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to now add what had happened, so that he might seem both grateful, and make them more pious, and through them, telling others what they had learned; this he does not do. But being puffed up with ambition, he reveals to them the treasures, and the house of Nechotha, which Aquila called the house of spices, and Symmachus, gaza, which among the Persians signifies abundance; and this not only had a new arrogance, but also prepared the enemies [who saw] for ophthalmia. Wherefore the prophet, coming as if of his own opinion, and not as if sent by God, inquires what they wanted, employing great tact, and showing that they had come to learn the wonders of God, but you have given yourself over to them as a wonder, instead of God, not teaching the divine excellence, nor that creation yields to His commands. But to the question, "what are they saying," he answers nothing, fearing the reproof. But to the question, "from where have they come," he says arrogantly: from a distant land, as if his fame had brought them from afar, at which point he brought forth the sentence from God against him: saying that all would be taken by the Babylonians and that his descendants would be eunuchs for their king. And this happened, as we have learned in the books of Kings, in the days of Jechoniah, when Daniel and his companions were in the king's house, having become eunuchs, as some say. When Hezekiah heard these things, he reverently and piously said that every word of God is good, even if hearing it should grieve men. But he asked only for the time of his own life, giving thanks to God, that he was not punished by the experience of the evils, but was chastened only by the report of the grievous things to come, knowing that not even his own descendants would experience these things indiscriminately, but would be punished for the sins they would commit, while the righteous born from him would not be harmed by his sin. But the Hebrew said that God did not accept Hezekiah's preference, having cared only for himself, and having disregarded the people and the city. Wherefore he brought in next, Comfort, comfort my people, says God. For if he has appeared selfish, yet you who are able, comfort my people. For I care for my creation. CHAPTER 40. 1-8. 9Comfort, comfort my people, says God; priests, speak to the heart 2329 of Jerusalem. Comfort her, because her humiliation is fulfilled, her sin is forgiven, because she has received from the Lord's hand double for her sins. A voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord"9, etc. The history, having described the subject of the prophecy concerning Hezekiah, begins from another starting point of the evangelical word, crying out to those who have received the Spirit of Christ, the Comforter, "Comfort my people." For He commands the apostles to comfort all the people worthy of being called His, chosen from all the nations, which they did, as Paul declared, saying: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God," and what follows, through all of which he gave an account concerning comfort. And elsewhere, as if obeying the prophetic command, he cries out: "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." And again: "I, the prisoner in Christ Jesus, exhort you." The word "priests," as it is not found in the others, has been obelized in the Septuagint. Symmachus, at any rate, says: "Console, console my people, says your God. Comfort the heart of Jerusalem." With which the others also agreed. And what is the as-it-were animate heart of Jerusalem? One might have said that "the city" was said instead of "the inhabitants," had he not also mentioned "the people," saying, "my people." But who are the people? And who are those who comfort? Clearly, those who have the Spirit, the Comforter, as we were saying, to whom he was saying the

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νῦν ἐπισυνάπτειν γενόμενα, ὡς ἂν εὐγνώμων τε δοκῇ, κἀκείνους εὐσεβεστέρους ποιήσειεν, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν ἑτέρους διηγουμένων ἅπερ ἐγνώκασιν· τοῦτο μὲν οὐ ποιεῖ. Φιλοτίμως δὲ χαυνωθεὶς, ἀνακαλύπτει τούτοις τοὺς θησαυροὺς, καὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Νεχώθα, ὅπερ οἶκον ἀρωμάτων Ἀκύλας ἔφη, καὶ Σύμμαχος γάζα, δὲ παρὰ Πέρσαις τὴν περιουσίαν σημαίνει, τοῦτο δὲ οὐ μόνον τύφον εἶχε καινὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς [βλεπομένοις] τοὺς πολεμίους ἐπ' ὀφθαλμίαν παρεσκεύαζεν. Ὅθεν ὁ προφήτης ἐλθὼν ὡς ἀπ' οἰκείας γνώμης, ἀλλ' οὐ Θεοῦ δῆθεν πέμψαντος, ὅ τι θέλοιεν οὖτοι πυνθάνεται, ἤθει κεχρημένος πολλῷ, καὶ δεικνὺς ὡς ἦλθον μὲν τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ παράδοξα μαθησόμενοι, σὺ δὲ σαυτὸν εἰς θαῦμα τούτοις, ἀντὶ Θεοῦ παραδέδωκας, τὴν θείαν οὐ διδάξας ὑπεροχὴν, οὐδ' ὅτι τοῖς αὐτοῦ νεύμασιν ἡ κτίσις ὑποχωρεῖ. Ὁ δὲ πρὸς μὲν τὸ, τί λέγουσιν, οὐδὲν ἀποκρίνεται, τὸν ἔλεγχον δεδιώς. Πρὸς δὲ τὸ, πόθεν ἥκασιν, ἀλαζονικῶς λέγων· ἐκ γῆς μακρόθεν, ὡς κατὰ κλέος αὐτοῦ τῆς φήμης αὐτοὺς καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ἐνεγκούσης, ὅτε καὶ τὴν ἐκ Θεοῦ κατὰ τούτου λοιπὸν ἀπόφασιν ἤγαγεν· πάντα ληφθήσεσθαι παρὰ Βαβυλωνίων εἰπὼν καὶ τοὺς ἐξ αὐτοῦ καταγομένους, εὐνούχους τῷ τούτων ἔσεσθαι βασιλεῖ. Τοῦτο δὲ γέγονεν, ὡς ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις ἐγνώκαμεν, ἐν ἡμέραις Ἰεχονίου, ὅτε καὶ οἱ περὶ τὸν ∆ανιὴλ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ βασιλέως γεγόνασιν, εὐνοῦχοι, καθά φασί τινες, γεγονότες. Ἅπερ Ἐζεκίας ἀκούσας εὐλαβῶς τε καὶ εὐσεβῶς ἀγαθὸν ἔφη πάντα λόγον εἶναι Θεοῦ, κἂν ἡ τούτων ἀκοὴ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους λυπήσειεν. Τὸν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ δὲ μόνον παρῃτήσατο χρόνον, εὐχαριστῶν τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτιπερ οὐ τῇ τῶν κακῶν ἐτιμωρεῖτο πείρᾳ, φήμῃ δὲ μόνῃ τῶν λυπηρῶν τῶν μελλόντων ἐσωφρονίζετο, εἰδὼς μηδὲ τοὺς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὴν τούτων ἀκρίτως δέξασθαι πεῖραν, ἐφ' οἷς δὲ ἁμαρτήσονται τιμωρουμένους, τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τικτομένων δικαίων μὴ βλαπτομένων τῇ αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτίᾳ. Ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖος ἔλεγε τὸν Θεὸν μὴ ἀποδέξασθαι τὴν Ἐζεκίου προαίρεσιν ἑαυτοῦ μόνου φροντίσαντος, ὑπεριδόντος δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τῆς πόλεως. ∆ιόπερ ἐπήνεγκεν ἐφ' ἑξῆς, Παρακαλεῖτε, παρακαλεῖτε τὸν λαόν μου, λέγει ὁ Θεός. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος φίλαυτος πέφηνεν, ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς οἱ δυνάμενοι, παρακαλεῖτε τὸν ἐμὸν λαόν. Κήδομαι γάρ μου τοῦ πλάσματος. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Μʹ. αηʹ. 9Παρακαλεῖτε, παρακαλεῖτε τὸν λαόν μου, λέγει ὁ Θεός· ἱερεῖς, λαλήσατε εἰς τὴν καρδίαν 2329 Ἱερουσαλήμ. Παρακαλέσατε αὐτὴν, ὅτι ἐπλήσθη ἡ ταπείνωσις αὐτῆς, λέλυται αὐτῆς ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὅτι ἐδέξατο ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου διπλᾶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῆς. Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου9, κ.τ.λ. Περιγράψασα τὴν ὑπόθεσιν τῆς κατὰ τὸν Ἐζεκίαν προφητείας ἡ ἱστορία, ἐξ ἑτέρας ἀρχῆς τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ λόγου κατάρχεται, τοῖς τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πνεῦμα τὸν παράκλητον ὑποδεξαμένοις ἐπιβοῶσα, Παρακαλεῖτε τὸν λαόν μου. Πάντα γὰρ τὸν ἄξιον αὐτοῦ χρηματίζειν λαὸν τὸν ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐξειλεγμένον προστάττει τοῖς ἀποστόλοις παρακαλεῖν, ὅπερ ἔδρων, ὡς ὁ Παῦλος ἐδήλωσε λέγων· "Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ Πατὴρ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν, καὶ Θεὸς πάσης παρακλήσεως, ὁ παρακαλῶν ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ θλίψει ἡμῶν, εἰς τὸ δύνασθαι ἡμᾶς παρακαλεῖν τοὺς ἐν πάσῃ θλίψει, διὰ τῆς παρακλήσεως, ἧς αὐτοὶ παρακαλούμεθα ὑπὸ Θεοῦ," καὶ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα, δι' ὧν πάντων τῶν περὶ τῆς παρακλήσεως λόγον ἀπέδωκεν. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ, καθάπερ πειθόμενος τῇ προφητικῇ παρακελεύσει, βοᾶ· "∆εόμεθα ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, καταλλάγητε τῷ Θεῷ." Καὶ πάλιν· "Παρακαλῶ δὲ ὑμᾶς ἐγὼ ὁ δέσμιος ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ." Τὸ δὲ ἱερεῖς, ὡς μὴ κείμενον παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις, ὠβέλισται παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβδομήκοντα. Ὁ γοῦν Σύμμαχός φησι· Παρηγορεῖτε, παρηγορεῖτε τὸν λαόν μου, λέγει ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν. Παραμυθήσασθε τὴν καρδίαν Ἰερουσαλήμ. Ὧ καὶ συνεφώνησαν οἱ λοιποί. Τίς δὲ ἡ ὥσπερ ἐμψύχου καρδία τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ; Ἦν μὲν εἰπεῖν ἀντὶ τῶν οἰκητόρων εἰρῆσθαι τὴν πόλιν, εἰ μὴ καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ διεμέμνητο λέγων, τὸν λαόν μου. Τίς δὲ ὁ λαός; τίνες δὲ οἱ παρακαλοῦντες; ∆ῆλον ὡς οἱ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸν παράκλητον ἔχοντες, ὡς ἐλέγομεν, πρὸς οὓς ἔλεγεν ὁ