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I adopted and did not think it unworthy for them to be called my people; but they distanced themselves from me, having been given over to their own evils. In vain and for no benefit they pretend to seek me, God, each day hurrying to meet in their synagogues, but also, while lending their ears to the divine readings, he says, they vainly feign to want to know my ways and are zealous about these things, as if having accomplished the rest and having fulfilled by deeds all the fruits according to justice. and indeed, they are convicted by their own actions of having forsaken the judgment of God; from here, through an excess of insensibility to their own evils, as if entering into judgment and being judged with me, they ask for rewards for their own good deeds, demanding a just judgment from me, since they themselves desire to be pious and to be near me, but I am not willing, but also most unjustly turn them away. Therefore they find fault and complain, saying: "Why is it that we fasted and you did not see? We humbled our souls and you did not know?" Since therefore they shamelessly dare to say such things, using a great cry, you, my prophet, answer them and convict them, how they have forsaken my judgment, and all that they assert, they do not truly affirm. if therefore they pride themselves on such a fast, it would have been much better for them to be occupied with food and not to dare such things. for these reasons then, at the beginning of the prophecy it was said to them: "Your fasting and idleness and your feasts my soul hates." Immediately then they bring up the fast and now speak of the humbling of souls that takes place on the day of their fast. This very thing, how they will act, convict them of it, having proved their way from this one thing and from their other actions. therefore tell them and show that on these very days of fasting in which they take pride, they do not seek my will, but are occupied with their own pleasures and their own evil deeds, at one time striking those under their authority, at another time being worn out by fights and disputes with one another, so that those struck by them let out cries of lamentation and unseemly shouts. Therefore he says: I did not choose this fast, nor such a day of humiliation, not even if they bend their own neck like a ring, bowing down and feigning humility, not even if they put on sackcloth against their own flesh so that the roughness of the sackcloth might cause them pains and affliction, not even if they spread ashes underneath themselves, punishing their own body. For all these things, with the aforementioned sins, will render their zeal vain. But if someone should wish to be taught the manner of a true fast and one pleasing to me, God, let him do these things: "making his face cheerful and anointing his head with oil," according to the salvific exhortation, let him keep the fast "in secret" and show the humiliation of his soul only "to the Father who sees in secret"; but openly, through works, let him provide the fruits of piety of the soul for all to see by loosening every bond of injustice. For if there should be any pre-existing matters from any contracts and human transactions, it is just that these be dissolved when the time of worship through fasting has arrived, and to shake off the oppressive holds of forced transactions. fulfilling in deed the very thing spoken by the Savior: "If you bring your gift and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave the gift there, and go first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." But also, free from their debts those who have been humbled by a loan and the obligation of debts, and tear up every unjust bond. But if no such oppressive holds have been practiced by you and you are clean of such sins, but at least for you to do this

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εἰσεποιησάμην καὶ οὐκ ἀπηξίωσα λαὸν ἐμὸν χρηματίζειν· οἱ δὲ ἐμάκρυναν ἑαυτοὺς ἐμοῦ ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἔκδοτοι γενόμενοι κακίαις. Εἰς μάταιον καὶ ἐπ' οὐδεμιᾷ ὠφελείᾳ προσποιοῦνται ζητεῖν ἐμὲ τὸν θεὸν ἐφ' ἑκάστης ἡμέρας σπεύδοντες ἀπαντᾶν εἰς τὰς παρ' αὐτοῖς συναγωγάς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀναγνώσμασι τοῖς θείοις τὰς ἑαυτῶν παρέχοντες ἀκοὰς μάταιόν φησι σχηματίζονται ἐθέλειν γινώσκειν τὰς ὁδούς μου καὶ περὶ ταῦτα σπουδάζουσιν, ὡσανεὶ τὰ λοιπὰ κατορθώσαντες καὶ πάντας τοὺς κατὰ δικαιοσύνην καρποὺς ἔργοις ἐκπεπληρωκότες. καὶ μὴν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπελέγχονται τῶν πράξεων τὴν κρίσιν τοῦ θεοῦ καταλελοιπότες ἐντεῦθεν δι' ὑπερβολὴν ἀναισθησίας τῶν οἰκείων κακῶν ὡσπερεὶ διαδικαζόμενοι καὶ κρινόμενοι πρὸς ἐμὲ ἀμοιβὰς αἰτοῦσι τῆς ἑαυτῶν εὐπραξίας κρίσιν δικαίαν ἀπαιτοῦντες παρ' ἐμοῦ, ἅτε δὴ αὐτοὶ μὲν θεοσεβεῖν ἐπιθυμοῦντες καὶ πλησίον ἐμοῦ γενέσθαι, ἐμοῦ δὲ μὴ θέλοντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀποστρεφομένου αὐτοὺς ἀδικώτατα. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπιμέμφονται καὶ ἐπικαλοῦσι λέγοντες Τί ὅτι ἐνηστεύσαμεν καὶ οὐκ εἶδες; ἐταπεινώσαμεν τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔγνως; ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τοιαῦτα λέγειν ἀναιδῶς τολμῶσι, μεγάλῃ βοῇ χρησάμενος, σὺ ὁ ἐμὸς προφήτης, ἀπόκριναι αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀπέλεγχε, ὅπως τὴν ἐμὴν κρίσιν καταλελοίπασι, καὶ πάνθ' ὅσα φάσκουσιν, οὐκ ἀληθῶς διαβεβαιοῦνται. εἰ τοίνυν ἐπὶ τοιαύτῃ σεμνύνονται νηστείᾳ, πολὺ κρεῖττον ἦν αὐτοῖς τροφῇ σχολάζειν καὶ μὴ τοιαῦτα τολμᾶν. διὰ ταῦτα γοῦν καὶ κατ' ἀρχὰς τῆς προφητείας πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐλέγετο· «νηστείαν καὶ ἀργίαν καὶ τὰς ἑορτὰς ὑμῶν μισεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου». αὐτίκα γοῦν ἐπὶ τὴν νηστείαν προΐσχονται καὶ νῦν φασι τῶν ψυχῶν ταπείνωσιν κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς νηστείας αὐτῶν γινομένην αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο, ὅπως πράξουσιν ἀπέλεγξον ἐξ ἑνὸς τούτου καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν αὐτῶν ἀποδείξας τρόπον. λέγε τοίνυν αὐτοῖς καὶ δείκνυε, ὡς ἐν αὐταῖς ταύταις, ἐν αἷς σεμνύνονται ἡμέραις τῶν νηστειῶν, οὐ τὰ ἐμὰ θελήματα ζητοῦσι, ταῖς δὲ ἑαυτῶν ἡδοναῖς καὶ ταῖς ἑαυτῶν κακοπραγίαις σχολάζουσι, τότε μὲν τοὺς ὑποχειρίους τύπτοντες, τότε δὲ μάχαις καὶ ἀντιλογίαις ταῖς πρὸς ἀλλήλους κατατριβόμενοι ὡς φωνὰς ἀφιέναι κλαυθμοῦ τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτῶν τυπτομένους καὶ κραυγὰς ἀπρεπεῖς. Φησὶν οὖν· οὐ ταύτην τὴν νηστείαν ἐξελεξάμην, οὐδὲ τοιαύτην ταπεινώσεως ἡμέραν, οὐδ' εἰ κρίκῳ ὁμοίως κάμψειεν τὸν ἑαυτῶν τράχηλον κάτω νεύοντες καὶ σχηματιζόμενοι ταπεινοφροσύνην, οὐδ' εἰ περιβάλοιντο σάκκους κατ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἑαυτῶν σαρκὸς ἐπὶ τὸ πόνους καὶ κάκωσιν αὐτοῖς ἐμποιῆσαι τὴν σάκκου τραχύτητα, οὐδ' εἰ σποδὸν ὑποστρώσαιντο τὸ ἑαυτῶν τιμωρούμενοι σῶμα. ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα μετὰ τῶν προλεχθέντων ἁμαρτημάτων ματαίαν ἕξει τὴν σπουδήν. εἰ δὲ δὴ ἐθέλοι τις τρόπον ἀληθοῦς καὶ ἐμοὶ τῷ θεῷ ἀρεστῆς νηστείας διδάσκεσθαι, ταῦτα πραττέτω· «φαιδρὸν τὸ πρόσωπον καταστήσας καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀλείψας ἐλαίῳ» κατὰ τὴν σωτήριον παρακέλευσιν, τὴν μὲν νηστείαν «ἐν κρυπτῷ» φυλαττέτω καὶ «τῷ πατρὶ τῷ βλέποντι κρυπτὰ» μόνῳ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τῆς ψυχῆς δεικνύτω· εἰς δὲ τὸ φανερὸν δι' ἔργων τοὺς καρποὺς τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν εὐλαβείας τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁρᾶν παρεχέτω διὰ τοῦ λύειν πάντα σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας. εἰ γὰρ καί τινες εἶεν προϋποκείμενοι πραγμάτων ἔκ τινος συμβολαίων καὶ συναλλαγῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ταῦτα καιροῦ θρησκείας διὰ τῆς νηστείας ἐπιστάντος διαλύεσθαι δίκαιον καὶ τῶν βιαίων συναλλαγμάτων τὰς στραγγαλιὰς ἀποσείεσθαι. αὐτὸ δὴ τὸ λελεγμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἔργῳ πληροῦντα τό· «ἐὰν προσφέρῃς τὸ δῶρόν σου κἀκεῖ μνησθῇς ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔχει τι κατὰ σοῦ, ἄφες ἐκεῖ τὸ δῶρον, καὶ ὕπαγε πρῶτον διαλλάγηθι τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, καὶ τότε ἐλθὼν πρόσφερε τὸ δῶρόν σου». ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τεταπεινωμένους ἀπὸ δάνους καὶ χρέων ὀφειλῆς ἐλευθέρου τῶν χρέων καὶ πᾶσαν συγγραφὴν ἄδικον διάσπα. εἰ δὲ καὶ μὴ εἶέν τινες τοιαῦται στραγγαλιαὶ πεπραγμέναι σοι καθαρεύοις δὲ τῶν τοιούτων ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο γοῦν πράττειν σε