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to yourselves that from infinite ages and before every conceivable time, I am, and there is no God besides me. And of this I have provided the greatest testimony to men through my prophets, by decreeing future events and foretelling things that would happen long ages later, which I both fulfilled through deeds and will fulfill again in the coming times. and all things that I have willed and decreed will surely come to pass, as I bring my words to their conclusion; when I also wish, by calling my servants who are borne through the air like birds and winged creatures, I mean the angelic powers and “the ministering spirits sent forth to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.” Thus indeed, calling a winged creature from the east, or a bird according to Symmachus, and from a land far away the divine powers that minister to me. The very things I spoke before through my prophets, these I will accomplish through them by deeds. But according to Symmachus and the other interpreters: He says, I will do all my will, calling a bird from the east, from a land far away, the man of my counsel; and indeed I have spoken, and indeed I will bring it, I have formed it and I will do it. And whom would you say is the man of his counsel if not his Christ, whom he says he called back from a land far away, that is, from the recesses of Hades. All things that I promised before this, I will cause to proceed to fulfillment through him. 2.32 Furthermore, these things are also said to the people of the circumcision, which it is fitting to connect with what was said above, through which the word, having addressed them and said, “Hear me, O house of Jacob and the remnant of the house of Israel,” added, “To whom have you likened me? See, devise, you who are wandering.” But there he called them “wandering,” while here he says, hear me, you who have lost heart, which Symmachus translated as hard-hearted. And he adds: you who are far from righteousness, but you, he says, have distanced yourselves from my righteousness, but I have not acted according to your ways, but according to my love for mankind as a good and just God I have brought my righteousness near and I will not delay the salvation that is from me. And these things I will do not hesitating nor delaying, but from now on I will give salvation in Zion and glory to Israel; for thus Symmachus translated, saying: I will give in Zion a savior and to Israel glory. Therefore, using my own love for mankind I will give these things to Zion and to Israel, and I will show my righteousness in proceeding against those who besieged them. And these were the Chaldeans and Babylonians, to whom he turns, addressing them, foretelling for them the overthrow of the kingdom and the humbling of the height, in which they boasted, having ruled over the nations for long ages. And in these things he personifies their kingdom, calling it the daughter of Babylon; and he also calls her a virgin because she beautifies and adorns herself like a virgin, and wishes to appear young and be considered a maiden. Then, as to one sitting on high, he commands her to arise and come down from her throne, and to sit upon the ground and hide her shame, which she will suffer from the change for the worse. And this he signifies by saying: enter into the darkness. Then, personifying the kingdom as a virgin, he says, you will no longer be called delicate and luxurious. Such as you once were, living in luxury, so that all those ruled by you used such names concerning you. Therefore, having put away that royal luxury, in the manner of some suffering maidservant and grinder-woman, prepare yourself to serve your masters, that is, taking a mill, grind in it, exchanging this harsh and toilsome service for your former luxury. But also remove your veil, with which you covered your head, adorned with gold and stones and the rest of the elaborate coiffure. And since for long

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ἑαυτοῖς ὡς ἐξ αἰώνων ἀπείρων καὶ πρὸ παντὸς ἐπινοουμένου χρόνου ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν πλὴν ἐμοῦ θεός. Τούτου δὲ μέγιστον ἀνθρώποις μαρτύριον διὰ τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ προφητῶν παρεστησάμην τὰ μέλλοντα θεσπίσας καὶ τὰ μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις γενησόμενα προειπών, ἃ καὶ δι' ἔργων ἐξετέλεσα καὶ αὖθις ἐπιτελέσω ἐν τοῖς ἐπιοῦσι χρόνοις. καὶ πάντα δὲ ὅσα βεβούλευμαι καὶ ὥρισα ἀραρότως γενήσεται ἐμοῦ τέλος ἐπιθήσαντος τοῖς ἐμαυτοῦ λόγοις· ὅτε καὶ βούλομαι διὰ τοῦ καλεῖν τοὺς ἐμαυτοῦ ὑπηρέτας δι' ἀέρος φερομένους ὀρνέων καὶ πετηνῶν δίκην, λέγω δὲ τὰς ἀγγελικὰς δυνάμεις καὶ «τὰ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν». οὕτως γοῦν καλῶν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν πετηνόν, ἢ ὄρνεον κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, καὶ ἀπὸ γῆς πόρρωθεν τὰς ἐμοὶ διακονουμένας θείας δυνάμεις. ἅπερ πρότερον ἐλάλησα διὰ τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ προφητῶν, ταῦτα δι' αὐτῶν ἔργοις ἐπιτελέσω. κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς· πᾶν φησι τὸ θέλημά μου ποιήσω, καλῶν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ὄρνιν ἀπὸ γῆς πόρρωθεν, ἄνδρα βουλῆς μου· καίγε ἐλάλησα, καίγε ἄξω αὐτό, ἔπλασα καὶ ποιήσω αὐτό. ἄνδρα δὲ βουλῆς αὐτοῦ τίνα ἂν εἴποις ἢ τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ, ὃν ἀνακαλεσάμενός φησιν ἐκ γῆς πόρρωθεν, δηλαδὴ ἐκ τῶν τοῦ ᾅδου μυχῶν. πάντα ὅσα πρὸ τούτου ἐπηγγειλάμην, εἰς ἔργα δι' αὐτοῦ χωρῆσαι ποιήσω. 2.32 Ἔτι καὶ ταῦτα πρὸς τὸν ἐκ περιτομῆς λαὸν εἴρηται, ἅπερ συνάψαι προσήκει τοῖς ἀνωτέρω εἰρημένοις, δι' ὧν προσφωνήσας αὐτοῖς ὁ λόγος καὶ εἰπών· «Ἀκούσατέ μου, οἶκος τοῦ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τὸ κατάλοιπον τοῦ οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ» ἐπήγαγε· «τίνι με ὡμοιώσατε; ἴδετε, τεχνάσασθε, οἱ πλανώμενοι». ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ «πλανωμένους» αὐτοὺς ὠνόμαζεν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἀκούσατέ μού φησιν, οἱ ἀπολωλεκότες τὴν καρδίαν, ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος σκληροκάρδιοι ἡρμήνευσε. καὶ προστίθησιν· οἱ μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς μέν φησιν ἐμακρύνατε ἑαυτοὺς τῆς ἐμῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ καθ' ὑμᾶς ἔπραξα, κατὰ δὲ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ὡς θεὸς ἀγαθὸς καὶ δίκαιος τὴν δικαιοσύνην μου ἤγγισα καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν παρ' ἐμοῦ οὐ βραδυνῶ. καὶ ταῦτα πράξω οὐ μέλλων οὐδὲ βραδύνων, ἀλλ' ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη δώσω ἐν Σιὼν σωτηρίαν καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ δόξαν· οὕτω γὰρ ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Σύμμαχος εἰπών· δώσω ἐν Σιὼν σωτήριον καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ δόξαν. τῇ μὲν οὖν ἐμαυτοῦ φιλανθρωπίᾳ χρώμενος ταῦτα τῇ Σιὼν καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ δώσω, τὴν δὲ δικαιοσύνην μου ἐνδείξομαι ἐν τῷ ἐπεξιέναι τοῖς πολιορκήσασιν αὐτούς. Χαλδαῖοι δὲ ἦσαν οὗτοι καὶ Βαβυλώνιοι, πρὸς οὓς μεταβαίνων ἀποτείνεται προαγορεύων αὐτοῖς καθαίρεσιν τῆς βασιλείας καὶ ταπείνωσιν τοῦ ὕψους, ἐφ' ᾧ ἐμεγαλαύχουν μακροῖς χρόνοις δυναστεύσαντες τῶν ἐθνῶν. προσωποποιεῖται δὲ ἐν τούτοις τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτῶν θυγατέρα Βαβυλῶνος ὀνομάζων αὐτήν· καλεῖ δὲ αὐτὴν καὶ παρθένον διὰ τὸ ὡραΐζεσθαι καὶ καλλωπίζεσθαι παρθένου δίκην, βούλεσθαί τε φαίνεσθαι νέαν καὶ κόρην εἶναι νομίζεσθαι. εἶθ' ὡς ἐν ὕψει καθημένῃ διαναστῆναι αὐτῇ προστάττει καὶ καταβῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑαυτῆς θρόνου, καθεσθῆναί τε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἀποκρύψαι ἑαυτῆς τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην, ἣν πείσεται ἐκ τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον μεταβολῆς. τοῦτο δὲ σημαίνει φάσκων· εἴσελθε εἰς τὸ σκότος. εἶθ' ὡς ἐπὶ παρθένου προσωποποιῶν τὴν βασιλείαν οὐκέτι φησὶ κληθήσῃ ἁπαλὴ καὶ τρυφερά. Ὁποῖα ἐτύγχανες πάλαι ποτὲ κατεντρυφῶσα ὡς πάντας τοὺς ἀρχομένους ὑπὸ σοῦ τοιούτοις τισὶν ὀνόμασιν ἐπὶ σοῦ κεχρῆσθαι. διὸ ἀποθεμένη τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐκείνην τρυφὴν θεραπαίνης τρόπον κακοπαθοῦς τινος καὶ μυλωθρίδος παρασκεύασον σεαυτὴν δουλεύειν τοῖς σαυτῆς δεσπόταις, μύλον δηλαδὴ λαβοῦσα ἐν αὐτῷ ἄλεσον τὴν σκληρὰν ταύτην καὶ ἐπίπονον θητείαν τῆς παλαιᾶς τρυφῆς ἀντικαταλλαξαμένη. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ κατακάλυμμά σου, ᾧ τὴν κεφαλὴν περιέσκεπες χρυσῷ καὶ λίθοις καὶ τῇ λοιπῇ κομμωτικῇ περιεργίᾳ κατακεκοσμημένη περίελε ἀπὸ σοῦ. καὶ ἐπειδὴ μακροῖς