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the punishment "through fire" will seize those who are proud of these things. Since "the whole city" is about to be "burned with fire," then at least they will be convicted by not being able to defend themselves, and this end awaits you entirely, I mean being burned to coals and fire. And then your coals will be better for you than your former luxury, being in a way converting and beneficial. But the phrase: they will be a help to you, is not said by the other interpreters. But he says you will be clothed with this end, O you Chaldea, since for long ages you gave yourself over to error and, so to speak, from your very youth have toiled in your change, or according to the other interpreters: your merchants from your youth, each has wandered in his own direction, from whom no savior has been found for you, or because there is no one who saves you, according to Symmachus. 2.33 Having proclaimed beforehand the things that were to come upon Babylon, both its inhabitants and its kings, the word rebukes the people of the Jews through the preceding statements, saying, that because of the justice that is with me, I will bring these things against the Chaldeans; not indeed that you were worthy of help. And I said these things beforehand, having divinely proclaimed the events "before they came to be" by divine foreknowledge, so that when what was foretold against the Chaldeans is brought to completion and proceeds in deed, you may not attribute the cause to the gods you believe in, nor say, 'My gods, to whom I paid attention while worshiping idols, [have done these things].' They have received this punishment from the enemies, for I have already from here prophesied what would happen and threatened through my prophets to bring the aforementioned things upon the kingdom of the Babylonians. When these things should so proceed in deed as I have commanded, it is altogether necessary for you to confess that I alone am God who has fulfilled my own words. But he calls them the house of Jacob as not being worthy of the name of their forefather, but he says also those who are called by the name of Israel, not being Israel nor worthy of the name, were nevertheless so named. Then he adds: and who have come forth from the water of Judah; for having nothing worthy of the patriarch's soul, but having come into being from his water and bodily seed; they were only bodily and fleshly sons, but not also true children of the soul. And through the water of Judah he signifies "the royal race" from the succession of David and from the tribe of Judah, which still at that time in the prophetic times remained in Jerusalem. And just as those now being accused were falsely called Jacob and Israel and Judah, not being in truth worthy of these names, so also, swearing by the name of the Lord and making mention of the God of Israel, they did these things only with their lips and mouth. But they did not use the taking of oaths with truth, but also, clinging to the city dedicated to God, they seemed to lean upon God, doing this too with hypocrisy. Having addressed these things to the people of the Jews, he next commands the same, saying: Do not think, O you people, that I idly foretell the future; for this whole thing happens so that the unbelievers among you may learn from the outcome of events, that the words of my prophets were not human; for it is not of human nature to have knowledge of the future. But I am God who proclaims these things, now indeed also through former times, but I have foretold certain things and certain words have gone forth through the mouth of my other prophets, so that the things foretold came to the hearing of many, to which the deeds also followed in accordance with the predictions. Nevertheless, since you, the people of the Jews, seem to bear a stiff and iron neck, and you are already so shameless that no one would be mistaken in saying that you have a bronze forehead. For this reason I have now announced to you the things that will be, lest when the events come to pass, you deceive yourself and think that the gods who are mistakenly believed in have done them. But also

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αὐτοὺς καταλήψεται τοὺς ἐπὶ τούτοις μέγα φρονοῦντας ἡ «διὰ πυρὸς» τιμωρία. ἐπειδὰν καὶ «πᾶσα ἡ πόλις πυρίκαυστος» γίγνεσθαι μέλλῃ, τότε γοῦν ἐλεγχθήσονται τῷ μὴ δεῖν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπαμύνειν δύνασθαι καὶ ὅλην δὲ σὲ τοῦτο τὸ τέλος περιμένει, λέγω δὲ τὸ ἐν ἄνθραξι καὶ πυρὶ καυθῆναι. καὶ μᾶλλον οἱ ἄνθρακές σου τότε τῆς παλαιᾶς τρυφῆς κρείττους γενήσονταί σοι ἐπιστρεπτικοί τινες ὄντες καὶ ὠφέλιμοι. τὸ δέ· ἔσονταί σοι βοήθεια, οὐκ εἴρηται παρὰ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἑρμηνευταῖς. τούτῳ δέ φησι περιβληθήσῃ τῷ τέλει, ὦ σὺ Χαλδαία, ἐπειδήπερ μακροῖς χρόνοις πλάνῃ σεαυτὴν ἐκδοῦσα καὶ ὡς εἰπεῖν ἐξ αὐτῆς νεότητος ἐκοπίασας ἐν τῇ μεταβολῇ σου, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἑρμηνευτάς· οἱ ἔμποροί σου ἀπὸ νεανιότητός σου, ἕκαστος εἰς τὸ πέραν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπλανήθησαν, ἐξ ὧν οὐδεὶς εὕρηταί σοι σωτήρ, ἢ διὸ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ σῴζων σε κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον. 2.33 Τὰ ἐπελευσόμενα τῇ Βαβυλῶνι, τοῖς τε οἰκήτορσι καὶ τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν αὐτῆς προαναφωνήσας ὁ λόγος τὸν Ἰουδαίων ἀπελέγχει λαὸν διὰ τῶν προκειμένων φάσκων, ὅτι διὰ τὸ παρ' ἐμοὶ δίκαιον ἐπάξω ταῦτα κατὰ τῶν Χαλδαίων· οὐ μὴν ὅτι σὺ βοηθείας ἦσθα ἄξιος. καὶ ταῦτα προλαβὼν προεῖπον «πρὶν γενέσθαι» τὰ πράγματα προγνώσει θεϊκῇ θεσπίσας, ἵν' ἐπειδὰν εἰς πέρας ἀχθῇ καὶ δι' ἔργων χωρήσῃ τὰ κατὰ τῶν Χαλδαίων προηγορευμένα, μὴ οἷς νομίζεις θεοῖς τὴν αἰτίαν ἀναθῇς μηδὲ εἴπῃς, ὅτι θεοί μου, οἷς εἰδωλολατρῶν προσεῖχον. ταύτην παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων τὴν τιμωρίαν εἰλήφασιν, ἐμοῦ γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη προφητεύσαντος τὰ συμβησόμενα καὶ ἀπειλήσαντος διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν προφητῶν ἐπάξειν τὰ προλεχθέντα τῇ Βαβυλωνίων βασιλείᾳ. ἐπειδὰν δι' ἔργων ταῦθ' οὕτως χωρήσειε καθὼς διεστειλάμην, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα ὁμολογεῖν ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ μόνον εἶναι θεὸν τὸν ἐπαληθεύσαντα τοὺς ἐμαυτοῦ λόγους. καλεῖ δὲ αὐτοὺς οἶκον Ἰακὼβ ὡς μὴ ὄντας ἀξίους τῆς τοῦ προπάτορος αὐτῶν ἐπωνυμίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ κεκλημένοι φησὶν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰσραήλ, οὐκ ὄντες Ἰσραὴλ οὐδὲ φερώνυμοι τῆς προσηγορίας ὄντες ὅμως οὕτως ὠνομάζοντο. εἶτ' ἐπιλέγει· καὶ ἐξ ὕδατος Ἰούδα ἐξελθόντες· μηδὲν γὰρ ἔχοντες ἄξιον τῆς τοῦ πατριάρχου ψυχῆς, ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ σωματικοῦ σπέρματος ὑποστάντες· σωματικοὶ καὶ σάρκινοι μόνον ἦσαν υἱοί, οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ ψυχῆς ἀληθινὰ τέκνα. σημαίνει δὲ διὰ τοῦ ὕδατος Ἰούδα «τὸ βασιλικὸν γένος» ἐκ διαδοχῆς ∆αυὶδ καὶ ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα ἔτι τότε κατὰ τοὺς προφητικοὺς χρόνους διαμένον ἐν τῇ Ἰερουσαλήμ. ὥσπερ δὲ ἐπιπλάστως καὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδας ἐχρημάτιζον οἱ νῦνκατηγορούμενοι οὐκ ὄντες κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἄξιοι τούτων τῶν προσηγοριῶν, οὕτως καὶ ὀμνύοντες τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου καὶ μνήμην ποιούμενοι τοῦ θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ μέχρι χειλέων καὶ στόματος ταῦτ' ἔπραττον. οὐ μὴν μετὰ ἀληθείας τῇ τῶν ὅρκων ἐχρῶντο παραλήψει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς πόλεως τῆς τῷ θεῷ ἀνακειμένης ἀντεχόμενοι ἐδόκουν ἀντιστηρίζεσθαι ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ καὶ τοῦτο μεθ' ὑποκρίσεως πράττοντες. Ταῦτα τῷ Ἰουδαίων προσφωνήσας λαῷ ἑξῆς διαστέλλεται τοῖς αὐτοῖς λέγων Μὴ νομίσητέ με, ὦ οὗτοι, ἀργῶς τὰ μέλλοντα προαγορεύειν· τοῦτο γὰρ ὅλον γίνεται, ὅπως οἱ ἐν ὑμῖν ἄπιστοι ἐκ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκβάσεως μάθοιεν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀνθρώπινοι ἦσαν οἱ τῶν ἐμῶν προφητῶν λόγοι· οὐ γὰρ ἀνθρώπου φύσεως τὸ γνῶσιν ἔχειν τῶν μελλόντων. θεὸς δέ εἰμι ὁ ταῦτα θεσπίζων, ἤδη μὲν οὖν καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν χρόνων, ἀλλά τινα προηγόρευσα καὶ λόγοι τινὲς ἐξῆλθον διὰ στόματος ἑτέρων μου προφητῶν, ὡς εἰς ἀκοὰς ἐλθεῖν πολλῶν τὰ προλελεγμένα, οἷς καὶ τὰ ἔργα ἐπηκολούθησε σύμφωνα ταῖς προαγορεύσεσιν. Ὅμως ἐπειδὴ σὺ ὁ Ἰουδαίων λαὸς τράχηλον ἀκαμπῆ καὶ σιδήρεον ἔοικας φέρειν, ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἀναίσχυντος οὕτως εἶ ὡς μὴ ἄν τινα σφαλῆναι φήσαντα μέτωπον ἔχειν σε χάλκεον. Τούτου χάριν καὶ νῦν προαπήγγειλά σοι τὰ ἐσόμενα, μήποτε τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπελθόντων ἀπατῶν σαυτὸν τοὺς πεπλανημένως νομιζομένους θεοὺς πεποιηκέναι αὐτὰ νομίσειας. πλὴν καὶ