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They who came upon us in conspiracy had one purpose, to abolish the law given by you. For through the feasts he declared the life according to the law. But these things, he says, they dared, neither seeing the wonders wrought for our forefathers, nor being refuted by prophetic grace. For of all these things they suddenly became destitute. For they had many prophets even after the return, Haggai, Zecha 80.1460 riah, Malachi, and the prophets older than these 80.1460 prophesied both to the people and to the kings the things that were to come, and they made manifest the plots of the enemies; and this is easy to learn from history. 10. "How long, O God, will the enemy reproach? Will the adversary provoke your name forever?" Until when do you give us over to their transgressions, and patiently bear their blasphemous words? 11. "Why do you turn away your hand, and your right hand from the midst of your bosom forever?" The bosom of God is the treasury of good things; and the hand, the energy. Why then do you not provide good things as you are accustomed, but take your hand from your bosom? He has put this metaphorically from those who have their bosom full, and are asked for something, but are unwilling to give, but turn their hand back. 12. "But God is our king before the ages." And yet we know you as king from of old and from the beginning, and as from a king we always enjoy gifts. "He has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth." Surely you have made manifest to all the care which has been shown for us. For "in the midst of the earth" means in the sight of all. 13. "You established the sea in your power." For while they were fleeing the Egyptians, and were prevented from crossing by the sea, you granted that marvelous passage, making the flowing nature firm, and building walls on both sides with the waves. "You broke the heads of the dragons on the water. [14.] You crushed the head of the dragon." He calls the Egyptians dragons, and the heads of dragons, their generals, and commanders, and captains. And the dragon named in the singular, he means Pharaoh, who was set over many rulers. [He also means the devil, whom the lawgiver bound and rendered powerless almost by his voluntary death.] Therefore he also said that it had many heads. But all these, he says, you made to be submerged, and the sea which you made firm for us, 80.1461 you dissolved over them, and you buried them in its waves. "You gave him as food to the Ethiopian peoples." The Ethiopians, being neighbors of the Egyptians, had frequent war with them; but when Pharaoh with his army was delivered to the sea, the Egyptians then became an easy prey for the Ethiopians; and just as a hungry man easily consumes food, so they very easily conquered them. Therefore the prophetic word says: "You gave him as food to the Ethiopian peoples," meaning, you rendered them easy to capture, preparing them to be consumed with ease by the Ethiopians. 15. "You broke open fountains and torrents." But the Hebrew, and the other interpreters, have said "fountain". And whether we say "fountain" or "fountains", we shall not err from the truth. For the prophetic word calls the water that flowed from the rock a "fountain"; but this, being divided, made many channels, so that those many myriads might easily enjoy the stream. And we find this having happened not once, but twice. And Exodus teaches the one, and the book of Numbers the other. And he reasonably named the rock that gushed forth streams of water a "fountain". And again he called them "torrents", as not flowing according to nature, but given forth then for the first time. For just as a torrent is not perennial, but is formed from the rain waters; so by that divine command the water was given forth. You dried up the rivers of Etham. But Symmachus has it thus, You dried up ancient rivers. For those not existing, nor having come into being from the beginning, to gush forth in the desert

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ἐπελθόντες ἡμῖν τῆς συμφωνίας ἕνα σκοπὸν ἔσχον, τὸν ὑπὸ σοῦ δεδομένον καταλῦσαι νόμον. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τῶν ἑορτῶν τὴν κατὰ νόμον πολιτείαν ἐδήλωσε. Ταῦτα δὲ, φησὶν, ἐτόλμων, μή τε τὰς ἐπὶ τῶν προγόνων ἡμῶν ὁρῶντες θαυματουργίας, μήτε ὑπὸ προφητικῆς δι ελεγχόμενοι χάριτος. Τούτων γὰρ ἁπάντων ἐξαίφνης κατέστησαν ἔρημοι. Πολλοὺς γὰρ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἔσχον προφήτας, τὸν Ἀγγαῖον, τὸν Ζαχα 80.1460 ρίαν, τὸν Μαλαχίαν, καὶ οἱ τούτων πρεσβύτεροι προ 80.1460 φῆται, καὶ τῷ λαῷ, καὶ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι προὔλεγον τὰ ἐσόμενα, καὶ τῶν πολεμίων τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς κατα δήλους ἐποίουν· καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας κατα μαθεῖν εὐπετές. ιʹ. "Ἕως πότε, ὁ Θεὸς, ὀνειδιεῖ ὁ ἐχθρός; παρ οξυνεῖ ὁ ὑπεναντίος τὸ ὄνομά σου εἰς τέλος;" Μέ χρι πότε ταῖς τούτων ἡμᾶς ἐκδίδως παρανομίαις, καὶ τὰς βλασφήμους αὐτῶν μακροθύμως φέρεις φωνάς; ιαʹ. "Ἱνατί ἀποστρέφεις τὴν χεῖρά σου, καὶ τὴν δεξιάν σου ἐκ μέσου τοῦ κόλπου σου εἰς τέλος;" Κόλπος Θεοῦ, ὁ τῶν ἀγαθῶν θησαυρός· χεὶρ δὲ, ἡ ἐνέργεια. Τί δήποτε συνήθως οὐ χορηγεῖς τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἀλλ' αἴρεις ἀπὸ τοῦ κόλπου τὴν χεῖρα; Τέθεικε δὲ αὐτὸ ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν πεπληρωμένον ἐχόντων τὸν κόλπον, καὶ αἰτουμένων μὲν, δοῦναι δὲ μὴ βουλομένων, ἀλλ' ἐπιστρεφόντων εἰς τοὐπίσω τὴν χεῖρα. ιβʹ. "Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν πρὸ αἰῶνος." Καίτοι σε ἴσμεν ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς βασιλέα, καὶ ὡς παρὰ βασιλέως ἀεὶ τῶν δωρεῶν ἀπολαύομεν. "Εἰργάσατο σωτηρίαν ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γῆς." Ἀμέλει δήλην ἅπασι τὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς γενομένην κηδεμονίαν πεποίηκας. Τὸ γὰρ ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γῆς, ἀντὶ τοῦ, πάντων ὁρώντων. ιγʹ. "Σὺ ἐκραταίωσας ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου τὴν θάλασσαν." Φευγόντων γὰρ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης κωλυομένων διαβῆναι, σὺ τὴν παράδοξον ἐκείνην ἐδωρήσω πορείαν, τὴν ῥοώδη φύσιν στεγανὴν ἐργασάμενος, καὶ διὰ τῶν κυμάτων τὰ ἑκατέρωθεν δομησάμενος τείχη. "Σὺ συνέτριψας τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν δρακόντων ἐπὶ τοῦ ὕδατος. [ιδʹ.] Σὺ συνέθλασας τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ δράκοντος." ∆ράκοντας μὲν τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους καλεῖ, κεφαλὰς δὲ δρακόντων, τοὺς ἐκείνων στρατηγοὺς, καὶ ταξιάρχας, καὶ λοχαγούς. Τὸν δὲ ἑνικῶς ὀνομα σθέντα δράκοντα, τὸν Φαραὼ λέγει, τὸν πολλοῖς ἄρ χουσιν ἐφεστῶτα. [Λέγει δὲ καὶ τὸν διάβολον, ὃν ἐπέδησε καὶ κατήργησεν ὁ νομοθέτης παρασχεδὸν τῷ ἑκουσίῳ θανάτῳ.] ∆ιὸ καὶ πολλὰς αὐτὸν ἔφησεν ἔχειν κεφαλάς. Τούτους δὲ, φησὶν, ἅπαντας ὑποβρυχίους ἐποίησας, καὶ ἢν ἐφ' ἡμῶν ἐκραταίωσας θάλασσαν, 80.1461 ἐπ' ἐκείνων διέλυσας, καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνης αὐτοὺς ἔχωσας κύμασιν. "Ἔδωκας αὐτὸν βρῶμα λαοῖς τοῖς Αἰθίοψιν." Ὅμοροι τῶν Αἰγυπτίων οἱ Αἰθίοπες ὄντες, πόλεμον εἶχον πρὸς ἐκείνους συχνόν· ἀλλὰ τοῦ Φαραὼ σὺν τῇ στρατιᾷ τῇ θαλάσσῃ παραδοθέν τος, εὐχείρωτοι λοιπὸν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ἐγένοντο τοῖς Αἰθίοψι· καὶ καθάπερ τὴν τροφὴν ὁ πεινῶν ἀναλί σκει ῥᾳδίως, οὕτως αὐτοὺς εὐπετῶς μάλα κατηγωνί ζοντο. ∆ιό φησιν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος· "Ἔδωκας αὐτὸν βρῶμα λαοῖς τοῖς Αἰθίοψιν," ἀντὶ τοῦ, εὐ αλώτους αὐτοὺς ἀπέφηνας, εὐμαρῶς ὑπὸ τῶν Αἰθιόπων παρασκευάσας ἀναλίσκεσθαι. ιεʹ. "Σὺ διέῤῥηξας πηγὰς καὶ χειμάῤῥους." Ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖος, καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἑρμηνευταὶ, πηγὴν εἰρήκασι. Κἄν τε πηγὴν εἴπωμεν, κἄν τε πηγὰς, οὐχ ἁμαρτη σόμεθα τῆς ἀληθείας. Πηγὴν γὰρ τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς πέτρας ῥυὲν ὕδωρ ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος καλεῖ· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο διαι ρεθὲν πολλὰς ἐποίησεν αὔλακας, ὥστε ῥᾳδίως τὰς πολ λὰς ἐκείνας μυριάδας ἀπολαῦσαι τοῦ νάματος. Εὑρί σκομεν δὲ τοῦτο, οὐχ ἅπαξ, ἀλλὰ καὶ δὶς γεγενημένον. Καὶ τὸ μὲν ἡ Ἔξοδος διδάσκει, τὸ δὲ ἡ βίβλος τῶν Ἀριθμῶν. Πηγὴν δὲ εἰκότως ὠνόμασε τὴν ἀναβλύ σασαν πέτραν τὰ τοῦ ὕδατος ῥεύματα. Χειμάῤῥους δὲ πάλιν αὐτὰ προσηγόρευσεν, ὡς μὴ κατὰ φύσιν ῥεύσαντα, ἀλλὰ τότε πρῶτον ἀναδοθέντα. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ χειμάῤῥους οὐκ ἔστιν ἀένναος, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῶν ὑετίων ὑδάτων συνίσταται· οὕτω τοῖς θείοις ἐκεῖνο νεύμασιν ἀνεδόθη τὸ ὕδωρ. Σὺ ἐξήρανας ποτα μοὺς Ἠθάμ. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως, Σὺ ἐξήρανας ποταμοὺς ἀρχαίους. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ μὴ ὄντας, μήτε ἐξ ἀρχῆς γενομένους, ἀναβλῦσαι ἐν τῇ ἐρή