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The Lord spoke, it says, to Ahaz, saying: Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God, in the depth or in the height. And Ahaz said: I will not ask, nor will I tempt the Lord. And Isaiah said: Hear now, O house of Israel, is it a small thing for you to weary men? And how do you weary the Lord? For this reason the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive in her womb, and will bear a son, and they will call his name Emmanuel. For since the prophet said, Ask for yourself a sign, but he, pretending to be very faithful, said, I will not ask, nor will I tempt the Lord, see how the prophet introduces the incision with great vehemence, reasonably making the accusation more severe after the proof of hypocrisy. For this reason, he does not even deem him worthy of a reply; but he turns to the people, saying: Hear, O house of David, is it a small thing for you to weary men? And how do you weary the Lord? What was said is unclear; therefore, it is necessary to unfold the saying with precision. For what he says is this: Are the words mine? Is the decision mine? But if to disbelieve men simply and without reason is a grave thing and worthy of blame, how much more so God. Therefore, "to weary" is nothing other than to disbelieve. Is this, then, he says, a small offense? Is it not a common accusation to disbelieve men? But if this is a grave thing, how much more so toward God. And he said this, so that all might learn that the prophet remained undeceived, not being misled by the words that were spoken, but casting his vote based on what was in the mind of Ahaz. For since he had spoken to him with much gentleness and had delivered him from terrors and commanded him to be of good courage concerning the present matters, and had given proofs of this by announcing the plan of those who were marching against him, and by exposing the betrayal, and by foretelling the complete and total capture of Israel, and by adding the time, he was not content with these things, but he even proceeds further, and does not wait for him to ask for a sign, but even urges him when he is unwilling on account of his extreme unbelief; and not simply so, but he also makes him master of the choice; for it is not this or that sign, but, Wherever you wish, he says. The Master is rich, the power is all-mighty, the authority is unspeakable; if you wish it from the heavens, there is nothing to prevent it; if from the earth, there is nothing to hinder it. For this is what is meant by, In the depth, or in the height. But since he did not persuade him even so, he did not remain silent at this point either, but introducing a refutation, and this for the correction of the listener, and to show that he was not deceived or misled, he reveals a secret prophecy, the one that would be for the salvation of the world, for the setting right of all things; and he says that the sign is no longer given to Ahaz, but to the common people of the Jews. For at the beginning he directed the word to him, but since he showed himself unworthy, he speaks to the commonality of the people. For this reason, he says, he will give, not to you, but to you all a sign. To you all; to whom? To those in the house of David; for from there the sign sprang. What then is the sign? Behold, the virgin will conceive in her womb, and will bear a son, and they will call his name Emmanuel. It must be observed, which I also said before, that the sign is no longer given to Ahaz. 63.828 And that this is not a conjecture, the prophet himself both accused and charged, saying: Is it a small thing for you to weary men? And he added: For this reason the Lord will give you a sign; behold, the virgin will be with child. But if the Jews should say that the prophet did not say "virgin," but "young woman," and thus the victory is ours. For Scripture is also accustomed to use the name "young woman" for virginity, as it is written in the Psalms: For young men, it says, and virgins, old men with younger men, let them praise the name of the Lord. And concerning a maiden being conspired against, Moses says: The young woman cried out, that is, the virgin. So that if she were not a virgin, it would not be a sign, for a sign must go beyond the common sequence, and must transcend the custom of nature, and be strange and

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Κύριος λαλῆσαι, φησὶ, τῷ Ἄχαζ λέγων· Αἴτησαι σεαυτῷ σημεῖον παρὰ Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου εἰς βάθος ἢ εἰς ὕψος. Καὶ εἶπεν Ἄχαζ· Οὐ μὴ αἰτήσω, οὐδὲ μὴ πειράσω Κύριον. Καὶ εἶπεν Ἠσαΐας· Ἀκούσατε δὴ, οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ, μὴ μικρὸν ὑμῖν ἀγῶνα παρέχειν ἀνθρώποις; καὶ πῶς Κυρίῳ παρέχετε ἀγῶνα; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δώσει Κύριος αὐτὸς ὑμῖν σημεῖον. Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ λήψεται, καὶ τέξεται υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ μὲν προφήτης εἶπεν, Αἴτησαι σεαυτῷ σημεῖον, ἐκεῖνος δὲ τὸ σφόδρα πιστὸν ὑποκρινόμενος ἔλεγεν, Οὐ μὴ αἰτήσω, οὐδὲ μὴ πειράσω τὸν Κύριον, ὅρα πῶς μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σφοδρότητος ἐπάγει τὴν τομὴν ὁ προφήτης, εἰκότως μετὰ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν τῆς ὑποκρίσεως βαρυτέραν ποιούμενος τὴν κατηγορίαν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ἐκεῖνον μὲν οὐδὲ ἀποκρίσεως ἀξιοῖ· πρὸς δὲ τὸν δῆμον ἀποστρέφεται λέγων· Ἀκούσατε, οἶκος ∆αυῒδ, μὴ μικρὸν ὑμῖν ἀγῶνα παρέχειν ἀνθρώποις; καὶ πῶς Κυρίῳ παρέχετε ἀγῶνα; Ἀσαφὲς τὸ εἰρημένον· διὸ δεῖ τὴν ῥῆσιν ἀναπτύξαι μετὰ ἀκριβείας. Ὃ γὰρ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Μὴ γὰρ ἐμά ἐστι τὰ ῥήματα; μὴ γὰρ ἐμὴ ἡ ἀπόφασις; Εἰ δὲ ἀνθρώποις ἀπιστεῖν ἁπλῶς καὶ ἄνευ λόγου, βαρὺ καὶ ἐγκλημάτων ἄξιον, πολλῷ μᾶλλον Θεῷ. Τὸ οὖν ἀγῶνα παρέχειν οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἢ ἀπιστεῖν. Τοῦτο οὖν, φησὶ, μικρόν ἐστιν ἔγκλημα; μὴ ἡ τυχοῦσα κατηγορία τὸ ἀνθρώποις ἀπιστεῖν; Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο βαρὺ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγεν, ἵνα μάθωσι πάντες, ὅτι ἀνεξαπάτητος ἔμεινεν ὁ προφήτης, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν ῥημάτων παραλογιζόμενος τῶν εἰρημένων, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ τοῦ Ἄχαζ φέρων τὴν ψῆφον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἐπιεικείας διελέχθη αὐτῷ καὶ τῶν δεινῶν ἀπήλλαξε καὶ θαῤῥεῖν ἐκέλευσεν ὑπὲρ τῶν παρόντων, καὶ τεκμήρια τούτου παρέσχε τὸ τὴν βουλὴν ἐξαγγεῖλαι τῶν ἐπιστρατευσάντων, καὶ τὴν προδοσίαν ἐλέγξαι, καὶ τὴν ἄλωσιν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ προειπεῖν τὴν παντελῆ καὶ ὁλόκληρον, καὶ τὸν χρόνον προσθεῖναι, οὐκ ἠρκέσθη τούτοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ περαιτέρω πρόεισι, καὶ οὐκ ἀναμένει σημεῖον αὐτὸν αἰτῆσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μὴ βουλόμενον δι' ὑπερβολὴν ἀπιστίας προτρέπεται· καὶ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ κύριον τῆς αἱρέσεως ποιεῖ· οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸ καὶ τὸ σημεῖον, ἀλλ', Ὅπου βούλει, φησί. Πλούσιος ὁ ∆εσπότης, παναλκὴς ἡ δύναμις, ἄφατος ἡ ἐξουσία· ἂν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν βουληθῇς, οὐδὲν τὸ κωλύον· ἂν ἐκ τῆς γῆς, οὐδὲν τὸ ἐμποδίζον. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Εἰς βάθος, ἢ εἰς ὕψος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτὸν ἐπεσπάσατο, οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἐσίγησεν, ἀλλ' ἔλεγχον ἐπαγαγὼν, καὶ τοῦτον ὑπὲρ διορθώσεως τοῦ ἀκούοντος, καὶ τοῦ δεῖξαι ὡς οὐκ ἠπάτησεν, οὐδὲ παρελογίσατο, ἀνακαλύπτει προφητείαν ἀπόῤῥητον, τὴν ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐσομένην, ἐπὶ διορθώσει τῶν πραγμάτων ἁπάντων· καί φησι, τὸ σημεῖον οὐχὶ τῷ Ἄχαζ δίδοσθαι λοιπὸν, ἀλλὰ τῷ κοινῷ τῶν Ἰουδαίων δήμῳ. Παρὰ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν λόγον ἀπέτεινεν, ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀνάξιον ἑαυτὸν ἐκεῖνος ἀπέφηνε, τῷ κοινῷ τοῦ λαοῦ διαλέγεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶ, δώσει, οὐχὶ σοὶ, ἀλλ' ὑμῖν σημεῖον. Ὑμῖν· τίσι; Τοῖς ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ ∆αυΐδ· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖθεν ἐβλάστησε τὸ σημεῖον. Τί οὖν τὸ σημεῖόν ἐστιν; Ἰδοὺ, ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ λήψεται, καὶ τέξεται υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ. Παρατηρητέον, ὅπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν εἶπον, ὅτι οὐ τῷ Ἄχαζ δίδοται 63.828 λοιπὸν τὸ σημεῖον. Καὶ ὅτι οὐ στοχασμὸς, αὐτὸς ὁ προφήτης καὶ ἐνεκάλεσε καὶ κατηγόρησε λέγων· Μὴ μικρὸν ὑμῖν ἀγῶνα παρέχειν ἀνθρώποις; καὶ προσέθηκε· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δώσει Κύριος ὑμῖν σημεῖον· ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει. Εἰ δὲ λέγοιεν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὅτι Οὐκ εἶπε παρθένον ὁ προφήτης, ἀλλὰ νεᾶνιν, καὶ οὕτω τὰ νικητήρια παρ' ἡμῖν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ τῆς νεάνιδος ὄνομα ἐπὶ τῆς παρθενίας εἴωθεν ἡ Γραφὴ τιθέναι, ὡς ἐν τοῖς Ψαλμοῖς ἀναγέγραπται· Νεανίσκοι γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ παρθένοι, πρεσβύτεροι μετὰ νεωτέρων, αἰνεσάτωσαν τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου. Καὶ περὶ κόρης δὲ ἐπιβουλευομένης λέγει Μωϋσῆς· Ἐβόησεν ἡ νεᾶνις, τουτέστιν, ἡ παρθένος. Ὥστε εἰ μὴ παρθένος ἦν, οὐδὲ σημεῖον ἦν, τὸ γὰρ σημεῖον ἐκβαίνειν δεῖ τὴν κοινὴν ἀκολουθίαν, καὶ τὴν τῆς φύσεως ὑπερβαίνειν συνήθειαν, καὶ ξένον εἶναι καὶ