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expounding on marriage through the prophet Ezekiel, he says: “And I entered into my covenant with you,” instead of: a document of dowry was concluded between us; but he calls the law a covenant. You have loved those who sleep with you 9and you have multiplied your fornication with them. He has said these things as of an immoral woman, teaching her great impiety. And you made many those who are far from you. But Symmachus and Theodotion thus: “And you multiplied your unguents.” Thus he called the construction of idols; for just as a compound perfume is gathered from many types through art for its fragrance, so also idols receive their construction from many materials and crafts. And the Seventy reasonably named them “far away”; for what communion has light with darkness? And the law also made them far away. And you sent ambassadors beyond your borders. For at one time they fled to the Egyptians, at another to the Assyrians. And you were brought low even to Hades. This fruit you have had from the worship of idols. 10You have wearied yourself in your many ways, and you did not say: I will cease, becoming strong. For a long time, he says, you wandered, and you did not wish to take a rest from your wandering. You did these things, for this reason you did not entreat me. You abandoned me, you served demons, you trusted in human assistance, and you have had no fill of evils. 11Whom did you revere and fear, that you lied to me and did not remember me, nor did you take me into your mind or into your heart? When you served idols, you did not fear the lawgiver; but when I came, you feared a fear where there was no fear, and you did not wish to take the prophecies about me to mind. And I, seeing you, overlook you. For I will provide no help to you when you are besieged. And I am he who is from eternity. For I am none other than he who freed you from the slavery of the Egyptians, who prepared a way for you to walk through the sea, who worked countless wonders. 12And I will declare |172 b| my righteousness and your evils, which will not profit you. And I show my good deeds and I will convict your ingratitude. 13When you cry out, let them deliver you in your affliction; for the wind will take all these, and a tempest will carry them away. For not only will they not give you help, but they themselves will vanish, that is, the idols. But those who hold fast to me will possess the land and will inherit my holy mountain. And the facts bear witness to the words; for those who have believed in him both hold the city of Jerusalem and are deemed worthy of honor in all the cities. 14And they will say: Clear the ways from before his face and take away the stumbling-blocks from the way of my people. For the heralds of the truth will make the straight way smooth for those who believe, both showing the things that are pleasing to God and turning them away from the contrary things. For these he called stumbling-blocks, but Symmachus said these were “obstacles.” 15For thus says the Most High, who dwells in the high places, the eternal one, holy among holies is his name, the Lord Most High resting among the saints and giving long-suffering to the faint-hearted and giving life to the contrite in heart and reviving the hearts of the crushed. He showed his manifold care; for dwelling in the high places he looks upon the lowly, and being holy he rests indeed among the saints, but to the faint-hearted he offers comfort and he brings back to life those whose hearts are contrite. For not only does he care for the just, but he also calls back those who have been carried off into the abyss of wickedness and to those whose souls are in a bad state he offers manifold healing. 16I will not take vengeance on you forever, nor will I be angry with you for all time. Very many of those who crucified the Lord believed through the preaching of the apostles and enjoyed salvation. For this reason, even while being crucified the Lord said: “Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” From these was the blessed Paul, from these were the three thousand and the many myriads; to these he promises forgiveness. For a spirit will go forth from me, and

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ἐξηγούμενος γάμον διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰεζεκι ήλ φησιν· «Καὶ εἰσῆλθον ἐν διαθήκῃ μου πρὸς σέ» ἀντὶ τοῦ· Προικῶν γραμματεῖον μεταξὺ ἡμῶν διετέλεσ α · καλεῖ δὲ διαθήκην τὸν νόμον. Ἠγάπησας τοὺς κοιμωμένους μετὰ σοῦ 9καὶ ἐπλήθυνας τὴν πορνείαν σου μετ' αὐτῶν. Ὡς ἐπὶ γυναικὸς ἀκολάστου καὶ ταῦτα εἴρηκε τὴν πολλὴν αὐτῆς διδάσκων ἀσέβειαν. Καὶ πολλοὺς ἐποίησας τοὺς μακρὰν ἀπὸ σοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Σύμ μαχος καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων οὕτως· «Καὶ ἐπλήθυνας τὰ μυρέψιά σου.» Οὕτω δὲ προσηγόρευσε τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων κατασκευήν· καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ συγκείμενον μύρον ἐκ πολλῶν εἰδῶν ἐρανίζεται διὰ τῆς τέχνης τὴν εὐκοσμίαν, οὕτω καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα ἐκ πολλῶν ὑλῶν καὶ τεχνῶν δέχεται τὴν κατα σκευήν. Καὶ οἱ Ἑβδομήκοντα δὲ εἰκότως μακρὰν ὠνόμασαν· τίς γὰρ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος; Πόρρω δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ ὁ νόμος ἐποίει. Καὶ ἀπέστειλας πρέσβεις ὑπὲρ τὰ ὅριά σου. Ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ Αἰγυπτίοις ποτὲ δὲ Ἀσσυρίοις προσέ φευγον. Καὶ ἐταπεινώθη<ς> ἕως ᾅδου. Τοῦτον ἔσχες ἐκ τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων θεραπείας καρπόν. 10Ταῖς πολυοδίαις σου ἐκοπίασας καὶ οὐκ εἶπας· Παύσομαι ἐνισχύουσα. Ἐπὶ πολύ φησιν ἐπλανήθης καὶ παῦλαν τῆς πλάνης λαβεῖν οὐκ ἠθέλησας. Ἔπραξας ταῦτα, διὰ τοῦτο οὐ κατεδεήθης μου. Ἐμὲ κατέλιπες, τοὺς δαί μονας ἐθεράπευσας, ἀνθρωπίναις ἐπικουρίαις ἐθάρρησας καὶ κόρον οὐκ εἴληφας τῶν κακῶν. 11Τίνα εὐλαβηθεῖσα ἐφοβήθης καὶ ἐψεύσω με καὶ οὐκ ἐμνήσθης μου οὐδὲ ἔλαβές με εἰς τὴν διάνοιάν σου οὐδὲ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν σου; Ἡνίκα τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐδούλευες, οὐκ ἐδεδίεις τὸν νομοθέτην· ὅτε δὲ παρεγενόμην ἐγώ, ἐφοβήθης φόβον, οὗ οὐκ ἦν φόβος, καὶ τὰς περὶ ἐμοῦ προρρήσεις λαβεῖν εἰς νοῦν οὐκ ἠθέλησας. Καὶ ἐγώ σε ἰδὼν παρορῶ. Πολιορκουμένῃ γάρ σοι οὐδε μίαν παρέξω βοήθειαν. Καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἀπ' αἰῶνος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄλλος εἰμὶ παρ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν τῆς Αἰγυπτίων σε δουλείας ἐλευθερώσαν τα , τ ὸν διὰ θαλάττης πεζεῦσαι παρα σκευάσαντα, τὸν τὰ μυρία ἐργασάμενον θαύματα. 12Καὶ ἐγὼ ἀπαγγελῶ |172 b| τὴν δικαιοσύνην μου καὶ τὰ κακά σου ἃ οὐκ ὠφελήσει σε. Καὶ τὰς ἐμὰς εὐεργεσίας δείκνυμι καὶ τὴν σὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην ἐλέγξω. 13Ὅταν ἀναβοήσῃς, ἐξελέσθωσάν σε ἐν τῇ θλίψει σου· τούτους γὰρ πάντας ἄνεμος λήψεται, καὶ ἀποίσει καταιγίς. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον σοὶ βοηθείας οὐ μεταδώσουσιν ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ φροῦδοι ἔσονται, τουτέστι τὰ εἴδωλα. Οἱ δὲ ἀντεχόμενοί μου κτήσονται τὴν γῆν καὶ κληρονομή σουσι τὸ ὄρος μου τὸ ἅγιον. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τοῖς λόγοις τὰ πράγματα· οἱ γὰρ εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκότες καὶ τὴν Ἱεροσολύμων κατέχουσι πόλιν καὶ ἐν ἁπάσαις ταῖς πόλεσιν ἀξιοῦνται τιμῆς. 14Καὶ ἐροῦσιν· Καθαρίσατε ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ὁδοὺς καὶ ἐξάρατε τὰ σκῶλα ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ τοῦ λαοῦ μου. Οἱ γὰρ τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυκες λείαν ἐργάσονται τοῖς πιστεύουσι τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδόν, καὶ τὰ ἀρέσκοντα τῷ θεῷ ἐπιδεικνύντες καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων ἀποτρέ ποντες. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἐκάλεσε ςκῶλα, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ταῦτα ἔφη «προσκόμματα». 15Ὅτι τάδε λέγει ὁ ὕψιστος, ὁ ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κατοικῶν, ὁ αἰώνιος, ἅγιος ἐν ἁγίοις ὄνομα αὐτῷ, κύριος ὕψιστος ἐν ἁγίοις ἀναπαυόμενος καὶ ὀλιγοψύχοις διδοὺς μακροθυμίαν καὶ ζωὴν διδοὺς τοῖς συντετριμμένοις τὴν καρδίαν καὶ ζωῶσαι καρδίας τεθλασμένων. Τὴν παν τοδαπὴ<ν> αὐτοῦ κηδεμο νίαν ἔδειξεν· ἐν ὑψηλοῖς γὰρ κατοικῶν τὰ ταπεινὰ ἐφορᾷ καὶ ἅγιος ὢν ἀνα παύ εται μὲν ἐν ἁγίοις, τοῖς δὲ ὀλιγοψύχοις προσφέρει παραψυχὴν καὶ τοὺς τὰς καρδίας συντετριμμένους εἰς ζ ωὴν ἐπανάγει. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον δικαίων ἐπιμελεῖται ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς εἰς τὸ βάραθρον τῆς κακίας ἐκ κομι σθέντας ἀνακαλεῖται καὶ τοῖς κακῶς τὰς ψυχὰς διακειμένοις ἰατρείαν προσφέρει παντο δαπή ν. 16Οὐκ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐκδικήσω ὑμᾶς οὐδὲ διὰ παντὸς ὀργισθήσομαι ὑμῖν. Πλεῖστοι τῶν τὸν κύριον ἐσταυρωκό των διὰ τοῦ κηρύγματος τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐπίστευσαν καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπήλαυσαν. Τούτου χάριν καὶ σταυρούμενος ὁ κύριος ἔφη· «Πάτερ ἄφες αὐτοῖς· οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσιν.» Ἐκ τούτων ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, ἐκ τούτων οἱ τρισχίλιοι καὶ αἱ πολλαὶ μυριάδες· τούτοις ὑπισχνεῖται συγγνώμην. Πνεῦμα γὰρ παρ' ἐμοῦ ἐξελεύσεται, καὶ