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to follow after them, and they shall know that I am the Lord. For so, he says, I will diminish the kingdom of the Egyptians, so that my people may no longer trust in their help, nor receive occasions for impiety from them, but seek my providence; for they shall learn of my lordship. 81.1109 17, 18. And it came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, on the first day of the first month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has made his power serve with a great servitude against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled, and there was no reward for him and for his army against Tyre, for the service with which he served against it. He foretold these things in the tenth year of Jehoiachin's captivity, or in the twelfth; for so says both the Hebrew and the Syrian; but these things in the twenty-seventh, after the capture of Tyre and the long siege, because of which he says every head became bald, and every shoulder peeled. For life in the open air is accustomed to do such things, with the heat often flaying the bare parts of the body's members exposed to it. And he promises to give Nebuchadnezzar Egypt as a reward for the labors that occurred in the siege of Tyre; not because he did this with the intention of serving the divine will (for using his own impulse he campaigned against all these nations), but through these things he makes it clear that nothing will happen if he does not will it. "For two sparrows," he says, "are sold for a penny, and not one of them will fall apart from your Father who is in heaven." For nothing of what happens escapes his notice; but some things he directs himself, and others he allows to happen, now yielding to the free will of men, now allowing the deserving to be punished through others. Wishing, therefore, to show that Nebuchadnezzar received this power because he allowed it, he also promises to give him as a reward for the siege of the Tyrians the enslavement of the Egyptians. 19, 20. Thus says the Lord Adonai: Behold, I give to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon the land of Egypt, and he shall take its multitude, and plunder its plunder, and prey on its prey, and it shall be the reward for his army. In return for his service, which he served against Tyre, I have given him the land of Egypt, in return for what he did. Again he has said the same things, confirming the prophecy by repetition and restatement; Thus says the Lord Adonai: (21.) In that day a horn will rise for all the house of Israel, and I will give you an opened mouth in their midst, and they will know that I am the Lord. The divine Scripture sometimes calls piety a horn, sometimes power, sometimes the kingdom; and he used 'a horn will rise' from the metaphor of calves, which are weak 81.1112 before the sprouting of their horns, but after their growth they gain much power. Therefore, he says, when Egypt is destroyed, my people will flourish, and will acquire piety, not having wickedness as their teacher; and they will also give ear to the prophetic words, having learned of my lordship. For he declared this by saying: "And I will give you an opened mouth in their midst;" for through Ezekiel he signified the entire prophetic choir.

CHAPTER 40. 1-3. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man,

prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord Adonai: Wail, alas, the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and the day of the cloud is at hand, and a time of nations will it be. Through all that has been said he terrifies, urging to lament and mourn. He calls the time of punishment a day; and a cloud, the darkness brought upon souls by the calamity; and he called the time of nations that which is brought upon the nations

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ἀκο λουθῆσαι ὀπίσω αὐτῶν, καὶ γνώσονται, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι Κύριος. Οὕτω γὰρ, φησὶ, τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐλαττώσω τὴν βασιλείαν, ὡς μηκέτι τὸν ἐμὸν λαὸν τῇ ἐκείνων βοηθείᾳ θαῤῥεῖν, καὶ ἀσεβείας ἀφορμὰς παρ' ἐκείνων λαμβάνειν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐμὴν προμή θειαν ἐπιζητεῖν· μαθήσονται γάρ μου τὴν δεσπο τείαν. 81.1109 ιζʹ, ιηʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἑβδόμῳ καὶ εἰκοστῷ ἔτει, ἐν μιᾷ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ πρώτου, ἐγένετο λό γος Κυρίου πρός με, λέγων· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, Να βουχοδονόσορ ὁ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος κατεδου λώσατο τὴν δύναμιν αὑτοῦ δουλείᾳ μεγάλῃ ἐπὶ Τύρῳ. Πᾶσα κεφαλὴ φαλάκρωμα, καὶ πᾶς ὦμος μαδῶν, καὶ μισθὸς οὐκ ἐγένετο αὐτῷ, καὶ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Τύρῳ, καὶ τῇ δου λείᾳ ᾗ ἐδούλευσεν ἐπ' αὐτῇ. Ἐκεῖνα τῷ δε κάτῳ ἔτει τῆς Ἰεχονίου αἰχμαλωσίας προείρηκεν, ἢ τῷ δωδεκάτῳ· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἑβραῖος λέγει, καὶ ὁ Σύρος· ταῦτα δὲ τῷ ἑβδόμῳ καὶ εἰκοστῷ μετὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν τῆς Τύρου καὶ τὴν μακρὰν πολιορκίαν, δι' ἣν καὶ πᾶσαν κεφαλὴν λέγει φαλακρὰν γενέ σθαι, καὶ πάντα ὦμον μαδῶντα. Ἡ γὰρ ὑπαίθριος διαγωγὴ τοιαῦτα ποιεῖν εἴωθε, τοῦ φλογμοῦ πολλά κις ἀποδέροντος τῶν τοῦ σώματος μελῶν τὰ γυμνὰ τούτῳ προκείμενα. Ὑπισχνεῖται δὲ τῷ Ναβουχο δονόσορ τὸν μισθὸν δώσειν τὴν Αἴγυπτον, ὑπὲρ τῶν πόνων τῶν περὶ τὴν πολιορκίαν τῆς Τύρου γεγενημέ νων· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ γνώμῃ τῷ θείῳ διακονῶν βουλή ματι τοῦτο εἰργάσατο (οἰκείᾳ γὰρ ὁρμῇ κεχρημένος πᾶσι τούτοις τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐπεστράτευσεν), ἀλλὰ διὰ τούτων παραδηλοῖ, ὡς οὐδὲν αὐτοῦ μὴ βουλομένου γενήσεται. "∆ύο γὰρ, φησὶ, στρουθία ἀσσαρίου πωλεῖται, καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ πεσεῖται παρεκτὸς τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς." Οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν λέληθε τῶν γιγνομένων· ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν αὐτὸς πρυτανεύει, τὰ δὲ γίνεσθαι συγχωρεῖ, νῦν μὲν τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παραχωρῶν, νῦν δὲ τοὺς ἀξίους δι' ἑτέρων κολάζεσθαι συγχωρῶν. ∆εῖξαι τοίνυν βουλόμενος, ὡς αὐτοῦ συγχωρήσαντος ταύτην ἔλαβεν ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ τὴν δύναμιν, ὑπισχνεῖται καὶ μισθὸν αὐτῷ δώσειν ὑπὲρ τῆς Τυρίων πολιορκίας τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τὴν δούλωσιν. ιθʹ, κʹ. Τάδε, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ δίδωμι τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλεῖ Βαβυλῶνος τὴν γῆν Αἰγύπτου, καὶ λήψεται τὸ πλῆθος αὐ τῆς, καὶ σκυλεύσει τὰ σκῦλα αὐτῆς, καὶ προ νομεύσει τὴν προνομὴν αὐτῆς, καὶ ἔσται ὁ μι σθὸς τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ. Ἀντὶ τῆς λειτουργίας αὐτοῦ, ἧς ἐδούλευσεν ἐπὶ Τύρου, δέδωκα αὐτῷ τὴν γῆν Αἰγύπτου, ἀνθ' ὧν ὅσα εἰργάσατο. Πά λιν τὰ αὐτὰ εἴρηκε, τῇ ἀναλήψει καὶ δευτερώσει τὴν πρόῤῥησιν βεβαιῶν· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· (καʹ.) Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἀνατελεῖ κέρας παντὶ τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ σοὶ δώσω στόμα ἠνεῳγμένον ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν, καὶ γνώσονται ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος. Κέρας ἡ θεία Γραφὴ ποτὲ μὲν καλεῖ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ποτὲ δὲ τὴν δύναμιν, ποτὲ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν· τὸ δὲ Ἀνατελεῖ κέρας ἐκ τῆς μεταφορᾶς τῶν μόσχων τέθεικεν, οἳ ἀσθενεῖς 81.1112 μὲν εἰσὶν πρὸ τῆς τῶν κεράτων ἐκφύσεως, μετὰ δὲ τὴν τούτων αὔξησιν πολλὴν προσλαμβάνουσι δύναμιν. Τῆς τοίνυν Αἰγύπτου, φησὶ, καταλυομένης, ὁ ἐμὸς ἀνθήσει λαὸς, καὶ εὐσέβειαν κτήσεται, τὴν πονηρίαν οὐκ ἔχων διδάσκαλον· ὑφέξουσι δὲ καὶ τοῖς προφητικοῖς λόγοις τὴν ἀκοὴν, τὴν ἐμὴν δεσποτείαν μεμαθηκότες. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν εἰρηκώς· "Καὶ σοὶ δώσω στόμα ἠνεῳγμένον ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν·" διὰ γὰρ τοῦ Ἰεζε κιὴλ πάντα τὸν προφητικὸν ἐσήμανε χορόν.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Μʹ. αʹ-γʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με, λέ γων· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου,

προφήτευσον καὶ εἰπέ· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ὀλολύξατε, ὢ ὢ ἡἡμέρα. Ὅτι ἐγγὺς ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου, καὶ ἐγγίζει ἡ ἡμέρα νεφέλης, καὶ καιρὸς ἐθνῶν ἔσται. ∆ιὰ πάντων τῶν εἰρημένων δεδίττεται, θρηνεῖν καὶ ὀδύρεσθαι παρακελευόμενος. Ἡμέραν καλεῖ τὸν τῆς τιμωρίας καιρόν· νεφέλην δὲ τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς συμφορᾶς ταῖς ψυχαῖς γενόμενον σκότος· καιρὸν δὲ ἐθνῶν ἐκάλεσε τὴν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐπιφερομένην