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Having given them His promises, He brings the more divine ones to those worthy of them, 2269 and adding their time, saying: In that day when many shall be destroyed, and when towers fall. Or according to Symmachus, in a day of great slaughter, when the great ones fall, that is, at the time of judgment. For many will be destroyed at that time, in which also the things promised will be given to the worthy, which are waters flowing upon every high mountain and hill. But according to Symmachus, and upon every lofty hill, divisions of water channels. And just as we have often said that Mount Zion is the heavenly one, so the many mansions with the Father are heavenly mountains assigned according to worth, upon which would be the flowing water gushing from a spring, concerning which he says: "For with you is the fountain of life," from which the river of God flows forth, concerning which it is written: "The river of God is full of water," and: "The streams of the river make glad the city of God;" which is the only-begotten Word of God. Partaking of whom, we will have immortality, and life, which He Himself is in substance. When also creation itself, he says, having been freed from the bondage of corruption, will receive the rewards of its labors, just as the sun and moon receive greater light and glory, inasmuch as they have labored, ministering well to the command of God. But these things will be when the worthy shall be given over to slaughter, and those who are proud and boastful in the present life shall fall, receiving a bringing down from their height. Therefore Aquila says: In the day of a great slaughter, when the magnified fall, and when the Lord shall heal the breach of His people. And he did not mention Israel, nor Jacob. For the gifts of the promise are set before every worthy person. Starting from this, the divine Apostle said: "For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the revealing of the sons of God, because creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Speaking of the liberty of the children, which the prophet called a healing of the people. For they had much contrition in the present life, so that it is said: "A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." And: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit." Whence Paul says: "For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened." And they were burdened over those who sin, according to that: "I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented. But God will restore their broken pieces." CHAP. 31. 1-9. 9Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help. Who trust in horses, and in chariots. For there are many, and in horses a very great multitude, and they did not listen, trusting in the 2272 holy one of Israel, and they did not seek God; And He, being wise, brought evils upon them, and His word shall not be set aside9, etc. .... deliverance. Which indeed many have done, having apostatized from the worship of God to an idolatrous and Egyptian way of life. To these things he adds the return from captivity. For as a lion, he says, having been stirred for the hunt of food, leaps upon the flocks, not turning back for the shouts of shepherds, nor for the multitude of pursuers; so the Lord, coming upon the enemies, will deliver Israel. And having brought them to Jerusalem, He will thus defend them, as a bird its young in the nest. Whence Symmachus, instead of, and he shall cry over it until the mountains are filled with his voice, and they were defeated, has rendered it thus: He shall not be defeated by the fullness of shepherds from their voice, nor shall he be subdued by their multitude. But according to the version of the Seventy, it must be understood thus: They say that the lion, terrifying beforehand the herds and those in charge with a roar, thus makes its attack; so also the Lord, terrifying beforehand with threats, brings justice upon those who do not repent. Just as then also, protecting Israel from the boastful Assyrians, and from the surrounding regions which attacked it after the return. For to each of the two he applied the one or the other of the parables. But that of the lion to those of Israel. Some have understood, not even that of the irrational beasts

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τούτου τὰς ἐπαγγελίας αὐτοῖς παρασχὼν, ἐπάγει τὰς θειοτέρας τοῖς τούτων ἀξίοις, 2269 καὶ τὸν αὐτῶν χρόνον προσθεὶς λέγων· Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ὅτ' ἂν ἀπολῶνται πολλοὶ, καὶ ὅταν πέσωσι πύργοι. Ἢ κατὰ Σύμμαχον, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς πολλῆς, ἐν τῷ πεσεῖν μεγάλους, κατὰ τὸν τῆς κρίσεως δηλονότι καιρόν. Πολλοὶ γὰρ κατ' ἐκεῖνον ἀπολοῦνται τὸν χρόνον, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα τοῖς ἀξίοις δοθήσεται, ἅπερ ἐστὶν ὕδωρ διαπορευόμενον ἐπὶ παντὸς ὄρους ὑψηλοῦ καὶ βουνοῦ. Κατὰ δὲ Σύμμαχον, καὶ ἐπὶ παντὸς βουνοῦ ἐπηρμένου διαιρέσεις ἀγωγῶν ὑδάτων. Ὥσπερ δὲ Σιὼν ὄρος τὸ ἐπουράνιον πολλάκις ἐλέγομεν, οὕτως αἱ πολλαὶ μοναὶ παρὰ τῷ Πατέρι, ὄρη ἐστὶν οὐράνια πρὸς τὴν ἀξίαν ἀποδιδόμενα, ἐφ' ὧν τὸ διαπορευόμενον ὕδωρ τὸ ἀπὸ πηγῆς ἀναβλύζον ἂν εἴη, περὶ ἧς φησιν· "Ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς," ἀφ' ἧς ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ προχεῖται, περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· "Ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπληρώθη ὑδάτων," καί· "Τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνουσι τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ·" ὅς ἐστιν ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος. Οὗ μεταλαβόντες, ἀθανασίαν ἕξομεν, καὶ ζωὴν, ἅπερ ἐστὶ κατ' οὐσίαν αὐτός. Ὅτε καὶ αὐτὴ, φησὶν, ἡ κτίσις ἐλευθερωθεῖσα τῆς δουλείας τῆς φθορᾶς, ἀπολήψεται τῶν καμάτων τὰς ἀμοιβὰς, ὥσπερ ἥλιός τε καὶ σελήνη μεῖζον φῶς καὶ δόξαν λαμβάνοντες, ἅτε δὴ καμόντες τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καλῶς διακονούμενοι νεύματι. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔσται ὅτ' ἂν οἱ ἄξιοι σφαγῇ παραδοθήσονται, καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ ἐπηρμένοι καὶ μεγάλαυχοι πέσωσι, καθαίρεσιν τοῦ ὕψους λαμβάνοντες. ∆ιό φησιν ὁ Ἀκύλας· Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀποκταμένουπολλοῦ, ἐν τῷ πεσεῖν μεγαλυνομένους, καὶ ὅταν ἰάσηται Κύριος τὸ σύντριμμα τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οὐκ ἐμνήσθη τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, οὐδὲ τοῦ Ἰακώβ. Παντὶ γὰρ ἀξίῳ πρόκειται τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὰ δῶρα. Ἐντεῦθεν ὁρμώμενος ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἔφησεν· "Ἡ γὰρ ἀποκαραδοκία τῆς κτίσεως τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπεκδέχεται, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ κτίσις ἐλευθερωθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς δουλείας τῆς φθορᾶς, εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέκνων τοῦ Θεοῦ." Τέκνων λέγων ἐλευθερίαν, ἣν ὁ προφήτης εἶπεν ἴασιν τοῦ λαοῦ. Πολλὴν γὰρ εἶχον συντριβὴν ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ ζωῇ, ὡς λέγεσθαι· "Καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει." Καί· "Θυσία τῷ Θεῷ πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον." Ὅθεν φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος· "Οἱ γὰρ ὄντες ἐν τῷ σκήνει στενάζομεν βαρυνόμενοι." Καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἐβαρύνοντο, κατὰ τό· "Πενθήσω πολλοὺς τῶν προημαρτηκότων καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων. Ἀλλ' ἀνακτήσεται αὐτῶν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ συντρίμματα." ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΑʹ. αθʹ. 9Οὐαὶ οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐπὶ βοήθειαν. Οἱ ἐφ' ἵπποις πεποιθότες, καὶ ἐφ' ἅρμασιν. Ἔστι γὰρ πολλὰ, καὶ ἐφ' ἴπποις πλῆθος σφόδρα, καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τὸν 2272 ἅγιον τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ ἐζήτησαν· Καὶ αὐτὸς σοφὸς ἦγεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς κακὰ, καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ ἀθετηθῇ9, κ.τ.λ. .... ἐλευθέρωσιν. Ὃ δὴ πολλοὶ πεποιήκασι θεοσεβείας ἀποστάντες πρὸς βίον εἰδωλικὸν καὶ Αἰγύπτιον. Τούτοις ἐπισυνάπτει τὴν ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐπάνοδον. Ὡς γὰρ λέων φησὶν ἐπὶ θήρᾳ τροφῆς κινηθεὶς, τοῖς ποιμνίοις ἐφάλλεται, οὐ κραυγὰς ποιμένων, οὐ διωκόντων πλῆθος ἐπιστρεφόμενος· οὕτω τοῖς πολεμίοις ὁ Κύριος ἐπιστὰς ἐξελεῖται τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Ἀγαγὼν δὲ πρὸς Ἱερουσαλὴμ οὕτως αὐτῶνὑπερασπίσει, ὡς ὄρνις τῶν ἐν καλιᾷ νεοττῶν. Ὅθεν ὁ Σύμμαχος ἀντὶ τοῦ, καὶ κεκράξῃ ἐπ' αὐτῇ ἕως ἐμπλησθῇ τὰ ὄρη τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡττήθησαν, οὕτως ἐξέδωκεν· Πληρώματος ποιμένων ἀπὸ φωνῆς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἡττηθήσεται, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ πλήθους αὐτῶν οὐχ ὑποταγήσεται. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἔκδοσιν τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα νοητέον οὕτω· Φασὶ τὸν λέοντα βοῇ προκαταπλήττοντα τὰς ἀγέλας καὶ τοὺς ἐφεστηκότας οὕτω ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἔφοδον, οὕτω καὶ Κύριος προκαταπλήττων ἀπειλαῖς, οὐ μετανοοῦσιν ἐπιφέρει τὴν δίκην. Ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις μεγαλαυχήσασι σκέπων τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν περιχώρων τῶν μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἐπιτεθέντων αὐτῷ. Πρὸς ἑκατέρους γὰρ τῶν παραβολῶν τὴν ἑτέραν ἐφήρμοσεν. Τὴν δὲ τοῦ λέοντος ἐπὶ τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραήλ. Τινὲς παρειλήφασι, μηδὲ τὸν τῶν ἀλόγων