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of Babylon against Jerusalem and he will take her king, and her rulers," and what follows; for he has called these the choice parts of the cedar through the parable. And he called Zedekiah the king, whom he had taken captive. But others say that Cyrus was called the bird. And the phrase "I created," that is "I prepared," obviously meaning destructive evils. But if no one is found to pursue my will, I will send my Son to fulfill the Father's counsel. CHAPTER 47. 15. 9Come down, sit on the ground, O virgin daughter of Babylon. Enter into the darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, because you will no longer be called delicate and tender. Take a millstone, grind meal, uncover your veil, pull up your gray hairs, uncover your legs9, etc. And these things were to those of Israel, to whom he said, "To whom have you likened me?" There, then, he said they were wandering, but here, that they had lost their heart. For which Symmachus rendered, the hard-hearted. But in both, the insensibility of the mind is represented. Therefore, they turned to idolatry. But nevertheless, God, having mercy on them, calls them back with good promises to understanding, who had been estranged from righteousness, that is, from God. For their souls had despaired, seeing that they were captured and pressed upon, and they considered the promises of God to be in vain. Therefore, he proclaims to them the good news of judgment against Babylon. For God punished those of Israel not out of hatred but betrothing salvation to them, just as doctors do who cut and burn; since all punishment is inflicted for a benefit. And he interweaves with the promise of partial salvation also the declaration of the most general one. For the redemption through the Lord is partial, but that through Christ is for all men. And the phrase, "I will not be slow," is similar to: "Yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry," 2444 and by Zion we will understand the Church, in which we receive his salvation in glory, as many of us as belong to the spiritual Israel, if we have a mind that sees God, becoming children according to the promise of Abraham. But Symmachus rendered: I will give salvation in Zion, and glory to Israel. These things, then, I will give to Israel out of love for mankind, he says; but I will show my righteousness, proceeding against those who punished you beyond what was due, whose kingdom's height I will humble. For they boasted for a long time, ruling over the nations. And personifying the kingdom, he called it the daughter of Babylon, and a virgin as if, adorning herself in the bloom of her power, and he commanded for her a descent from on high. But some say that the daughters of the Babylonians or also the women were thus spoken of, whose capture by the Medes he described, and their being led away into slavery. Their descent signifies the change from glory and luxury, and freedom and wealth, to their opposites. Therefore, he called the incurable calamity of the virgin "darkness." For grief and fear always darken the mind. And he calls either the kingdom or the women "delicate" and "tender" on account of both their lifestyle and their excessive adornment. For among those with whom the warrior class was adorned with gold and anointed with the most fragrant perfumes, what could one say of the women? And "sitting," he says, as on a queen's throne. Putting these things aside, he says, like a servant-girl at the mill, she will serve those who captured her. And removing the veil of varied adornment from her head, she laid it aside. And the matter of the gray hairs, he either said this as of a long-standing kingdom, or to show the cruelty of those who spoke, as not even sparing an old woman. And instead of, "Uncover your covering," Symmachus, he says, has "Cover your ears," and instead of, "I will take what is just from you; I will no longer hand you over to men," he rendered: "I will take vengeance on you, and no man will stand against me." And instead of, "the Lord Sabaoth who delivered you?" Aquila has, "our kinsman-redeemer is the Lord." These things, he says, our Lord has decreed against you, redeeming us, clearly from being led away to enemies, during which she had to pass through, lifting her skirts, even the rivers in the way. And that she suffered justly, another prophet also declared, saying: "As she has done, I will do to her;"

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Βαβυλῶνος ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ λήψεται τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῆς, καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας αὐτῆς," καὶ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα· τούτους γὰρ ἐκλεκτὰ τῆς κέδρου προκέκληκε διὰ τῆς παραβολῆς. Ἔλεγεν δὲ βασιλέα τὸν Σεδεκίαν, ὃν αἰχμάλωτον εἴληφεν. Ἄλλοι δὲ πετεινὸν εἰρῆσθαι τὸν Κῦρόν φασιν. Τὸ δὲ ἔκτισα, τοῦτ' ἔστι κατεσκεύασα, κακὰ δηλονότι κακωτικά. Εἰ δὲ καὶ μηδεὶς εὑρεθῇ τοὐμὸν θέλημα μετιὼν, τὸν Υἱὸν ἀποστελῶ τὸν ἐμὸν τὴν πατρικὴν πληροῦντα βουλήν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΜΖʹ. αιεʹ. 9Κατάβηθι, κάθισον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, παρθένος θύγατερ Βαβυλῶνος. Εἴσελθε εἰς τὸ σκότος, θύγατερ Χαλδαίων, ὅτι οὐκ ἔτι προσθήσῃ κληθῆναι ἁπαλὴ καὶ τρυφερά. Λάβε μύλον, ἄλεσον ἄλευρον, ἀποκάλυψαι τὸ κατάλυμμά σου, ἀνάσυρε τὰς πολιὰς, ἀποκάλυψαι τὰς κνήμασ9, κ.τ.λ. Καὶ ταῦτα πρὸς τοὺς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, οἷς ἔλεγε, "Τίνι με ὡμοιώσατε;" Ἐκεῖ μὲν οὖν πλανωμένους εἶπεν αὐτοὺς, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἀπολωλεκότας τὴν καρδίαν. Ἀνθ' οὗ Σύμμαχος ἐξέδωκεν, οἱ σκληροκάρδιοι. Καθ' ἑκάτερον δὲ παρίσταται τὸ τῆς γνώμης ἀναίσθητον. ∆ιὸ πρὸς εἰδωλολατρείαν ἐτράποντο. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐλεῶν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς ὑποσχέσεσι καλαῖς ἀνακαλεῖται πρὸς σύνεσιν μακρυνθέντας δικαιοσύνης, τοῦτ' ἔστι Θεοῦ. Ἀπειρήκεσαν γὰρ ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἁλούσας ὁρῶντες ἐγκείμενον, ματαίας τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἐνόμιζον. ∆ιὸ τὴν κατὰ Βαβυλῶνος αὐτοὺς εὐαγγελίζεται δίκην. Ἐκόλασε γὰρ τοὺς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ Θεὸς οὐ μισῶν σωτηρίαν δὲ αὐτοῖς μνηστευόμενος, ὡς καὶ τῶν ἰατρῶν οἱ τέμνοντές τε καὶ καίοντες· ἐπεὶ καὶ πᾶσα κόλασις πρὸς ὄνησιν ἐπιφέρεται. Συναναπλέκει δὲ τῇ τῆς μερικῆς σωτηρίας ὑποσχέσει καὶ τῆς γενικωτάτης τὴν δήλωσιν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ διὰ Κυρίου λύτρωσις, μερικὴ, ἡ δὲ διὰ Χριστοῦ, πάντων ἀνθρώπων. Τὸ δὲ, οὐ μὴ Βραδύνω, παρέοικε τῷ· "Ἔτι μικρὸν ὁ ἐρχόμενοι ἤξει, καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ," 2444 καὶ Σιὼν τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν νοήσομεν, ἐν ᾗ τὴν αὐτοῦ σωτηρίαν ἐν δόξῃ δεχόμεθα ὅσοι τελοῦμεν εἰς τὸν νοητὸν Ἰσραὴλ, εἰ Θεὸν ὁρῶντα σχήσομεν νοῦν εἰς τέκνα τελοῦντες κατ' ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος ἐξέδωκα· ∆ώσω ἐν Σιὼν σωτήριον, καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ δόξαν. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν δώσω, φησὶ, τῷ Ἰσραήλ· τὴν δὲ δικαιοσύνην ἐνδείξομαι τὴν ἐμὴν, τοῖς ὑπὲρ τὸ δέον ὑμᾶς τιμωρησαμένοις ἐπεξιὼν, ὧν δὴ ταπεινώσω τῆς βασιλείας τὸ ὕψος. Ἐμεγαλαύχουν γὰρ ἐπὶ μακροῖς χρόνοις τῶν ἐθνῶν δυναστεύοντες. Τὴν δὲ βασιλείαν προσωποποιήσας, θυγατέρα Βαβυλῶνος ἐκάλεσεν, καὶ παρθένον ὡς, καλλωπιζομένην ἐν ἀκμῇ τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ τὴν ἐξ ὕψους αὐτῇ προσέταξε κάθοδον. Τινὲς δὲ τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν Βαβυλωνίων ἢ καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας οὕτως εἰρῆσθαί φησιν, ὧν τὴν ὑπὸ Μήδων διέγραψεν ἅλωσιν, καὶ τὴν εἰς δουλείαν ἀπαγωγήν. Ὧν ἡ κατάβασις δηλοῖ τὴν ἐκ δόξης καὶ τρυφῆς, ἐλευθερίας τε καὶ πλούτου πρὸς τἀναντία μεταβολήν. Τῆς οὖν παρθένου σκότος τὴν ἀνήκεστον ἐκάλεσε συμφοράν. Τὸν νοῦν γὰρ ἀεὶ λύπη καὶ φόβος σκοτοῖ. Ἁπαλὴν δὲ καὶ τρυφερὰν διά τε τὴν δίαιταν καὶ τὸν Ὑπερβάλλοντα κόσμον ἣ τῆς βασιλείας, ἢ τῶν γυναίων καλεῖ. Παρ' οἷς γὰρ τὸ μάχιμον ἐκοσμεῖτο χρυσῷ, καὶ τοῖς εὐωδεστάτοις κατεχρίετο μύροις, τί ἄν τις εἴποι τὰ γύναια; Καὶ καθημένην, ὡς ἐπὶ βασιλίδος φησίν. Ἅπερ ἀποθεμένη, φησὶ, μυλωθρίδος δίκην θεραπαίνης, τοῖς ἁλοῦσι δουλεύσει. Καὶ τὸ κατάλυμμα δὲ τὸ ἐκ διαφόρου κόσμου περιελοῦσα τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀποτίθετο. Τὸ δὲ τῶν πολιῶν, ἢ ὡς ἐπὶ χρονίου βασιλείας εἶπεν, ἢ τὴν ὠμότητα τῶν εἰρηκότων δηλῶν, ὡς μηδὲ γυναικὸς πρεσβύτιδος φείσασθαι. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Ἀποκάλυψαι τὸ κατακάλυμμά σου, Σύμμαχος, Κάλυψαι τὰ ὦτα, φησὶν, ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Τὸ δίκαιον ἐκ σοῦ λήψομαι· οὐκέτι μὴ παραδῶ ἀνθρώποις, ἐξέδωκεν· Ἐκδίκησίν σου λήψομαι, καὶ οὐκ ἀντιστήσεται ἐν ἐμοὶ ἄνθρωπος. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ὁ ῥυσάμενός σε Κύριος Σαβαώθ; Ἀκύλας, ἀγχιστεύων ἡμῶν Κύριος. Ταῦτα κατὰ σοῦ, φησὶν, ὥρισεν ὁ ἡμέτερος Κύριος λυτρούμενος ἡμᾶς, δηλονότι τὴν εἰς πολεμίους ἀπαγωγὴν, καθ' ἣν ἔδει διελθεῖν ἀνασυρομένην καὶ τοὺς ἐν μέσῳ τυγχάνοντας ποταμούς. Ὅτι δὲ δικαίως πέπονθε, καὶ προφήτης ἐδήλωσεν ἕτερος εἰπών· "Καθὼς ἐποίησεν, ποιήσω αὐτῇ·"