Selections on Jeremiah

[Beginning of the chain: this is the first page of the translation.]

^A we strive that every word which goes forth from our mouth may effect something in both us who speak and those who hear, what then must we think of the prophets, that every word spoken through their mouth was effective? Nor is it to be wondered at if whatever word a prophet might send forth produced an effect corresponding to the word; but I suspect that also every miraculous letter written among the divine oracles, and not one iota in Scripture, fails to effect its work in those who know how to use the power of the letters. Just as herbs each have their own powers, whether for the health of bodies or for some other thing, yet it is not given to all to know which herb is useful for what thing, but those who are practiced in the art of herbs, and work in herbalism, know when they are to be taken, to which part of the body to apply them, and how they are to be prepared and tempered to bring relief to the user; so I would say, the holy and spiritual man, choosing and finding in the sacred Scriptures any iota, and any element, and finding the power of the letters, and to what use each might be accommodated, ^B finds nothing in the Scriptures to be superfluous. If you wish to hear a second example of this, the individual members of our body were created by the Artificer for a certain work; but it is not for everyone to know what the power and need of each of the smallest parts of the body is. For those doctors who are occupied with dissecting bodies can say this individually, and to what use even the smallest part of the body has been made by Providence. Consider, therefore, the Scriptures in this way, as if they were all herbs, or one perfect body of instruction; but if you are neither a herbalist of the Scriptures, nor a dissector of the prophetic sermons, do not therefore imagine that there is anything redundant in the Scriptures, but rather accuse yourself alone, rather than the letters, when you do not find the reason for those things which are written. This has been said by me as a universal preface, so that those who intend to devote themselves to this reading may be warned to skip nothing, nor to pass over anything unexamined and uninvestigated, in the letter.

FROM ORIGEN: EXPLANATORY SELECTIONS ON JEREMIAH

EX ORIGENE: SELECTA IN JEREMIAM

287 CAP. I.

6. *Et dixi: O existens dominator Domine; ecce nescio loqui, quia junior ego sum.* 7. *Et dixit Dominus ad me: Noli dicere quia junior ego sum.* ^C For the just man is not in youth, since "having been perfected in a short time he fulfilled long times." For as towards one not being in blameworthy ways belongs the "do not say that I am younger"; like Rehoboam who "abandoned the counsel of the elders" and followed those of the younger, for which reason he did not keep the kingdom as he had received it. The "boiler being blown upon from the face of the north" is being blown upon; for this is an enemy and at the same time an avenger. Therefore he who has sinned, whether in blasphemy "is delivered to Satan, that he may be disciplined not to blaspheme," or in fornication is delivered "to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord." And whom does it "blow upon? Those who dwell," but not those who are sojourning, "upon the earth." For he releases "fiery darts" against those not guarding their own hearts with all protection, such that they are set on fire by any sin whatsoever. Concerning those who "strike them," he speaks of a "lion" and a "wolf" and a "leopard." And it seems that the assault against their actions is done by those metaphorically called "lions," but that against their knowledge by those wishing to harm the perceptive power of the soul;

^A "The turtledove and the swallow of the field, the sparrows," meaning the intelligent listeners and those capable of speaking better things, "have kept" the "season" for making their own "entries," so that what is spoken might reach those who hear, with the entry of the swallow coinciding with the entry of the turtledove. Aquila and Theodotion rendered it: "Because he who fashioned all things is He, and Israel is the rod of his inheritance." If, indeed, "Israel is the rod of his inheritance," and he has also received the nations as an inheritance according to the saying, "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance," then even the nations shall be Israel. God, on the one hand, justly "does not hear" those who have not heard Him; demons, on the other hand, will not be able to "save" what is just for those who "offered incense to them" when the "time of evils" arrives. ^B Therefore, when God does not hearken, it is terrible to seek help from demons. But one must seek God, who has turned away on account of sins committed, yet does not ignore a great and persistent refuge in Him. He did not say, "I will not hearken to thee," but "to them," showing that even then, if you ask on behalf of them when they repent, I will hearken. He called the abandonment an operation,

for God is said to "destroy" His own tent when He lifts it up. Furthermore, the "destruction of the hand" worthy of God is the transformation from vice to virtue, according to the words, "I will bring My hand upon thee, and I will burn thee for a pure one," with the defilements previously within us from sin being destroyed. Such also is the meaning of "I will scatter them; for since they sinned against Me in concert, I will disperse their wicked gathering and harmony, just as He also divided the tongues of those building the tower, preventing the growth of their harmonious impiety." The phrase "they have been bereaved, they have destroyed My people," contains an accusation against the rulers and the priests; for these, existing in the order of fathers to the peoples, became destitute of children, setting forth impiety instead of pious instruction. Perhaps it is not even possible to "destroy a people" without first "bereaving" one's own soul of the offspring that come from virtue; for no one who is good destroys another. These souls of the impious would be "widows," having lost their bridegroom, Christ.

Such persons are also those who "have ridden upon chariots and horses," bridling the body and restraining its irrational impulses, so that the "city may be inhabited forever," and from everywhere, on account of the virtue of its leaders and the excellent conduct of its inhabitants, those who offer gifts "shall come from the cities of Judah," those who confess God, and "from those circling Jerusalem," the vision of peace, and "from the land of Benjamin," the son of the right hand [for everything done according to virtue is right], and "from the plain," which has nothing "exalted against the knowledge of God," and "from the mountain," of the evangelical word, and "from the south," which is opposed to the one blowing from the north. For these shall also bring a "sacrifice" that is "holy, acceptable to God," the dedication of the soul, and logical "burnt offerings," consuming all matter that is subject to the eternal fire through the Spirit. "Their prayer is as incense, and the lifting up of their hands is an evening sacrifice."

^A urging them toward salvation; but if they have not fulfilled the words of the Covenant, God says, "A bond has been found among the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem." 9. The bond is found. For the bond of the Church is the bond of sins, with those who are bound by the chains of their own transgressions; and it is necessary to "loosen every bond of wickedness," and to break the knots of violent dealings, according to what is written. Observe, moreover, how, as if signifying another future covenant, when He speaks of a covenant, He always added "of this."

10. "The iniquities of their fathers are returned upon them of old." There are also double fathers among us: some before the faith, and some after it. Christ truly says: "You are of your father the devil," just as we also were once, but through faith we have become children of Christ; and in the forty-fourth psalm it is said: "Hear, O daughter"; you see the voice of the Father. Then He says: "And see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house." A good Father speaks concerning a blamable father. John also says in the Catholic Epistle: "Everyone who does evil is born of the devil." As often, therefore, as we sin, we are born of the devil; but we are born of God again, as often as we achieve a work of virtue.

11. "And they shall cry to me, and I will not hear them." God indeed justly does not hear those who have not heard Him; but demons will not be able to defend the rights of those who venerate them with incense, when the time of calamities comes. ^B Since, therefore, God has not heard, it is ruinous to ask for help from demons, but one must depend upon God, who has turned away because of iniquities, and who does not despise those who take refuge in Him with great constancy.

14. "That I shall not hear." He did not say, "I shall not hear you," but "I shall not hear them," signifying that if they repent and you pour out prayers for them, I shall hear.

CHAPTER XII

5. "Purify them for the day of slaughter." Purify them by that very slaughter: "For whom the Lord loves, He chastens."

4. "How long shall the earth mourn?" If one considers "mourning" in a rational way, he signifies by that name the angel set over the administration of the earth. But this earth either mourns on account of the malice of those dwelling in it, or is exalted with joy on account of their virtues. ^D

11. "Because of me all the earth has been devastated." You might explain that more subtly: "Because of me all the earth has been devastated." For Christ having come, and our members having been put to death through His teaching, the earth that is in us has been devastated, since the flesh no longer performs its functions.

12. "Because the sword of the Lord shall devour." For He who came "to send a sword" has separated those things which were previously joined together...

those which previously were in a condition of false peace, spirit and flesh; for at that time they did not lust against one another. But He who taught the operation of both has sent the sword among us, and we carry about in ourselves the mortification of Christ, and the spirit lives, while the flesh is dead to us; for in that, not in this, we sow, that we may not reap corruption, but eternal life.

13. "Sow wheat." But they sow wheat and reap thorns who to those who discourse on the words of God, being alive according to them, if they believe as the children of heretics.

13. "And their inheritance shall not profit them." You might also say that those who possess an ecclesiastical inheritance ought not to rely upon this, as if it can save all those who possess it. For how many are the wretched ones who are ruined by their works! And of the laity, how many are blessed! But the powerful shall be powerfully examined. As Paul says, "It is required among the stewards that one be found faithful."

13. "Be ashamed of your boasting." He calls "boasting of reproach and shame" that which is in riches and strength and beauty and similar bodily gifts. If you possess this former psychic gift, you will not boast, obeying the one who says, "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches, but in this let him who boasts boast, to understand and know the Lord." saying: "Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ," and again: "Most gladly will I boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell upon me."

CAP. XIII.

12. "Every skin shall be filled with wine." He uses the example of the skins a second time, that every skin shall be filled with wine; though, if we perceive the differences of wines and liquids—some remaining empty, if we acknowledge the differences of the wines—the present truth will be shown. There is, therefore, the wine of dragons, the grapes of gall, and the vine of Sodom, as it is written; and there is the vine of the Egyptians which God strikes in wrath; and there is the cup of the Lord which makes men drunk, as it is written, or rather, as wisdom calls out to itself the cup, saying, "Come, eat of my bread, and drink the wine which I have mixed for you." And again, "The vine has become the beloved." This is the elect vine of Sorek. Every man, therefore, figuratively using [the term] wine, is capable of the better, or the worse, or both, and is equally, or more, or less, of one of the two; as he receives from the evil the result of both, Sodom and Egypt, of the enemies Israel, but from the good, that which is from the cup of the Lord and the cup of wisdom. And to one, punishment follows according to that: "Take this cup of wine, and the undiluted; and you shall give all nations to drink to whom I send you," Jeremy says, to whom he adds, "and they shall drink, and vomit, and be mad, and fall." For punishment.

they call it undiluted, worthy of the harshest penalty; others drink diluted wine, or something rather—for the cup in the hand of the Lord is full of mixed wine; and it has leaned from this to that; nevertheless, its dregs were not emptied out, all sinners of the earth shall drink. And there is the cup of blessing which the just drink, such as that of wisdom, which he presented to the disciples for the remission of sins.

14. *And I will not spare and I will not show pity.* ^B I will not spare, and I will not show pity. Heretics rise up against the Creator and the God of the prophets, failing to know how much it is good that those who sin against Him and against others be punished, so that the infection may not spread as from a diseased limb to the whole body: therefore the Judge punishes, and physicians cut away.

CHAPTER XV

5. *Who will spare, or who will be grieved for you?* ^B For just as no one goes with a king’s enemy to seem to agree with the royal decree, so also there is no rejection by God for those who are in sins, such that there is no room left before the most philanthropic God, nor among the angels any who would show pity; how he now depicts Jerusalem, as having sinned against Jesus, yet having heard it: Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you, how often I would have gathered your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its ^C wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is left to you desolate. Therefore the angels who always helped Jerusalem, and by whom the Mosaic law was ordained in the hand of a mediator, do not spare, do not grieve, do not return, so as to beg for peace for it. For while their iniquities were small, they did not depart; but as they were aggravated and they killed Jesus, they departed. For if a man has sinned against a man, they still pray for him; but if a man has sinned against the Lord, who will intercede for him?

6. *And I will extend my hand, and destroy them.* ^D He says the rejection is an operation. For God is said to destroy, removing his tabernacle. Furthermore, destruction worthy of the hand of God is a change from vices to virtue, according to what is said: "I will bring my hands over you and heat you, so that you may become pure"; for the former defilements of sin in us are destroyed.

7. *And I will scatter them.* It is like that which follows, for they sinned against me unanimously; I will scatter their worst concord and contention, just as he did to those building the tower, the languages he divided, preventing the concordant impiety from increasing. But as for the part: *They are bereaved of children, they have destroyed my people, and the chief priests*; it contains an accusation. For they, being in the place of fathers...

^A with regard to the nations, were orphaned of children, while suggesting impiety instead of pious teaching. Perhaps it is not even possible for someone to destroy the people unless he has first despoiled his own soul of the fruits of virtue; for no one who is good destroys another.

8. *Their widows have been multiplied above the sand of the sea*, etc. Now, the souls of the impious would be widows, for they have lost the bridegroom, Christ.

9. *I have brought upon the mother of youths*. The mothers who bore them in Christ and travailed until Christ was formed in them, and who nourished them with milk and solid food unto the youth of those who were perishing, are themselves distressed; and since they were brought to maturation, they were nourished unto the youth who were at enmity with them. Yet the multitude of these widows is not like the stars of heaven, but like the sand of the sea; but according to the letter, as very many were falling ^B in war, the women became widows, and the mothers were distressed.

10. *Woe is me, mother! Why did you bear me?* The prophets are like physicians; they see dreadful things and touch unpleasant things; they gather personal sorrows from the misfortunes of others, and are furthermore hated by those who are not pleased by their commands, as they turn them away from their pleasures. And those who have assumed the prophetic office for healing must also foresee these things. For the prophet is a physician of souls, being present to those in need of healing; for those who are whole have no need of a physician, but those who are ill. Such was Jeremiah, whose intent in rebuking was to convert, yet he was accused before judges by those who were like his accusers; and he was always in lawsuits, brought by those whom, as far as it depended upon him, he had restored to health. Therefore, at one time he says: *And I said, I will surely not speak, nor will I name the name of the Lord*; but at another time, seeing himself being judged, not judging, and furthermore being falsely accused, *Woe is me, mother!* And since the suffering ones did not listen to his good counsel, they did not benefit. That which a physician might say regarding an intemperate, sick patient, vainly consuming medicines, and neither benefiting, nor gaining anything. For blessed is the teacher who speaks into the ears of those who hear, having fruits in them. No one, then, benefited me, because no one is benefited. And otherwise, someone becomes better at what he teaches by having perceptive hearers, who bring to him questions that have been tested. ^C But the Hebrew text has it thus: *I did not owe, nor did any man owe me.* For the Apostle said: *I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians*, rendering to each what is due, and honoring them, if it befall, some as parents, others as brothers, and others as sons; speaking to the Hebrews from the Scriptures, and to the Greeks from the devotions they themselves hold, so as to say: *To all men I have become all things, that I might by all means save some.* And he also exhorts, saying: *Owe no one anything, except to love one another*; and before that: *Render to all their dues.* So then, a teacher is under obligation, and he is owed, if he lends spiritual silver. But if they do not receive these things, so that they might owe, nothing is owed in return. For it becomes... ^D

that anyone of them who has heard and is demanded by Him the interest of the words. Such also is the word of the Savior to the slothful teacher, that he ought to have cast my silver ^A to the bankers, and I, having come, would have demanded it with interest. It is also another sign that the words of the Lord are as a "hatchet cutting a rock." When the hearer, being reproved, is burned, so as to say, "Was not my heart burning within me?" the Word is "fire" and "wheat." But if he is delighted in listening to things according to pleasure, they are "chaff." But yet, the word of God is a "hatchet," powerful to cut not only wood but also a "rock"—not the one understood according to Christ, but the opposing one which must be cut—according to the saying, "Rocks shall be shattered before the Lord." Just as one who buys a garment from one from whom he should, possesses it legally, but he who "steals" it possesses it indeed, but not justly, so those teachers who bring forth the words from Scripture with a base and stained soul "steal" them. Concerning whom it may be said, "All who came before me are thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not hear them." Such is he who makes use of the evangelical word, not being disposed toward it with faith, nor having lived according to it, but making use of a foreign intent for the proclamation of the word; for he is a thief, and it shall be said to him, "You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal?" This which the whole world is, in a certain analogy, the human person is alone.

Concerning the temple of God, therefore, and the divine doctrines, "two baskets" are set. And He who chooses knows how to arrange each one, not tolerating the blending of the quality of a bad fig with ones that are very good—for "a little leaven leavens the whole lump"—nor the opposite. And perhaps the "basket" of "bad figs" is the Gehenna of eternal fire, while that of the "good" ones is the kingdom of heaven. And after a few words: But when did the prophet see the "baskets"? After the captivity, he says. For if you see the advent of the Savior, and the captivity of the people, and [how] we who are aliens by nature and outside of Jerusalem now—because of the faith in God and the sweetness of the truth—have become good figs, you will see the "basket" of the "good figs." But if you look upon those of the circumcision after this captivity, you will see the "basket" of the "bad" and "uneatable figs." Nor is it sufficient for the figs to be very good; it is also fitting that they be likened to the "early" ones, for there is no late fig to which the person being saved is compared. Christ is the builder and architect, concerning whom it has been said in the prophets:

"This one shall build my city, and shall turn again the captivity of my people." Therefore, the Lord says: "And I will build them up, and will not pull them down." For God, being good, pulls down certain buildings; for it is necessary that the building within us belonging to the unclean spirits be demolished, and thus a temple be built for God out of virtues and right dogmas, that His glory might also be seen within it. He is also a farmer, "planting" and grafting those whom it is worthy. For the Savior says, as the root supporting all the branches: "I am the true vine, you are the branches, and my Father is the farmer. Every branch in me that remains and produces good fruit, my Father cleanses it so that it may bear more fruit; but every branch in me that remains and does not bear fruit, my Father cuts off and casts it into the fire." The phrase "in me remaining and not bearing fruit" applies not to the Gentiles, but to the believers; such is the person who claims to be a believer while sinning with impunity, who is rightly cut off; but He cleanses the one who bears fruit, so that if he overlooks anything as a human being, he might correct it. These, as we were saying, the Seventy placed before the visions against the nations, while the Others did the opposite.

The person who has "been cast aside" is tossed about by every wind, whether of doctrine, or of anger, or of desire. Moreover, there are four general "winds" that disturb the human soul: desire, fear, pleasure, and grief, to which the "Elamite," abandoned by God, is delivered. But what is the "bow of Elam," in which the "beginning" of their "sovereignty" resides? David himself said, singing: "Lo, the sinners have bent their bow, they have prepared their arrows in the quiver, to shoot down in the dark those who are upright in heart." And a little later: But the Savior, having come, "brought" the "four winds upon" the "Elamites" who encompass us, so that He might "scatter" them. For opposing powers are delivered up to other opposing powers for punishment, as Pharaoh was to Nebuchadnezzar; for if you were to shut up venomous snakes together, the weaker ones are consumed by hunger by the stronger ones, until the one who is the most powerful of all, having been filled by the snakes he has devoured, becomes what is called a basilisk, possessing a venom that dries up a fruit-bearing tree from just a glance.

These animals are symbols of the Word that is proclaimed to the Israelites and heralded to the nations. The Babylonian ^A “holds a sickle,” not to save, but to cut down from the holy land and to “reap” churches; whom, before he suffers this, let us “destroy,” by causing the arguments of the heretics to disappear. Such was Paul, saying: “Being in readiness to punish all disobedience,” and saying: “Casting down every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.” Then he testifies to the “Greek” argument’s power, since all nations yield to it, as it seems in a way to be demonstrative.

“A sheep,” he says, as of one “that has gone astray.” And in the Gospel also he says: “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” And in the parable, one alone was lost out of the hundred, which the Shepherd who came to dwell among us came to find; he, having taken it up upon his shoulders, restored it to the number of the ninety-nine. ^B “For we all are one body” and one “sheep”: one is a foot, another the head, another some other part, but the Shepherd who came gathered “bone to bone and joint to joint,” and, having united them, took them up into His own land.

And the unity is brought about through love, truth, and a good choice. By His own word, therefore, He united all. But if some appeared disobedient, they acquired an incurable affliction. Therefore, the whole Israelite is one according to the true kinship, “for we all are one body and one bread, and we partake of one Spirit.” The “wandering sheep” is he who does not obtain the pursuit of what is befitting, whether in word or deed, either because he does not seek it or because he does not find it. But he who knows and does the things of knowledge does not wander; whereas he who “wanders” is “thrust away by lions.” For “our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” And now, also, “the lions’ whelps roaring to catch and to seek their food from God” plot against the righteous, wishing to “thrust us away” from the mountains of peace. But just as David took the lion by the beard and throttled it, so let us petition the spiritual David, Christ, having taken the lion and the whole assembly of wild beasts, to destroy them. And He now takes two general “lions,” both the “Assyrian” and the “Babylonian.” According to the history in the fourth book of Kings, there are two:

And when Solomon was constructing the divine temple, the third book of Kings says in praise that "there was neither hammer nor axe heard in the house of God." The church of God is a house in which no hammer ought to be heard. The devil is the hammer of the whole earth, and he who does not care for it is like some material beaten by it, yet suffering nothing. For it says: "Behold, a man standing upon an adamantine wall, and in his hand an adamant," which adamant is crushed by no hammer. Even if the devil, the hammer, should stand over one, and beneath him should be a dragon "like an unmelted anvil," the adamant that is in the hand of the Lord and under His protection will suffer nothing. For the saint is an adamantine wall, remaining impassible while in the hands of the Lord, even if he be caught in the midst of both the hammer and the dragon. But the more he is struck, the more brilliant he shows his virtue to be; for the devil, like someone ignorant of the nature of stones, tests the man who is like an adamant with many blows, whereas God alone rightly knows the nature of these things. If there were no hammer, there would not be the “beaten trumpet” according to the law, which awakens those who hear it for the feasts of God or stirs them up to war.

^A For is not the earth and all that is within it the Lord's? No, it says "the earth and its fullness," as though there are certain things in it that are not the fullness of the earth. For the fullness of the earth are those who have been filled by Him who said: "Do I not fill heaven and earth, says the Lord?"

28. Let the prophet in whom there is a dream tell it. Since even the false prophets used to abuse the words, "Thus says the Lord," feigning to be true prophets, there had to be signs that distinguished between the two. Now there was, according to the Apostle, the gift of the discernment of spirits, and whoever had this discerned the spirits, the divine as well as the evil ones, just as a money-changer discerns the true and the counterfeit coin. But apart from this general knowledge, ^B what is said here is sufficient for discrimination. For my word, He says, is not empty and food for beasts, but like wheat and the food of rational beings.

28. What is the chaff to the wheat? Why did He say "the chaff to the wheat" and not "to the barley"? For the Lord provided loaves, barley ones indeed for those not using reason, but wheaten ones for the rational. Therefore, even now He did not say: "What is the chaff to the barley?" but to the wheat, precisely indicating the rational food. There is also another sign: that the words of the Lord are as an axe hewing rock; when the hearer, being reproved, burns, so that he says, "Was not my heart burning within me?" the word is fire and wheat. But if one is delighted, hearing that which gives him pleasure, it is not chaff, but an axe, powerful not only to cut down wood, ^C but also to split rock—not the rock understood in accordance with Christ, but the opposite one, which must be cut according to the word: "Rocks shall be shattered before the Lord."

30. Behold, I am against those who steal my words. Just as one who buys a garment, if he does so from whom he ought, possesses it lawfully; but he who has stolen it, possesses it indeed, but not justly; in the same way, among those who teach from the Scriptures, those who offer the words with an adulterous and polluted soul are thieves, concerning whom it could be said: "All who came before me are thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not hear them." Such is the one who uses the evangelical discourse, not being disposed toward it with faith, nor living according to it, but using the proclamation of the word with an alien will; for he is a thief, and it shall be said to him: "You who preach not to steal, do you steal?" ^D

CHAPTER XXIV.

6. And I will establish my eyes upon them, etc. While the whole world is this, by a certain analogy he alone is man. You will find one called "heaven," when he wears the image of the heavenly; another "earth," if he bears the image of the earthly; for to him who has sinned it was said, "You are earth"; another who has in himself rivers springing up into eternal life, if he has most drinkable words; another having an "altar" [salt] sea, of waves

As many thoughts as one possesses that stand opposed to piety, these are the "many Babylonians," who, being sinners, must be destroyed from the earth. From their number, he who has purified himself within the city becomes a member of the city of God, who avenges the "insolence" of Babylon; for she thought she had prevailed by her own power and boasted against God. For when the temple was burned, the sacred vessels were given for use to the concubines. For this reason, He consumed the fruitless nation by "fire," as if it were a certain "thicket." Thus He says: "Behold, I am against you, O insolent one, says the Lord of hosts." He prophesies the consummation that shall come about suddenly; for "as in the days of the flood" and "in the days of Lot" everyone was occupied with the things of life, "until the flood came and the fire, and took them all away," so shall the consummation be sudden. Of this, the city of Jericho, which fell suddenly at the mere sound of trumpets, was a symbol. And indeed, at the time of the saving Passion, "Babylon fell suddenly," as Christ abolished the dogmas concerning the pagan idols and rescued those from the nations who believed.

"You are earth and into earth you shall go," but rather from the similar things: you are heaven and into the heavens you shall go, for you bear "the image of the heavenly," and you stand firm. But if Babylon has not been despaired of [for otherwise He would not have said, "If by any means she might be healed"], what other soul shall we despair of? But if she has not been saved, this has happened because of her, just as the best physicians offer their defense and say: "We treated Babylon, and she was not healed; let us leave her." For it is not because of them, nor because of the medicine, nor because of the "balm" that she is not healed. The physicians are the angels, who are under the Great Physician, God, and who desire to heal those who obey. If not, they will say: "Let us leave her, let us go each man into his own land" and his own place and his own business, "for her judgment has reached unto the heaven," having condemned her as incurable and about to suffer the things of despair. And indeed, physicians of bodies leave those who are incurable, lest they die in their hands; this is what the angels do. But by as much as we sin, our "judgment" increases, and "lifts itself up unto the stars," that is to say, the saints.

^A 21. Thus said the Lord concerning Achiah. Every such senior who acts thus shall suffer from the king of Babylon. For if he who receives the Eucharist unworthily receives it unto judgment, how much more he who sits in the assembly of seniors with a polluted conscience, defiling the counsel of Christ? For what pious man, sitting with him, would dare to say: "I have not sat with the counsel of vanity," and what follows?

CAP. XXX

21. Who is this who has given his heart to return to me? This is spoken as of something rare. But it is the custom of Holy Scripture after bitter things to subjoin humane things for consolation, and after pleasant things to bring in bitter things again, lest by despising the riches of the goodness of God they "treasure up for themselves wrath in the day of wrath." Therefore He says: "If wrath has gone forth, it will not return ^C until it does what God wills." And God wills, and wrath occurs, so that what God wills may be accomplished. For if anyone does not wish to acquiesce in the will of the Word of God, wrath is poured out upon him. Therefore, may we not have need of chastening wrath.

CAP. XXXI

10. Announce among the isles which are afar. Those are far away which surge with the waves of this life; which, before they come to salvation, are far from the truth. But God has redeemed Jacob. For the yoke ^D which was placed upon him has been removed, and the staff that was upon his neck, as Isaiah says. It signifies, moreover, that He himself also rescued him from the power of the devil. For what could we have done against Him who, among other things, also said: "I will take the whole world like a nest"; to whom through Christ we say: "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O hell, is your sting?"

16. Let your voice cease from weeping. To those who are worthy of the title of blessed, if they weep, let it be said: "Let your voice cease from weeping"; to those who say in the Holy Spirit:

^A "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept when we remembered Zion."

16. "And they shall return from the land of their enemies." It is written in Baruch: "Why art thou in the land of thine enemies, and art defiled with the dead?" When the righteous possess the land, it is the land of the saints; but when the number of sinners is great, it is the land of the enemies. It is because of this, he says, that they shall return, so that it may be a permanent state for those who return from the land of their enemies, for those who have benefited, and for your fruits. It is written in Exodus also that God heard the groaning of the people on account of their works, which is similar to the passage here, though not for everyone, but for Ephraim, who is lamenting. And Ephraim is interpreted as "fruitful."

^B 307 18. "I have heard Ephraim lamenting." God hears the voice of those lamenting in repentance. Why, however, did He introduce Ephraim lamenting for his sins? You have it in the third book of Kings, that because it was necessary for those under the rule of Roboam, when it was necessary to endure and not to fail, they cried out: "There is no part for us in David," when Jeroboam became the leader of the rebels and, being of the tribe of Ephraim, made calves and, turning them away from the worship of God, led away ten tribes; on account of which those who were rightly repenting, upon their capture, lamented and cried out: "Thou hast chastised me, Lord, and I was chastised." For as a calf, having leaped away from the herd, finds no pasture to the benefit of its flock, and needing the help of its shepherd, because the shepherd no longer enables it, it is weak toward conversion, and it was necessary for me to repent before the captivity and obey the prophets, but I repented after the captivity. ^C Acknowledging his groaning: for how would one who is ignorant of his sins groan, or one who acts worthily of shame in sin, and especially these excesses? And to such an extent did he show others your way! So great is Ephraim’s repentance, that God takes up the words of confession from his mouth, and he himself hears the voice saying: "Ephraim is a beloved son to me from his youth."

23. "A blessed mountain upon my holy mountain." Nebuchadnezzar the Assyrian possessed all men, from whom Christ delivered us. Therefore, Matthew, following Isaiah, says: "To preach release to the captives"; for we do not look to the historical captives. He himself is the just and holy mountain. For how would it be appropriate according to the letter? But if we are in him, we are, according to "And you shall be built in me," built in the holy mountain. That which a person does while in Judea is happening, which is interpreted as: "confessing to God," confessing sins and giving thanks. He says: "For you are the first of your iniquities, that you may be justified." ^D For there are certain cities of God and His plantings; for Paul also says: "You are God’s husbandry, God’s building." For it is in Him that the mysteries of God and the ineffable dogmas are built—and also among those outside, for Babylon is reported to have such gates, and from those things which…

descents into the middle of the river, the city was “captured,” as each part was linked by bridges besides the ascending paths leading into the city, the city being divided into two parts. And the history states that while those at the ends of the city were being captured, the others were holding a festival and, because of the size of the city, did not notice, although, as is likely, the city was full of noise from those “running to bring news” and those, on the other hand, returning from it.

He seems now to call the houses “complexes”; for, by their continuity with one another, they formed a system. Thus he adds: “the houses of the king of Babylon” and the rest; that is, from the fortresses formed within them.

Regarding “they will incline him and shatter his vessels,” Symmachus said: “and they will drag him away and empty his vessels.” For he remained with the metaphor of wine, indicating that he will be emptied of good things. Therefore, prosperity is not good for the arrogant, just as it was not for the rich man in Hades, because of which he was punished.

^A Since "tithes" are offered in the tenth of the propitiations, and the Decalogue is in the first legislation; and you shall know the field, the one full of fruits becoming to the saints. Such was the field of Jacob, which, when Isaac had smelled it, "Behold," he says, "the fragrance of my son is as the fragrance of a full field which the Lord has blessed." What kind is he who has the fruits of the Spirit, that he may sow the things of the Spirit, and reap eternal life? For Jacob did not breathe the scent of vines or of figs, but of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, self-control. For such a field, therefore, Jeremiah gives thanks, saying, "O You who are, Lord." For he was contemplating the One who truly is, not looking at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

^B Jeremiah wrote down not only prophecies, but also his own sufferings, teaching some the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and others examples of endurance, while the false prophets suffered nothing of the sort because of their sycophancy. Let us, therefore, be prepared in time of persecution to be ranked with Jeremiah and with the Apostle who says, "In prisons often." But the fact that "the king could not" shows his more humane intention. And a righteous king ought not to connive at those things which wicked familiars suggest. Often, however, it is useful for there to be someone in the presence of the prince who may defend. For thus God often bestows blessings.

^C "I fear," he says, "lest I become a derision to the deserters." For this is what makes me solicitous. But just as Jerusalem was delivered because of her sins, so also is the Church. And if one presides over her who is like Hezekiah, she is saved; but if he is like Zedekiah, he saves her if he withdraws, but destroys her if he remains. If, therefore, anyone who is defiling the Church departs, he saves both her and his own soul; but if, following the example of Zedekiah, he delays in going out, "a little leaven leavens the whole lump."

^D And Jeremiah says to him what the women who are being led into captivity will say: "They have deceived you, those who said to you peaceably that you would not be delivered to the Babylonian." They will be your companions as causes of your fall; for you will surely be captured. Perhaps he accuses also the false prophets, who were promising peace with their words. But the prophet benevolently hid the truth from the princes, caring for the king. For he was harming no one by keeping silent about it now, since his words had already been read aloud in public.

CAP. XL.

The prophet, having received the choice of where he wishes to live, looking down on Babylon, chooses Judea, fleeing the honor of the kingdom, and because of the poor who remained to cultivate the fields, so that he might take care of the land for the sake of the poor and cultivate their souls through prophesying. And

^A the prophets divided; this one the territory of Judea, and the other Babylon, and the three children, Daniel.

CHAP. XLI.

2. And Ishmael arose, and ten men. A good man does not suspect that things are evil in such a way as to murder even those who have done no wrong. But why did God allow Gedaliah to be slain? This is a matter for another consideration, and for the inscrutable judgments of God.

Of the same man. A good and gentle man, and one who was providing such protection to the Judeans. Although many had foretold, "We will kill him." But he did not believe it, but perished. But he did not become the cause of the return to the Judeans, but their own wickedness did. For if they were told, "Do not fear from the face of the Chaldeans," they were persuaded, putting their faith in God much more than in the man. Or was the man worthy, but God no longer so?

CHAP. XLIV.

21. Is it not incense which you have burned? Set in order this, not the incense, that the Lord remembered. It is evident, indeed, that it is about those who were sacrificing to idols, he says. For those who acknowledge their own, the things set forth are brought in. But let us examine, if one sacrifices to God as is fitting, whether the reason for the land becomes a cause [of ruin]. For if you offer fragrant incense to God according to the Judeans, possessing virtue, you offer a good thing, having a harmonious internal fragrance; but if you offer it while being evil, as if contaminating internal fragrance, you change it into a stench, when it is said ^B that it cannot: The Lord is the odor of fragrance, but the opposite. But the odor of fragrance before God is not of those living things offered by Noah, which were called pure, but of his righteousness and his perfection, which even he himself was in his generation; for God is not pleased with blood and fat, as are the demons. But we, having been resurrected with Christ, seek things above, meditating on that with our mind ^C: Let my prayer be as incense in your sight. Just as John says in the Apocalypse: The incense is the prayers of the saints. But if we soil this with evil thoughts, it happens that: Let their prayer become sin; or conversely, if we pray in righteousness for those who speak of sin ^D: My scars have rotted and corrupted from the face of my folly, the incense becomes foul-smelling. Wherefore Isaiah said: If you bring fine flour, it is a vain incense, an abomination to me. But how one ought to pray the Apostle taught, saying: I want men to pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without anger and disputations. When such hands of Moses were lifted up, Israel was winning; when they were lowered, it was overcome by Amalek. He who prays does not fail, when this is true which is said: Even while you are still speaking, he says, "Behold, I am here." To tolerate the wicked of the present time, then, he says, is the Lord.

But we, even if we are able to tolerate some stench, nevertheless flee from it. And God, having a measure of forbearance, punishes those who do not repent; which he did in the time of Noah, when he could no longer bear the evil stench of those who transgressed at that time. Wherefore he says in the prophet: "I was silent; shall I also always be silent?"

21. And your land shall be for a desolation. As, indeed, from putrefying bodies the adjacent air becomes contaminated and makes things painful for those nearby, and the place becomes impassable, so clearly do the sins of souls effect this.

CAP. XLV.

3. *Because you said: Woe is me! woe is me!* Because he was suffering with the people, Baruch lamented, and prayed to God for them. Therefore, he receives a response to his distress in evils, God saying thus: "What I tear down, I will again build up." For he first causes pain, then restores it, and what follows. For those things that follow are not acceptable unless those that were evil are first removed. For he settles what is perverse not as a builder of the works of unbelievers, but as the architect of the true tabernacle, which He Himself fashioned and not man; concerning which Paul says: "You are God’s building"; and as a husbandman rooting out what does not produce fruit (For "Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up"); he nurtures a fruit-bearing vine, and not according to that which has been turned into bitterness and is fruitless, which he cuts down, so that he may again make it true and [a] God’s husbandry. Thus he tore down the hedge from that which came out of Egypt, for which he prays according to David: "Look down from heaven, and protect this vine." And he permits this vine. And thus they are instructed for their benefit. "For whom the Lord loves, he disciplines. For who is there that is not an enemy, if he is not disciplined by me? For the grief that is according to God works repentance that is unchangeable for salvation." For this reason he brings evils upon all flesh, indeed upon those who mind earthly things. ^{A B C}

5. *And I will give your soul.* He finds the souls of the righteous to be God’s; for the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God; but those of the wicked are considered as though they were not. ^D

CHAPTER XLVIII.

12. *And for this reason, behold, his days are coming, etc.* To "incline him, and they will break his vessels." Symmachus says: "And they will spread him out, and his vessels will be poured out." For he remains in the turning of the wine, indicating that they will be emptied of good things. It is not good, therefore, for there to be abundance for the arrogant, as for him who is rich in Hades, who was being punished. Moreover, regarding the "vessels" spoken of in reference to wine, Aquila translated [it as] "horns," which happened to be a type of ancient vessel. For they used to drink from horns; whence, he let "to pour out" (to mix) remain. The vessels, then, are the cities, and what is inside are the people and the wealth; for as they led away the [people], him [the king]…

^A "if wrath comes, it shall not depart, until he performs what God wills." And God wills, and wrath happens, so that what God wills may come to pass. For if someone does not wish to abide in the will of the Word of God, wrath is unleashed upon him. Let us not, therefore, have need of chastening wrath or "fury." It is not through the desert, as before, but through the lawful and inhabited land. And figuratively, it is "in consolation," because "blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." ^B "Islands far away" are those tossed by the waves of life, which are far from the truth before coming to salvation. And "God has redeemed Jacob"; for "the yoke that was laid upon them is taken away, and the rod upon their neck," as Isaiah says. It signifies also that He Himself delivered us from the power of the devil. For what could we have done against him who said, among other things, "I will take the whole world in my hand like a nest"? ^C Against him we say through Christ: "O death, where is your victory? O grave, where is your sting?" To those who are worthy of the beatitude of weeping, let it be said: "Let your voice cease from weeping," for those who speak in the Holy Spirit:

concerning whom they rightly repented and lamented, and having been instructed by the capture, cried out: "You have instructed me, O Lord, and I was instructed." For like some "calf" that has broken away from the herd, I have departed from your pasture, and I ask for your help. For without your enabling, I am weak "to turn back." And though it was necessary for me to repent before I was captured and to obey your prophets, after the capture "I repented." And having "known," he "groans." For how would someone who is ignorant of the fact that he is sinning groan, having committed deeds "worthy of shame" in his sins, and especially in his acts of wantonness? And I have repented so much that I have even "shown [others] you." Great is the repentance of Ephraim, such that God took the words of confession from his mouth, and he himself heard a voice saying: "Ephraim is a beloved son to me from his youth." Nebuchadnezzar had all men as an Assyrian, from whom Christ has redeemed us. Therefore, Matthew, quoting Isaiah, says: "To proclaim liberty to the captives." For he did not preach to captives in a historical sense. He himself is also the "just" and "holy mountain." For how could that apply to something inanimate? If we are in Him according to the saying, "And you in me," let us build upon the just mountain.

^A 16. *From the face of the Grecian sword.* The rest translate it as "the dove." But again, since it prevails against the Babylonians, it is called a dove, just as they were before. For he who is always ordered toward divine judgment for a ministry is beautiful and in honor; unless, because of the reverence which the Babylonians had for them, He transfers them to their enemies, with their order and power having been changed.

17. *Israel is a wandering sheep; the lions have driven him out.* He calls him sheep as one that is wandering. For in the Gospel, it says: "The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost." And in the parable, He not only loses one out of a hundred, but the shepherd goes away abroad to find what was lost, and ^B having lifted it upon his shoulders, restores it in the number of the ninety-nine. For if we are all one body, we are also one sheep. One is the foot, another the head, another something else; but the shepherd, having come, gathered bone to bone and harmony to harmony, and having joined them, carried it away to his own region. There is, indeed, a conjunction through love and truth. Whoever, therefore, are joined in Him, all are joined. If, however, some are seen to be resistant, they have labored with disease. So, one is the whole Israel, one body, one ^C loaf, of which all are participants in the Spirit. That sheep is wandering which, whether by doing or by saying, does not follow what is to be hunted, or that which does not find it. But he who knows and does what he knows acts rightly; but he who errs is driven out by the lions. *Our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour.* Now indeed, there are cubs of the lion roaring that they may seize and seek from God what they desire for themselves. He lies in wait, however, for the just, wishing to drive us from the mountains of peace. But, just as David, seizing the lion by its chin, strangled it, so let us, as spiritual ^D Davids, seek out Christ, who strangulated the lion and the gathered beasts. He now understands the lions as the princes, namely the Assyrian and the Babylonian. According to the history of the fourth book of Kings, there are two. For the Assyrian led away the sons of Israel to the Assyrians down to this day; but the Babylonian, the sons of Judah to Babylon. Furthermore, he does not now say just "first and second," but "first and last." For the first lion is the opposing devil, who is the murderer of men; the last is at the end of the age, the son of perdition, who will exalt himself above everything that is called God or honored.

18. *Behold, I will avenge myself upon the king of Babylon.* Israel cannot return to his pasture unless both kings suffer what they ought to suffer from the one who is avenging them. One must entirely accept this saying about the devil or the Antichrist. For in me the Satans are trodden down under my feet quickly. When, however, they are destroyed...

and these two are taken away, and between them he shall restore Israel to his pasture—when he shall graze in Carmel, and in Bashan, and in the mountains of Ephraim, and in Gilead. There being so many places of Judea and of the land that is being inherited, he named only these.

23. How is the hammer of the whole earth broken and crushed? He calls Babylon the hammer, because with its own greed it crushed mortals. But when Solomon built the house of God, the third book of Kings says in its praise that hammers and axes were not heard in the house of the Lord. And the house is the Church of God, in which a hammer ought not be heard. But the hammer of the whole earth is the devil, and whoever ignores it is as if material ^B formed by him and not suffering. For behold, he says, a man standing upon an adamant wall, and in his hand is adamant, which adamant is not crushed by any hammer. Even if the devil, who is the hammer, is standing by, and the dragon who is subject serves as an un-forged anvil, nothing in the hand of the Lord and under his shelter shall be cowed by the adamant. For the holy wall is adamant, and it remains impassible in the hand of the Lord; even if it takes the hammer of the hammer and of the dragon. But when it is struck, it shows its virtue more brightly; for the devil, because of the nature of the stones, proves it through many blows, as if it were adamant, God alone knowing the nature of these well. If there were not a hammer, there would not be the beaten trumpet, which according to the law used to ^C stir those listening to the war to the feasts of the Lord or provoke them to war. Such is what he did to Paul through various temptations; the hammer, though Paul suffered nothing from it, by a great voice stirred him toward virtues against the evils. Thus, the hammer exerts temptation, but the one from the seed of Cain, the hammer-maker, the blacksmith of bronze and iron, serves the hammer. Such was Judas in the time of the Savior, and those who cried out "Crucify" concerning him, through such ministers serving the hammer.

25. And he brought forth his vessels of wrath. The Apostle also knows the vessels of wrath, having been prepared for destruction, ^D to make known the riches of his glory in vessels of mercy. For he divided all men into these two vessels, the one of wrath, the other of mercy—the one being Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and the other Paul and those who have believed. But what is the "treasury of the Lord" in which the vessels of wrath are? Perhaps it is the Church, in which they are often hidden. But this is the time, when he opens the Church; for now it is closed, and the vessels of wrath are fed with the vessels of mercy, and the chaff with the grain are both in one net, as are the elect fish. And the Lord opens his treasury at the time of judgment, when the vessels of wrath being cast out, and the vessels of mercy remain, he said figuratively: They went out from me, for they were not of me.

27. For their day has come, he says, for the captives of Judea, happily announcing vengeance against Babylon. It may also be understood of those who are converted from idolatry, whom he calls Babylon, who returning to Zion, that is, the Church, announce vengeance from the Lord God. ^A

29. Announce to those in Babylon. There are many in Babylon, few in Jerusalem. For it is said: It was not because you were many that the Lord our God loved you, for you are few among many. For you are a very few compared to all the nations. For there are few who are indeed saved, and who enter through the narrow way. But everyone is commanded to stretch their bow against the broad and spacious Babylon, and that no one escapes it.

29. Render to her according to her works. Whatever someone has in their thoughts that is repugnant to piety. There are many Babylonians, insofar as they are sinners of the earth to be destroyed, whom he who has escaped writes to the city of God, which avenges the injury of Babylon. For she thought to have obtained victory by her own strength, and boasted against God. But her holy vessels having been scorched have been turned to common use. Therefore, against a fruitless nation, as it were a forest, I have consumed it with fire, for which cause he says: Behold, I am against the destructive one, says the Lord of hosts. ^{C D} CAP. LI.

3. And do not spare her young men. He prophesies the destruction that is to happen suddenly. For just as in the days of the flood and in the days of Lot, all the activities of life were passing by until the flood and the fire came and took them all, so it will be, and the consumption will be sudden and unexpected, of which a figure was Jericho, which in one moment falls by the mere sound of trumpets. And at the time of the Lord’s passion, Babylon suddenly falls, for Christ abrogated the dogmas of the gentile idols, and freed those who believed out of the gentiles.

7. Babylon is a golden cup. Babylon is a golden cup of Nebuchadnezzar for the deceiving of men, because they receive and drink, seeing the gold, and it is beautiful to behold, and pleasant to think about, but what is in it is judgment, which they do not observe. For its corrupt dogma is adorned with elegance of expression, and with an artificial method. For every poet who is thought to be excellent has compared a golden cup [to his work], mixing the poison of idolatry, obscenity, and all the evils of the soul. But Jesus did not choose the golden cup, lest it should appear to be like it. Therefore we have this treasure in earthen vessels, but the salvation that is in it. Regarding the golden cup of Babylon, when it comes for vengeance, it is in the hand of the Lord, which [has] once...

once touched Job, inebriating the whole earth with anger, with sorrow, with desires, and with vainglory. For as many as are the sins, so many are the drunkennesses, as if all were shaken by wine, having nothing stable. But the righteous man is not of the earth; for although he is on earth, he has his citizenship in the heavens, and he would not hear: "You are earth, and to the earth you shall go," but rather, fittingly: "You are heaven, and to the heavens you shall go; for you bear the image of the heavenly, and you stand fixed." ^B

9. "We have healed Babylon, and she is not healed." Babylon is not desperate; for otherwise it would not have said: "If she might be healed." What other soul shall we consider desperate? But if it is not saved, this has happened through its own fault; so that the best physicians might make excuse and say: "We have healed Babylon, and she is not healed; let us leave her." For it is not through them, nor through medicine, nor through resin that she is not healed. The physicians are the angels, who are under the great physician, God, and who desire to heal those who obey; but if not, they will say: "Let us leave her; let us go each to his own land, and to his own place, and to his own work, because her judgment has reached unto heaven," condemning her as incurable and as ready to suffer what the desperate deserve to suffer. For the physicians of the body also leave the incurable, lest they die in their hands, which is what the angels do. And as often as we sin, our judgment grows and is lifted up to the stars—that is, to the holy ones—and then God brings forth His judgment to bring down the judgment lifted up by sin, humbling the sin and rendering what is worthy. ^C

10. "Come, and let us declare in Sion." And Isaiah prophesied: "Upon a level mountain lift up a sign, elevate the voice to them, entreat with the hand." But the prophets were exhorting the Persians and the Medes, as they had already mastered Babylon, to lift up the signal of war upon her walls that were to be captured, by which they might signal the assault to the soldiers. And he commands them to have their weapons in readiness; he says the bows for the Medes.

17. "Every man is made foolish from knowledge." Consistently with [the verse], "Every man is made foolish from knowledge," Paul says: "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" And the time of visitation is especially the destruction of idolatry after the coming of Christ. The vessels of war which the Babylonian scattered are the men of Israel and Judah, men experienced in war, for whom he threatens to spare no one. ^D

21. "And I will scatter upon you," etc. The horses are the demons, who sit upon carnal pleasures. And of old, indeed, he cast the horse and the rider of Egypt into the sea; but these, yoking together within us various passions, strive [to oppose the four virtues]

virtues, and they construct chariots. And the person who is irascible and strengthened towards wickedness, is the man; she who is given over to pleasures, is the woman; and the man advanced in years, is the veteran of evil days; but the young men, of whom Isaiah speaks: *The juniors shall hunger and the young men shall grow weary, and the elect shall be without strength*. And on the contrary: *But those who wait for the Lord shall change their strength, they shall sprout wings like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary*. The elect, then, are now in the midst of evil, of which kind that is: *And their food is elect*. And regarding those who are elect in virtue, they are not swallowed up by Nebuchadnezzar. He also had virgins, even the Vestals, if you will, the Pythians, and others of various sorts. Indeed, the soul that does not receive the divine seed is a virgin to him. He has also shepherds and teachers who lead ^B their followers; and farmers sowing tares and cultivating the thorns and thistles, that is, the worldly cares in men. He has also leaders in malice, and princes, and especially those against whom our struggle is, *against principalities and powers*. To all these, therefore, God renders in their sight, to those who said a little before: *Come, and let us worship before the Lord, the greatness of God*.

25. *Behold, I am against thee, O corrupted mountain.* He calls Babylon a mountain on account of the height of its kingdom, which was established by an injustice of idols and by the works of an evil life, by which the corrupted city itself corrupted others. There was also a city situated in a high place on account of the nearby river, from which certain steps led up to the city, divided into two parts, and having each bank adjacent ^C to the river; and furthermore, the city walls were very high. For He destroys the hand which is the punishing power, which tears down its own security and defenses, as though from rocks, and makes the stones of it useless on account of the fire, so that the stone does not remain as a foundation for a building. But in an anagogical sense, the mountain is also called the devil, as in Zechariah: *Who art thou, O great mountain, before the face of Zorobabel?* And regarding the one who had the deaf and dumb demon, the Savior said: *If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain: Depart, and it shall depart*. The mountain, therefore, is the devil—corrupted by its own evil, and corrupting those who mind ^D earthly things.

27. *Sanctify over it the nations.* Sanctify the nations, that is, separate them. For sanctification is the ministry of God, even if it is for punishment. For he who is separated is unclean, such as Cyrus was, to whom God says through Isaiah: *But you did not know me*. And He called some of those having campaigned against Babylon nations, among whom He calls the Ararat the Armenians.

29. *Let the earth be moved, etc.* Let the earth be moved, that is, the people who are its inhabitants, who in previous years had been firmly established and had [604: Greek column header omitted, see instructions] held fast their powers and their kingdoms; but now, [GREEK COLUMN continues] and God therefore, having a measure of forbearance, pursues those who do *not* repent; which He did in the case of Noah, being no longer able to bear the stench of those then transgressing. Wherefore He says in the prophets: *I have kept silence; shall I also keep silent forever?* For just as the air surrounding rotting bodies, when it takes in and is corrupted, produces pestilence for those who encounter it, and the place "becomes impassable," so too the sins of souls produce a pestilence of souls. Baruch, sympathizing with the people, lamented, and he intercedes with God for them. Wherefore he receives the promise of help in their evils, God saying "thus": "Those whom I tear down, I will build up again." For first, "He causes pain, and again He restores," and the things following these; for good things are not acceptable unless the evils have been first removed. For He also dissolves the wretched buildings of the faithless as the architect "of the true tabernacle which He pitched, and not man," concerning which Paul says: "You are God's building."