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that your voice be heard today with a cry? It seems that at the very time of the prophecy, something of this sort happened. For the word also hints at this: that your voice be heard today with a cry. 5I have not chosen this fast, and a day for a man to humble his soul. I know not this definition of a fast; for I legislated fasting in another way. Remember what was said through my servant Moses: "Afflict," I said, "your souls." But he who is humbled does not exalt himself over the humble nor oppress the powerless. Not even if you bend your neck like a yoke, and imitate the curve of the yoke, and spread sackcloth and ashes under you, not even so will you call it a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord. 6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? says the Lord. I do not seek, he says, the outward appearance; for "a sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit." Thus having rebuked the things done unlawfully, he legislates what must be done: But loose every bond of iniquity, undo the knots of violent contracts. Break the bonds of iniquity; whatever contracts do not have justice, as being harmful, loose them. Send away the broken in freedom and destroy every unjust bondage. The "broken ones," Symmachus has said. That is: free those living in poverty from care, grant them forgiveness, and loose their anxiety. 7Break your bread for the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; if you see the naked, clothe him, and you will not despise the kin of your own seed. Having forbidden the sources of unjust profits, he teaches the management of things justly collected and says to supply food to some, to give shelter to others, to clothe others, and to remember nature and take kinship to mind. 8Then |173 b| your light shall break forth as the morning. Light is desirable, but more desirable is the dawn appearing after the night. This he called early light. For thus also Theodotion and Symmachus said: "Then your light will break forth as the morning," but Aquila: "Then light will be split open as the dawn." For just as the dawn breaks through the dark cloak of the night, so, he says, this lawful life of yours will dispel the night of calamities and will supply you with the light of my providence. And your healing will spring up quickly. For I will provide you with swift healing. And your righteousness shall go before you, and the glory of God shall guard you. He showed how divine things follow our works. For when our righteousness leads, the glory of the God of all follows, making us conspicuous. 9Then you shall call, and God will hear you. While you are still speaking, he will say: 'Behold, I am here.' Great is the reward of righteousness; for it grants us confidence before God. But the phrase, 'While you are still speaking, he will say: "Behold, I am here,"' does not signify a certain voice but the effect through deeds; for through the deeds themselves, he says, you will learn that the God who was called upon by you is present with you. If you take away from you the bond and the pointing of the finger and the word of murmuring 10and if you give bread from your soul to the hungry and satisfy the humbled soul. He calls the unjust intrigues a "bond," and "pointing of the finger" the unjust movement of the hands, either for striking or for writing contracts. And the blessed Paul also forbids murmuring: "Do all things," he says, "without murmurings and disputes." And the prophetic word also interpreted this: 'If you give your bread to the hungry from your soul,' that is, not by force, not by compulsion, nor with displeasure, nor for empty glory, but out of affection for your neighbor. Then your light will rise in the darkness, and your darkness will be as the noonday. For I will change your calamities, and in the gloom itself I will show you pure light. 11And your God will be with you always, and you will be filled as your soul desires, and your bones will be made fat. You will have God as a helper, providing you with a share of good things. And bones the

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σήμερον ἀκουσθῆναι ἐν κραυγῇ τὴν φωνὴν ὑμῶν; Ἔοικε κατ' αὐτὸν τῆς προφητείας τὸν καιρὸν τοιοῦτόν τι γενέσθαι. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ λόγος αἰνίττε ται· ὡς σήμερον ἀκουσθῆναι ἐν κραυγῇ τὴν φωνὴν ὑμῶν. 5Οὐ ταύτην τὴν νηστείαν ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην καὶ ἡμέραν ταπεινοῦν ἄνθρωπον τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. Οὐ τοῦτον οἶδα νηστείας ὅρον ἐγώ· ἄλλως γὰρ νηστεύει ν ἐνομοθέτησα. Ἀναμνήσθητε τῶν διὰ τοῦ θεράποντός μου Μωυσῆ εἰρη μένων· «Κακώσατε» γὰρ εἶπον «τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν.» Ὁ δὲ ταπεινούμενος οὐ κατεπαίρεται τῶν ταπεινῶν οὐδὲ καταδυναστεύει τῶν ἀδυνάτων. Οὐδ' ἂν κάμψῃς ὡς κλοιὸν τὸν τράχηλόν σου καὶ τοῦ κλοιοῦ τὸ καμπύλον μιμήσῃ καὶ σάκκον καὶ σποδὸν ὑποστρώσῃ, οὐδ' ὣς καλέσετε νηστείαν καὶ ἡμέραν δεκτὴν τῷ κυρίῳ. 6Οὐχὶ τοιαύτη ἡ νηστεία, ἣν ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην; λέγει κύριος. Οὐ τὸ ἔξωθέν φησι φαινόμενον σχῆμα ζητῶ· «Θυσία» γὰρ «τῷ θεῷ πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον.» Οὕτως ἐλέγξας τὰ παρανόμως γιγνόμενα τὸ πρακτέον νομοθετεῖ· Ἀλλὰ λῦε πάντα σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας, διάλυε στραγγαλιὰς βιαίων συναλλαγμάτων. ∆ιάρρηξον τοὺς τῆς ἀδικίας δεσμούς· ὅσα τῶν συμβολαίων οὐκ ἔχει τὸ δίκαιον ὡς ἐπιζήμια λῦσον. Ἀπόστελλε τεθραυσμένους <ἐν ἀφέσει καὶ πᾶσαν συγγραφὴν ἄδικον διάσπα. Τὸ τεθραυσμένους> «τεθλασμένους» ὁ Σύμμαχος εἴρηκεν. Τουτέστι· τοὺς πενίᾳ συζῶντας ἐλευθέρωσον φροντίδος, δὸς τὴν ἄφεσιν καὶ λῦσον τὴν μέριμναν. 7∆ιάθρυπτε πεινῶντι τὸν ἄρτον σου καὶ πτωχοὺς ἀστέγους εἰσάγαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου· ἐὰν ἴδῃς γυμνόν, περίβαλε καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκείων τοῦ σπέρματός σου οὐχ ὑπερόψῃ. Τῶν ἀδίκων κερδῶν ἀπαγορεύσας τοὺς πόρους τῶν δικαίως συνειλεγμένων τὴν οἰκονομίαν διδάσκει καὶ λέγει τοῖς μὲν τροφὴν χορηγεῖν τοῖς δὲ στέγης μετα διδόναι τοὺς δὲ περιβάλλειν καὶ μνημονεύειν τῆς φύσεως καὶ τὴν συγγένειαν εἰς νοῦν λαμβ άνειν . 8Τότε |173 b| ῥαγήσεται πρώιμον τὸ φῶς σου. Ποθεινὸν μέν ἐστι τὸ φῶς, ποθεινότερος δὲ ὁ ὄρθρος μετὰ τὴν νύκτα φαινόμενος. Τοῦτο πρώιμον προσηγόρευσε φῶς. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων καὶ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἔφασαν· «Τότε ῥαγήσεται ὡς πρωία τὸ φῶς σου», ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας· «Τότε σχισθήσεται ὡς ὄρθρος φῶς.» Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ ὄρθρος τὴν ζοφώδη τῆς νυκτὸς διαρρήγνυσιν ἀμπεχόνην, οὕτω φησὶ τὴν νύκτα τῶν συμφορῶν οὗτος ὁ ἔννομός σου διαλύσει βίος καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς σοι προνοίας χορηγήσει τὸ φῶς. Καὶ τὰ ἰάματά σου ταχὺ ἀνατελεῖ. Ὀξεῖαν γάρ σοι χορηγήσω τὴν ἴασιν. Καὶ προπο ρεύσεται ἔμπροσθέν σου ἡ δικαιοσύνη σου, καὶ ἡ δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ περιστελεῖ σε. Ἔδειξεν ὡς τὰ θεῖα τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἔργοις ἀκολουθεῖ. Τῆς γὰρ ἡμετέρας ἡγουμένης δικαιοσύνης ἕπεται τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἡ δόξα περιβλέπτους ἡμᾶς ἀποφαίνουσα. 9Τότε βοήσῃ, καὶ ὁ θεὸς εἰσακούσεταί σου. Ἔτι λαλοῦντός σου ἐρεῖ· Ἰδοὺ πάρειμι. Μέγας ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης μισθός· τὴν γὰρ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἡμῖν παρρησίαν χαρίζεται. Τὸ δέ· Ἔτι λαλοῦντός σου ἐρεῖ· Ἰδοὺ πάρειμι, οὐ φωνήν τινα σημαίνει ἀλλὰ τὴν διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐνέργειαν· δι' αὐτῶν γάρ φησι μαθήσῃ τῶν πραγμάτων ὅτι πάρεστί σοι ὁ παρακληθεὶς παρὰ σοῦ θεός. Ἐὰν ἀφέλῃς ἀπὸ σοῦ σύνδεσμον καὶ χειροτονίαν καὶ ῥῆμα γογγυσμοῦ 10καὶ δῷς πεινῶντι ἄρτον ἐκ ψυχῆς σου καὶ ψυχὴν τεταπεινωμένην ἐμπλήσῃς. Σύνδεσμον τὰς ἀδί κους καλεῖ πλοκάς, χειροτονίαν δὲ τὴν ἄδικον τῶν χειρῶν κίνησιν ἢ ἐπὶ πληγαῖς γιγνομένην ἢ ἐπὶ γράμμασιν. Τὸν δὲ γογγυσμὸν καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἀπαγορεύει Παῦλος· «Πάντα» γάρ φησι «ποιεῖτε χωρὶς γογγυσμῶν καὶ διαλογισμῶν.» Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ προφητικὸς ἡρμήνευσε λόγος· Ἐὰν δῷς πεινῶντι τὸν ἄρτον ἐκ ψυχῆς σου, τουτέστι μὴ βιαίως μὴ ἀναγκαστικῶς μηδὲ δυσχεραίνων μη δὲ διὰ δόξαν κενὴν ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν περὶ τὸν πέλας φιλοστοργίαν. Τότε ἀνατελεῖ ἐν τῷ σκότει τὸ φῶς σου καὶ τὸ σκότος σου ὡς μεσημβρίαν. Μεταβαλῶ γάρ σου τὰς συμφορὰς καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ζόφῳ καθαρόν σοι δείξω τὸ φῶς. 11Καὶ ἔσται ὁ θεός σου μετὰ σοῦ διὰ παντός, καὶ ἐμπλησθήσῃ καθὰ ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡ ψυχή σου, καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ σου πιανθήσεται. Ἕξεις ἐπίκουρον τὸν θεὸν παρέχοντά σοι τῶν ἀ γα θῶν τὴν μετάληψιν. Ὀστᾶ δὲ τοὺς