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them by the facts, 81.1148 that all my ways are both right and just, but their own are crooked. Then He says the same thing more clearly in the form of a question: 18. Hear now, O house of Israel: Is not my way straight? Are not your ways not straight? Then He repeats what was said, and says that the just man who chooses wickedness will be punished, and the sinner who returns to righteousness will obtain salvation; but to you, He says, this did not seem just. Therefore He added: 20. And this is what you said: The way of the Lord is not straight. Then declaratively: "I will judge each of you according to your ways, O house of Israel." This is sufficient to persuade even the most hard-hearted to love a change from wickedness. 21, 22. And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month of our captivity, one who had escaped came to me from Jerusalem, saying: The city is taken. And the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening before the one who had escaped came, and opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning, and my mouth being opened was no longer restrained. The Syrian version says, "In the eleventh year and in the twelfth month," and this is more consistent; for in the eleventh year the city was taken. And he says that at the stated time someone came announcing the capture of Jerusalem, but the Master, having anticipated this from the evening, had instilled the word of prophecy; and in the morning when that one appeared and brought the message, He no longer allowed me to hold back the prophetic words in silence, but commanded and prepared me to offer them unceasingly; for above all the Master knows the season for silence and for speaking. 23, 24. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, those who inhabit these desolate places on the land of Israel, say, saying: Abraham was one, and he possessed the land, and we are many; to us the land has been given for a possession. They suffer from an excess of insensibility; for after so many and such great punishments, they are still bold, and seeing the desolation of Judea they dare to say: If Abraham, being one, possessed this land, much more will we, being many, be lords of it. But they ought to have considered both the virtue of Abraham and their own wickedness, and not to trust in numbers, but to seek righteousness. Wherefore the Master also offers this reproof to them: 25, 26. For this reason say to them: Thus says the Lord Adonai: Since you eat with the blood, 81.1149 and you lift up your eyes to your idols, and you shed blood, shall you inherit the land? You have stood by your sword, you have committed abominations, and each of you has defiled his neighbor's wife, and shall you possess the land? Trusting in your own works, He says, you hope to possess the ancestral land; and yet your life is lawless, for you do what is forbidden by the law; for you eat blood, which I also forbade when giving the law to Noah, and through Moses I commanded to be poured out upon the earth; and you hold the worship of idols in high regard, and you continue to be given to murders and adulteries. Daring such things, therefore, do not hope to inherit the land. 27, 28. Thus says the Lord Adonai: As I live, surely those in the desolate places shall fall by the sword, and those on the face of the field shall be given to the beasts of the field for food, and those in the fortified places and those in the caves I will kill with death. And I will give the land to desolation. The seal of what has been said is, As I live; He says that those who inhabit the fortified cities, and those in the caves, and those in the desolate places, shall pay the aforementioned penalties. And showing the cause he adds: And the pride of her strength shall be destroyed, and the mountains of Israel shall be made desolate because there is no one passing through. (29) And they shall know that I am the Lord; and I will make their land desolate, and it shall be made desolate on account of all their abominations which they have committed. Through all things both they and we have been taught, while living in lawlessness, not to trust even in many myriads beyond number; but only in the remedies of repentance, which he who has gone before has shown the

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αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων, 81.1148 ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἐμὰ ἅπαντα καὶ ὀρθὰ καὶ δίκαια, τὰ δὲ σφῶν αὐτῶν διεστραμμένα. Εἶτα τὸ αὐτὸ σαφέστερον κατ' ἐρώτησιν λέγει· ιηʹ. Ἀκούσατε δὲ, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ· μὴ ἡ ὁδός μου οὐκ εὐθεῖα; οὐχὶ αἱ ὁδοὶ ὑμῶν οὐκ εὐθεῖαι; Εἶτα ἐπαναλαμβάνει τὰ εἰρημένα, καί φη σιν, ὅτι ὁ δίκαιος τὴν κακίαν προαιρούμενος κολα σθήσεται, καὶ ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς εἰς τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐπανιὼν σωτηρίας τεύξεται· ὑμῖν δὲ, φησὶ, τοῦτο οὐ κατεφάνη δίκαιον. ∆ιὸ ἐπήγαγεν· κʹ. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ εἴπατε· Οὐκ εὐθεῖα ἡ ὁδὸς Κυρίου. Ἔπειτα ἀποφαντικῶς· "Ἕκαστον κατὰ τὰς ὁδοὺς ὑμῶν κρινῶ ὑμᾶς, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ." Ἱκανὸν δὲ τοῦτο πεῖσαι καὶ τοὺς λίαν ἀδαμαντίνους τὴν τῆς κακίας ἀγαπῆσαι μεταβολήν. καʹ, κβʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ δωδεκάτῳ ἔτει, ἐν τῷ δεκάτῳ μηνὶ, πέμπτῃ τοῦ μηνὸς τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἡμῶν, ἦλθεν ὁ ἀνασωθεὶς πρός με ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ λέγων· Ἑάλω ἡ πόλις. Καὶ χεὶρ Κυρίου ἐγένετο ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἑσπέρας πρὶν ἢ ἐλθεῖν τὸν ἀνασωθέντα, καὶ ἤνοιξέ μου τὸ στόμα, ἕως ἦλθε πρός με τοπρωῒ, καὶ ἀνοιχθὲν τὸ στόμα μου οὐ συνεσχέθη ἔτι. Ὁ Σύρος, "Τῷ ἑνδεκάτῳ ἔτει καὶ τῷ δωδεκάτῳ μηνὶ," καὶ μᾶλλον ἀκολούθως· τῷ γὰρ ἑνδεκάτῳ ἔτει ἥλω ἡ πόλις. Λέγει δὲ, ὅτι κατὰ τὸν εἰρημένον χρόνον ἧκέ τις ἀπαγγέλλων τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν ἅλωσιν, προλαβὼν δὲ ὁ ∆εσπότης ἀφ' ἑσπέρας τὸν τῆς προφητείας ἐνέθηκε λόγον· ἕωθεν δὲ ἐκείνου φανέντος, καὶ τὴν ἀγγελίαν κομί σαντος, οὐκέτι με σιγῇ κατέχειν τοὺς προφητικοὺς εἴασε λόγους, ἀλλ' ἀπαύστως τούτους προσφέρειν ἐκέλευσέ τε καὶ παρεσκεύασε· πάντων γὰρ μάλιστα τῆς σιγῆς καὶ τῆς λαλιᾶς καιρὸν ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐπί σταται. κγʹ, κδʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος Κυρίου πρός με, λέγων· Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὰς ἠρη μωμένας ταύτας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, λέ γοντες λέγουσιν· Εἷς ἦν Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ κατέσχε τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἡμεῖς πλείους ἐσμὲν, ἡμῖν δέδοται ἡ γῆ εἰς κατάσχεσιν. Ἀναλγησίας νοσοῦσιν ὑπερ βολήν· μετὰ γὰρ τὰς τοσαύτας καὶ τηλικαύτας τιμω ρίας, ἔτι θρασύνονται, καὶ τὴν ἐρημίαν τῆς Ἰουδαίας ὁρῶντες τολμῶσι λέγειν· Εἰ μόνος ὢν Ἀβραὰμ τήνδε κατέσχε τὴν γῆν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς πλείους ὄντες ταύτης ἐσόμεθα κύριοι. Ἔδει δὲ συνιδεῖν καὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν κακίαν, καὶ μὴ πλήθει θαῤῥεῖν, ἀλλὰ δικαιοσύνην ἐπιζητεῖν. Ὅθεν καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης τοῦτον αὐτοῖς προσφέρει τὸν ἔλεγχον· κεʹ, κʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰπὲ αὐτοῖς· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ἐπειδὴ τοῦ αἵματος ἐσθίετε, 81.1149 καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν αἴρετε εἰς τὰ εἴδωλα ὑμῶν, καὶ αἷμα ἐκχέετε, καὶ τὴν γῆν κληρονο μήσετε; Ἔστητε ἐπὶ τῆς ῥομφαίας ὑμῶν, ἐποιή σατε βδελύγματα, καὶ ἕκαστος τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον αὑτοῦ ἐμιάνατε, καὶ τὴν γῆν κατα κληρονομήσετε; Τοῖς οἰκείοις, φησὶ, θαῤῥοῦντες ἔργοις ἐλπίζετε τῆς πατρῴας κρατήσειν γῆς· καὶ μὴν παράνομος ὑμῶν ὁ βίος, τὰ γὰρ ἀπηγορευμένα τῷ νόμῳ δρᾶτε· αἷμα μὲν γὰρ ἐσθίετε, ὃ καὶ τῷ Νῶε νομοθετῶν ἀπηγόρευσα, καὶ διὰ Μωσέως ἐκ χεῖσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν προσέταξα· τὴν δὲ τῶν εἰδώλων θεραπείαν περὶ πολλοῦ ποιεῖσθε, μιαιφονίαις τε καὶ μοιχείαις κεχρημένοι διατελεῖτε. Τοιαῦτα τοίνυν τολ μῶντες μὴ ἐλπίζετε κληρονομῆσαι τὴν γῆν. κζʹ, κηʹ. Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Ζῶ ἐγὼ, εἰ μὴ οἱ ἐν ταῖς ἠρημωμέναις πεσοῦνται μα χαίρᾳ, καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ προσώπου τοῦ πεδίου τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ ἀγροῦ δοθήσονται εἰς κατάβρωμα, καὶ τοὺς ἐν ταῖς τετειχισμέναις, καὶ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις θανάτῳ ἀποκτενῶ. Καὶ δώσω τὴν γῆν εἰς ἔρημον. Τῶν εἰρημένων ἡ σφαγὶς τὸ, Ζῶ ἐγώ· λέγει ὅτι καὶ οἱ τὰς τετειχισμένας πόλεις οἰκοῦντες, καὶ οἱ τὰ σπήλαια, καὶ οἱ τοὺς ἐρήμους τόπους, τὰς προειρημένας τίσουσι τιμωρίας. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δει κνὺς ἐπάγει· Καὶ ἀπολεῖται ἡ ὕβρις τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐρημωθήσεται τὰ ὄρη τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ παρὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι διαπορευόμενον. (κθʹ) Καὶ γνώσονται ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος· καὶ ποιήσω τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν ἔρη μον, καὶ ἐρημωθήσεται διὰ πάντα τὰ βδελύγματα αὐτῶν ἃ ἐποίησαν. ∆ιὰ πάντων κἀκεῖνοι καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐδιδάχθημεν, παρανομίᾳ συζῶντες, μηδὲ πολλαῖς καὶ ἀριθμοῦ κρείττοσι μυριάσι θαῤῥεῖν· μόνοις δὲ τοῖς τῆς μετανοίας φαρμάκοις, ἃ προλαβὼν ἔδειξεν ὁ