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of the unclean. They called us unclean. Then showing whom he calls unclean, he took up the saying, and says: "Depart from the unclean; depart, do not touch them, because they have provoked," that is, God. "And they were kindled, and indeed were shaken." They were stripped bare, he says, on account of their transgression, of divine aid. "Say among the nations, They shall no more sojourn before the face of the Lord." He has utterly forbidden us, he says. 17. Our eyes failed for our help, as we looked for what was vain; we looked to a nation that does not save. For trusting in the 81.804 aid of the Egyptians, we were cheated of our hope. Then he shows the cruelty of the enemies; for they deemed neither old age worthy of pity, nor the priesthood worthy of reverence. 18. We hunted our little ones, that they might not walk in our streets. But the Syriac version has translated it "they hunted"; and the account is consistent; for the enemies hunted the young along with the old. These things, he says, we endured, "because our time has drawn near, our days have been fulfilled." The word has shown that God of all, using weight and measure, is both long-suffering and punishes. For when, having used long-suffering, He sees them being contemptuous, He brings on the punishment, that He may put a stop to sin. Then he teaches how the swiftness of the enemies overcame even the nimbleness of the citizens. And he foretells the saving passion; 20. The breath of our face, Christ the Lord, was taken in our corruptions, of whom we said, In his shadow we shall live among the nations. Let the Jews say, whom does the prophetic word call Christ? And which of those among them called christs, whether king, or prophet, or priest, was named Lord? But they could not show, though they use much falsehood. It is clear, therefore, that the prophet foretold our Savior and Lord, who was arrested by them on account of the corruption of their impiety. And the prophets say that these shall live in the shadow. And they believed through the holy apostles, and their divine ordinances being preached to the nations. Let us look ahead at the things concerning him, the all-holy Spirit having enlightened us. "The breath," he says, "of our face, Christ the Lord." This prophecy, however, the prophet has placed in the lamentations, teaching the Jews of that time that because their hope was not yet born, they will obtain mercy, and will enjoy recall, even though they were about to deliver the Savior of the world to the cross. 21. Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Idumea, who dwells in the land of Uz; for even upon you shall come the cup of the Lord, and you shall drink, and be drunken, and shall pour out. The prophetic word has foretold an excess of evils for them; for this is what 'you shall be drunken, and shall pour out' signifies. And the divine David also says concerning them, "Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom, in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Raze it, raze it, even to 81.805 its foundations." For though they were brothers and neighbors, they were not willing to be at peace, but preserved their ancestral hatred. 22. Your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry you away captive; he has visited your iniquity, O daughter of Edom, he has uncovered your sins. To Zion he foretold good things, but the opposite to Idumea; for he said that punishment would come upon it. And true also is the saying, "He will no more carry you away captive." For those who had enslaved them were completely overthrown, and came under the dominion of the Persians. The prophet, therefore, put this end to the lamentations; but we praise him who gave a mouth to man, and who teaches man knowledge, because we have made the meaning of this prophet clear, as far as was possible for us, and we have added this interpretation to the other prophetic books, so as not to leave behind even one prophecy, through his grace.

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ἀκαθάρτων. Ἀκαθάρτους ἐκάλουν ἡμᾶς. Εἶτα δείξας, τίνας ὀνομάζει ἀκαθάρτους, ἀνέλαβε τὸ ῥητὸν, καί φησιν· "Ἀπόστητε ἀπὸ ἀκαθάρτων· ἀπόστητε, μὴ ἐγγίσητε αὐτοῖς, ὅτι παρώξυναν," τουτέστι, τὸν Θεόν. "Καὶ ἀνήφθησαν, καί γε ἐσαλεύθησαν." Ἐγυμνώθησαν, φησὶ, διὰ τὴν παρανομίαν τῆς θείας ἐπικουρίας. "Εἴπατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, Οὐ μὴ προσθῶσι τοῦ παροικεῖν πρὸ προσώπου Κυρίου." Παντελῶς, φησὶν, ἡμᾶς ἀπηγόρευσεν. ιζʹ. Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν εἰς τὴν βοήθειαν ἡμῶν ἐξέλιπον, μάταια σκοπούντων ἡμῶν· ἀπεσκοπεύσαμεν εἰς ἔθνος οὐ σῶζον. Τῇ γὰρ Αἰγυπτίων 81.804 ἐπικουρίᾳ θαῤῥήσαντες, ἐψεύσθημεν τῆς ἐλπίδος. Εἶτα τὴν τῶν πολεμίων ὠμότητα δείκνυσιν· οὔτε γὰρ γῆρας φειδοῦς, οὔτε μὴν αἰδοῦς ἱερωσύνην ἠξίωσαν. ιηʹ. Ἐθηρεύσαμεν μικροὺς ἡμῶν, τοῦ μὴ εἰσπορεύεσθαι ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ἡμῶν. Ὁ δὲ Σύρος "ἐθήρευσαν" ἡρμήνευσεν· καὶ ἔχει τὸ ἀκόλουθον λόγος· οἱ γὰρ πολέμιοι μετὰ τῶν γεγηρακότων καὶ τοὺς νέους ἐθήρευσαν. Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶν, ὑπεμείναμεν, "ὅτι ἤγγικεν ὁ καιρὸς ἡμῶν, ἐπλη-ρώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἡμῶν." Ἔδειξεν ὁ λόγος, ὡς σταθμῷ καὶ μέτρῳ κεχρημένος ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς καὶ μακροθυμεῖ καὶ κολάζει. Ὅταν γὰρ τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ χρησάμενος καταφρονοῦντας θεάσηται, τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπιφέρει, ἵνα παύσῃ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Εἶτα διδάσκει, ὡς ἡ τῶν πολεμίων ταχύτης ἐνίκησε καὶ τῶν ἀστῶν τὴν κουφότητα. Προλέγει δὲ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος· κʹ. Πνεῦμα προσώπου ἡμῶν Χριστὸς Κύριος, συνελήφθη ἐν ταῖς διαφθοραῖς ἡμῶν, ᾧ εἴπαμεν, Ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ αὐτοῦ ζησόμεθα ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Εἰπάτωσαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, τίνα καλεῖ Χριστὸν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος; τίς δὲ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς κληθέντων χριστῶν, ἢ βασιλεὺς, ἢ προφήτης, ἢ ἱερεὺς, Κύριος ὠνομάσθη; ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιεν δεῖξαι, καίτοι πολλῇ κεχρημένοι ψευδολογίᾳ. ∆ῆλον τοίνυν, ὡς τὸν Σωτῆρα καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν προεθέσπισεν ὁ προφήτης, συλληφθέντα παρ' αὐτῶν διὰ τὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν διαφθοράν. Τούτους δὲ ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ οἱ προφῆται ζήσεσθαι λέγουσι. Καὶ ἐπίστευον διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων, καὶ τῶν θείων αὐτῶν θεσπισμάτων κηρυττομένων τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Προΐδωμεν δὲ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν, τοῦ παναγίου ἡμᾶς φωτίσαντος Πνεύματος. "Πνεῦμα, φησὶ, προσώπου ἡμῶν Χριστὸς Κύριος." Ταύτην μέντοι τὴν προφητείαν ὁ προφήτης τοῖς θρήνοις ἐντέθεικε, τοὺς τηνικαῦτα Ἰουδαίους διδάσκων, ὡς διὰ τὸ μηδέπω τεχθῆναι τὴν τούτων ἐλπίδα, φειδοῦς τεύξονται, καὶ τῆς ἀνακλήσεως ἀπολαύσονται, καίτοι μέλλοντες σταυρῷ τὸν τῆς οἰκουμένης παραδώσειν Σωτῆρα. καʹ. Χαῖρε καὶ εὐφραίνου, θύγατερ Ἰδουμαίας, ἡ κατοικοῦσα ἐν γῇ Οὔζ· καί γε ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπελεύσεται, τὸ ποτήριον τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ πίεσαι, καὶ μεθυσθήσῃ, καὶ ἀποχεεῖς. Ὑπερβολὴν αὐτοῖς κακῶν ὁ προφητικὸς προείρηκε λόγος· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὸ, "μεθυσθήσῃ, καὶ ἀποχεεῖς." Καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος δὲ ∆αβὶδ περὶ αὐτῶν φησι, "Μνήσθητι, Κύριε τῶν υἱῶν Ἐδὼμ, τὴν ἡμέραν Ἱερουσαλήμ· τῶν λεγόντων, Ἐκκενοῦτε, ἐκκενοῦτε, ἕως 81.805 τῶν θεμελίων αὐτῆς." Καὶ γὰρ ἀδελφοὶ ὄντες, καὶ γειτονεύοντες, εἰρηνεύειν μὲν οὐκ ἐβούλοντο, τὸ δὲ προγονικὸν διεφύλαξαν μῖσος. κβʹ. Ἐξέλιπεν ἀνομία σοῦ, θύγατερ Σιών· οὐ προσθήσει τοῦ ἀποικίσαι σε ἔτι· ἐπεσκέψατο ἀνομίαν σου, θύγατερ Ἐδὼμ, ἀπεκάλυψεν ἐπὶ τὰ ἀσεβήματά σου. Τῇ μὲν Σιὼν προηγόρευσε τὰ χρηστά, τἀναντία δὲ τῇ Ἰδουμαίᾳ· ἐπ' αὐτῆς γὰρ ἔφη τὴν τιμωρίαν χωρήσειν. Ἀληθὲς δὲ καὶ τὸ, "Οὐ προσθήσει τοῦ ἀποικίσαι σε ἔτι." Παντελῶς γὰρ οἱ ἀνδραποδίσαντες κατελύθησαν, καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν Περσῶν δυναστείαν ἐγένοντο. Ὁ μὲν οὖν προφήτης τοῦτο τοῖς θρήνοις τὸ τέλος ἐπέθηκεν· ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸν δεδωκότα στόμα ἀνθρώπῳ, καὶ διδάσκοντα ἄνθρωπον γνῶσιν ὑμνοῦμεν, ὅτι καὶ τοῦδε τοῦ προφήτου δήλην τὴν διάνοιαν, ὡς ἦν ἡμῖν ἐφικτὸν, πεποιήκαμεν, καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις προφητικαῖς βίβλοις προστεθείκαμεν καὶ τήνδε τὴν ἑρμηνείαν, ὡς μηδὲ μίαν διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ χάριν προφητείαν καταλιπεῖν