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he beheld a more secret vision, being angelic I think, through which the things of the fall of Babylon were being brought about. Reasonably therefore, since the prophetic spirit was about to cry out and say: Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and all her handmade things are broken, the Lord said beforehand to the prophet, hear a hard message, clearly this one spoken concerning Babylon and her statues. And I think that through these things is signified the complete destruction of the kingdom of the Assyrians, having happened by the judgment of God; and it would not have appeared that this messenger was foolish, if he had not been cast down by the prophet according to the command of God. And when these things were so done, the prophet then reveals these things, which he both heard and saw, to those left behind and suffering among the people. But these were a certain few who were mourning the things against the people, left behind alone from the error of the many, to whom the prophet speaks, saying: hear what I have heard from the Lord of Sabaoth; the God of Israel has announced to you; for what he revealed to me, these things he has also declared to you as if through me as interpreter. This is the end of the prophecy concerning Egypt, after which the discourse moves on to another subject. 1.80 Not idly has the Word made the prophecy concerning these things, but because these also were enemies of Israel, continually attacking them, history and the Psalm which says bear witness to this: "For they have consulted together with one consent; against you they have made a covenant: the tents of the Idumeans and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagarenes, Gebal and Ammon and Amalek." You see how he places the Idumeans before all the enemies of the people; and this was a very great nation around Petra of Arabia, deriving its succession from Esau. And Esau was the brother of Jacob, who is also Israel, from whom are all the Jews. Therefore both the Idumeans and the Jews were children of brothers; for Esau was called Edom, for which reason those from him are Idumeans. Since therefore the Idumeans continually rose up against Israel, reasonably the prophet also beholds the vision concerning them, foretelling what would also happen to them. And God seems to address his own acquaintances, saying: He calls to me from Seir; for he calls those fleeing from Seir to me, he says, according to the other interpreters. And Seir was the name of the mountain of Esau in Arabia, in which his kingdom was established; and it is known to the locals even now, being so called. Therefore, to those who are anxious from fear of the Idumeans he says: come hastening to me, and being with me, guard your own battlements. And I will guard you by day and by night, and be with me. If then anyone among you needs help, let him seek help from me, and if anyone has cared for his salvation, let him dwell with me. These things therefore seem to me to have been said to those terrified by the fear of the Idumeans, whom God calls to himself, promising help from himself, if they should remain with him. And next the prophet, taking up another subject, speaks, having been taken by the Holy Spirit, for which reason he also called the word an oracle. which oracle was no longer about the Idumeans alone, but also about the rest of those dwelling in Arabia, they also being enemies and adversaries of Israel, to whom he says: if indeed you, always being bold, have been accustomed to triumph over my people, now at least, having learned what is about to come upon you, cease from your folly. For as the enemies who cut you down are already present, most of you will perish, and maybe one or two, or even some very few if they are saved, securing their safety by flight, to these themselves I command, as if they are fleeing and already weary and exhausted from the flight, to prepare bread and water, no longer having a city to inhabit, these in the forest and in desert places when it has overtaken them

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ἀπορρητοτέραν ὄψιν ἐθεώρει ἀγγελικὴν ὡς οἶμαι οὖσαν, δι' ἧς τὰ τῆς πτώσεως Βαβυλῶνος ἐνηργεῖτο. εἰκότως οὖν ἐπείπερ ἤμελλε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ προφητικὸν ἀναβοᾶν καὶ λέγειν· Πέπτωκε πέπτωκε Βαβυλών, καὶ πάντα τὰ χειροποίητα αὐτῆς συνετρίβη, προλαβὼν εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ προφήτῃ ἀκρόασαι ἀκρόασιν πολλήν, ταύτην αὐτὴν δηλονότι τὴν περὶ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος καὶ τῶν ἀγαλμάτων αὐτῆς λεχθεῖσαν. οἶμαι δὲ διὰ τούτων σημαίνεσθαι τῆς Ἀσσυρίων βασιλείας τὴν παντελῆ καθαίρεσιν θεοῦ κρίσει γενομένην· οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἐφάνη, ὅτι μωρὸς οὗτος ἄγγελος, εἰ μὴ βέβλητο ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου κατὰ πρόσταξιν τοῦ θεοῦ. Τούτων δὲ οὕτω πραχθέντων ὁ προφήτης λοιπὸν ἐκφαίνει ταῦτα, ἅπερ ἤκουσέ τε καὶ εἶδε τοῖς καταλελειμμένοις καὶ ὀδυνωμένοις ἐν τῷ λαῷ. βραχεῖς δέ τινες ἦσαν οὗτοι οἱ τὰ κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ ἀποδυρόμενοι μόνοι περιλειφθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν πολλῶν πλάνης, οἷς ὁ προφήτης προσφωνεῖ λέγων· ἀκούσατε ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ κυρίου σαβαώθ· ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀνήγγειλεν ὑμῖν· ἃ γὰρ ἐμοὶ ἀπεκάλυψε, ταῦτα καὶ ὑμῖν ἐξέφηνεν ὡς δι' ἑρμηνέως ἐμοῦ. τοῦτο τέλος τῆς περὶ Αἰγύπτου προφητείας, μεθ' ἣν ὁ λόγος μεταβαίνει ἐφ' ἑτέραν ὑπόθεσιν. 1.80 Οὐκ ἀργῶς οὐδὲ τὴν περὶ τούτων προφητείαν πεποίηται ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καὶ οὗτοι πολέμιοι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἦσαν συνεχῶς αὐτοῖς ἐπιτιθέμενοι, μαρτυρεῖ τούτοις ἡ ἱστορία καὶ ὁ λέγων Ψαλμός· «ὅτι ἐβουλεύσαντο ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό, κατὰ σοῦ διαθήκην διέθεντο τὰ σκηνώματα τῶν Ἰδουμαίων καὶ οἱ Ἰσμαηλῖται, Μωὰβ καὶ Ἁγαρηνοί, Γεβὰλ καὶ Ἀμμὼν καὶ Ἀμαλήκ»ὁρᾷς ὅπως πρὸ πάντων τῶν πολεμίων τοῦ λαοῦ τοὺς Ἰδουμαίους τίθησιν· ἔθνος δὲ τοῦτ' ἦν μέγιστον ἀμφὶ τοῖς Πέτραν τῆς Ἀραβίας ἐκ τοῦ Ἠσαῦ τὴν διαδοχὴν κατάγον. Ἠσαῦ δὲ ἀδελφὸς ἦν τοῦ Ἰακὼβ τοῦ καὶ Ἰσραήλ, ἐξ οὗ πάντες Ἰοδαῖοι. ἀδελφῶν οὖν ὑπῆρχον τέκνα οἵ τε Ἰδουμαῖοι καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι· Ἐδὼμ γὰρἐκαλεῖτο Ἠσαῦ, διὸ καὶ οἱ ἐξ αὐτοῦ Ἰδουμαῖοι. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν συνεχῶς ἐπανίσταντο οἱ Ἰδουμαῖοι τῷ Ἰσραήλ, εἰκότως καὶ τὸ περὶ τούτων ὅραμα θεωρεῖ ὁ προφήτης προλέγων τὰ καὶ αὐτοῖς συμβησόμενα. ἔοικε δὲ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ γνωρίμοις ὁ θεὸς προσφωνεῖν λέγων· Πρὸς ἐμὲ καλεῖ παρὰ τοῦ Σηείρ· τοὺς γὰρ φεύγοντας παρὰ τοῦ Σηεὶρ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτὰς πρὸς ἐμὲ καλεῖ φησι. Σηεὶρ δὲ ἐκαλεῖτο τὸ ἐν τῇ Ἀραβίᾳ ὄρος τοῦ Ἠσαῦ, ἐν ᾧ συνειστήκει αὐτοῦ τὰ βασίλεια· γνωρίζεται δὲ τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν οὕτω καλούμενον. τοῖς οὖν ἀγωνιῶσι τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν Ἰδουμαίων φόβον φάσκει· πρὸς ἐμὲ σπεύδοντες ἥκετε, καὶ παρ' ἐμοὶ γενόμενοι φυλάσσετε τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐπάλξεις. Κἀγὼ δὲ φυλάξω ὑμᾶς δι' ἡμέρας καὶ διὰ νυκτὸς καὶ παρ' ἐμοὶ γένεσθε. εἴ τις οὖν ἐν ὑμῖν βοηθείας δεῖται, παρ' ἐμοῦ ζητείτω τὴν βοήθειαν, καὶ εἴ τις τῆς αὐτοῦ πεφρόντικε σωτηρίας, παρ' ἐμοὶ οἰκείτω. ταῦτα οὖν εἰρῆσθαί μοι δοκεῖ πρὸς τοὺς ἐπτοημένους τὸν φόβον τῶν Ἰδουμαίων, οὓς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀνακαλεῖται ὁ θεὸς ἐπαγγελλόμενος τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ βοήθειαν, εἰ παραμένοιεν αὐτῷ. Τὰ δ' ἑξῆς ὁ προφήτης ἑτέρας ὑποθέσεως ἐπιλαβόμενος φάσκει ληφθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, διὸ καὶ λῆμμα ἐκάλει τὸν λόγον. ὅπερ λῆμμα οὐκέτι περὶ τῶν Ἰδουμαίων μόνων ἦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν λοιπῶν τῶν τὴν Ἀραβίαν οἰκούντων, ἐχθρῶν καὶ αὐτῶν καὶ πολεμίων ὄντων τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, πρὸς οὕς φησιν· εἰ δὴ πάντοτε θρασυνόμενοι ᾧ οὗτοι κατεπαίρεσθαι εἰώθατε τοῦ ἐμοῦ λαοῦ, νῦν γοῦν μαθόντες τὰ ὅσον οὔπω ὑμᾶς μετελευσόμενα παύσασθε τῆς ἀπονοίας. ἤδη γὰρ ἐπιστάντων τῶν κατακοπτόντων ὑμᾶς πολεμίων, οἱ μὲν πλεῖστοι τῶν ἐν ὑμῖν ἀπολοῦνται, εἷς δέ που καὶ δεύτερος, ἢ καὶ σφόδρα τινὲς βραχεῖς εἰ περισωθεῖεν φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν ποριζόμενοι, τούτοις αὐτοῖς ἐγὼ παρακελεύομαι ὡσανεὶ φεύγουσι καὶ ἐκ τῆς φυγῆς παρειμένοις ἤδη καὶ ἐκλελυμμένοις ἄρτον καὶ ὕδωρ παρασκευάζειν, μηκέτι γοῦν πόλιν οἰκεῖν ἔχοντες, οὗτοι ἐν δρυμῷ καὶ ἐν ἐρήμοις τόποις καταλαβούσης αὐτοὺς