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἀποτεινομένους. Ἄλλος ἦν ὁ Φαραὼ ὁ Οὐαφρὴν οὗτος ὁ Νεχαώ τοῦ Νεχαώ. Ὅρα πῶς διὰ παραδειγμάτων καὶ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοὺς ἐσωφρόνιζεν ὁ Θεός. Ἡττηθεὶς σφόδρα οὗτος, ὅτε καὶ Ἰωακεὶμ ἀνῃρέθη· καὶ οὐδὲν ἐπιεικέστεροι γεγόνασι. Καὶ ὅρα ποῦ ἀπήντησεν, ἐπὶ Εὐφράτῃ. Ἀναλάβετε. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἄρχεται τῆς προφητείας, λέγων καθοπλίζεσθαι; καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας ἔπεισι τὴν ὅπλισιν αὐτῶν πᾶσαν, μονονουχὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς μιμούμενος τοὺς ἄγοντας εἰς πόλεμον, καὶ παρακελευομένους; ἤτοι εἰρωνευόμενος τοῦτό φησι. ∆ιότι οἱ ἰσχυροί. Ὅρα, καὶ τὸν τρόπον λέγει τοῦ πολέμου, ὥσπερ παρὼν, τίνι τρόπῳ ἁλώσονται. Μὴ φευγέτω. Οὔτε ποδῶν ταχύτης, οὔτε σώματος ἰσχὺς, οὔτε ἄλλο οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ, πάντων περιβεβλημένων ἴσ. ἀποβεβλημένων, εἰ μὴ πάρεστιν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοήθεια. Τίς οὗτος ὡς ποταμός. Οὐ διὰ τὸ μέγεθος καὶ μόνον αὐτῶν τῷ Νείλῳ παραβάλλει, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸ εἰδέναι αὐτοὺς τὸν ποταμὸν, καὶ τὴν ἀθρόαν ὁρμήν· καὶ δεικνὺς, ὅτι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ στρατηγία· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὑπὸ Θεοῦ αὔξει. Ὅτι θυσία. Ἵνα δείξῃ, πῶς εὐφραίνει τὸν Θεὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα, οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπινον γίγνεται. Ἐπεὶ παρασκευάζεσθε ὑμεῖς, οὐδὲν κωλύω, ἵνα μάθητε, τὸ πρὸ τὸν Θεὸν πολεμεῖν περιττόν. Ἀνάβηθι Γαλαὰδ, καὶ λάβε ῥητίνην παρθένῳ θυγατρὶ Αἰγύπτου. Εἰς κενὸν ἐπλήθυνας ἰάματά σου. Ὠφέλεια οὐκ ἔστι σοι. Τουτέστι, Σύμπραξον αὐτῇ καὶ σὺ μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν. Γαλαὰδ γὰρ τοὺς Ἰσραηλίτας λέγει, ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου ὀνομάσας τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας. Ἦν δὲ καὶ ἱερέων πόλις, διό φησι· Λάβε ῥητίνην, τουτέστιν, ἔμπλαστρον. Ἵνα εἴπῃ, Ὡς πάλαι εὐσεβοῦσα ἐβοήθεις τῷ λαῷ διὰ τῆς ἱερατείας, οὕτω νῦν παρανομοῦσα δυνήθητι ἰάσασθαι τοὺς τραυματισθέντας ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ· ὠνείδιζον δὲ αὐτοῖς, ὡς πολλάκις διὰ προφητῶν τῶν αὐτόθι κατοικούντων τῆς σωτηρίας ἀξιωθέντων ἐν ταῖς πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους μάχαις. Ἵνα εἴπῃ, ὅτι Νῦν ἀσεβοῦσα, χρῆσαι ἐκ τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων συνεργίας τοῖς προκειμένοις, καὶ βοήθησον τῷ Αἰγυπτίῳ, ὃν προστάτην ἡγῇ. Καὶ τοῦτο εἰρωνευόμενος· ὅτι ὅσα ἂν ποιήσῃς, καὶ συμμάχους ὅσους ἂν καλέσῃς, ταῦτα περιττά. Ὅτι μαχητὴς πρὸς μαχητὴν ἠσθένησε. Τουτέστι, καὶ ὁ