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The evils for Babylon *The word that the Lord commanded Jeremiah the prophet to speak to Seraiah son of Neriah, when he was going from Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign, and Seraiah was the chief of the gifts. That is, Seraiah was the first of those bearing the gifts; and it speaks of the gifts sent from Zedekiah to Nebuchadnezzar, where he commands him to take the book, and tie a stone to it, and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, a message of the destruction of Babylon. For lest he be thought to say everything in favor of the barbarian, while Nebuchadnezzar was still flourishing he made the prophecy against Babylon, through all things confirming to Israel that he was not prophesying against the city out of flattery for the enemies, but for the chastisement of those who were. He who compiled the prophet's words marked this as the end of the prophet's book, and they say that what comes after this was transferred from the books of Kings, having no sequence with the prophecy of Jeremiah.

CHAPTER 52.

And they went the way to Arabah. That is, they fled to the plain. For this is what Arabah means. And he spoke to him. See a barbarian man, having a clear conscience, since he came with boldness concerning the oaths. But those who hold justice do not refuse to give an account even to their inferiors; thus everywhere is the great zeal of men for the 64.1037 good. He wished to show that he was not acting unjustly. And so he leads him away, an example for those who would come after. And the crown, and the cauldrons. He calls the latticed shape around the pillars a crown. And the censers, and the libation bowls. Libation bowls he calls golden cups, through which they poured out wine, and cast incense on the fire, and the Aphoth, he calls mixing bowls, which are the cup-washers, and the Masmaroth, he calls the sprinklers of the blood, and the cyathoi, he calls the small vessels, in which they would take wine from the large jars. And of the two pillars, and of the sea, which king Solomon made for the house of the Lord. It is clear that these are set forth; for they appear to have already been lifted up by the descendants of Solomon, so that the laver, which Scripture indeed called a sea, stood upon a stone base.

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τὰ κακὰ τῇ Βαβυλῶνι *Ὁ λόγος ὃν ἐνετείλατο Κύριος Ἱερεμίᾳ τῷ προφήτῃ εἰπεῖν τῷ Σαρέᾳ υἱῷ Νηρίου, ὅτε ἐπορεύετο παρὰ Σεδεκίου βασιλέως Ἰούδα εἰς Βαβυλῶνα, ἐν τῷ ἔτει τῷ τετάρτῳ τῆς βασιλείας, καὶ Σαρέας ἄρχων δώρων. Τουτέστιν, ὁ πρῶτος τῶν ἀποκομιζόντων τὰ δῶρα ἦν ὁ Σαρέας· λέγει δὲ τὰ δῶρα τὰ παρὰ Σεδεκίου ἀποστελλόμενα τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, ἔνθα προστάττει αὐτῷ λαβεῖν τὸ βιβλίον, καὶ δῆσαι λίθον ἐπ' αὐτὸ, καὶ ῥίψαι εἰς τὸ μέσον τοῦ Εὐφράτου, μήνυμα τῆς ἀπωλείας τῆς Βαβυλῶνος. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ νομισθῇ κατὰ χάριν ὑπὲρ τοῦ βαρβάρου λέγειν ἅπαντα, ἔτι ἀνθοῦντος τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ τὴν κατὰ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος προφητείαν ἐποιήσατο, διὰ πάντων πιστούμενος τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς οὐ κολακείᾳ τῶν πολεμίων προφητεύων λέγει τὰ κατὰ τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ σωφρονισμῷ τῶν ὄντων. Τοῦτο τέλος τοῦ βιβλίου τοῦ προφήτου ἐπεσημήνατο, ὁ συνθεὶς τὰ τοῦ προφήτου ῥήματα, τὰ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτά φασι ἐκ τῶν Βασιλειῶν μετενηνέχθαι, οὐδεμίαν ἀκολουθίαν ἔχοντα πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Ἱερεμίου προφητείαν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΝΒʹ.

Καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν εἰς Ἄραβα. Τουτέστιν, ἐπὶ τὴν πεδιάδα ἔφυγον. Τοῦτο γὰρ μηνύει τὸ Ἄραβα. Καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτῷ. Ὅρα βάρβαρον ἄνθρωπον, τὸ συνειδὸς ἔχοντα καθαρὸν, ἐπειδὴ μετὰ παῤῥησίας παρεγένετο τῆς τῶν ὅρκων. Οἱ δὲ τῆς δίκης κρατοῦντες οὐ παραιτοῦνται, καὶ τοῖς ὑποδεεστέροις διδόναι λόγον· οὕτως πανταχοῦ πολλὴ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἡ σπουδὴ τοῦ 64.1037 καλοῦ. Ἠβουλήθη δεῖξαι, ὡς οὐκ ἀδικεῖ. Καὶ ἀπάγει λοιπὸν αὐτὸν, παράδειγμα τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα ἐσομένοις. Καὶ τὴν στεφάνην, καὶ τοὺς λέβητας. Στεφάνην λέγει τὸ καγκελωτὸν σχῆμα, τὸ περὶ τοὺς κίονας. Καὶ τὰ θυμιατήρια, καὶ τὸ σπονδεῖα. Σπονδεῖα λέγει φιάλας χρυσᾶς, δι' ὧν τὸν οἶνον ἔσπενδον, καὶ τὸ θυμίαμα ἐπέβαλλον τῷ πυρὶ, καὶ τὰς Ἀφὼθ, κρατῆρας λέγει, οἵ εἰσιν οἱ ποτηροπλύται, καὶ τὰς Μασμαρὼθ, τοὺς ῥαντιστῆρας λέγει τοῦ αἵματος, καὶ τοὺς κυάθους, τὰ μικρὰ ξέστια λέγει, ἐν οἷς ἐλάμβανον τῶν μεγάλων ἀγγείων τὸν οἶνον. Καὶ τῶν στύλων τῶν δύο, καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, ὧν ἐποίησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Σολομὼν εἰς οἶκον Κυρίου. Εὔδηλον ὡς προτιθέναι ταῦτα· φαίνεται γὰρ ἤδη ὑπὸ τῶν ἀπογόνων τοῦ Σολομῶνος ἐπαρθέντα, ὥστε καὶ ἐπὶ λιθίνης βάσεως ἑστάναι τὸν λουτῆρα, ὃν δὴ θάλασσαν προσηγόρευσεν ἡ Γραφή.