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to know God, I urged, advising and saying these very things: Hear, my people, and I will testify to you; Israel, if you will listen to me, there shall be no new god in you, nor shall you worship a foreign god; for I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. These things I advised, these things I urged, this the whole meaning of my legislation intended. And a promise of good things was joined to the commandments, through which I said: Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. For if you keep these things, 23.980 you will have food without toil and in abundance, whether that for the body, or that supplied to the soul through divine teachings. I, therefore, advised and promised these things; but they did not listen to my voice; and Israel, who had been deemed worthy of so many benefits, paid me no heed; wherefore I rightly sent them away according to the devices of their own hearts. Which Symmachus translated, saying: But my people did not obey my voice, and Israel was not persuaded by me. I therefore gave them up to the pleasure of their own heart, to walk in their own counsels. From this the divine Apostle teaches concerning some, saying: Wherefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts. And instead of: There shall be no new god in you, Aquila translated: There shall not be in you a strange mighty one; and Symmachus: Let there not be in you a foreign god. He called the one erroneously considered so by the nations a foreign and strange and new god, thus dismissing polytheistic idolatry. To which he adds: For I am the Lord your God, presenting himself as being neither a foreign, nor a strange, nor a new God. For the Word of God was one and the same, who in old times in various ways spoke oracles to the ancients, who indeed was also called the God of Jacob, who also at the end of the ages was seen on earth. For he was in the world even before the theophany, and the world was made through him. Wherefore he exhorts, saying: For I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. If my people had listened to me, if Israel had walked in my ways; in a moment I would have humbled their enemies, and I would have laid my hand upon those who afflicted them. It has been sufficiently defended, that the wrath from God did not come upon the nation of the Jews without judgment nor by chance. And it seems to me that the answer has been given to the questions stated above, in the verse, Why, O God, have you cast us off forever, has your anger been kindled against the sheep of your pasture? and again: Why have you broken down its hedge, so that all who pass by the way pluck its fruit? For why they have suffered such things he teaches, saying: Because my people did not listen to my voice, and Israel paid me no heed. and, If my people had listened to me, if Israel had walked in my ways; in a moment I would have humbled their enemies. Which Symmachus translated: In a very little while I would have defeated their enemies, and against their adversaries I would have turned my hand. These things I would have done, he says, against the enemies of the people, if I had had them as obedient, and if they had walked in my ways which I appointed for them. But now, having become disobedient and unpersuaded, they have made themselves enemies of God. Then, since the Holy Spirit, out of exceeding love for mankind, called the disobedient and unpersuaded his people, he teaches that no one who disobeys God is his people. Therefore he adds: The enemies of the Lord have lied to him; but according to Symmachus: The haters of the Lord are those who have lied to him. And he adds: And their time shall be for ever. For even if they have dared such things, nevertheless they shall have the present age. And this is their time, in 23.981 which even after so many sins he fed them with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock he satisfied them. In this way he fulfilled it, deeming them worthy of his own food, not only that of the body, but also that which is heavenly and

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Θεὸν εἰδέναι, παρεκελευσάμην, αὐτὰ δὴ ταῦτα παραινῶν καὶ λέγων· Ἄκουσον, λαός μου, καὶ διαμαρτυροῦμαί σοι· Ἰσραὴλ, ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς μου, οὐκ ἔσται ἐν σοὶ Θεὸς πρόσφατος, οὐδὲ προσκυνήσεις Θεῷ ἀλλοτρίῳ· ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ὁ ἀναγαγών σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. Ταῦτα παρῄνουν, ταῦτα παρεκελευόμην, ταῦτα ὁ πᾶς τῆς ἐμῆς νομοθεσίας ἐβούλετο νοῦς. Συνῆπτό τε τοῖς παραγγέλμασιν ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελία, δι' ὧν ἔφασκον· Πλάτυνον τὸ στόμα σου, καὶ πληρώσω αὐτό. Εἰ γὰρ ταῦτα φυλάξετε, 23.980 ἀκοπιάτως ἕξετε καὶ πεπληρωμένως τὰς τροφὰς, εἴτε τὰς τοῦ σώματος, εἴτε καὶ τὰς διὰ θείων μαθημάτων τῇ ψυχῇ χορηγουμένας. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα παρῄνουν καὶ ἐπηγγελλόμην· οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἤκουον τῆς ἐμῆς φωνῆς· καὶ ὁ τοσούτων κατηξιωμένος εὐεργεσιῶν Ἰσραὴλ οὐ προσέσχε μοι· ὅθεν εἰκότως ἐξαπέστειλα αὐτοὺς κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν. Ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν εἰπών· Οὐχ ὑπήκουσε δὲ ὁ λαός μου τῆς φωνῆς μου, καὶ Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἐπείσθη μοι. Ἀφῆκα οὖν αὐτοὺς τῇ ἀρεσκείᾳ τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν, ὁδεύειν ταῖς βουλαῖς αὐτῶν. Ἐντεῦθεν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος διδάσκει περί τινων λέγων· ∆ιὸ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· Οὐκ ἔσται ἐν σοὶ Θεὸς πρόσφατος, ὁ Ἀκύλας· Οὐκ ἔσται ἐν σοὶ ἰσχυρὸς ἀλλότριος· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· Μὴ ἔστω ἐν σοὶ Θεὸς ξένος, ἡρμήνευσε. Ξένον δὲ καὶ ἀλλότριον Θεὸν καὶ πρόσφατον, τὸν πεπλανημένως παρὰ τοῖς ἔθνεσι νενομισμένον ὠνόμασε, τὴν πολύθεον εἰδωλολατρείαν οὕτω παραπεμπόμενος. Οἷς ἐπιλέγει· Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, παριστὰς ἑαυτὸν οὔτε ξένον, οὔτε ἀλλότριον, οὔτε πρόσφατον ὄντα Θεόν. Ἦν γὰρ εἷς καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ πάλαι διαφόρως τοῖς παλαιοῖς χρηματίζων, ὁ δὴ καὶ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβ ἐπικεκλημένος, ὁ καὶ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων ἐπὶ γῆς ὀφθείς. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν καὶ πρὸ τῆς θεοφανείας, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο. ∆ιόπερ παρακελεύεται λέγων· Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, ὁ ἀναγαγών σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. Εἰ ὁ λαός μου ἤκουσέ μου, Ἰσραὴλ ταῖς ὁδοῖς μου εἰ ἐπορεύθη· ἐν τῷ μηδενὶ ἂν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν ἐταπείνωσα, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς θλίβοντας αὐτοὺς ἐπέβαλον ἂν τὴν χεῖρά μου. Ἱκανῶς ἀπολελόγηται, ὅτι μὴ ἀκρίτως μήτε ὡς ἔτυχε μετῆλθε τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος ἡ ἐκ Θεοῦ ὀργή. Καί μοι δοκεῖ πρὸς τὰς ἀνωτέρω λελεγμένας πεύσεις, ἐν τῷ Ἵνα τί ὁ Θεὸς, ἀπώσω εἰς τέλος, ὠργίσθη ὁ θυμός σου ἐπὶ πρόβατα νομῆς σου; καὶ πάλιν· Ἵνα τί καθεῖλες τὸν φραγμὸν αὐτῆς, καὶ τρυγῶσιν αὐτὴν πάντες οἱ παραπορευόμενοι τὴν ὁδόν; τὴν ἀπόκρισιν πεποιῆσθαι. Ἵνα τί γὰρ τὰ τοιαῦτα πεπόνθασι διδάσκει λέγων· Ὅτι οὐκ ἤκουσεν ὁ λαός μου τῆς φωνῆς μου, καὶ Ἰσραὴλ οὐ προσέσχε μοι. καὶ, Εἰ ὁ λαός μου ἤκουσέ μου, Ἰσραὴλ ταῖς ὁδοῖς μου εἰ ἐπορεύθη· ἐν τῷ μηδενὶ ἂν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν ἐταπείνωσα. Ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν· Ἐν ὀλιγίστῳ ἂν ἐχθροὺς αὐτῶν ἥττησα, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους αὐτῶν ἀνέστρεψα ἂν τὴν χεῖρά μου. Ταῦτα ἂν ἔπραξα, φησὶ, κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ λαοῦ, εἰ ἔσχον αὐτοὺς ὑπηκόους, καὶ εἰ ταῖς ὁδοῖς μου αἷς διεταξάμην αὐτοῖς ἐπορεύθησαν. Νῦν δὲ ἀνήκοοι καὶ ἀπειθεῖς γενόμενοι, αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ κατέστησαν. Εἶτ' ἐπειδήπερ λαὸν αὐτοῦ ὠνόμασε τοὺς ἀπειθεῖς καὶ ἀνηκόους καθ' ὑπερβολὴν φιλανθρωπίας τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, διδάσκει ὅτι οὐδεὶς Θεῷ ἀπειθήσειε λαὸς αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγει· Οἱ ἐχθροὶ Κυρίου ἐψεύσαντο αὐτῷ· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Μισοποιοὶ Κυρίου οἱ ψευσάμενοι αὐτῷ. Καὶ προστίθησι· Καὶ ἔσται ὁ καιρὸς αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τοιαῦτα τετολμήκασιν, ὅμως τὸν παρόντα αἰῶνα ἕξουσι. Καὶ οὗτός ἐστιν αὐτῶν ὁ καιρὸς, ἐν 23.981 ᾧ καὶ μετὰ τοσαῦτα πλημμελήματα ἐψώμισεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ στέατος πυροῦ, καὶ ἐκ πέτρας μέλι ἐχόρτασεν αὐτούς. Κατὰ τοῦτο δὲ ἐπλήρου καταξιώσας αὐτοὺς τῆς οἰκείας τροφῆς, οὐ μόνον τῆς σωματικῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἐπουρανίου καὶ