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of his way, that he might live, that lawless one shall die in his own iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. If, he says, I decree death for someone, and you do not make known to him the sentence passed against him, so that through repentance he might annul the sentence, that man will indeed find an end of life he deserves, but I will exact from you the responsibility for his destruction; but if, he says, you make all things from me clear to the one living lawlessly, and that one despises your words, and persists in his own wickedness, that one will indeed undergo just punishment, but you will free yourself from accountability. 10. And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel; Thus you have spoken, saying; Our transgressions and our iniquities are upon us, and in them we waste away, and how shall we live? While I, he says, am arranging all things for the salvation of Israel, and not wishing them to despair, they themselves use words of despair, and they consider salvation through repentance to be impossible, saying they are weighed down by a very heavy burden of sins, and that even today they are still engaged in transgression and lawlessness; and they think it is impossible for those so disposed to attain salvation through repentance. 11. Therefore say to them; As I live, says the Lord ADONAI, I do not desire the death of the sinner, as that he turn from his way, and live. Who could worthily admire the goodness of the Master? For though being shown ingratitude, and being treated very ungratefully, he cares for the ungrateful, and takes all 81.1145 forethought for them, wishing to see their conversion. Therefore he adds a paternal exhortation filled with tender affection; "Turn, turn from your wicked way, and why will you die, O house of Israel?" The doubling is an idiom of the Hebrew language, and it indicates the genuineness of the conversion. 12. And you, son of man, say to the sons of your people; The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day he goes astray, and the lawlessness of the lawless shall not kill him in the day he turns from his lawlessness. Wishing to persuade them that he accepts the repentance of the sinner, he demonstrates this from the opposite case. For just as, he says, if someone who has lived in virtue should abandon this way and choose that of wickedness, it is necessary for him to find an end worthy of that way; so if someone brought up in lawlessness should wish to return to the way of virtue, he will be entirely freed from the punishment appointed for the lawless. 13-15. When I say to the righteous, that he shall surely live, and he trusts in his own righteousness, and commits iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; in his iniquity that he has committed, in it he shall die. And when I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely be put to death,' and he turns from his lawlessness, and does what is just and right; and restores the pledge of a debtor, and gives back what was robbed, the lawless one has walked in the commandments of life, so as not to do wrong, he shall surely live, and shall not die. Neither, he says, will the promise of good things made by me profit the righteous man, if he does not persist in the working of good things, but he will pay the penalty worthy of his life; nor will the sentence of punishment harm the sinner who wishes to use the remedies of repentance, and is freed from all injustice, and uses love toward his neighbor, and, in a word, chooses to keep the things declared by me; for by his change he will annul the sentence and will enjoy life. And what is most lovely of all, 10. All his sins, he says, which he has sinned, shall not be remembered against him; because he has done what is just and right, in them he shall live. Having thus shown his own goodness, he convicts the people of ingratitude. 17 And the sons of your people say; The way of the Lord is not straight, and this way of theirs is not straight. With such goodness and love for mankind set forth by me, he says, they dare to slander my dispensations, as not being right. And yet they should have understood

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ὁδοῦ αὑτοῦ τοῦ ζῆσαι αὐτὸν, αὐτὸς ὁ ἄνομος τῇ ἀνομίᾳ αὑτοῦ ἀπο θανεῖται· τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐκ χειρός σου ἐκζη τήσω. Ἐὰν, φησὶ, καταψηφίσωμαί τινος θάνατον, καὶ μὴ γνωρίσῃς αὐτῷ τὴν ἐξενεχθεῖσαν κατ' αὐτοῦ ψῆφον, ἵνα διὰ μετανοίας λύσῃ τὴν ψῆφον, ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἄξιον εὑρήσει τοῦ βίου τὸ πέρας, σὲ δὲ τῆς ἀπω λείας τῆς ἐκείνου πράξομαι τὰς εὐθύνας· ἐὰν δὲ, φησὶ, σὺ μὲν τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ πάντα δῆλα ποιήσῃς τῷ παρανόμως βιοῦντι, καταφρονήσῃ δὲ ἐκεῖνος τῶν σῶν λόγων, καὶ τῇ οἰκείᾳ ἐπιμείνῃ κακίᾳ, ἐκεῖνος μὲν τὴν δικαίαν ὑφέξει τιμωρίαν, σὺ δὲ σεαυτὸν ἀπαλλάξεις τῶν εὐθυνῶν. ιʹ. Καὶ σὺ, υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, εἰπὲ τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσ ραήλ· Οὕτως ἐλαλήσατε λέγοντες· Αἱ πλάναι ἡμῶν καὶ αἱ ἀνομίαι ἡμῶν ἐν ἡμῖν εἰσι, καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ἡμεῖς τηκόμεθα, καὶ πῶς ζησόμεθα; Ἐμοῦ, φησὶ, πάντα ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ σωτηρίας πραγματευομένου, καὶ ἀπαγορεῦσαι αὐτοὺς μὴ βου λομένου, ἀπαγορευτικοῖς αὐτοὶ κέχρηνται λόγοις, καὶ ἀδύνατον εἶναι νομίζουσι τὴν διὰ μετανοίας σωτη ρίαν, βαρύτατον ἁμαρτημάτων περικεῖσθαι φορτίον λέγοντες, καὶ ἔτι καὶ τήμερον καὶ τῇ πλάνῃ καὶ τῇ παρα νομίᾳ κεχρῆσθαι· καὶ ἡγοῦνται ἀδύνατον εἶναι, τοὺς οὕτω διακειμένους διὰ μετανοίας τῆς σωτηρίας τυχεῖν. ιαʹ. Εἰπὲ τοίνυν αὐτοῖς· Ζῶ ἐγὼ, λέγει Ἀδω ναῒ Κύριος, ὅτι οὐ βούλομαι τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς τὸ ἀποστρέψαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ζῇν αὐτόν. Τίς ἂν ἀξί ως θαυμάσηται τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὴν ἀγαθότητα; ἀγνωμονούμενος γὰρ, καὶ λίαν ἀχαριστούμενος, κή δεται τῶν ἀχαρίστων, καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτῶν ποιεῖται 81.1145 πρόνοιαν, ἰδεῖν αὐτῶν βουλόμενος τὴν μεταβολήν. ∆ιὸ ἐπάγει πατρικὴν καὶ φιλοστοργίας πεπληρωμέ νην παραίνεσιν· "Ἐπιστροφῇ ἐπιστρέψατε ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ ὑμῶν τῆς πονηρᾶς, καὶ ἱνατί ἀποθνήσκετε, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ;" Ὁ δὲ διπλασιασμὸς τῆς Ἑβραίωνγλώττης ἰδίωμα, δηλοῖ δὲ τῆς ἐπιστροφῆς τὸ γνήσιον. ιβʹ. Καὶ σὺ, υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, εἰπὲ πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ λαοῦ σου· ∆ικαιοσύνη δικαίου οὐ μὴ ἐξέληται αὐτὸν ἐν ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ πλανηθῇ, καὶ ἀνο μία ἀνόμου οὐ μὴ ἀποκτείνῃ αὐτὸν ἐν ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ ἀποστρέψῃ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας αὑτοῦ. Πεῖσαι βου λόμενος, ὡς δέχεται τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ τὴν μετάνοιαν, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐναντίου τοῦτο δείκνυσιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ, φησὶν, εἴ τις τῶν ἐν ἀρετῇ βεβιωκότων ταύτην μὲν καταλείποι τὴν ὁδὸν, τὴν δὲ τῆς κακίας προέλοιτο, ἀνάγκη αὐτὸν εὑρεῖν ἄξιον τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ τέλος· οὕτως εἴ τις παρανομίᾳ συντραφεὶς εἰς τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁδὸν ἐπανελθεῖν ἐθελήσειεν, ἀπαλλαγήσεται πάντως τῆς τοῖς παρανόμοις τιμωρίας ἀφωρισμένης. ιγʹ-ιεʹ. Ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν με τῷ δικαίῳ, ὅτι ζωῇ ζήσει, καὶ οὗτος πέποιθεν ἐπὶ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ αὑτοῦ, καὶ ποιήσει ἀνομίαν, πᾶσαι αἱ δικαιο σύναι αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ μνησθῶσιν, ἐν τῇ ἀδικίᾳ αὑτοῦ ᾗ ἐποίησεν, ἐν αὐτῇ ἀποθανεῖται. Καὶ ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν με τῷ ἀσεβεῖ· Θανάτῳ θανατωθήσῃ, καὶ ἀποστρέψει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας αὑτοῦ, καὶ ποιήσει κρῖμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην· καὶ ἐνεχυρα σμὸν ὀφείλοντος ἀποδῷ, καὶ ἅρπαγμα ἀποτί σει, ὁ ἄνομος ἐν τοῖς προστάγμασι τῆς ζωῆς διαπεπόρευται τοῦ μὴ ποιῆσαι ἄδικον, ζωῇ ζήσεται, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ. Οὔτε, φησὶ, τὸν δί καιον ὀνήσει ἡ παρ' ἐμοῦ γινομένη τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑπόσχεσις, εἰ μὴ ἐπιμείνῃ ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐργα σίᾳ, ἀλλὰ δώσει δίκας τῶν βεβιωμένων ἀξίας· οὔτε τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἡ τῆς τιμωρίας ἀπόφασις καταβλάψει τοῖς τῆς μετανοίας φαρμάκοις βουλόμενον χρήσα σθαι, καὶ πάσης μὲν ἀδικίας ἀπαλλαττόμενον, φιλ ανθρωπίᾳ δὲ πρὸς τὸν πέλας χρώμενον, καὶ ἁπαξ απλῶς τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ διηγορευμένα φυλάττειν προαι ρούμενον· λύσει γὰρ τῇ μεταβολῇ τὴν ἀπόφασιν, καὶ ζωῆς ἀπολαύσεται. Καὶ τὸ πάντων ἐρασμιώτατον ιʹ. Πᾶσαι, φησὶν, αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτοῦ, ἃς ἥμαρτεν, οὐ μνημονευθήσονται αὐτῷ, ὅτι κρῖμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐποίησεν, ἐν αὐτοῖς ζή σεται. Οὕτω τὴν οἰκείαν ἀγαθότητα δείξας, τοῦ λαοῦ διελέγχει τὸ ἄγνωμον. ιζʹ Καὶ λέγουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ λαοῦ σου· Οὐκ εὐθεῖα ἡ ὁδὸς Κυρίου, καὶ αὕτη ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτῶν οὐκ εὐθεῖα. Τοσαύτης, φησὶ, παρ' ἐμοῦ προκειμένης ἀγαθότητος καὶ φιλανθρωπίας, διαβάλ λειν τὰς ἐμὰς τολμῶσιν οἰκονομίας, ὡς οὐκ ὀρθάς. Καὶ μὴν ἔδει συνιδεῖν