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having seen the conversion of the nations. He has called the idols carved and molten; for some will be made from wood and stones, and others from gold and silver and bronze and tin. 18You deaf, hear, and you blind, look up to see. Then he teaches more clearly whom he addresses; 19And who is blind but the people, my servants, and deaf but those who rule over them? He calls 'those who rule' the kings and the rulers, and he names them deaf as being unwilling to hear the prophetic words. And the rest of the crowd he addressed as blind, as seeing the weakness of the idols and not wanting to perceive it. Who is blind as the one who has separated himself? And the servants of God were blinded. But Symmachus has it thus: 'Who is blind as the perfect one and blind as the servant of the Lord?' For even if, he says, the nations wander in the same way, nevertheless they do not have an equal accusation; for they do not have prophets bearing torches towards the truth, nor have they been deemed worthy of so great a care. And 'the one who has separated himself' has the same meaning, instead of: the one challenged by God and having torn himself away from the servitude of God and having chosen the worship of idols. 20You have seen many times and you did not keep watch; your ears were opened, and you did not hear. For they saw the miracles and enjoyed divine teachings and brought neither their ears to the words nor their eyes to the deeds. 21The Lord our God wished that you might be justified and might magnify praise. He clearly showed the purpose of the praise; for the one offering it reaps the profit of the hymn. And he saw, 22and the people became plundered and pillaged. And he taught us the divine purpose and the free will of the human creature. He on the one hand, he says, wished you to be justified by choosing piety, but you, having traveled the opposite path, reaped destruction. For the snare is in the storehouses everywhere and in the houses at the same time where they hid them. He calls the error concerning idols a snare; for just as the snare catches the kinds of irrational animals, so error [catches] the race of men. And the prophetic word taught that everywhere they were worshipping idols. They became plunder, and there was no one to rescue. For having fallen away from my worship, they did not enjoy my providence. Spoil, and there was no one saying: 'Give it back.' These things they endured from the Babylonians and later from the Romans, with no one defending them nor anyone exacting justice for their impiety. 23Who among you, who will give ear to these things, will pay attention and will hearken to the things to come? 24Who gave Jacob over to be pillaged and Israel to those plundering him? Having said these things in the form of a question, he shows clearly the one who did this, and he shows <also> the reasonableness of the cause; Was it not God, against whom they sinned and they were not willing to walk in his ways nor to hear his law? The lawgiver, he says, gave them up, since they loved lawlessness. 25And he brought upon them the anger of his wrath, and war prevailed against them and those burning them all around. For not only did those from afar come against them, but also the neighbors fought alongside them, ravaging and burning and destroying their land. And each of them did not know, nor did they take it to heart, and it was kindled among them. But they were not willing to perceive the cause of their troubles. And the Jews have this disease even now; for having been driven out of their much-storied metropolis and having been completely stripped of divine care, they do not perceive the cause of their evils. 431And now thus says the Lord God who made |153 a| you, Jacob and who formed you, Israel; Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; You-are-mine. And while chastising, the lover of mankind does not abandon mercy, but what he legislates, he does first—for he says, 'convict, rebuke, exhort.' And here he encourages those who have been enslaved and have occupied Babylonia. And since they were called the people of God, he fittingly said: 'I have called you by your name; You-are-mine.' This, he says, was your name: to be called by me. 2And if you pass through water, with

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τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν ἑωρακότες ἐπιστροφήν. Γλυπτὰ καὶ χωνευτὰ τὰ εἴδωλα κέκληκεν· τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ ξύλων καὶ λίθων τὰ δὲ ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου καὶ χαλκοῦ καὶ καττιτέρου κατασκευασθήσεται. 18Οἱ κωφοὶ ἀκούσατε, καὶ οἱ τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέψατε ἰδεῖν. Εἶτα σαφέστερον διδάσκει τίνας αὐτῶν προσαγορεύει· 19Καὶ τίς τυφλὸς ἀλλ' ἢ ὁ λαός, παῖδές μου, καὶ κωφοὶ ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ κυριεύοντες αὐτῶν; Κυριεύοντας τοὺς βασιλεύον τας καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας καλεῖ, κωφοὺς δὲ αὐτοὺς ὀνομάζει ὡς τῶν προφητικῶν ἐπαΐειν οὐκ ἐθέλοντας λόγων. Τὸν δὲ λοιπὸν ὅμιλον τυφλὸν προσηγόρευσεν ὡς ὁρῶντα τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἀσθένειαν καὶ συνιδεῖν οὐ βουλόμενον. Τίς τυφλὸς ὡς ὁ ἀπεσχηκώς; Καὶ ἐτυφλώθησαν οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ θεοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτω · «Τίς τυφλὸς ὡς ὁ τέλειος καὶ τυφλὸς ὡς ὁ δοῦλος κυρίου;» Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη φησὶν ὁμοίως πλανᾶται ὅμως οὐ κ ἴσην ἔχει κατη γορίαν· οὐ γὰρ ἔχει προφήτας δᾳδουχοῦντας πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν οὐδὲ τοσαύ της ἐπ ιμελείας ἠξίωται. Καὶ ὁ ἀπεσχηκὼς δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει διάνοιαν, ἀντὶ τοῦ· ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ π ροκληθεὶς καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀπορρήξας τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δουλείας καὶ τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων προελόμενος θερ απείαν. 20Εἴδετε πλεονάκις καὶ οὐκ ἐφυλάξασθε· ἠνεῳγμένα τὰ ὦτα, καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε. Τὰ γὰρ θαύματα ἑώρων καὶ διδασκαλίας θείας ἀπέλαυον καὶ οὔτε τὰ ὦτα τοῖς λόγοις οὔτε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῖς ἔργοις προσέφερον. 21Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐβούλετο, ἵνα δικαιωθῆτε καὶ μεγαλύνητε αἴνεσιν. Σαφῶς ἔδειξε τῆς αἰνέσεως τὸν σκοπόν· τοῦ γὰρ ὕμνου τὸ κέρδος ὁ τοῦτον προσφέρων καρποῦται. Καὶ εἶδε, 22καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ λαὸς προνενομευμένος καὶ διηρπασμένος. Καὶ τὸν θεῖον ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξε σκοπὸν καὶ τὸ τῆ ς ἀνθρωπίνης κτίσεως αὐτεξούσιον. Αὐτὸς μὲν ὑμᾶς φησιν ἐβούλετο δικαιωθῆναι τὴν εὐ σέ βειαν αἱρουμένους, ὑμεῖς δὲ τὴν ἐναντίαν ὁδεύσαντες τὸν ὄλεθρον ἐτρυγήσατε. Ἡ γὰρ παγὶς ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις πανταχοῦ καὶ ἐν οἴκοις ἅμα ὅπου ἔκρυψαν αὐτούς. Παγίδα καλεῖ τὴν περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα πλάνην· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ παγὶς ἀγρεύει τῶν ἀλόγων τὰ γένη, οὕτως ἡ πλάνη τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸ γένος. Ἐδίδαξε δὲ ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος ὡς πανταχοῦ τὰ εἴδωλα προσεκύνουν. Ἐγένοντο εἰς προνομήν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐξαιρούμενος. Ἀποστάντες γὰρ τῆς ἐμῆς θεραπείας τῆς ἐμῆς οὐκ ἀπήλαυον προμηθείας. Ἅρπαγμα, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ λέγων· Ἀπόδος. Ταῦτα ὑπέμειναν ὑπὸ Βαβυλωνίων καὶ ὕστερον ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων οὐδενὸς ἐπαμύνοντος οὐδὲ δίκας τῆς ἀσεβείας εἰσπραττομένου. 23Τίς ἐν ὑμῖν, ὃς ἐνωτιεῖται ταῦτα, προσέξει καὶ εἰσα κούσεται εἰς τὰ ἐπερχόμενα; 24Τίς ἔδωκεν εἰς διαρπαγὴν Ἰακὼβ καὶ Ἰσραὴλ τοῖς προνομεύουσιν αὐτόν; Ταῦτα κατ' ἐρώτησιν εἰρηκὼς ἐπιδεί κνυσι σα φῶς τὸν τοῦτο πεποιηκότα, ἐπιδείκνυσι δὲ <καὶ> τῆς αἰτίας τὸ εὔλογον· Οὐχὶ ὁ θεός, ᾧ ἥμαρτον αὐτῷ καὶ οὐκ ἐβούλοντο ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ πορεύεσθαι οὐδὲ ἀκούειν τοῦ νόμου αὐτοῦ; Προὔδωκέ φησιν αὐτοὺς ὁ νομοθέτης, ἐπειδὴ τὴν παρα νομίαν ἠγάπησαν. 25Καὶ ἐπήγαγεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ὀργὴν θυμοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατίσχυσεν αὐτῶν πόλεμος καὶ οἱ συμφλέγοντες αὐτοὺς κύκλῳ. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον οἱ πόρρωθεν αὐτοῖς ἐπῆλθον ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ πλησιόχωροι συνεμάχουν ἐκείνοις δῃοῦντες καὶ ἐμπιπρῶντες καὶ τὴν γῆν αὐτ ῶν διαφθείροντες. Καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ἕκαστος αὐτῶν οὐδὲ ἔθεντο ἐπὶ ψυχήν, καὶ ἀνήφθη ἐν αὐτοῖς. Τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν τῶν ἀνιαρῶν συνιδεῖν οὐκ ἠθέλησαν. Ταύτην δὲ τὴν νόσον καὶ νῦν ἔχουσιν Ἰουδαῖοι · τῆς γὰρ πολυθρυλήτου μητροπόλεως αὐτῶν ἐξεληλαμένοι καὶ τῆς θείας παντελῶς γυμνωθέντες κηδεμονίας τὴν τῶν κακῶν οὐ συνορῶσιν αἰτίαν. 431Καὶ νῦν οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας |153 a| σε Ἰακὼβ καὶ ὁ πλάσας σε Ἰσραήλ· Μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅτι ἐλυτρωσάμην σε, ἐκάλεσά σε τὸ ὄνομά σου Ἐμὸς-εἶ-σύ. Καὶ παιδεύων ὁ φιλάνθρωπος οὐ καταλείπει τὸν ἔλεον ἀλλ' ἅπερ νομοθετεῖ πρῶτος ποιεῖ-ἔλεγξον γάρ φησιν, ἐπιτίμησον, παρακάλεσον. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ τοὺς ἀνδραποδισθέντας καὶ τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν κατειληφότας ψυχαγωγεῖ. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ λαὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐχρημάτιζεν, εἰκότως ἔφη· Ἐκάλεσά σε τὸ ὄνομά σου Ἐμὸς-εἶ-σύ. Τοῦτό φησιν εἶχες ὄνομα τὸ ἐξ ἐμοῦ καλεῖσθαι. 2Καὶ ἐὰν διαβαίνῃς δι' ὕδατος, μετὰ