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I have made every breath. He mentioned the in-breathing by which He created the soul of Adam; "For," he says, "He breathed into his face the breath of life, and the man became a living soul." Since, He says, I am the creator of all things, I manage with love for mankind those who have been made by me. 17Because of sin for a little while I grieved him and struck him and turned my face from him, and he was grieved and went away sullen in the ways of his heart. 18I have seen his ways and I healed him and I comforted him and I gave to him true comfort, and to his afflicted ones, 19creating the fruit of the lips. But Symmachus and Aquila, instead of "to his afflicted ones," have said, "to those who mourn for him." The Lord God of repentance showed the power. For having seen, he says, the regret and the change of thoughts and the sullenness of face, I deemed both them worthy of comfort and those who mourned for them; and the preachers of the truth mourned for them, and the blessed Paul even prayed to be accursed on behalf of these. And he who creates the fruit of the lips has done these things, that is, the one who requires the sacrifice of praise instead of the legal worship. Peace upon peace to those who are far and to those who are near, and the Lord said: I will heal them. To these, therefore, he announces peace to them and promises to make it both lasting and enduring and to bestow on them the gift of healing, but to those who have remained in their former injustice he threatens harsh things; 20But the unjust, like a boiling sea, so will they be tossed about and will not be able to rest. Josephus records this tossing of theirs very accurately. That its water casts up mire and mud. He calls the teaching water. Since, therefore, they were teaching things contrary to the prophets and were muddying the clarity of the spiritual streams, he threatens that it will likewise become mud. 21There is no joy for the impious, said |173 a| God. And I do these things, since it is not just for the lawgiver of justice to deem worthy of the same both the nurslings of piety and <those> who are attached to impiety. From here the prophetic word passes to another subject and advises the people of that time of things that are expedient; 581Cry out with strength and do not spare, and like a trumpet lift up your voice and announce to my people their sins and to the house of Israel their iniquities. The Lord of all commands the prophet to reprove the transgressions of the people and orders him not to do this secretly and covertly but to act openly, using a loud voice. 2They seek me day after day and desire to know my ways, as a people that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the judgment of its God. Living with wickedness, they expect to receive providence from me and do not consider that having made themselves unworthy of my care, they will not enjoy it. They ask me now for a just judgment and desire to draw near to God, 3saying: "Why is it that we have fasted and you did not see, we have humbled our souls and you did not know?" They consider abstinence from foods to be the highest virtue and they blame me for not immediately deeming them worthy of all providence. And the phrase: "They desire to draw near to God," Symmachus said thus: "They want the nearness of God," and Aquila: "They wish for the approach of God." And the text shows that they themselves did not desire to draw near to God but wanted him to draw near to them through providence and care, choosing a life unworthy of him. Then he explicitly reproves their transgressions: For in the days of your fasts you find your own wills and oppress all your subjects. For you do not make the leisure of the fast an occasion for repentance, but you spend it on collecting from debtors. For thus both Symmachus and Theodotion have interpreted: "And you demand from all your subjects." 4If you fast for judgments and battles and strike a humble man with fists, to what purpose do you fast for me, as

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πνοὴν πᾶσαν ἐγὼ ἐποίησα. Τοῦ ἐμφυσήματος ἐμνημόνευσε δι' οὗ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐδημιούργησε τὴν ψυχήν· «Ἐνεφύσησε» γάρ φησιν «εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ πνοὴν ζωῆς, καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς ψυχὴν ζῶσαν.» Ἐπειδὴ τῶν ἁπάντων φησ ὶν ὑπάρχω δημιουργός, φιλανθρώπως τοὺς ὑπ' ἐμοῦ γεγενημένους οἰκονομῶ. 17∆ι' ἁμαρτίαν βραχύ τι ἐλύπησα αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπάταξα αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπέστρεψα τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐλυπήθη καὶ ἐπορεύθη στυγνὸς ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ. 18Τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ ἑώρακα καὶ ἰασάμην αὐτὸν καὶ παρεκάλεσα αὐτὸν καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτῷ παράκλησιν ἀληθινὴν καὶ τοῖς παθεινοῖς αὐτοῦ 19κτίζων καρπὸν χειλέων. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας ἀντὶ τοῦ· τοῖς παθεινοῖς, «τοῖς πενθοῦσιν αὐτόν» εἰρήκασιν. Τῆς μετανοίας ὁ δεσπότης θεὸς ἔδειξε τὴν ἰσχύν. Θεασάμενος γάρ φησι τὴν μεταμέλειαν καὶ τῶν λογισμῶν τὴν μεταβολὴν καὶ τοῦ προσώπου τὸ σκυθρωπὸν καὶ αὐτοὺς ψυχαγωγίας ἠξίωσα καὶ τοὺς πενθοῦντας αὐτούς· ἐπένθουν δὲ αὐτοὺς τῆς ἀληθείας οἱ κήρυκες, ὁ δὲ μακάριος Παῦλος καὶ ἀνάθεμα ηὔχετο ὑπὲρ τούτων γενέσθαι. Ταῦτα δ ὲ πεποίηκεν ὁ κτίζων καρπὸν χειλέων, τουτέστιν ὁ τὴν θυσίαν τῆς αἰνέσεως ἀντὶ τῆς νομικῆς λατρείας ἀπαι τῶν. Εἰρήνην ἐπ' εἰρήνην τοῖς μακρὰν καὶ τοῖς ἐγγὺς οὖσι, καὶ εἶπε κύριος· Ἰάσομαι αὐτούς. Τούτοις μὲν οὖν τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰρήνην ἐπαγγέλλεται καὶ ταύτην ὑπισχνεῖται ποιήσειν μόνιμόν τε καὶ διαρκῆ καὶ τῆς ἰάσεως αὐτοῖς χαριεῖσθαι τὸ δῶρον, τοῖς δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας μεμενηκόσιν ἀδικί ας ἀπειλεῖ χαλεπά· 20Οἱ δὲ ἄδικοι ὡς θάλασσα ἀναβρασσομένη οὕτως κλυδωνισθήσονται καὶ ἀναπαύσα σθαι οὐ μὴ δύνωνται. Τοῦτον αὐτῶν τὸν κλύδωνα λίαν ἀκριβῶς ὁ Ἰώ σηπος ἱστορεῖ. Ὅτι ἀποβάλλεται τὸ ὕδωρ αὐτῆς καταπάτημα καὶ πηλός. Ὕδωρ καλεῖ τὴν δι δασκα λ ίαν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τἀναντία τοῖς προφήταις ἐδίδασκον καὶ τὸ διειδὲς τῶν πνευματικῶν ναμάτων ἐθόλ ουν, πηλῷ ταύτην παραπλησίως ἔσεσθαι ἀπειλεῖ. 21Οὐκ ἔστι χαίρειν τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν, εἶπεν |173 a| ὁ θεός. Ταῦτα δὲ ποιῶ, ἐπειδήπερ οὐ δίκαιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης τὸν νομοθέτην ἴσου ἀξιοῦν τούς τε τῆς εὐσεβείας τροφίμους καὶ <τοὺς> τῇ δυσσεβείᾳ προστετηκότας. Ἐντεῦθεν εἰς ἑτέραν ὑπόθεσιν ὁ προφητικὸς μεταβαίνει λόγος καὶ τοῖς τηνικαῦτα οὖσιν ἀνθρώποις παραινεῖ τὰ συνοίσοντα· 581Ἀναβόησον ἐν ἰσχύι καὶ μὴ φείσῃ καὶ ὡς σάλπιγγος ὕψωσον τὴν φωνήν σου καὶ ἀνάγγειλον τῷ λαῷ μου τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῶν καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰσραὴλ τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν. Τὰς τοῦ λαοῦ παρανομίας ἐλέγξαι τῷ προφήτῃ παρεγγυᾷ τῶν ὅλων ὁ κύριος καὶ μὴ κρύβδην τοῦτο καὶ λάθρᾳ ποιῆσαι ἀλλ' ἀναφανδὸν δρᾶσαι παρακε λεύεται μεγάλῃ χρώμενον τῇ φωνῇ. 2Ἐμὲ ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας ζητοῦσι καὶ γνῶναι τὰς ὁδούς μου ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ὡς λαὸς δικαιοσύνην πεποιηκὼς καὶ κρίσιν θεοῦ αὐτοῦ μὴ ἐγκαταλελοιπώς. Πονηρίᾳ συζῶντες τῆς παρ' ἐμοῦ τυχεῖν ἀξιοῦσι προνοίας καὶ οὐ λογίζονται ὡς ἀναξίους σφᾶς αὐτοὺς τῆς ἐμῆς καταστήσαντες κηδεμονίας ταύτης οὐκ ἀπολαύσονται. Αἰτοῦσί με νῦν κρίσιν δικαίαν καὶ ἐγγίζειν θεῷ ἐπιθυμοῦσι 3λέγοντες· Τί ὅτι ἐνηστεύσα μεν καὶ οὐκ εἶδες, ἐταπεινώσαμεν τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔγνως; Ἄκραν νομίζουσιν ἀρετὴν τῶν βρωμάτων τὴν ἀποχὴν καὶ ἐπιμέμφονταί μοι μὴ παραυτίκα πάσης αὐτοὺς ἀξιοῦντι προνοίας. Τὸ δέ· Ἐγγίζειν θεῷ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν, ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἔφη· «Ἐγγύτητα θεοῦ θέλουσιν», ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας· «Ἐγγισμὸν θεοῦ βούλονται.» ∆ηλοῖ δὲ ὁ λόγος ὡς οὐκ αὐτοὶ ἐγγίζειν ἐπεθύμουν τῷ θεῷ ἀλλ' αὐτὸν αὐτοῖς ἐγγίζειν διὰ τῆς προμηθείας καὶ κηδεμονίας ἐβούλοντο ἀνάξιον αὐτοῦ βίον αἱρούμενοι. Εἶτα διαρρήδην αὐτῶν τὰς παρανομίας ἐλέγχει· Ἐν γὰρ ταῖς ἡμέραις τῶν νηστειῶν ὑμῶν εὑρίσκετε τὰ θελήματα ὑμῶν καὶ πάντας τοὺς ὑποχειρίους ὑμῶν ὑπονύσσετε. Τὴν γὰρ τῆς νηστείας σχολὴν οὐκ ἀφορμὴν ποιεῖσθε μεταμελείας ἀλλὰ ταύτην εἰς τὴν τῶν ὀφειλόντων εἴσπραξιν ἀναλίσκετε. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων ἡρμήνευσαν· «Καὶ πάντας τοὺς ὑποχειρίους ὑμῶν ἀπαιτεῖτε.» 4Εἰ εἰς κρίσεις καὶ μάχας νηστεύετε καὶ τύπτετε πυγμαῖς ταπεινόν, ἵνα τί μοι νηστεύετε ὡς