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they fell in the very battle line; and those who escaped are fleeing like a little gazelle. For the animal is easily startled and timid, and because of the swiftness of its feet it flees for a long time, and does not stand still. They will be, therefore, like a little gazelle and like a wandering sheep. For the sheep has no understanding of its own to rush to nourishing pastures, or to be folded in safer places, or to seek out drink for itself, unless there is a shepherd leading it to these things. Therefore those of that time will be, escaping like gazelles, but helpless like wandering sheep, because they have no ruler. And there will be no one to gather them, but the timid will be scattered by their pursuers, and those left behind will be defeated by their enemies; and even if they should be able to rally and form some community of assistance, still they will fall by the sword. Then he speaks of the pitiful sufferings of those being enslaved. They will dash their children in the eyes of their parents, and they will plunder their houses, and they will take away their women for themselves for outrage.

13.273 Behold, I will stir up against you the Medes, who do not reckon silver, nor have need of gold. They will shatter the bows of the young men, and they will not pity your children; nor will their eyes spare your children. [Many ages later, as history has handed down, the Medes attacked the rule of the Assyrians and overthrew Babylon; for the prophecy of Isaiah is many generations before the captivity of Israel; and again after Israel, many years later, the Medes appear, having campaigned against the Assyrians]. Therefore, the consolation of those taken captive is the expectation of vengeance that will not long after seize the people that afflicted Israel. I will stir up (he says) against you the Medes, who will be persuaded neither by silver nor by gold. Nor will you, O Babylonians, be able to buy from them with the abundance of your wealth the chance to suffer nothing. For they are not frenzied about money, since they themselves are exceedingly wealthy. Wherefore, not even in wars are they distracted by stripping the dead, nor do they occupy themselves with spoils, and they consider it ignoble to take from the captured. But they will shatter the archery of the young men among you and will have no pity, nor will they show any mercy for infants. But the name of the Medes, when interpreted, means 'from the sufficient one.' Therefore, the one who is sufficient in all things and able to inflict what is deserved, he it is who moves the Medes. Or perhaps, since Madai is the founder of Media, and his name is interpreted 'measurement,' the Medes might be said to be brought on to punish with measure those who have lived wickedly, because with what measure each of us has measured, either in doing right or in sinning, with that he will receive either the things of reward or the things of punishment. Such are the Medes; they will not pity the children of the Babylonians, nor will they condescend to spare them. But perhaps the Scripture now calls 'children' the fruits and the offspring of the Babylonian soul. Such I think are also the children of the one called blessed in the Psalm, in which the wife is wisdom, whom the Lord, having sought her out, took as a bride and consort for himself, having become a lover of her beauty; and the sons are the offspring of the mind and wisdom come together. Concerning these children I think it was said in the 136th Psalm: O daughter of Babylon, the wretched one; blessed is he who will render to you your recompense, which you have rendered to us. Blessed is he who will seize and dash your infants against the rock. For he foresees this day of retribution, on which the Medes, having prevailed over the Babylonians, will not show pity, nor will their eyes spare their children. But consider that the Psalm calls blessed, not one who kills a Babylonian child in just any way, but that first it wishes their infants to be destroyed, the newly-born, not being permitted to come to growth, so that wickedness may not proceed further; and second, that they not be destroyed in just any manner.

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ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς παρατάξεως ἔπεσον· οἱ δὲ διαφυγόντες, ὡς δορκάδιόν εἰσι φεύγοντες. Εὐπτόητον δὲ τὸ ζῶόν ἐστι καὶ δειλὸν, καὶ δι' ὀξύτητα τῶν ποδῶν ἐπὶ πολὺ φεῦγον, καὶ οὐχ ἱστάμενον. Ἔσονται οὖν ὡς δορκάδιον καὶ ὡς πρό βατον πλανώμενον. Καὶ γὰρ οὐδεμίαν οἰκείαν σύνεσιν ἔχει τὸ πρόβατον πρὸς τὸ ὁρμῆσαι μὲν ἐπὶ τὰς τροφίμους νομὰς, αὐλισθῆναι δὲ ἐν τόποις ἀσφαλεστέροις, ἢ ποτὸν ἑαυτοῖς ἐκζητῆσαι, ἐὰν μή τις ᾖ ὁ ποιμαίνων καὶ ἐπὶ ταῦτα καθη γούμενος. Ἔσονται οὖν οἱ τότε, διαφεύγοντες μὲν ὡς δορ κάδες, ἀβοήθητοι δὲ ὡς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ πλανώμενα, τῷ μὴ εἶναι αὐτῶν ἄρχοντα. Καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ συνάγων, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν δειλοὶ σπαρήσονται ὑπὸ τῶν διωκόντων, οἱ δὲ κατα λειφθέντες ἡττηθήσονται ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων· κἂν δυνηθῶσι συστῆναι καὶ κοινωνίαν τινὰ βοηθείας ποιήσασθαι, ἀλλ' οὖν μαχαίρᾳ πεσοῦνται. Εἶτα λέγει τὰ ἐλεεινὰ πάθη τῶν ἐξανδραποδιζομένων. Τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν ῥάξουσιν ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τῶν γονέων καὶ τὰς οἰκίας αὐτῶν διαρπάσονται καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἐφ' ὕβρει πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς μεταστήσουσιν. 13.273 Ἰδοὺ ἐπεγερῶ ὑμῖν τοὺς Μήδους, οἳ οὐ λογίζονται ἀργύριον, οὐδὲ χρυσίου χρείαν ἔχουσι. Τοξεύματα νεανί σκων συντρίψουσι καὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσουσιν· οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς τέκνοις σου φείσονται οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐ τῶν. [Πολλοῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις, ὡς ἡ ἱστορία παραδέδωκεν, οἱ Μῆδοι τῇ ἀρχῇ τῇ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐπέθεντο καὶ κατεστρέ- ψαντο Βαβυλῶνα· ἔστι μὲν οὖν ἡ προφητεία τοῦ Ἡσαΐου πρὸ πολλῶν γενεῶν τῆς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ αἰχμαλωσίας· πάλιν δὲ μετὰ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ πολλοῖς ὕστερον ἔτεσι φαίνονται οἱ Μῆδοι, ἐπιστρατεύσαντες τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις]. Παραμυθία οὖν τῶν αἰχμαλωτιζομένων ἡ προσδοκία τῆς ἐκδικήσεως μετ' οὐ πολὺ καταληψομένης τὸν λαὸν τὸν κακώσαντα τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Ἐπεγερῶ (φησὶν) ὑμῖν τοὺς Μήδους, οἵτινες οὔτε ἀργυρίῳ παραπεισθήσονται, οὔτε χρυσίῳ. Οὐδὲ δυνήσεσθε ὑμεῖς, οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι, τῇ περιουσίᾳ τοῦ πλούτου ἐξωνήσασθαι παρ' αὐ τῶν τὸ μηδὲν παθεῖν. Οὐδὲ γάρ εἰσιν ἐπτοημένοι περὶ χρήματα, τῷ καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑπερπλουτεῖν. ∆ιόπερ οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις περισπῶνται ὑπὸ τῆς νεκροσυλίας, οὐδὲ ἀσχο λοῦνται περὶ τὴν λείαν καὶ τὸ λαμβάνειν παρὰ τῶν ἑαλω κότων ἀγενὲς οἴονται. Ἀλλὰ τὴν τοξείαν τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν νεανίσκων συντρίψουσι καὶ οὐδένα οἶκτον, οὐδὲ φειδῶ ποιή σονται τῶν νηπίων. Τὸ δὲ Μήδων ὄνομα μεταλαμβανόμενον σημαίνει ἀπὸ ἱκανοῦ. Οὐκοῦν ὁ Ἱκανὸς ἐν πᾶσι καὶ δυνατὸς ἐπάγειν τὰ πρὸς ἀξίαν, οὗτος κινεῖ τοὺς Μήδους. Ἢ τάχα, ἐπειδὴ ὁ Μαδαεὶ κτίστης ἐστὶ τῆς Μηδείας, ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ οὗτος ἐκμέτρησις, λέγοιντο ἂν οἱ Μῆδοι ἐπάγεσθαι εἰς τὸ κολάζειν ἐμμέτρως τοὺς κακῶς βεβιωκότας, διότι ᾧ μέτρῳ ἕκαστος ἡμῶν μεμέτρηκεν, ἤτοι ἐν τῷ κατορθοῦν, ἢ ἐν τῷ ἁμαρτά νειν, ἐν τούτῳ ἢ τὰ τῆς ἀμοιβῆς, ἢ τὰ τῆς κολάσεως ἀπο λήψεται. Τοιοῦτοι δὲ οἱ Μῆδοι· οὐκ ἐλεήσουσι τὰ τέκνα τῶν Βαβυλωνίων, οὐδὲ περιποιήσασθαι καταδέξονται. Τάχα δὲ τέκνα τοὺς καρποὺς καὶ τὰ γεννήματα τῆς Βαβυ λωνίων ψυχῆς νῦν φησιν ἡ Γραφή. Τοιαῦτα νομίζω εἶναι καὶ τὰ τοῦ μακαριζομένου παρὰ τῷ Ψαλμῷ τέκνα, ἐν ᾧ ἡ μὲν γυνὴ ἡ σοφία ἐστὶν, ἥντινα ἐκζητήσας νύμφην ἠγάγετο καὶ σύνοικον ἑαυτῷ ὁ Κύριος, γενόμενος ἐραστὴς τοῦ κάλλους αὐτῆς· οἱ δὲ υἱοὶ, τὰ γεννήματα τοῦ νοῦ καὶ τῆς σοφίας ἅμα συνελθόντα. Περὶ τούτων οἶμαι τῶν τέκνων εἰρῆσθαι ἐν τῷ ρλ ϛʹ Ψαλμῷ· Θυγάτηρ Βαβυλῶνος ἡ ταλαίπωρος· μακάριος, ὃς ἀνταποδώσει σοι τὸ ἀνταπόδομά σου, ὃ ἀνταπέδωκας ἡμῖν. Μακάριος, ὃς κρατήσει καὶ ἐδαφιεῖ τὰ νήπιά σου πρὸς τὴν πέτραν. Ταύτην γὰρ προβλέπει τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς ἀνταπο δόσεως, καθ' ἣν οἱ Μῆδοι, κρατήσαντες τῶν Βαβυλωνίων, οὐκ ἐλεήσουσιν, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῶν φείσονται οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν. Σκόπει δὲ ὅτι ὁ Ψαλμὸς μακαρίζει, οὐ τὸν ὁπωσδήποτε τέκνον Βαβυλώνιον ἀνελόντα, ἀλλ' ὅτι πρῶτον μὲν θέλει τὰ νήπια αὐτῶν ἀφανίζεσθαι τὰ ἀρτιγενῆ, μὴ ἐπιτραπέντα ἐλθεῖν εἰς αὔξησιν, ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖον χωρήσῃ τῆς πονηρίας· δεύτερον δὲ, ὅτι οὐχ οἵῳ δήποτε τρόπῳ ἀναιρεθῆναι.