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Jerusalem; "Do not rejoice against me, my enemy." And a little later it says concerning her, that "She will be for a treading down like mud in the streets," and so forth. He is commanded, they say, to take Uriah the priest as a witness, so that the Jews, being accustomed to disobeying prophets, might be persuaded by the most honored one among them who had become a sharer of the vision. But as for, "he himself comes," they say it is the Persian and Elamite, or Cyrus leading them; and that from God was spoken, "Babylon is fallen." He speaks of those left behind as those not led away captive with the others, who were lamenting the country, and the city, and the temple, and the 2165 who had fallen, and those who were taken. To these, therefore, he announced as a consolation the disaster of those who had sacked them. But some say that by "those left behind" he means those not led astray by the impiety of the others, who, being few in number, lamented those who had gone astray. To whom indeed he says the Lord announced the preceding things, as if he said: For to you he has revealed it as through me, an interpreter. This is the end of the prophecy concerning Egypt. THE VISION OF IDUMAEA. 21:11-17. 9Call to me from Seir: Guard the battlements. I guard the morning, and the night. If you seek, seek, and dwell with me. In the forest in the evening you will sleep. On the road of Dedan, bring water to meet the thirsty9, etc. And these were enemies to those of Israel, and they continuously attacked them; and David is a witness, saying: "Against you they have made a covenant: the tents of the Idumaeans, and the Ishmaelites, Moab, and the Hagarenes, Gebal and Ammon, and Amalek." For he placed the Idumaeans before the others. And this is a very great nation around Petra of Arabia, descended from Esau, who was called Edom, which is interpreted as "earthly." For such was his life. And for one meal, he sold his birthright to Jacob, being his brother, who was also named Israel. From whom the race of the Jews was descended. For the Jews were children of brothers from Edom, so called. And yet they did not grant even a mere passage out of Egypt to Israel as he went to the land of promise. And after these things they were so bitterly disposed toward them, as the prophet who says indicates: "For three impieties of Idumaea, and for four, I will not turn them away, because they pursued his brother with the sword, and destroyed a father on earth," but according to Symmachus, his own bowels; for, as it has been said, they were from true brothers. And God seems to address his own acquaintances, saying: Call to me from Seir; or according to the others, those fleeing from Seir. Which was a mountain in Arabia, and a magnificent city of Esau, in which his kingdom was established. And the mountain so called is still known to the locals. Therefore, to those who are struggling with the fear from the Idumaeans, he says, "Hasten and come, and being with me, guard your own battlements, having me as a guard by night and by day." Let him, therefore, who is in need of it seek help from me. Let everyone who has cared for his own salvation dwell with me. For he promises them his help, if they choose to remain with him. And what follows, the prophet, taking up another subject 2168, says, being seized by the Holy Spirit; For which reason he also calls the word a "burden," speaking not only about the Idumaeans, but also about all those inhabiting Arabia and warring against Israel. Whom he wishes, having ceased from their insolence, to recognize rather their own misfortunes. For as their enemies are attacking them, the majority are being finished off, and to the few who are fleeing, paralyzed by fear and fatigue, those from Teman meet them, philanthropically giving food to those in danger of dying, wherever they might happen to be fleeing in desolate places and forests as evening overtakes them. And he adds the time of the destruction, saying after a year, precisely counted as by a hireling eagerly waiting to be freed from his service, and counting the time, so to speak, day by day. And Kedar is a city of Arabia, which he says will perish with the others, so that few out of all will be saved; and you might find also in Ezekiel

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Ἱερουσαλήμ· "Μὴ ἐπίχαιρέ μοι, ἡ ἐχθρά μου." Μετ' ὀλίγα τε λέγει περὶ αὐτῆς, ὅτι "Ἔσται εἰς καταπάτημα ὡς πηλὸς ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τὸν δὲ Οὐρίαν, φασὶ, τὸν ἱερέα παραλαβεῖν κελεύεται μάρτυρα, ὡς ἂν εἰωθότες ἀπειθεῖν Ἰουδαῖοι προφήταις τῷ παρ' αὐτοῖς τιμιωτάτῳ πεισθήσονται [κοιν]ωνῷ γεγονότι τῆς θέας. Τὸ δὲ, αὐτὸς ἔρχεται, ὁ Πέρσης, φασὶ, καὶ Ἐλαμίτης, ἢ ὁ τούτων Κύρος ἡγούμενος· ἀπὸ Θεοῦ τε εἰρῆσθαι τὸ, πέπτωκε Βαβυλών. Καταλελειμμένους δὲ λέγει τοὺς μὴ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων αἰχμαλώτους ἀπαχθέντας, οἳ καὶ τὴν χώραν, καὶ τὴν πόλιν, καὶ τὸν ναὸν, τούς 2165 τε πεσόντας, καὶ ληφθέντας ὠδύροντο. Τούτοις οὖν παραμυθίαν, τὴν τῶν αὐτοὺς πεπορθηκότων ἀπήγγειλε συμφοράν. Τινὲς δὲ καταλελειμμένους τοὺς μὴ συμπλανηθέντας τῇ τῶν ἄλλων ἀσεβείᾳ φησὶν, οἳ βραχεῖς τινες ὄντες, τοὺς πλανηθέντας ὠδύροντο. Οἷς δὴ καί φησιν ἀναγγεῖλαι τὰ προλαβόντα τὸν Κύριον, ὡσεὶ ἔλεγεν· Ὑμῖν γὰρ ἐξέφηνεν ὡς δι' ἑρμηνέως ἐμοῦ. Τοῦτο τῆς περὶ Αἴγυπτον προφητείας τὸ τέλος. ΤΟ ΟΡΑΜΑ ΤΗΣ Ι∆ΟΥΜΑΙΑΣ. ιαιζʹ. 9Πρὸς ἐμὲ κάλει παρὰ τοῦ Σηείρ· Φυλάσσετε ἐπάλξεις. Φυλάσσω τὸ πρωῒ, καὶ τὴν νύκτα. Ἐὰν ζητῇς ζήτει, καὶ παρ' ἐμοὶ οἴκει. Ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ ἑσπέρας κοιμηθήσῃ. Ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ∆αιδὰν, συνάντησιν διψῶντι ὕδωρ φέρετε9, κ.τ.λ. Καὶ οὗτοι τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ ἦσαν πολέμιοι, καὶ συνεχῶς αὐτοῖς ἐπετίθεντο· καὶ μάρτυς ∆αβὶδ λέγων· "Κατὰ σοῦ διαθήκην διέθεντο τὰ σκηνώματα τῶν Ἰδουμαίων, καὶ οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται, Μωὰβ, καὶ Ἀγαρηνοί, Γεβὰλ καὶ Ἀμμὼν, καὶ Ἀμαλήκ." Προὔταξε γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων τοὺς Ἰδουμαίους. Ἔθνοςδὲ τοῦτο μέγιστον ἀμφὶ τὴν Πέτραν τῆς Ἀραβίας, ἐκ τοῦ Ἡσαῦ καταγόμενον, ὃς Ἐδὼμ ἐκλήθη, ὅστις ἑρμηνεύεται γήϊνος. Τοιοῦτος γὰρ ὁ βίος αὐτῷ. Καὶ ἀντὶ βρώσεως μιᾶς, ἀπέδοτο τὰ πρωτοτόκια τῷ Ἰακὼβ ἀδελφῷ ὄντι, ὃς καὶ Ἰσραὴλ ὠνομάζετο. Ἐξοὗ τὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατήγετο γένος. Ἀδελφῶν γὰρ παῖδες Ἰουδαῖοι ἐξ Ἐδὼμ οὕτω λεγόμενοι. Καὶ ὅμως οὐδὲ ψιλὴν πάροδον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου παρέσχον Ἰσραὴλ εἰς γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἰόντι. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πικρῶς οὔτω διέκειντο πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ὡς ὁ προφήτης ὁ λέγων δηλοῖ· "Ἐπὶ ταῖς τρισὶν ἀσεβείαις Ἰδουμαίας, καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς τέτταρσιν οὐκ ἀποστραφήσομαι αὐτοὺς, ἕνεκεν τοῦ διῶξαι αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐλυμήνατο πατέρα ἐπὶ γῆς," κατὰ δὲ Σύμμαχον σπλάγχνα ἴδια· ἐξ ἀδελφῶν γὰρ, ὡς εἴρηται, γνησίων ἐγένοντο. Ἔοικε δὲ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ γνωρίμοις ὁ Θεὸς προσφωνεῖν λέγων· Πρὸς ἐμὲ κάλει παρὰ τοῦ Σηείρ· ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς, τοὺς φεύγοντας παρὰ τοῦ Σηείρ. Ὅπερ ἦν ὅρος ἐν Ἀραβίᾳ, τοῦ Ἡσαῦ πόλις τε λαμπρὰ, καθ' ἣν αὐτοῦ συνίστατο τὰ βασίλεια. Οὕτω δὲ τὸ ὄρος λεγόμενον εἰσέτι τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις γνωρίζεται. Τοῖς οὖν ἀγωνιῶσι τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν Ἰδουμαίων φόβον, πρὸς ἐμὲ λέγει, Σπεύδοντες ἥκετε, καὶ παρ' ἐμοὶ γενόμενοι, τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐπάλξεις φυλάσσετε, κἀμὲ φύλακα νυκτὸς ἔχοντες καὶ ἡμέρας. Ζητείτω τοίνυν παρ' ἐμοῦ τὴν βοήθειαν ὁ ταύτης ἐπιδεής. Οἰκείωτε παρ' ἐμοὶ πᾶς ὁ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας πεφροντικώς. Ἐπαγγέλλεται γὰρ αὐτοῖς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ βοήθειαν, εἴπερ ἕλοιντο παραμένειν αὐτῷ. Τὰ δὲ ἑξῆς ὁ προφήτης ἑτέρας ὑποθέσεως 2168 ἐπιλαβόμενος λέγει ληφθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος· ∆ιὸ καὶ λῆμμα τὸν λόγον καλεῖ, οὐ περὶ τῶν Ἰδουμαίων λέγοντα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ πάντων τῶν τὴν Ἀραβίαν οἰκούντων, καὶ πολεμούντων Ἰσραήλ. Οὓς βούλεται παυσαμένους τοῦ θράσους ἐπιγνῶναι μᾶλλον τὰς ἑαυτῶν συμφοράς. Τῶν γὰρ πολεμίων ἐπιόντων αὐτοῖς ἀποτελεῖσθαι μὲν τοὺς πλείους, ὀλίγοις δὲ οὖσι τοῖς φεύγουσι φόβῳ τε λελυμένοις καὶ κόπῳ, προαπαντᾶν τοὺς ἀπὸ Θεμὰν φιλανθρώπως ἐπιδιδόντας τροφὴν ἀποθανεῖν κινδυνεύουσιν, ἔνθαπερ τύχοιεν φεύγοντες ἐν ἐρημίαις τε καὶ δρυμοῖς καταλαβούσης ἑσπέρας. Τὸν δὲ χρόνον τῆς ἀπωλείας προστίθησι, μετ' ἐνιαυτὸν εἰπὼν ἀκριβῶς ἀριθμούμενον ὡς ἐπιμισθωτοῦ καραδοκοῦντος ἐλευθερωθῆναι μισθώσεως, καὶ καθ' ἡμέραν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἀριθμοῦντος τὸν χρόνον. Πόλις δὲ τῆς Ἀραβίας Κηδὰρ, ἣν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀπολεῖσθαί φησιν, ὡς ὀλίγους ἐκ πάντων σωθήσεσθαι· εὕροις δ' ἂν καὶ παρ' Ἰεζεκιὴλ