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16Behold, I create you not as a smith blowing coals in a fire and bringing forth a vessel for a work. He has shown the effortless and very easy nature of the creation; for I do not need, he says, any instruments and fire and bellows in a manner similar to smiths, but a word is sufficient for me for creation. But I created you not to be destroyed unto perdition. Since "the first man was of the earth, a man of dust," and he also received the sentence of death, the creator of all things promises to fashion anew the nature of men unto incorruption. 17Every perishable vessel against you shall not prosper. But those not willing to put on this incorruption but remaining in their former corruption will not prevail over you when they attempt to fight you. And this he shows more clearly through what follows: And every voice that shall rise up against you, in judgment you shall defeat them all. But Aquila has it thus: "And every tongue that rises with you in judgment you shall condemn." For those from all the nations who oppose you, you will both condemn and defeat. But the guilty will be in sorrow. Those who devise plots against you reap sorrow, but you shall enjoy eternal good things. |170 a| For this is what the following verses show: There is an inheritance for those who serve the Lord, and you will be righteous to me, says the Lord. This the Lord also taught in the holy gospels: "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." And he gives this to those who bring forth the righteousness established by law; "For I was hungry," he says, "and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink," and so forth. Having shown this here also, he points out the way of righteousness: 551You who are thirsty, go to the water. For through the all-holy baptism "we are justified freely," according to the divine apostle, "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." For the prophetic word also hinted at this: And all you who have no money, come, buy and eat, and go and buy and drink without money. Holy scripture often calls righteousness money: "The words," it says, "of the Lord are pure words, silver refined, a trial for the earth." And of those who live in lawlessness, it says, "call them rejected silver, for the Lord God has rejected them." The philanthropic Lord therefore promises to give freely the much-desired water even to those who do not possess what is called money, that is, righteousness; for from those who approach the all-holy baptism he does not exact punishments for their former sins, but promises their remission. Wine and fat. 2Why do you weigh out money for what is not bread, and your labor for what does not satisfy? Here he has cast out the sacrifices of the law. For of old he commanded that the fat of the sacrificial animals in particular be offered on the altar, for which reason he also forbade partaking of fat; and they were also accustomed to pour out wine as a libation. But the prophetic word teaches that these things offered no nourishment to the soul; for this is what it said: for what is not bread and your labor for what does not satisfy, meaning unprofitable, useless, having nothing spiritual. Thus, having put an end to the old covenant, he points to the new: Hear me, and you will eat what is good, and your soul will delight in good things; 3incline your ears and follow my ways, hearken to me, and your soul will live in good things, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the holy and sure blessings of David. God promised to David that "his seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me, and as the moon established forever." Therefore, these covenants made with him I will fulfill for you, on the one hand clothing myself in human nature from the race of David according to the promise, and on the other hand introducing the new covenant. 4Behold, I have given him as a testimony among the nations, a ruler and commander to the nations. For him who was crucified by the Jews all the earth and sea worships and embraces his laws. And him a testimony

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16Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ κτίζω σε οὐχ ὡς χαλκεὺς φυσῶν ἐν πυρὶ ἄνθρακας καὶ ἐκφέρων σκεῦος εἰς ἔργον. Τὸ ἄπονον καὶ λίαν εὐπετὲς τῆς δημιουργίας δεδήλωκεν· οὐ γὰρ δέομαί φησιν ὀργάνων τινῶν καὶ πυρὸς καὶ φυσῶν τοῖς χαλκεῦσι παραπλησίως, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ μοι λόγος εἰς ποίησιν. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἔκτισά σε οὐκ εἰς ἀπώλειαν φθεῖραι. Ἐπειδὴ «ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος ἐκ γῆς χοϊκός», ἐδέξατο δὲ καὶ τοῦ θανάτου τὴν ψῆφον, ὑπισχνεῖται ὁ τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸς εἰς ἀφθαρ σίαν νεουργεῖν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν. 17Πᾶν σκεῦος φθαρτὸν ἐπὶ σὲ οὐκ εὐοδωθήσεται. Οἱ δὲ ταύτην τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν ἐνδύσασθαι μὴ βουλόμενοι ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας φθορᾶς διαμέ νοντες οὐ περιέσονταί σου πολεμεῖν σοι πειρώμενοι. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς σαφέστερον δηλοῖ· Καὶ πᾶσα φωνὴ ἣ ἀναστήσεται ἐπὶ σέ, εἰς κρίσιν πάντας αὐτοὺς ἡττήσεις. Ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας οὕτως· « Καὶ πᾶσαν γλῶσσαν ἱσταμένην σὺν σοὶ εἰς κρίσιν καταδικάσεις.» Τοὺς γὰρ ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀντιτείνοντάς σοι καὶ κατακρινεῖς καὶ ἡττήσεις. Οἱ δὲ ἔνοχοι ἔσονται ἐν λύπῃ. ∆ρέπονται λύπην οἱ τὰς κατὰ σοῦ τεκταινόμενοι μηχανάς, σὺ δὲ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσεις. |170 a| Τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ τὰ ἑξῆς· Ἔστι κληρονομία τοῖς θεραπεύουσι κύριον, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔσεσθέ μοι δίκαιοι, λέγει κύριος. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς εὐαγγελίοις ἐδίδαξεν· «∆εῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ πατρός μου, κληρο νομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου.» ∆ίδωσι δὲ ταύτην τοῖς τὴν νενομοθετημένην δικαιοσύνην προφέρουσιν· «Ἐπείνασα γάρ» φησι «καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν, ἐδίψησα καὶ ἐποτίσατέ με» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τοῦτο κἀνταῦθα δείξας τὴν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὁδὸν ἐπι δείκνυσιν· 551Οἱ διψῶντες πορεύεσθε ἐφ' ὕδωρ. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦ παναγίου βαπτίσματος «δικαιούμεθα δωρεὰν» κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον «διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ». Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ προφητικὸς ᾐνίξατο λόγος· Καὶ ὅσοι μὴ ἔχετε ἀργύριον βαδίσαντες ἀγοράσατε καὶ φάγεσθε καὶ πορεύεσθε καὶ ἀγοράσατε καὶ πίεσθε ἄνευ ἀργυρίου. Ἀργύριον δὲ τὴν δικαιοσύνην πολλάκις ἡ θεία γραφὴ προ<σ>αγορεύει· «Τὰ λόγια» γάρ φησι «κυρίου λόγια ἁγνά, ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον, δοκίμιον τῇ γῇ.» Καὶ τοὺς παρανομίᾳ συζῶντας «ἀργύριόν» φησιν «ἀποδεδο κιμασμένον καλέσατε, ὅτι ἀπεδοκίμασεν αὐτοὺς κύριος ὁ θεός». Ὑπισχνεῖ ται τοίνυν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος δεσπότης καὶ τοῖς οὐ κεκτημένοις τὸ καλούμενον ἀργύριον, τουτέστι τὴν δικαιοσύν ην , προῖκα δώσειν τὸ τριπόθητον ὕδωρ· τοὺς γὰρ τῷ παναγίῳ προσιόντας βαπτίσματι οὐκ εὐθύνας ὑπὲρ τῶν προτέρων ἁμαρτημάτων εἰσπράττεται ἀλλὰ τὴν τούτων ἄφεσιν ἐπαγγέλλεται. Οἶνον καὶ στέαρ 2ἵνα <τί> τιμᾶσθε ἀργυρίου ἐν οὐκ ἄρτοις, καὶ ὁ μόχθος ὑμῶν οὐκ εἰς πλησμονήν; Τὰς νομικὰς ἐνταῦθα θυσίας ἐξέβαλεν. ∆ιαφερόντως γὰρ πάλαι τῶν ἱερείων τὸ στέαρ τῷ βωμῷ προσφέρειν ἐκέλευσεν, οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ μεταλαμβάνειν στέατος ἀπηγόρευσεν· καὶ οἶνον δὲ σπένδειν εἰώθεσαν. ∆ι δάσκει δὲ ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος ὡς οὐδεμίαν ταῦτα τροφὴν προσέφερε τῇ ψυχῇ· τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν· ἐν οὐκ ἄρτοις καὶ ὁ μόχθος ὑμῶν οὐκ εἰς πλησμονήν, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀκερδής, ἀνόνητος, οὐδὲν ἔχων πνευματικόν. Οὕτω ς ἐπι θεὶς τῇ παλαιᾷ διαθήκῃ τὸ πέρας ὑποδείκνυσι τὴν καινήν· Ἀκούσατέ μου καὶ φάγεσθε ἀγαθά, καὶ ἐντρυφήσει ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν· 3προσέχετε τοῖς ὠσὶν ὑμῶν καὶ ἐπακολουθήσατε ταῖς ὁδοῖς μου, εἰσακούσατέ μου, καὶ ζήσεται ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν, καὶ διαθήσομαι ὑμῖν διαθήκην αἰώνιον, τὰ ὅσια ∆αυὶδ τὰ πιστά. Τῷ ∆αυὶδ ὁ θεὸς ἐπηγγείλατο ὅτι «τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μένει καὶ ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐναντίον μου καὶ ὡς ἡ σελήνη κατηρτισμένη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.» Ταύτας τοίνυν τὰς συνθήκας τὰς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον γεγενημένας ἐφ' ὑμῶν πληρώσω, τὴν μὲν ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν ἐ κ τοῦ ∆αυιτικοῦ γένους κατὰ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ἐνδυόμενος, τὴν δὲ καινὴν διαθήκην εἰσφέρων. 4Ἰδοὺ μαρτύριον ἐν ἔθνεσι δέδωκα αὐτόν, ἄρχοντα καὶ προστάσσοντα ἔθνεσιν. Τὸν γὰρ ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων ἐσταυρω μένον πᾶσα γῆ καὶ θάλαττα προσκυνεῖ καὶ τοὺς τούτου νόμους ἀσπάζεται. Μαρτύριον δὲ αὐτὸν