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were poured out, but they themselves were not saved by their own power, but by that of their horn; they rightly add, saying: In God we shall be praised all the day long; or according to Aquila, In God we will boast; or according to Symmachus, We hymn God all the day long, and in your name we will give thanks forever. And the Scriptures are accustomed to take confession in the place of thanksgiving; so that those who have been saved by the virtue of their king rightly say they boast and hymn, and praise and are praised, and give thanks and confess. But these things have been said from the person of the choir of the prophets; but what follows, they themselves again, making their own what has happened to the multitude, go through. But now you have cast us off and put us to shame, and you will not go out with our forces. Since the multitude of the whole Jewish nation, examined in all kinds of impieties and transgressions, was not alien to the body of the prophetic, those who said the first things, rightly making their own what happened to the multitude, with a Diapsalma inserted in the middle, are brought forth for an extension of the change of the things to be said. For our fathers have declared to us, and we have heard with our own ears what things you did in their days, and the things that follow. But now with our eyes we do not see such things, but their opposites. For you have cast us off, you, O God, who long ago saved our fathers, because of our sins you have put to shame those who long ago were proud in you and boasted in you, leaving them desolate and helpless in the engagement with the enemy. For you did not go out with our forces; or according to Symmachus, with our armies. And for this reason you turned us back before our enemies; or, according to Symmachus: You have set us as the last of every adversary, and those who hate us plunder for themselves. You have given us as cattle for food, and you have winnowed us among the nations. You sold your people for no substance, and you did not make much of their price; an insult with mockery to those around us. You have made us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the tribes. All day long my disgrace is before me, and the shame of my face covers me from the voice of the one who reproaches and blasphemes, from the face of the enemy and the one who avenges himself. So many things, according to Symmachus, the prophetic choir related in its supplication to God, taking upon itself the sufferings of the people. It has therefore been made clear in the preceding for what reason it wept before. All these things have come upon us, and we have not forgotten you. Just as when the people once acted impiously in the desert, then were delivered to the destroyer, Aaron took the censer and offered the incense on behalf of the people; and God was propitiated toward the multitude on account of 23.388 the priest's offering; in the same way also the prophetic choir, and those who act rightly among the people, send up their rational sacrifice through prayer on behalf of the people, offering their own good deeds to God in place of a sacrifice and a fragrant incense on behalf of the multitude. For it is not fitting for the multitude to say these things, nor for those delivered to the enemies on account of their impieties; but just as the prophets took upon themselves the sufferings of the people, and said that they themselves had suffered these things; so they make their own good deeds common to all. For they did not ignore that they themselves were members of the whole body; and it was consistent that, when one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, and again, when a member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it. Therefore, they say, we have suffered all the things we have spoken of before; but none of these things has moved us from the memory of you, and we have not done wrong in your Covenant; or according to Symmachus: Nor have we dealt falsely with your agreement, nor has our heart turned back. Instead of: And you turned aside the

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κατεχέαντο, αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει, τῇ δὲ τοῦ κέρως αὐτῶν ἐσώθησαν· εἰκότως ἐπισυνάπτουσι λέγοντες· Ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ἐπαινεθησόμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, Ἐν τῷ Θεῷ καυχησόμεθα· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Τὸν Θεὸν ὑμνοῦμεν ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, καὶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου ἐξομολογησόμεθα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Τὴν δὲ ἐξομολόγησιν ἀντὶ εὐχαριστίας παραλαμβάνειν εἰώθασιν αἱ Γραφαί· ὥστε εἰκότως καὶ καυχᾶσθαι καὶ ὑμνεῖν, καὶ ἐπαινεῖν καὶ ἐπαινεῖσθαι, εὐχαριστεῖν τε καὶ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι οἱ σεσωσμένοι τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτῶν ἀρετῇ φασιν. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν προφητῶν εἴρηται· τὰ δ' ἑξῆς ἐπιφερόμενα πάλιν οἱ αὐτοὶ, ἰδιοποιούμενοι τὰ τῷ πλήθει συμβεβηκότα, διεξέρχονται. Νυνὶ δὲ ἀπώσω καὶ κατῄσχυνας ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐκ ἐξελεύσῃ ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἡμῶν. Ἐπεὶ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ παντὸς Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, ἐν παντοίαις ἀσεβείαις καὶ παρανομίαις ἐξητασμένον, οὐκ ἦν ἀλλότριον τοῦ σώματος τοῦ προφητικοῦ, εἰκότως τὰ τῷ πλήθει συμβάντα ἰδιοποιούμενοι οἱ τὰ πρῶτα εἰρηκότες, μέσου διαψάλματος παρεμβληθέντος, εἰς παράτασιν τῆς μεταβολῆς τῶν λεχθησομένων προφέρονται. Οἱ μὲν οὖν πατέρες ἡμῶν ἀνήγγειλαν ἡμῖν, καὶ τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἠκούομεν ὠσὶν ὁποῖα κατειργάσω ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Νυνὶ δὲ ὀφθαλμοῖς οὐ τοιαῦτα ὁρῶμεν· τὰ δὲ τούτοις ἐναντία. Ἀπώσω γὰρ ἡμᾶς, σὺ ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ πάλαι τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν διασώσας, διὰ τὰς ἡμετέρας ἁμαρτίας τοὺς πάλαι ἐπὶ σοὶ μέγα φρονοῦντας, καὶ ἐν σοὶ καυχωμένους κατῄσχυνας, ἐρήμους καταλιπὼν καὶ ἀβοηθήτους ἐν τῇ πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους συμβολῇ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ συνεξῆλθες ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἡμῶν· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, τοῖς στρατεύμασιν ἡμῶν Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπέστρεψας ἡμᾶς εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω παρὰ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν· ἢ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ἔταξας ἡμᾶς ἐσχάτους παντὸς ἐναντίου, καὶ οἱ μισοῦντες ἡμᾶς διαρπάζουσιν ἑαυτοῖς. Ἔδωκας ἡμᾶς ὡς βοσκήματα βρώσεως, καὶ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη ἐλίκμησας ἡμᾶς. Ἀπέδου τὸν λαόν σου οὐχ ὑπάρξεως, καὶ οὐ πολλὴν ἐποίησας τὴν τιμὴν αὐτῶν· προπηλακισμὸν μετὰ χλευασμοῦ τοῖς κύκλῳ ἡμῶν. Ἐποίησας ἡμᾶς παραβολὴν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, κίνησιν κεφαλῆς ἐν ταῖς φυλαῖς. ∆ι' ὅλης ἡμέρας ἡ ἀσχημόνησίς μου ἄντικρύς μου, καὶ ὁ καταισχυμμὸς τοῦ προσώπου μου καλύπτει με ἀπὸ φωνῆς ὀνειδίζοντος καὶ βλασφημοῦντος, ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐχθροῦ καὶ τιμωροῦντος ἑαυτῷ. Τοσαῦτα κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον ὁ χορὸς ὁ προφητικὸς ἐν τῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἱκετηρίᾳ διεξῆλθεν, εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναλαμβάνων τὰ τοῦ λαοῦ πάθη. Σεσαφήνισται τοίνυν ἐν τοῖς προκειμένοις δι' ἣν ἔμπροσθεν ἀπεκλαύσατο. Ταῦτα πάντα ἦλθεν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐκ ἐπελαθόμεθά σου. Ὥσπερ ἀσεβήσαντός ποτε τοῦ λαοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου, ἔπειτα παραδοθέντος τῷ ὀλοθρευτῇ, λαβὼν Ἀαρὼν τὸ θυμιατήριον προσήνεγκεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ τὸ θυμίαμα· καὶ ἱλάσθη ὁ Θεὸς τῷ πλήθει διὰ 23.388 τὴν τοῦ ἱερέως ἀναφοράν· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ χορὸς ὁ προφητικὸς, καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ λαῷ κατορθοῦντες τὴν λογικὴν αὐτῶν θυσίαν διὰ τῆς ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ εὐχῆς ἀναπέμπουσι, τὰ οἰκεῖα κατορθώματα ἀντὶ θυσίας καὶ θυμιάματος εὐώδους ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλήθους τῷ Θεῷ προσάγοντες. Οὐ γὰρ ἁρμόζει ταῦτα τῷ πλήθει λέγειν, οὐδὲ τοῖς διὰ τὰς ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς παραδεδομένοις· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τὰ πάθη τοῦ λαοῦ εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἀνελάμβανον οἱ προφῆται, καὶ αὐτοὶ ταῦτα πεπονθέναι ἔφασκον· οὕτω τὰ ἑαυτῶν κατορθώματα κοινοποιοῦσιν εἰς πάντας. Οὐ γὰρ ἠγνόουν ἑαυτοὺς εἶναι μέλη τοῦ παντὸς σώματος· ἀκόλουθον δὲ ἦν, πάσχοντος μέλους ἑνὸς, συμπάσχειν πάντα τὰ μέλη, καὶ δοξαζομένου πάλιν μέλους, συγχαίρειν πάντα τὰ μέλη. Πάντα τοίνυν, φασὶν, ἃ προειρήκαμεν πεπόνθαμεν· ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς τούτων οὐδὲν παρεκίνησε τῆς περὶ σοῦ μνήμης, καὶ οὐκ ἠδικήσαμεν ἐν ∆ιαθήκῃ σου· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Οὐδὲ παρελογησάμεθα τὴν συνθήκην σου, οὐδὲ ἀπέστη εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν. Ἀντὶ δέ· Καὶ ἐξέκλινας τὰς