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and his people and his father's house, days, which have not yet come since he was divided from Judah, led away captive by the king of the Assyrians. And Ephraim departed from Judah in the days of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, who first began the apostasy, saying: We have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Jesse. For this reason Ephraim drew the king of the Assyrians away from Judah to himself, walking about and not allowing him to press hard on the siege of Jerusalem. And it shall be in that day: the Lord shall hiss for the flies, that rules over a part of the river of Egypt; and for the bee, that is in the land of the Assyrians. And they shall all come and rest in the valleys of the land and in the clefts of the rocks and into the caves and into every ravine and in every wood. To Egypt (he says) my people went down, to sojourn there; and to the Assyrians they were brought by force. For this reason he prophesies at the birth of Emmanuel, whether any of the people be in Egypt, or among the Assyrians, that they shall come out and having come into the land of Judea shall rest in the natural and unoccupied retreats. However, he says that flies rule over a part of the river of Egypt, and that bees are in the land of the Assyrians, showing the insignificance of the opposing powers. For the fly is an animal having its origin from dung, a troublesome and disgusting kind to men, whose life is troublesome and whose death is loathsome. Then they rule over a part of the river of Egypt. For the Nile, beginning from Ethiopia above, around a small part of itself, that which is toward the outlets of the sea, has Egypt situated. In which place all the quadrupeds and beasts and reptiles and birds being deified are worshipped. Therefore these flies, the weakness of the opposing power, the Lord will destroy with His hissing, that is, with the breath of His mouth He will destroy. And in the land of the Assyrians, the bee. And the bee is a small and weak animal, dying in the act of defending itself. For as soon as it has thrust in its sting, it dies with the wound; and while it has injured the one wounded a little, it has deprived itself of life. Such is the nature of bitter men and those who fight against the Spirit, injuring themselves more through their wickedness than those who happen upon their wrath. 7.205 And in that day the Lord shall shave with the hired razor from beyond the river of the king of the Assyrians the head, and he shall take away the hair of the feet and the beard. After the birth of Christ, when every opposing power, like flies and bees, has been scattered by the breath of the Lord's mouth, the sons of Israel will be gathered together and will rest in the natural shelters, valleys and lands and ravines and such places. But the phrase "The Lord shall shave with the hired razor of the king of the Assyrians the head, and the hair of the feet, and he shall take away his beard," the word seems to allude through the hired razor to a certain mercenary power, which is about to show the Assyrian kingdom to be bare, which also will take away its glorious things, that is, the hair of its head, and will destroy the numerous and common people, whom the word tropically rendered as "hair of the feet." Then, indeed, even the most honorable things and the symbols of manliness, which he called a beard, he threatens will be taken away by the hired razor. And perhaps those who pay attention to history will find that these things were done to the Assyrians by the Roman power, which happen at the birth of Emmanuel. And it shall be in that day, a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep, and it shall be that from the abundance of milk they give, everyone who is left in the land shall eat butter and honey. When rest has come to Israel, delivered from captivity, and the king who plots against him is dishonored, stripped bare by the hired razor, then

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καὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ἡμέρας, αἳ οὔπω ἥκασιν ἀφ' οὗ ἀπεμερίσθη τοῦ Ἰούδα, αἰχμάλωτος ἀπαχθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Ἀσσυρίων. Ἀπέστη δὲ Ἐφραῒμ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰούδα ἐν ἡμέραις Ἱεροβοὰμ υἱοῦ Νάβατ, ὃς ἐξήμαρτε τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, ὃς πρῶτος κατῆρξε τῆς ἀποστασίας, εἰπών· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν μερὶς ἐν ∆αβὶδ, οὐδὲ κληρονομία ἐν υἱῷ Ἰεσσαί. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Ἐφραῒμ ἀφεῖλε τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰούδα ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν, περιπατήσας καὶ μὴ ἐάσας ἐπικεῖσθαι σφοδρῶς τῇ πολιορ κίᾳ τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ· συριεῖ Κύριος μυίαις, ὃ κυριεύει μέρους ποταμοῦ Αἰγύπτου· καὶ τῇ μελίσσῃ, ἥ ἐστιν ἐν χώρᾳ Ἀσσυρίων. Καὶ ἐλεύσονται καὶ ἀνα παύσονται πάντες ἐν ταῖς φάραγξι τῆς χώρας καὶ ἐν ταῖς τρώγλαις τῶν πετρῶν καὶ εἰς τὰ σπήλαια καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν ῥαγάδα καὶ ἐν παντὶ ξύλῳ. Εἰς Αἴγυπτον (φησὶ) κατέβη ὁ λαός μου, παροικῆσαι ἐκεῖ· καὶ εἰς Ἀσσυρίους βίᾳ ἤχθησαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο προφητεύει ἐπὶ τῇ γεννήσει τοῦ Ἐμμανουὴλ, εἴτε ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ τις εἴη, τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ, εἴτε ἐν τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις, ἐξελεύσεσθαι αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῆς Ἰουδαίας γενομένους ἀναπαύσασθαι ἐν ταῖς αὐ τοφυέσι καὶ σχολαζούσαις καταδύσεσι. Μυίας μέντοι κυριεύειν μέρους ποταμοῦ Αἰγύπτου, καὶ με λίσσας ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ εἶναι τῶν Ἀσσυρίων φησί, τὸ εὐτελὲς ἐνδεικνύμενος τῶν ἀντικειμένων δυνάμεων. Μυῖα γάρ ἐστι ζῶον ἀπὸ κόπρου τὴν γένεσιν ἔχον, ὀχληρὸν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις γένος καὶ μυσαρὸν, ὧν καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ὀχληρὰ καὶ ὁ θάνατος βδε λυκτός. Τότε μέρους κυριεύουσι τοῦ ποταμοῦ Αἰγύπτου. Ἄνωθεν γὰρ ἐκ τῶν Αἰθιόπων ἀρχόμενος ὁ Νεῖλος, περὶ βραχὺ ἑαυτοῦ μέρος, τὸ πρὸς ταῖς ἐκβολαῖς τῆς θαλάσσης, κατοικοῦ σαν ἔχει τὴν Αἴγυπτον. Ἐν ᾧ τόπῳ πάντα τὰ τετράποδα καὶ θηρία καὶ ἑρπετὰ καὶ πτηνὰ θεοποιούμενα προσκυνεῖται. Ταύτας οὖν τὰς μυίας, τὸ ἀσθενὲς τῆς ἀντικειμένης δυνά μεως, τῷ συριγμῷ ἑαυτοῦ ἀφανίσει Κύριος, τουτέστι τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἀφανίσει. Καὶ ἐν χώρᾳ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων τῇ μελίσσῃ. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἡ μέλισσα μικρὸν ζῶον καὶ ἀσθενὲς, ἀποθνῆσκον ἐν ᾧ ἀμύνεται. Ὁμοῦ τε γὰρ ἐνῆκε τὸ κέντρον, καὶ συναπέθανε τῇ πληγῇ· καὶ τὸν μὲν τρωθέντα μικρὸν ἔβλαψεν, ἑαυτὴν δὲ τῆς ζωῆς ἀπεστέρησε. Τοιαύτη τῶν πικρῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ πνευματομάχων ἡ φύ σις, μείζονα κακούντων ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τῆς πονηρίας, ἢ ὅσοι ἂν αὐτῶν τῇ ὀργῇ περιτύχωσιν. 7.205 Καὶ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ξυρήσει Κύριος τῷ ξυρῷ τῷ μεμισθωμένῳ πέραν τοῦ ποταμοῦ βασιλέως Ἀσσυ ρίων τὴν κεφαλὴν, καὶ τὰς τρίχας τῶν ποδῶν καὶ τὸν πώ γωνα ἀφελεῖ. Μετὰ τὴν γένεσιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πάσης τῆς ἀντικειμένης δυνάμεως, ὡς μυίας καὶ μελίσσης, τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στό ματος τοῦ Κυρίου διασκεδασθείσης, ἐπισυναχθήσονται οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἐναναπαύσονται ταῖς αὐτοφυέσιν ὑποδο χαῖς, φάραγξι καὶ χώραις καὶ ταῖς ῥαγάσι καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις. Τὸ δὲ Ξυρήσει Κύριος ἐν τῷ μεμισθωμένῳ ξυρῷ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Ἀσσυρίων τὴν κεφαλὴν, καὶ τὰς τρίχας τῶν ποδῶν, καὶ τὸν πώγωνα αὐτοῦ ἀφελεῖ, ἔοικεν ὁ λόγος αἰνίσσεσθαι διὰ τοῦ μεμισθωμένου ξυροῦ δύ ναμίν τινα μισθοφορικὴν, τὴν μέλλουσαν ψιλὴν ἀποδεικ νύειν τὴν Ἀσσυρίων βασιλείαν, ἥτις καὶ τὰ ἔνδοξα αὐτῆς περιαιρήσεται, τουτέστι τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῆς καὶ τὸν πολὺν καὶ χυδαῖον λαὸν ἐξαφανίσει, οὓς τροπικῶς ὁ λόγος τρίχας ποδῶν παρέδωκεν. Ἔπειτα μέντοι καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ τιμιώτατα καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀνδρείας σύμβολα, ἃ πώγωνα προσηγόρευσεν, ὑπὸ τοῦ ξυροῦ τοῦ μεμισθωμένου περιαι ρήσεσθαι ἀπειλεῖ. Καὶ τάχα οἱ προσέχοντες τῇ ἱστορίᾳ εὑ ρήσουσι παρὰ τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς δυνάμεως ταῦτα περὶ τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους γεγενημένα, ἃ ἐπὶ τῆς γεννήσεως γίνεται τοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ. Καὶ ἔσται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, θρέψει ἄνθρωπος δάμαλιν βοῶν καὶ δύο πρόβατα, καὶ ἔσται ἀπὸ τοῦ πλεῖστον ποιεῖν γάλα, βούτυρον καὶ μέλι φάγεται πᾶς ὁ καταλειφ θεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἐπειδὰν ἡ ἀνάπαυσις τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ῥυσθέντι ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας γένηται, ἀτιμωθῇ δὲ ὁ ἐπι βουλεύων αὐτῷ βασιλεὺς, γυμνωθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ μεμισθω μένου ξυροῦ, τότε