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kneaded. Here therefore the word encourages these ones to bring forth the word concerning righteousness, just like a certain rain. And they have seen after the return the prophets Haggai and Zechariah and Malachi. Let the earth cause mercy to spring up, and let it cause righteousness to spring up at the same time. For it is fitting also for those enjoying such irrigation to bring forth fruits consistent with the irrigation; and the irrigation brought forth words concerning righteousness; on account of this it demands from them fruits of righteousness and mercy. For he called "earth" those who inhabit the earth. I am the Lord who created you. For I brought you into being even from the beginning. 9 Making better I fashioned you like a potter's clay. Just as, he says, the potter reshapes the clay vessel that is shattered, so will I make you better than the former. Will he who plows plow the earth for the whole day? Instead of: it is not fitting to apply discipline through everything, for neither does the farmer always cut up the earth. Woe to him who contends with his maker. Will the clay say to the potter: 'What are you doing?' Why are you not working and you do not have the work in your hands? Will the thing formed answer back to the one who formed it? For since both then there were many, and now likewise there are, who meddle with divine providence and try to be busybodies asking why wars happen, why the earth is barren, why there are untimely deaths, and all such things, reasonably he first lamented those who demand an account from the maker of all things, then with the image of the clay and the potter he sufficiently silenced them; for just as the clay does not demand from the clay-worker an account of idleness and work, so also is it not fitting for you to meddle in divine things; for what clay is, that you are; but I have the greatest possible difference from the potter; for the potter, even if he is the maker of the clay vessel, is not himself the originator of the clay; but I have an uncreated nature. But nevertheless the clay does not speak, but endures whatever forming the potter might wish to impose; but you despise my providence. 10 Woe to him who says to his father: 'What will you beget?' and to his mother: 'With what are you in labor?' He changed the discourse to another image again, showing the excess of the blasphemy. For if he who contradicts his parents is lawless, what punishment will he obtain, who moves his tongue against the maker? 11 For thus says the Lord, the God, the Holy One of Israel, who formed him, who made the things to come. He showed himself a former and a creator, shaming the ungrateful. And he teaches that he himself also from the beginning predestined the future freedom of the captives; for this is what is shown by: 'Who made the things to come.' Ask me concerning my sons and my daughters, and command me concerning the works of my hands. He has set these things down ironically. Since, he says, you meddle with my providence, give me counsel, bring forth a proposal concerning the freedom of my people. And he named Israel "sons and daughters". Then through creation he shows his own wisdom and power; 12 I made the earth and man upon it, I with my hand established the heaven, I |157 a| commanded all the stars to shine. See the beauty of the visible things, their position, order, and variety; I am the creator of all these things. But let us understand "the hand" in a manner befitting God, not as a bodily member but as the divine energy. 13 I have raised him up a king with righteousness, and all his ways are straight; he will build my city and will return the captivity of my people, not with ransom nor with gifts, said the Lord of Sabaoth. The Three have interpreted these things thus: "I have raised him up in righteousness and I will make all his ways straight; he will build my city and he will send out my colony, not for a price nor for gifts, says the Lord of hosts." He also said these things concerning Cyrus. And the Three have followed more accurately the meaning of the Hebrew, that: 'I will make his ways straight', that is to say: I will provide him with great ease for accomplishment. For not all the ways of Cyrus are straight, but God himself

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μασμένους. Ἐνταῦθα τοίν υν τούτους ὁ λόγος παρεγγυᾷ καθάπερ τινὰ ὑετὸν τὸν περὶ τῆς δικαιοσύνης προσφέρειν λόγον. Ἑωρά κασι δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον προφήτας Ἀγγαῖον καὶ Ζαχαρίαν καὶ Μαλαχίαν. Ἀνατειλάτω ἡ γῆ ἔλεον καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἀνατειλάτω ἅμα. Προσήκει γὰρ καὶ τοὺς τῆς τοιαύτης ἀρδείας ἀπολαύοντας προσφέρειν καρποὺς τῇ ἀρδείᾳ συμβαίνοντας· ἡ δὲ ἀρδεία τοὺς περὶ δικαιοσύνης προσέφερε λόγους· διὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς κ αρποὺς ἀπαιτεῖ δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἔλεον. Γῆν γὰρ τοὺς τὴν γῆν κατοικοῦντας ἐκάλεσεν. Ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ὁ κτίσας σε. Ἐγὼ γάρ σε καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήγαγον. 9Ποιῶν βέλτιον κατεσκεύασά σε ὡς πηλὸν κεραμέως. Καθάπερ φησὶν ὁ κερ αμεὺς τὸ πήλινον σκεῦος συντριβόμενον ἀναπλάττει, οὕτως ἐγώ σε ποιήσω τῆς προτέρας ἀμεί<ν>ονα. Μὴ ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριάσει τὴν γῆν; Ἀντὶ τοῦ· οὐ διὰ παντὸς προσήκει τὴν παιδείαν προσφέρειν, οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ γεωργὸς ἀεὶ τὴν γῆν ἀνατέμνει. Οὐαὶ ὁ κρινόμενος μετὰ τοῦ πλάσαντος αὐτόν. Μὴ ἐρεῖ ὁ πηλὸς τῷ κεραμεῖ· Τί ποιεῖς; Τί οὐκ ἐργάζῃ καὶ τὸ ἔργον <οὐκ ἔχεις> εἰς χεῖρας; Μὴ ἀποκριθήσεται τὸ πλάσμα πρὸς τὸν πλάσαντα αὐτό; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ τηνικαῦτα ἦσαν πολλοὶ καὶ νῦν δὲ ὡσ αύτω ς εἰσὶ τὴν θείαν περιεργαζόμενοι πρόνοιαν καὶ πολυπραγμονεῖν πειρώμενοι διὰ τί πόλεμοι γίγνο νται διὰ τί γῆς ἀκαρπίαι διὰ τί θάνατοι ἄωροι καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα, εἰκότως πρῶτον μὲν ἐθρήνη σε τοὺς εὐθύνας ἀπαιτοῦντας τῶν ὅλων τὸν ποιητήν, εἶτα τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ πηλοῦ καὶ τοῦ κεραμέως ἱκανῶς αὐτοὺς ἐπεστόμισεν· ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πηλὸς τὸν πηλουργὸν ἀργίας καὶ ἐργασίας εὐθύν ας οὐκ ἀπαιτεῖ, οὕτως οὐδὲ ὑμᾶς προσήκει τὰ θεῖα περιεργάζεσθαι· ὅπερ γὰρ πηλός, τοῦ το ὑ μεῖς· ἐγὼ δὲ πρὸς τὸν κεραμέα πλείστην ὅσην ἔχω διαφοράν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ κεραμεύς, εἰ καὶ ποιητής ἐστι τοῦ πηλίνου σκεύους, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς πρωτο γενὴς τοῦ πηλοῦ· ἐγὼ δὲ ἄκτιστον ἔχω τὴν φύσιν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ μὲν πηλὸς οὐ φθέγγεται, ἀλ λ' ἀνέ χε ται τὴν διάπλασιν ἣν ἂν ὁ κεραμεὺς ἐπιθεῖναι θελήσῃ· ὑμεῖς δὲ τῆς ἐμῆς προνοίας κατα φρονεῖτε . 10Οὐαὶ ὁ λέγων τῷ πατρί· Τί γεννήσεις; καὶ τῇ μητρί· Τί ὠδίνεις; Εἰς ἑτέραν πάλιν εἰκόνα μετέβα λε τὸν λόγον, τῆς βλ ασφημίας δεικνὺς τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τοῖς πατράσιν ἀντιλέγων παράνομός ἐστι , ποία ς τεύξεται τι μωρίας ὁ κατὰ τοῦ ποιητοῦ τὴν γλῶτταν κινῶν; 11Ὅτι οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, ὁ πλάσας αὐτόν, ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἐπερχόμενα. Ἔδειξεν αὐτὸν πλάστην καὶ δημιουργόν, τοὺς ἀχαρί στους ἐντρέ πων. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ἄνωθεν προώρισε τὴν ἐσομένην τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἐλευθερίαν· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τό· Ὁ ποιήσας τὰ ἐπερχό μενα. Ἐρωτήσατέ με περὶ τῶν υἱῶν μου καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων μου, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν μου ἐντείλασθέ με. Κατ' εἰρωνείαν ταῦτα τέθεικεν. Ἐπειδή φησι περιεργάζε σθέ μου τὴν πρόνοιαν, δότε μοι βουλήν, εἰσενέγκατε εἰσήγησιν περὶ τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐλευθερίας. Υἱοὺς δὲ καὶ θυγατέρας τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ὠνόμασεν. Εἶτα διὰ τῆς κτίσεως τὴν οἰκείαν δείκνυσι σοφίαν καὶ δύναμιν · 12Ἐγὼ ἐποίησα γῆν καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐπ' αὐτῆς, ἐγὼ τῇ χειρί μου ἐστερέωσα τὸν οὐρανόν, ἐγὼ |157 a| πᾶσι τοῖς ἄστροις ἐνετειλάμην φαίνειν. Ἴδετε τῶν ὁρωμένων τὸ κάλλος, τὴν θέσιν, τὴν τάξιν, τὴν ποικιλίαν· ἐγὼ τούτων ἁπάντων δημιουργός. Τὴν δὲ χεῖρα θεοπρεπῶς νοήσωμεν μὴ σωματικὸν μόριον ἀλλὰ τὴν θείαν ἐνέργειαν. 13Ἐγὼ ἤγειρα αὐτὸν μετὰ δικαιοσύνης βασιλέα, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ εὐθεῖαι· οὗτος οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν μου καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐπιστρέψει οὐ μετὰ λύτρων οὐδὲ μετὰ δώρων, εἶπε κύριος Σαβαώθ. Ταῦτα οἱ Τρεῖς οὕτως ἡρμήνευσαν· «Ἐγὼ ἐξήγειρα αὐτὸν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ πάσας τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ εὐθυνῶ· αὐτὸς οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν μου καὶ τὴν ἀποίκησίν μου ἐκπέμψει οὐκ ἐν ἀλλάγματι οὐδὲ ἐν δώροις, λέγει κύριος τῶν δυνά μεων.» Περὶ τοῦ Κύρου καὶ ταῦτα ἔφη. Καὶ ἀκριβέστερον ἠκολούθησαν οἱ Τρεῖς τῇ τοῦ Ἑβραίου διανοίᾳ ὅτι· Τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ εὐθυνῶ, τουτέστι· Πολλὴν αὐτῷ παρέξω εἰς κατόρθωσιν εὐκολίαν. Οὐ γὰρ τοῦ Κύρου πᾶσαι αἱ ὁδοὶ εὐθεῖαι, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς