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And the Hebrew, they say, without the articles and "all," has: "and her merchandise shall be, and her hire sanctified to the Lord." For not all her merchandise, nor all her hire, but a part shall be sanctified as first-fruits. This can be seen daily even now in the Churches of God that are there. It is brought to those who dwell before the Lord, that is, to the presidents of the altar, for the Lord commanded those who proclaim the Gospel to live from the Gospel. And those who minister at the altar share in the things of the altar. To these it is added: All her merchandise is for eating and drinking and being filled, for a contribution as a memorial before the Lord. Which Symmachus clearly rendered, saying: For her merchandise shall be for those who dwell before the Lord to eat to fullness, and to wear for clothing until it is old. And Aquila: To those who sit in the presence of the Lord her merchandise shall be for eating to fullness, for lofty clothing. And Theodotion: And to wear until it is old. But the Seventy: And concerning their offerings. As feasting in houses of prayer, but not as formerly they celebrated with banquets in idol-temples. CHAP. XXIV. 1-23. 9Behold, the Lord destroys the inhabited world, and will make it desolate, and will uncover its face, and will scatter those who dwell in it. And the people will be as the priest; and the servant, as his master; and the maid, as her mistress; the buyer will be as the seller9, etc. The things spoken in part, they say, concerning different nations, now having included them as in a summary, he calls the destruction that happened against many nations "ecumenical." And he will uncover its face, exacting justice and convicting the long-hidden impiety which is the face of the life of each of these. For the wrath of God presents the worth of the sufferers, according to which both the exalted and the lowly all become alike. For an enemy does not know how to distinguish the worth of the notable. And it works a confusion of the former order, and dejection seizes the captured cities and lands through the desolation, which indeed he also called mourning. And the calamity takes greater hold of the high and more distinguished, because of the change from what they were deprived of to the opposite. And he says the earth has transgressed, that is, its inhabitants, just as a city is called lawless. For showing the justice of the punishment, he adds to these, "because they transgressed the law," including with the nations the Jews who suffered along with them, saying, "And they transgressed an everlasting covenant." And of all 2192 who were captured, a few will be left in the lands; but they will live in poverty, since, although it was necessary to repent, they were given to luxuries, like the Jews, saying, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." Concerning whom another prophet says: "Those who sleep on ivory beds and live luxuriously." And a little after: "And they felt nothing for the affliction of Joseph." Because of this he says the wine will mourn; that is, those given to luxuries and drunkenness, the excessive enjoyment of wealth, and displaying arrogance from it, will mourn. And next he indicates the cruelty of the enemies who captured them, searching out, down to only one or two, those to be slaughtered or to become captives, as if they happened to be gathering olives; who, with some lying dead and others taken, and with nothing at all remaining, will shout aloud, as if they have ceased gathering. For this is sometimes customary for harvesters. But in the face of the threats he does not permit the pious to fall. For even if these things, he says, will await the lawless, yet the Lord will not destroy the righteous with the impious. Which God also says through Ezekiel: "Son of man," he says, "a land upon which I bring a judgment of blood. And if Noah, and Daniel, and Job were in their midst, these will be saved by their righteousness; but the land will be for destruction." And elsewhere to the six men who followed, to the one carrying the axe: "Strike, and do not spare." And after other things: "But upon all, on whom is the

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καὶ τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν, ἄνευ τῶν ἄρθρων καὶ τοῦ πᾶσα, φασὶ, καὶ ἔσται ἐμπόριον αὐτῆς, καὶ μίσθωμα ἡγιασμένον τῷ Κυρίῳ. Οὐ γὰρ πᾶν τὸ ἐμπόριον αὐτῆς, οὐδὲ τὸ μίσθωμα πᾶν, ἐν ἀπαρχῶν δὲ λόγῳ μέρος ἁγιασθήσεται. Τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ἐν Ἐκκλησίαις Θεοῦ ταῖς ἐκεῖ γινομέναις ἔστιν ὁσημέραι θεάσασθαι. Τοῖς δὲ κατοικοῦσιν ἔναντι Κυρίου προσάγεται, δηλαδὴ τοῖς προέδροις τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, τοῦ Κυρίου διατάξαντος τοῖς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον καταγγέλλουσιν ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ζῇν. Καὶ οἱ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ δὲ παρεδρεύοντες τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ συμμερίζονται. Τούτοις ἐπάγεται· Πᾶσα ἡ ἐμπορία αὐτῆς φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν καὶ ἐμπλησθῆναι εἰς συμβολὴν μνημόσυνον ἔναντι Κυρίου. Ὃ δὴ σαφῶς ἐξέδωκε Σύμμαχος εἰπών· Τοῖς γὰρ κατοικοῦσιν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου ἔσται ἡ ἐμπορία αὐτῆς φαγεῖν εἰς πλησμονὴν, καὶ περιβαλέσθαι εἰς τὸ παλαιῶσαι. Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας· Τοῖς καθημένοις εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον Κυρίου ἕσται ἐμπόριον αὐτῆς τοῦ φαγεῖν εἰς πλησμονὴν, εἰς ἔσθησιν μετάρσεως. Ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων· Καὶ περιβαλέσθαι εἰς παλαίωσιν. Οἱ δὲ Ἑβδομήκοντα· Καὶ περὶ τῶν προσφερόντων αὐτῶν. Ὡς ἐν εὐκτηρίοις ἑστιωμένων, ἀλλ' οὐ καθάπερ ἐν εἰδωλείοις τὸ πρότερον ταῖς εὐωχίαις ἐπανηγύριζον. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Κ∆ʹ. αʹκγʹ. 9Ἰδοὺ Κύριος καταφθείρει τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ ἐρημώσει αὐτὴν, καὶ ἀνακαλύψει τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς, καὶ διασπερεῖ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας ἐν αὐτῇ. Καὶ ἔσται ὁ λαὸς, ὡς ἱερεύς· καὶ ὁ παῖς, ὡς ὁ κύριος· καὶ ἡ θεράπαινα, ὡς ἡ κυρία· ἕσται ὁ ἀγοράζων, ὡς ὁ πωλῶν9, κ.τ.λ. Τὰ καταμέρος, φασὶν, εἰρημένα περὶ διαφόρων ἐθνῶν, νῦν ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ περιλαβὼν, οἰκουμενικὴν ὀνομάζει φθορὰν τὴν κατὰ πολλῶν ἐθνῶν γενομένην. Ἀνακαλύψει δὲ ταύτης τὸ πρόσωπον δίκας εἰσπράττων, καὶ τὴν λανθάνουσαν πάλαι διελέγχων ἀσέβειαν πρόσωπον οὖσαν τῆς ἑκάστου τούτων ζωῆς. Θεοῦ γὰρ ὀργὴ τὴν τῶν πασχόντων ἀξίαν παρίστησιν, καθ' ἣν ὑπερέχοντές τε καὶ ταπεινοὶ πάντες γίνονται παραπλήσιοι. Τὴν γὰρ ἀξίαν τῶν λογάδων διακρίνειν οὐκ οἶδε πολέμιος. Τῆς δὲ πάλαι τάξεως ἀπεργάζεται σύγχυσιν, καὶ τὰς ἁλούσας πόλεις καὶ χώρας καταλαμβάνει κατήφεια διὰ τῆς ἐρημώσεως, ἢν δὴ καὶ πένθος ἐκάλεσεν. Τῶν ὑψηλῶν δὲ καὶ περιφανεστέρων καθάπτεται πλέον ἡ συμφορὰ, διὰ τὴν ἀφ' ὧν ἐστερήθησαν πρὸς τἀναντία μεταβολήν. Ἀνομῆσαι δέ φησι τὴν γῆν, τοῦτ' ἕστι τοὺς κατοικοῦντας, ὡς καὶ πόλις ἄνομος λέγεται. Τὸ γὰρ δίκαιον τῆς τιμωρίας δεικνὺς, προσεπάγει τούτοις, διότι τὸν νόμον παρέβησαν, συμπεριλαμβάνων τοῖς ἔθνεσι τοὺς ἅμα παθόντας αὐτοῖς Ἰουδαίους, Καὶ παρέβησαν, λέγων, διαθήκην αἰώνιον. Πάντων δὲ τῶν 2192 ἁλόντων, ὀλίγοι μὲν ἐν ταῖς χώραις ὑπολειφθήσονται· μετὰ πτωχείας δὲ βιωτεύσουσιν, ἐπειδὴ μετανοῆσαι δέον, προσέκειντο ταῖς τρυφαῖς, ὥσπερ Ἰουδαῖοι, "Φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν, λέγοντες, αὕριον γὰρ ἀποθνήσκομεν." Περὶ ὧν ἕτερος προφήτης φησίν· "Οἱ καθεύδοντες ἐπὶ κλινῶν ἐλεφαντίνων καὶ κατασπαταλῶντες." Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· "Καὶ οὐκ ἔπασχον οὐδὲν ἑπὶ τῇ συντριβῇ Ἰωσήφ." ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι πενθήσειν τὸν οἶνον· τοῦτ' ἔστιν, οἱ τρυφαῖς καὶ μέθῃ προσκείμενοι τὴν περίεργον ἀπόλαυσιν τοῦ πλούτου, καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν δεικνύντες ἀλαζονείαν, πενθήσουσιν. Ἑξῆς δὲ τῶν ἑλόντων αὐτοὺς πολεμίων παραδηλοῖ τὴν ὠμότητα, καὶ μέχρι μόνον ἑνὸς ἢ δυεῖν, τοὺς εἰς σφαγὴν, ἢ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἐσομένους διερευνώντων, ὡσανεὶ τρυγῶντες ἐλαίαν ἐτύγχανον, οἱ καὶ τῶν μὲν κειμένων, τῶν δὲ ληφθέντων, καὶ μηδενὸς ἔτι λειπομένου, βοήσουσιν ἀλαλάζοντες, ὡσανεὶ τρυγῶντες ἐπαύσαντο. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔσθ' ὅτε φίλον τοῖς τρυγῶσι καθέστηκεν. Ἐπὶ δὲ ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς οὐκ ἐᾷ τοὺς εὐσεβοῦντας καταπεσεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα, φησὶ, τοὺς ἀνόμους ἐκδέξεται, πλὴν οὐκ ἀπολέσει Κύριος μετὰ τῶν ἀσεβούντων τὸν δίκαιον. Ὃ καὶ δι' Ἰεζεκιήλ φησιν ὁ Θεός· "Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, λέγων, γῆ ἐφ' ἣν ἐπάγω κρῖμα, αἵματος. Κἂν ὦσιν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν Νῶε, καὶ ∆ανιὴλ, καὶ Ἰὼβ, οὗτοι ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ αὐτῶν σωθήσονται· ἡ δὲ γῆ ἔσται εἰς ὄλεθρον." Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ πρὸς τοὺς ἑπομένους ἓξ ἄνδρας, τῷ τὸν πέλυκα φέροντι· "Κόπτετε, καὶ μὴ φείδεσθε." Καὶ μεθ' ἔτερα· "Ἐπὶ δὲ πάντας, ἐφ' οὕς ἐστι τὸ