Commentary on Isaiah, Discourses 1–19

Commentary on Isaiah, Discourses 1–19

continued

Discourse 2

1 The word that came from the Lord to Isaiah, son of Amoz, concerning Judea and concerning Jerusalem. The present matters are akin to those that have gone before, and proceed through the same thoughts one might perceive them, by applying a subtle mind to the contemplations of the intellect. For the words of old from God came to the divine prophet concerning Judea and concerning Jerusalem. And it seems somehow to have a certain intermediate and not very clear rendering of the vision, to say "concerning Judea and concerning Jerusalem. Nevertheless, as far as is possible, we shall clarify the power of the vision itself, bringing it to mind somehow, as it were, in brief. For since it attempts to speak of the devastation of the perceptible Judea and Jerusalem, but of the manifestation of the one in Christ and intelligible, and its revelation in this world; for this reason, he says he has seen the vision not on behalf of Judea, nor indeed against Jerusalem, but concerning Judea, and concerning Jerusalem. And we say perceptible Judea, and indeed Jerusalem, is the land itself in which Israel dwelt, and the very system of the Jewish synagogue. But again, we will consider the intelligible Jerusalem, or Judea, to be the Church, that is, the circumcision in the spirit, that is, those in Christ who have the circumcision not made with hands in mind and heart. And so one of the holy prophets proclaimed to the Jews:

2 Be circumcised to God, and circumcise the hardness of our hearts, you men of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem. But the divine Paul knows another Jew, not so much the one according to the flesh, but the one in the spirit. For he writes thus: "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God. Therefore one must soberly observe, when the prophet speaks against Jerusalem, or Judea, and when concerning the one in Christ and intelligible, which is also truly perfect and blameless. What then does he say? That in the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, and the house of God on the top of the mountains. And it shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall come to it. And many nations shall go and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will tell us his way, and we will walk in it. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. For the vision ended for him. And it was the end of the prophecy that had already come.

3 Because they shall be put to shame for their idols which they themselves wanted, and they were ashamed for their gardens which they themselves desired. And in what manner those of Israel were ashamed for their idols, we have sufficiently said. But since mention has been made of the prophecy concerning them, the prophet, beginning the next and second vision, marks the time, in which not in some part of the earth, nor in one country and city will the power of the devil fall, with the worship of idols and profane fabrication being completely destroyed, but from all under heaven this disease shall be taken away, and the tyranny of unclean demons. And this has also been accomplished for those on earth in the last days, that is, in the final times of the present age, in which the only-begotten Word of God shone forth, being born of a woman. When he also presented to himself the intelligible Judea, or Jerusalem, that is, the Church as a pure virgin, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, according to what is written; but rather holy and blameless. And concerning it he says, that in the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, and the house of the God of Jacob on the top of the mountains. And to us, Zion in Judea is said to lie and be built on a mountain. But the Church might be understood in these things not so much perceptibly, but spiritually, which is also likened to a mountain.

4 For it is truly high and conspicuous, and very well-known to those everywhere. And high in another way; for it thinks nothing of earthly things but is above earthly things, and beholds the glory of God, as is possible, with the eyes of the mind, and boasts in the exceedingly high dogmas concerning him. For the eminent among the Greeks , although a great upon raising their brow in wisdom, they deify creation, and attach reverence to the elements of the world. For they have a base mind, and groveling speculations, and a darkened heart; professing to be wise, they became fools, as it is written. But the spiritual Zion, that is, the Church, flies above all creation, both visible and invisible, and arrives at the very nature that is beyond all things. For it is filled with divine light, and recognizing her as both creator and craftsman of all things, to her and to her alone it assigns power over all. And with such glory it crowns the universal king of all, and God, and Lord. Therefore the house of God might rightly be called a spiritual mountain. And it is conspicuous, as if raised upon hills. And one might very fittingly say of it what was said through the voice of the Savior, as from a clear example: "A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.

5 And one could collect very many examples, and very easily, through which it is possible to see in the divinely inspired Scriptures, that the stature of the spiritual Jerusalem, that is, the height of the Church, is compared to hills and mountains. But we shall proceed to what follows, leaving it to the lovers of learning to collect such things, if they should choose to do so. Let us see what results in benefit for those on the earth. From the house of God becoming so conspicuous to all everywhere, that it seems now somehow to be exalted upon the hills, and to be set on the tops of the mountains. Therefore, the prophet will immediately give full assurance, saying. "And all the nations shall come to it; and many nations shall go and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will declare to us his way, and we will walk in it. That all the nations, therefore, have been gathered, and have run together through faith to the Church, we will not need long arguments for proof. The outcome of the events itself will be a self-witness and true. But this is worthy of wonder. For the multitude of nations has been called, not through the instruction of the law, not through holy prophets; but rather a certain divine and ineffable grace gathers them, shining spiritually, and implanting the desire for salvation through Christ.

6 For see how, though no one proclaimed it to them, they call out to one another: "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will declare to us his way, and we will walk in it. First they go up, and then they seek for the word of God to be proclaimed to them. And they promise to walk in the way of the Lord, clearly that of the Gospel, which has as its prelude the purification through faith. But in seeking to learn the way of the Lord, they seem to have first accepted the condemnation of that ancient and profane error. For the desire for better things will not be in us otherwise, unless we have first condemned the things of old. Who then has been their mystagogue? Who is it that leads them to the knowledge of truth, and persuades them to consider the former things laughable, and to run to the latter? Is it not clearly God? who also shone, as I said, into their mind and heart, and persuaded them to say and at the same time to think that "Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. But this bears a twofold meaning within itself. For either they mean this, that we shall receive a word from the house of God, and being there we shall know the word of God;

7 or that the law has left Zion, and as it were gone out from it, and the Word of God has departed from Jerusalem. For since they have behaved insolently toward Christ, and have denied his kingdom, he has left them and made them orphans. And this was what was said through the prophet: "And I said, I will not shepherd you; let what is dying die, and what is failing fail, and let the rest each eat the flesh of his neighbor. Therefore, the law went out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. For vision and prophecy were sealed after the Savior's cross. And no longer is the law and word of God with them. And so the divine Paul, almost having given up, and seeing the multitude of the Jews to be uncorrectable, says, "It was necessary that the word of the Lord should be spoken to you; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles; for so the Lord has commanded us. Understand, therefore, how the Gentiles boast in the grace of Christ. For they say that the law and word of the Lord have gone out from Zion and from Jerusalem, and have altogether migrated to them. For grace has passed from those who chose to disobey to those who have been called through faith. And he shall judge between the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.

8 And nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Having said beforehand that the power of the devil will fall and come to nothing; and the making of idols will cease as nations exhort one another, crying out, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will announce to us his way, and we will walk in it; he makes clear to his hearers the time when the aforesaid things will come to pass, and from the very state of affairs he makes it most well-known. For long ago, when the earth was not under one yoke, but the nations were separated by countries and cities, and each had its own ruler, there was segregation and fighting and wars, with those on earth ravaging one another everywhere, and always plundering the things of others, and each considering the greed and savagery against those they could overcome to be the highest glory. Therefore they did not have a safe dwelling, always moving to another, and being driven out from what they had taken by those who were stronger.

9 But since the God of all brought what is under heaven under the scepters of the Romans, and one kingdom has finally been extended over all, wars have ceased, fighting and discord have stopped, and justice has prevailed, and the security of good order, with no one plundering, no one still ravaging and overrunning cities or countries, no one engaging in greed without rebuke. And not only this, but the use of weapons is given only to the most warlike, and to those who have a military rank, and are under the hand of the emperor. And the many nations that have shaken off the yoke of Roman rule and fiercely attack cities and countries have been proven to be weak. For it is not possible for them to overrun freely, as they might wish. For the Roman arms rise up against them, and force them to be still, and terrify them like beasts, and with their own strength prove them to be unmanly. Therefore the blessed prophet defines, as I said, the time of the calling and conversion of the nations. And what is this time? When, he says, the God of all, and universal king, and Lord shall judge between the nations, that is, he brings justice and judgment to all the nations. For injustice had prevailed, as I just said, with nations plundering one another, and inflicting every kind of savagery and greed.

10 But since these things have been removed, justice and judgment have been given by God, and many nations, as I said, have been proven vanquished by Roman arms. So that those under the emperor's hand no longer fear the attacks of anyone, and matters have now advanced for them to this point of peace and prosperity together, so that they no longer need experience in warfare, but rather choose and very gladly engage in the works of peace, and to take up the toils of agriculture, and to take thought for the things in the fields; for to this end they reshape the instruments of war, so that even a broadsword is taken up for the use of a plow; and indeed a spear is made into a pruning hook, to completely unlearn war, and to refuse battle with one another. For since Christ, who is peace, has reigned over the nations, all dissension and strife, and battles, and every kind of greed have been removed from their midst; and the harms from war have been taken away, and the terrors from it; and His will has prevailed, as He says to them: "My peace I give to you, my peace I leave to you. And now, O house of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. For he has forsaken his people, the house of Israel. Having sufficiently alarmed them with the predictions of terrible things, he does not allow those who have stumbled to perish in despair;

11 but he intimates that God will be merciful to those who choose to repent; and for those willing to unlearn the more shameful things and to strive for the better, He will again widen the path of salvation, and will receive them without remembering their evils, although they have sinned in very many and unbearable ways. For this reason, he says, skillfully interweaving the word of exhortation with the reproofs: "And now, O house of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. And I think it is most fitting for the prophet with this word to urge those of Israel to obey Christ who says: "While you have the light, walk in the light, that darkness may not overtake you. And He Himself is the light. And indeed He said clearly: "I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not remain in darkness, but will have the light of life. And His preaching, that is, the Gospel, would be called the light of the Lord, and very rightly so. It is as if he were saying, therefore, Let us live piously, let us honor the splendor of the evangelical life, let us cease from the types, let us end the shadow. Let us reshape the writings of Moses towards the truth, let us receive the saving light.

12 But since the Jews, boasting in their fathers according to the flesh, were always accustomed to raise a haughty brow, as if they were loved for their sake, being the portion and inheritance of God, and a holy and chosen people; then, speaking foolishly, they thought that in every way and altogether they lay in the care and love of God; even if they did many things hateful to Him; even if they considered the law as nothing; even if they dishonored and rejected the coming of the Savior, that is, the grace of the economy in the flesh; of necessity the prophet shows that the God of all is not so disposed, saying: "For he has forsaken his people, the house of Israel. Something of this sort the God of all says also through another prophet, casting down the haughtiness of the Jews, and convicting them of being without understanding. For they coveted fields, he says, and plundered orphans, and oppressed households, and exalted themselves against the Lord, saying: "Is not the Lord among us? No evils shall come upon us. For this reason, on account of us, Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become as a fruit-keeper's lodge, and the mountain of the house as a grove of the forest.

13 If therefore you should not choose, he says, to walk with us in the light of the Lord, that is, if you reject the preaching which is through Christ, and turn away from the illumination from Him, He Himself will in every way and entirely forsake His own people. And this is clearly what our Lord Jesus Christ said to them: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is left to you. And indeed also through the voice of Jeremiah, he says, "I have forsaken my house, I have left my inheritance. Because their country was filled with divinations as from the beginning, like that of foreigners, and foreign children were born among them. And now the prophet in a way makes a defense for the judgments of God, and gives the reasons why the house of Israel, that is, his people, was very justly forsaken by God. And he recalls, as I said, both old things and and of the new transgressions of Israel, convicting them of being ungodly, and looking much to what is harsh, and going unbridled, towards anything reprehensible, and having much condemnation from the law. For before the advent of our Savior, having little regard for reverence towards God, and having disregarded the commandment given to them through Moses, they were convicted in many ways;

14 and they did the worst things of all even against the Savior of all, Christ himself. Therefore, it explains at one time the crimes of their madness against the law, and the punishments for this, which they justly demanded, when the Persians and Babylonians, Idumeans, Elamites, and other nations were at war with them at that time; and at another time it accuses the ways of their madness against Christ, and all that happened for them to suffer for this reason, when Vespasian and Titus campaigned against the entire multitude of Judea under their hand. Therefore, the present discourse explains to us the transgressions of the Jewish Synagogue before the advent; for this reason, he says, it was let loose, that is, his people were given by God to their enemies, because they chose again to be sick with the things from the beginning, and to relapse into their first unholiness. For they had served the local gods or demons in Egypt; then they were redeemed through Moses, God having pity on them, and they were freed at once from both spiritual and carnal slavery. For just as they shook off the yoke of the Egyptians' oppression, so also they were freed from the perversity of the demons, no longer serving the falsely-named gods, but rather being instructed by the law through Moses toward the truth, and recognizing the one God, both by nature and in truth. For they heard him legislating and saying in Horeb:

15 "You shall not make for yourself an idol, nor a likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth. You shall not worship them; for I am the Lord your God. And it is also written in Deuteronomy: "When you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire. One who practices divination, or an observer of signs, or an augur, a sorcerer, a charmer, a medium, or a necromancer, or one who inquires of the dead. For everyone who does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God. You shall be perfect before your Lord. For these nations, which you are to dispossess, they listen to observers of signs and to diviners. And as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so. And these things, indeed, the law; but since they were easily led astray and far too ready for apostasy, that is, from God, he added to the law, saying: "When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are going to possess it, and he clears away great nations, and many and strong before you (he says so-and-so, and so-and-so), and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands, and you shall strike them.

16 You shall utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, nor shall you show mercy to them, nor shall you make marriages with them; you shall not give your daughter to his son, nor shall you take his daughter for your son; for he will turn your son away from me, and he will serve other gods; and the Lord will be angry with you in his wrath, and he will destroy you quickly. For God devised every kind of security for them, and as the sacred Scripture says, He gave the Law for a help. But they, having shown no regard for such revered commandments, turned irrationally to everything contrary to what was commanded. For they were addicted to omens and false divinations and were eager to seek knowledge of the future from those who sit by the idols, and yet they rebuked the holy prophets and said: "But speak to us, and report to us another error. And they associated with the daughters of the neighboring nations, although the law had forbidden the practice. And wicked and God-hated women, and having been brought up in the customs of idolatry, they unlawfully brought them into their homes, they have become fathers of foreign children, who were also brought up in the customs of their mothers, pretending not even, so to speak, to know the law through Moses. In this way, he says, that their land was filled from the beginning with omens like those of foreigners, and foreign children were born to them.

17 It was indeed most absurd, and truly all-shameful, that those who inhabited the holy city, the sons born to them from foreign women, should live according to Greek customs and outside the law. And while God commanded that every male child be circumcised on the eighth day, and saying clearly, "Three times a year shall all your males appear before me; but they did not do this, but they carried away their offspring to the demons, and in the precincts of idols they performed the sacrifices for them. You see they have trampled the law everywhere. Then how was it consistent for those who had come to such a point of impiety, so as not to even wish to know the redeemer, to be called His people? Therefore the sentence upon them is holy, and the reason for their rejection is not ignoble. "For the judge of all is impartial. For their land was filled with silver and gold, and there was no number of their treasures; and the land was filled with horses, and there was no number of their chariots. He says that two of the most shameful of all evils were again present in them, namely avarice and pride. And that avarice is the root of all evils, the most wise Paul has clearly testified. And that the matter of arrogance is hateful to God is clear to everyone. For it is written, that "The Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

18 What sort of wickedness would one not see present in those who wish to be rich? For such people make their collection of money from usury and excesses, from covetousness and injustice, from plunder and slander. And to wealth is added arrogance, and the extreme readiness for indulgence in outrageous and most abominable pleasures. For where there is luxury, there are always revelries and drunkenness, beds, and licentiousness, and every kind of debauchery. Indeed, who among those accustomed to right thinking would not find hateful the arrogant man who spits on the weaker, who raises a haughty eyebrow, who overlooks those in poverty and cannot bear to suffer with those in hardship, who does not deign to pity those in need and toil, having at last forgotten that he is but dust and ashes? Therefore our virtue-loving God very rightly accuses them, as having an insatiable mind for greed, as riding on horses, and being caught in the snares of ambition. He says that their land was filled with horses, as if not one or two had been sick with pride, but as if their whole land had been seized by the passion, and the evil was spreading to all. However, through this he also rebukes those who have transgressed the law, and have chosen to disobey God, who has spoken clearly: "And if you enter into the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, and you inherit it, and dwell in it, and you say:

19 I will set a ruler over myself, as also the other nations that are round about me; you shall surely set a ruler over yourself, whom the Lord your God shall choose for himself. Then he says concerning the one who is appointed: "That he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he turn back the people to Egypt, so that he may not multiply horses for himself. And in addition to these things: "And he shall not multiply silver and gold for himself exceedingly. Therefore he accuses them as making a collection of money, and this insatiably, and multiplying horses for themselves. And this blame, as is fitting, falls especially on those appointed to lead, for transgressing the commandment—they who, before all others, should have been seen to honor the established ordinances and to rebuke transgressors. And the land was filled with the abominations of the works of their hands, and they worshipped what their fingers had made. And man has bowed down, and a man has been brought low, and I will not forgive them. He again accuses them of spiritual fornication, and of choosing to worship many of the falsely-named gods. He shows that they have come to such a measure of impiety, as to arrive at the end of every evil, and to practice the most complete apostasy from the God who knows all things, who bears all things by his will, and who has brought them into existence.

20 It seems that in a way he also grieves exceedingly for human nature, which has been utterly insulted. For the God of all has honored man by his own handiwork. For he was not fashioned by a word along with the other creatures, just as for example, "Let there be a firmament, and it was so; but he took dust from the earth and made man, according to the words of the all-wise Moses. And he was made in the image and likeness of God, and has been ordained as a kind of ruler over the things on earth. He has also been honored in addition to this with the spirit of life. For he breathed into his face the breath of life. Therefore "man, being in honor, did not understand," as it is written; for he has served carved images; and, as the prophetic word said, "They worshipped what their fingers had made. And man has bowed down, and a man has been brought low. This is an insult both to God himself, and to human nature. For although it was possible from the beauty of creatures to see their craftsman in proportion; "For his invisible attributes, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made," and "his eternal power and divinity; this, then, they have not done; but by assigning reverence to stones, and by worshipping stone, the wretched ones have offended the one who is by nature Lord and God and creator of all.

21 And they have forgotten, as is likely, that they are also insulting their own nature, if indeed man is better than wood and stones. For this reason, the creator of all, being justly indignant, says: "Man has bowed down, and a man has been brought low, and I will not forgive them. Through this he shows the unalterable nature of his wrath, even if he is stirred up against them for both reasons, as is likely. Because they have both grieved the divine glory, and have rendered their own nature most dishonorable. And that their land is filled with abominations, showing that those caught in the crimes of apostasy are not few, nor indeed easy to count, and that their worship is not one, but each has worshipped what seemed good to him, and a diverse swarm of idols has filled their whole land. And indeed it is said through the voice of Jeremiah, that "According to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah. And according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to burn incense to Baal. The making of idols, then, is wicked and unbearable to God, both of sensible ones I say, and those according to the mind. For Satan plunders the souls of men, terribly and in many ways, by fantasies in the mind and heart, sometimes even by the fabrication of idols leading them into sins, and carrying them off to shameful and monstrous pleasures.

22 And now enter into the rocks, and hide yourselves in the earth from the face of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, when he arises to crush the earth. For the eyes of the Lord are lofty, but man is lowly, and the loftiness of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. Since Jerusalem was practicing idolatry, or rather all of Judaea was led astray, and was turning without restraint to everything hated by the virtue-loving God; the war of the Babylonians was in a way poured out over all of Judaea, who, having ravaged everything, killed those who were captured, and carried off women and children to their own land; and being in the rank of captives, they spent long periods of time. However, the attack having been announced beforehand, and being about to happen, such great terror came upon the Jews, and they fell into such agony, that in caves and in the clefts of the mountains they hid— to hide themselves, and to occupy inaccessible places, as every hand of theirs was powerless for resistance against those who were coming.

23 Therefore, as if terrible things were about to happen at any moment, or rather, had already come within the gates and were in the land itself, he commands them to hide, and all but bury themselves alive in the earth, from the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, when he arises to shatter the earth, that is, to crush the earth. And that the divine counsels and thoughts are lofty and above all men, and that no one on earth can fight against them, he makes clear by saying: "For the eyes of the Lord are lofty. For by the eyes of the Lord in these words he means, as it were, his foreknowledge and counsels, and his judgments on each matter. For men, being small in nature and in mind, both deliberate on small things and consider lowly things. But the God of all, being lofty, and conceived in ineffable eminences over all things, has an invincible thought. For no one could bring against it either a counsel or a help capable of averting the consequences of the divine considerations. But he says that the Jews will learn this, although they did not know it before, when the terrible war descends upon them, and every defending hand grows weak, and thought fails, and the discoveries of human counsel, through which they thought they might perhaps be able to escape the disasters of the war.

24 Therefore experience will show, he says, that man is lowly, and the loftiness of men will be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. As I just said, when all their strength is exposed as feeble, the pre-eminence of the divine power will become most known to those who trust. Terrible, therefore, it is to offend God, and this matter becomes for us the cause of every disaster. But we must not be confident in our own powers, but rather assign the ability to do all things to God, and love to make him our helper, whenever any of the terrible things befalls those who have offended through sin. For the day of the Lord of Sabaoth is upon every insolent and proud person, and upon every high and exalted person; and they will be brought low. And upon every cedar of Lebanon, of the high and exalted, and upon every oak tree of Bashan; and upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, and upon every high tower, and upon every high wall, and upon every ship of the sea, and upon every sight of beautiful ships; and the loftiness of men will be brought low and will fall, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The time of the war, and the fulfillment of the wrath upon them, he calls the day of the Lord. For this is the custom of the God-inspired Scripture.

25 And so, David also signified the very time of our Savior's coming by the name of 'day,' saying thus: "This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Therefore he says the time of wrath will be against every insolent and proud person. And he seems to call 'insolent' those who dishonor the divine glory, by not enduring to worship it, but are rather attached to the gods they themselves would fashion; and 'proud' those who despise the divine laws, and have practiced holding the established ordinances as nothing. And so the blessed David said: "The proud have transgressed exceedingly. And since there were very many in Judaea and indeed in Jerusalem, who boasted in abundant wealth, and were not moderately encompassed by superfluities of possessions, and who excelled others, and were fortified by powers, and who had leaped up to no small measure of glory among them, being lifted up on high, and, as it were, puffed up; for this reason he says that the effects of the divine wrath will especially run against them, enigmatically indicating the rank, or measure, of each. For he compares them also to the cedars of Lebanon: "For I saw a wicked man," he says, "highly exalted, and lifting himself up like the cedars of Lebanon; And certainly also to the acorn-bearing trees of Bashan, that is, the oaks in Bashanitis; this is a region in Judea, which is now called Basanaia, the best nurse of plants, having very thick and tall cedars.

26 And he likens them likewise to hills and mountains, and in addition to high towers and walls. That they will also lose the sources of their wealth along with their country, he adds, saying: "And upon every ship of the sea, and upon every sight of beautiful ships. This is understood in two ways. For when the war had already been announced, and the Babylonians were expected to arrive, the people of Israel, turning their minds from their hope in God, called upon the Egyptians for assistance, and hired Tyre and the neighboring nations. Now all the Tyrians are seafarers, and skilled in the practices of commerce, and they had built their ships with great care. But when the Babylonian came, before reaching the land of the Jews, he plundered the land of the Tyrians. Therefore, the prophetic word says this to us in these things, or perhaps that: For many of those who had reigned over Israel had merchant ships, which brought them things from the country and land of the Indians, and from other countries and cities; from which also their great wealth was gathered; from which they became lofty, equal to cedars and oaks, to mountains and towers. Therefore, that the source of wealth, that is, the profits accruing from commerce and exchange, will also be destroyed along with the proud, it signifies clearly. That the people of Israel hired many for assistance is not unclear, as God says about them through another prophet: "And Ephraim was a silly dove, without a heart:

27 he called upon Egypt, and he went to the Assyrians. As they go, I will cast my net upon them; I will bring them down as the birds of the heaven. I will chastise them in the hearing of their affliction. Therefore, the judgment of God is hard to escape, against whomever it may come; and it is ignorant and impious not to love to be dependent rather on the hope in him, but to be deluded by empty and foolish reasonings, thinking that even if he should wish to save them, some other person and the concourse of human aid will deliver them, and will ever prevail over his commands. For if he shuts a man in, it says, who will open? It is good therefore to hope in the Lord, rather than to hope in man, according to the voice of the psalmist. And they will hide all the things made by hands, carrying them into the caves, and into the clefts of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth from the face of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, when he arises to crush the earth. He shows the thought of the Jews to be worthy of laughter, if they hide the gods, and hasten to save the ones being worshipped. And yet how should they not have expected them to be saviors, if they really knew them to be gods?

28 But they, condemning their own counsels, and testifying to their powerlessness for anything whatsoever, come to the aid of the gods. For they hide them in the caves, and in the clefts of the rocks, and in the holes of the earth, so that the enemies, finding them, might not carry them off together with the vanquished, like captive gods. How then are they still gods who need help from their worshippers, but they are lifeless matter. And as the blessed David says, "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of men’s hands. Indeed, those who serve them will be sick with the same insensibility as they. For they themselves, having become their artisans and craftsmen, lift them on their shoulders, and go, and worship it, and pray, saying, "Deliver me, for you are my God. Their heart, therefore, is ashes. and they are deceived. But it would be fitting for those accustomed to piety to bid farewell to the foolishness of those who are deceived, and indeed to cry out that: "The gods who did not make heaven and earth, let them perish from the earth. And from under this heaven; "For to us there is one God, the Father, from from whom are all things, and we for him. And one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him.

29 In that day a man will cast out his abominations of silver and gold, which he made to worship vain things and bats, to enter into the caverns of the earth, solid rocks, and into the clefts of the rocks, from the face of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, when he rises to break the earth. That they were about to hide the gods made by them and falsely named, no longer overcome by reverence for them, but rather having condemned them as useless and inert matter, he makes clear by adding what he said: "In that day a man will cast out his abominations, which he made to worship them and the bats. For having set up the handmade things in shrines, they have worshiped them unholily; for they thought they were gods. But when they saw the time of war was at hand, and then there was no way of help for them at all, and being stones and wood they were exposed, and golden and silver-plated matter, which they thought would be saviors and redeemers, they cast them out of the temples, and hid them in caves, sparing rather the material, and no longer honoring them as gods. But that their labor in making idols was also futile and useless, he showed by saying: "A man will cast out his abominations which he made to worship them and the bats.

30 For they themselves have become the creators of their own gods, and the craftsmen of the things they worship, but they have had nothing from them for their benefit. Perhaps, indeed, they built the temples for the bats alone. For such birds or small creatures always frequent the dark places, and fill the things in them with their own filth and foul odor. A man, therefore, will cast out the abominations he made, but where will he cast them? To enter, he says, into the caverns of the solid rock, and into the clefts of the rocks from the face of the fear of the Lord. See, then, how the wretched ones were eager to bury themselves together with their own gods. But they did not see such a God of all. For he was in no way hidden, when they fled from the land of the Egyptians, and Pharaoh followed in pursuit. For he split the sea, and led them through, with unspeakable power, and ineffable commands. And they were saved, walking as on dry land; but the astounded Pharaoh was drowned with his whole army. And indeed when Rabshakeh the general of the Babylonians, having surrounded Jerusalem in a circle, babbled against God, and said he would easily conquer all of Judea; God did not hide, nor did he seek the clefts of the rocks, nor the ravines of the mountains, but Hezekiah prayed, saying:

31 "Hear, O Lord, look, O Lord, and see the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of the Assyrians has sent to reproach the living God. And immediately he heard God saying: "I will defend this city, for my own sake, and for my servant David's sake. And what was the manner of help for those in danger at that time? Marvelous and worthy of God: "For an angel of the Lord went out, and killed from the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand. Let them be ashamed, therefore, who worship carved images, who have abandoned the all-powerful God, and worship gods, which they hide before themselves, lest they perish before them, having fallen into the greed of their enemies. Let us say, therefore, according to the voice of the prophet Jeremiah: "A throne of glory, exalted, our sanctuary, the hope of Israel, O Lord; let all who forsake you be ashamed. Let those who have turned away be written on the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of life. But if it is necessary to say something spiritual to the spiritual, let all who tolerate the idols in their mind, and receive the notions from strange fantasies, know that they will be nests of bats, that is, of unclean spirits. "For each one is tempted," he says, "being drawn away by his own desires, and enticed. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

32 Therefore, we must shun the beginnings of the passions, and let us thrust away the images into the mind, those entering through thoughts alone, knowing what is written; "If the spirit of the ruler rise up against you, leave not your place; for yielding will pacify great sins. Behold, the Lord, the Lord of Sabaoth, takes away from Judea, and from Jerusalem the strong man, and the strong woman, the strength of bread, and the strength of water, the giant and the mighty man, and the ruler, the warrior and the judge. Having made for us a sufficient narrative, concerning at least their more ancient crimes, he opportunely shifts again the discourse to their final calamities, which they justly endured for having impiously insulted our Lord Jesus Christ. For the wrath of the Lord was appointed for them, and very rightly; for having killed the prophets, and stoned those who were sent, they did not even show reverence for the Son himself, but attacked him like beasts, and the author of life, as far as it was in their power, they have clothed with death, saying; "Let us bind the just one, for he is useless to us. Indeed, then, the events of the war were most terrible for them and they have been destroyed in many ways; on one hand by famine and sieges, by fire and sword, on the other by the enslavement of women and children.

33 And that they have also suffered the loss of the gifts from above and from God, and are deprived of the good things for the mind and soul, he teaches, saying; "Behold, the Lord of Sabaoth, takes away from Judea and Jerusalem the strong man and the strong woman. And the word for the prophet now is not about bodily strength; for it is foolish to think so; but rather about spiritual strength, and that of the mind and heart, through which we are accustomed to achieve virtue. For the flesh wars against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. For these are contrary to one another; and very many worldly and unclean pleasures confuse the human mind, leading it down to sins. There is need, therefore, of strength from above and from God. For thus one will with difficulty survive, and is crowned for conquering; but he says this has been taken away from the Jews, and the facts themselves will cry out. For what reason is there still among them for achieving virtue? Or who is the one of good repute and practiced in resisting the passions of the flesh, that is, the assaults of improper pleasures? For the mind of all is set forth as it were like a half-boiled beet, according to the voice of the prophet. For he is not able to say; "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me. But the strength of bread and the strength of water have been taken away from them;

34 but again, not of perceptible bread, nor of waters in common use; but rather of that concerning which David says; "He gave them the bread of heaven; man ate the bread of angels. And we say he is mindful of the spiritual waters, concerning which the prophet Isaiah himself somewhere says; "And you will draw water with gladness from the springs of the Savior. And indeed the Savior himself also; "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him, will have in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. But understand precisely the words of the prophet. For he has not said simply that bread and water will be taken away from the Jews, but the strength of bread and the strength of water. And we must understand him as wanting to teach something of this sort. For we, when we encounter the sacred words, and read the divine Scriptures, then understanding them, receive the strength of spiritual bread. "Not by bread alone," he says, "shall man live, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. You will understand similarly also concerning spiritual waters. The Jews, to be sure, still have the bread and the water. For they are busy with the writings of Moses, and they read the law. But since they know nothing, they do not have the strength of the bread, nor indeed the strength of the water.

35 For the bare letter alone has been given to them, of bread and of water having a reputation, but in no way nourishing them to intellectual well-being. And Paul will testify, writing: "For to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart, it not being unveiled, because it is taken away in Christ. And in another way, we say that the strength of bread and the strength of water have been taken away from the synagogue of the Jews. And the saying is mystical. For we who have been called to holiness through faith have the bread from heaven, that is, Christ, or rather his body. But if someone should ask what its strength is, we say that it is life-giving. For it gives life to the world. And we likewise approach the grace through holy baptism, which sanctifies us, saying that the strength of water is the putting away of sins, spiritual rebirth, into conformity with Christ himself. And in addition to these things, an entry with confidence into the kingdom of heaven; "For unless one," he says, "is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The Jews, therefore, are deprived of such good things. For the strength of bread is not with them, that is, the life-giving power in Christ. They do not have the strength of water; for unwashed sin has remained with them. They will not enter into the kingdom of heaven, having dishonored Christ who brings them in;

36 for they did not believe him when he said: "I am the way, and I am the door. He will likewise take away the giant and the strong man. Then who is the giant? And who is the other? I think, then, that he calls 'giant' the one who has reached the limit of spiritual strength, and 'strong man' the one who is a little inferior, and is surpassed by the superiority understood in the former. For to each of us has been given a measure of grace from God. The most wise Paul makes this clear to us, saying: "I wish that all men were as I myself am; but each of us has his own gift from God, one in this way, and another in that. And it is also a custom in another way for the divinely inspired Scripture to call the exceedingly strong 'giants'. And indeed God said somewhere concerning those from Babylon who campaigned against the country of the Jews: "Giants are coming to fulfill my wrath, rejoicing and at the same time insolent. And indeed also the psalmist: "He will rejoice as a giant to run his course. And there will not be among the Jews a warrior or a judge. For we who by faith have honored the Lord of hosts are strengthened by him, and are made capable of resistance, that is, against the evil and unclean powers.

37 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Whom we resist intellectually, fitted out with the weapons of righteousness, and having the spiritual panoply. Which the divine Paul also mentions, saying: "Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth. And the rest; "For our weapons are not carnal, but powerful in God; and though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. But among the Jews, there is no one of this sort anywhere; but without a fight they always, as it were, concede victory to every attacker, and to their own unruly pleasures. Nor would one find among them one who knows how to judge rightly, either in matters lying in the mind, that is, in external and worldly affairs. For into the human mind run both strange and evil reasonings, and a terrible turmoil of unclean desires stirs; but the mind of the wise and equitable person stands firm, like a judge testing each thing, rejecting what is base, and with an unspoken vote crowning what is useful. And this is entirely unpracticed among the peoples of the Jews. For God who directs us to this is not with them, but not even if they should somehow exercise themselves in some external matters do they know how to approve what is blameless and pleasing to God;

38 for how could they know the exact purpose of the law, they who to the lawgiver having offended, and for this reason rightly deprived of all understanding, I mean, that which is in the holy Scriptures? And likewise, he says, he will take away in addition to this a prophet, and a diviner, and an elder, and a captain of fifty, and a wonderful counselor, and a wise architect, and a skillful hearer; and I will make youths their rulers, and mockers shall have dominion over them. That prophecy, therefore, has been taken away from the Synagogue of the Jews, no one would doubt, since the matter itself cries it out. For the blessed prophets, who appeared at various times, proclaimed beforehand Christ Jesus. But when that which was foretold was accomplished, and the end of the law and the prophets had come (for God and Lord appeared to us, according to the Scriptures), then they behaved insolently toward him; the grace of prophecy ceased among them. For it was not fitting that those who were fighters against God and insolent, and who had become even slayers of the Lord, and who had their hands full of blood, should be honored with the spirit of prophecy. And the blessed Daniel will testify to these things, saying that vision and prophet have been sealed up. Therefore Israel has become without a share of so brilliant and most glorious a grace; and so ignorant and destitute of a good mind, that there is not among them anyone who is a diviner.

39 And we say a diviner is one who, as it were, conjectures and correctly infers each of the matters, and where it will eventually arrive, and to what end they will come, discerning it very well. For those who thoughtlessly and from light thoughts proceed to what must be done, miss what is useful, and walking as in darkness, they stumble upon rocks. But those who are precise in understanding, see with a sharp eye the outcomes of matters. And they are admirable, for this reason doing all things with good management. This is the fruit of a good mind, and truly the achievement of the best counsel. And by "elder" we mean not the one in terms of age (for there are very many among the Jews still even now, who have reached the extreme of old age), but the one in terms of understanding, and who has come to be in perfection of mind. To whom also the blessed John writes, saying: "I write to you, Fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. Therefore, then, let us understand as elders those who already have a calm mind, and are settled, and are gray in mind, and have practiced using what is firm. And by "captain of fifty" he means, not necessarily the one appointed over fifty men, but from this one thing, simply the leader. And as one who persuades those who are subject to him to live and conduct their lives in order and rank.

40 And the Synagogue of the Jews has been afflicted by this also, along with the other things. For while our Savior of all, Christ, was still with them, and calling through faith to eternal life, to the kingdom of heaven, to intimacy with God; there were still among them high priests and leaders, both Scribes and Pharisees. But when the wretched ones killed him, they were scattered to every wind, and have become sojourners and wanderers, and strangers everywhere, no longer having leaders and rulers, just as of old; but like some flock destitute of shepherds, and having no one set over it, and what is even more burdensome, having neither wonderful counselors, such as the prophets of old were, who introduced to them the things for salvation, and advised them when unruly, and skillfully guided them by the hand for whatever was necessary for their benefit. And he threatens to remove from them also a wise architect, and a discerning hearer, and these too are spiritual and God-given gifts, and worthy of all account. For we say a wise architect is one who knows how to build up the Church spiritually, with both right and blameless initiations, and on the one hand tearing down the deceptions of falsely-named knowledge, and on the other hand fortifying the mind of the believers with the doctrines of truth. Such a one was the divine Paul, writing and saying: "According to the grace given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid a foundation; but another builds on it.

41 But let each one take care how he builds. For no one can lay another foundation than that which is laid, which is Christ. Therefore, there is no wise master builder among the Jews, nor even a discerning hearer, but we consider this one to be he, who has the discernment of spirits, and is able to understand, who it is that speaks in the Spirit of God, and who, in turn, in Beelzebul. For many are the words that have come from many, both having dogmatic explanation, and introducing the memory of seemliness in manners. But the undiscerning and ignorant snatch them indiscriminately, and receive the words unexamined, although they have nothing beneficial, but are much more accustomed to produce harm. But the discerning hearer, like an approved money-changer, accepts what is naturally beneficial, but rejects as a counterfeit coin what is not so. The blessed Paul also says something of this sort: "Become wise money-changers, test everything, hold fast to what is good, abstain from every form of evil. And indeed another of the holy disciples commands in harmony with these things, saying: "Brothers, test the spirits, whether they are from God. When all these things have therefore been taken away, I will set, he says, youths as their rulers, and mockers shall rule over them. And again he speaks here of youths not according to the time of their age, but those who have not yet obtained perfection in understanding.

42 For youth is always foolish, and is unstable towards what is impassive, and is overcome by the best counsel. And in truth, the Jews continue to this day having such leaders, and younger men in their desolation. And mockers in another way, buying with money the right to be called Rabbi, and having obtained the position of leader for the sake of love of gain and the collection of profits. But those of Christ, the Savior of us all, rejecting the disease of hypocrisy, are true worshippers, and do not have a deceptive [alt. fabricated] appearance of virtue from external adornments, but having brought the boasts of piety toward God into the inner mind and heart, they walk on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven, having as their leader our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And the people will fall, man against man, and man against his neighbor. The child will stumble against the elder, and the dishonored against the honored. The word has foretold to us, that from Judea will be taken away the strength of bread and the strength of water, both giant and strong man, warrior, and judge, and indeed prophet and diviner, and elder, and captain of fifty, and wonderful counselor; and indeed also a wise master builder, and a discerning hearer. Then to what end the matter will turn out for them, and into what sort of harm it will result for them, it makes clear by adding immediately, that "The people will fall, man against man;

43 that is, they will be in disorder, and will live a life full of confusion. The young not respecting the venerable gray hair of the elder; the one of lower rank no longer deigning to honor his superior; but with no one rebuking, that is, correcting towards what is fitting for each, everything will be in confusion among them, with all good order and knowledge having been removed. For where divine law, the arbiter of what must be done, does not stand over, how or from where could the ability to live in an orderly way come to anyone? For it is as if someone should wish a ship, bereft of both rudders and helmsman, to be carried on a straight and unerring course. Because a man will take hold of his brother, or of one of his father's house, saying: You have a cloak, become our ruler, and let my food be under your care. And answering, he will say on that day: I will not be your ruler, for there is no bread in my house, nor a cloak, I will not be a ruler of this people. The prophetic word signifies to us the magnitude of the misery of the Jews and of their extreme wretchedness. They were reigning, on the one hand, For from time to time in Jerusalem those from the tribe of Judah were both splendid and distinguished, and boasting in wealth, and very well crowned with glories unto the end.

44 And in another way they were leaders, those from the tribe of Levi according to the order of Aaron. With the high priest presiding, and the priests and Levites ministering, such men were also revered, by those throughout all the land of the Jews. But since they have done what is not lawful, and no manner of impiety toward Christ was unpracticed by them, they slipped from that ancient splendor and renown in wealth and glory, and their affairs came to such a point of commonness and cheapness, that they were completely unable to have a ruler over them who was splendid in their former pre-eminence, nor indeed one having wealth and power, or knowledge of the law. And this very thing he teaches, saying that, "A man will take hold of his brother, or of one of his father’s house, saying: You have a cloak, become our ruler, and let my food be under you. For with affairs in confusion, and suffering much disorder, so that they fall upon one another, and there is no honor or respect, for an elder or for the young, that is, for the dishonored or for the glorious; each for himself, he says, will seek a leader, and will choose this one by kinship according to family, scarcely persuading and calling him to mercy. And he will choose him, he says, not as having wealth, but as not being naked, and he will be content to be fed by him and to serve a poor man.

45 Except even such a one will not seize the leadership, although asking nothing from those who have resolved to be subject. For they seek bread so that they may also be subject, and for the cheapest food they would offer him their servitude in return. What then is the refusal? Poverty, surely. For he will say, he says, "There is no bread in my house, nor a cloak, I will not be a ruler of this people. Do you see that which was formerly worthy of all account among them, I mean, to lead the many. Sometimes sought by contrivances, and having come to a few, it will indeed be offered to those who are willing. But since the affairs of all are in terrible and helpless poverty, it will also become a thing to be fled from. It is possible therefore for us to see from these events themselves, from what things to what things the affairs of the Jews have changed. For the wretched ones have stumbled against Christ, the one who richly distributes all good things to us, and who crowns with glory those who love him, and with spiritual gifts enriches the souls of the genuine. Because Jerusalem is forsaken, and Judea has fallen, and their tongue is with lawlessness, disobeying the things concerning God. He says that Judea has fallen, just like, of course, a single house. And for what reason does he maintain that it suffered this? And why is it forsaken?

46 That is, it was left or abandoned, having become without a share in the care from Christ. For they heard him saying clearly: "Behold, your house is left to you. Therefore it has fallen, not having one who raises it up, and who knows how and is able to save. For Christ is the foundation, and upon him we are all built up, living and spiritual stones, and being fitted together, and joined together spiritually into a holy temple, for a dwelling place of God, in the Spirit, and we are laid upon him. And having received him as a foundation, they have an unshaken establishment and position in all good things; but those who do not have him, are very unsound, and easily carried away to anything whatsoever that is amiss. Therefore Judea has fallen, and Jerusalem is also forsaken. Indeed another of the holy prophets proclaimed this beforehand, saying: "The house of Israel has fallen, there will not be one to raise it up. And it has happened that they suffered such things, because in addition to their disobedience, they have had an impious and most lawless tongue. For what is there of shameful things, which we will not find that they have said against the Savior of us all, Christ? a Samaritan and one possessed by a demon, and indeed they called him a glutton and a drunkard, and one born of fornication. Therefore, along with disobedience, their tongue has continued being impious toward Christ. And one might say upon them:

47 For not unjustly are nets spread for the winged. For they themselves who take part in murder treasure up evils for themselves. But the destruction of lawless men is evil. Because now their glory has been humbled, and the shame of their face has risen up against them, and they have declared and made manifest their sin like that of Sodom. He marks the time of the humbling of the Jews, and says: Now their glory has been humbled, making it fully known that precisely at that time, when their tongue with lawlessness acted impiously against Christ, then also every kind of suffering was brought upon them, and they fell into disrepute. But in what way their tongue acted impiously with disobedience, the prophet himself makes clear to us, passing over other things, but recalling only their final act of impiety. For they were always at odds with Christ, and wounded by the arrows of envy, they plotted against him in many ways. But when they brought him to Pilate, then indeed especially they declared and made manifest their own sin like that of Sodom. For just as the inhabitants of Sodom, wildly sick with unrestrained appetites, and overcome by unnatural pleasures, rushed upon the blessed Lot, demanding the men who had entered into his house for abuse, with all sense of shame trampled by them and an unbreakable shamelessness henceforth prevailing; in the same way, I think, the Jews also declared their lawlessness, crying out and saying to Pilate concerning Christ: "Away with him, away with him, crucify him.

48 He accused this voice of theirs also through one of the prophets, saying: I have forsaken my house, I have left my inheritance, I have given my beloved soul into the hands of her enemies. My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest, she has lifted up her voice against me, therefore I have hated her. Woe to their soul, for they have devised an evil counsel against themselves, saying: Let us bind the righteous one, for he is unprofitable to us. Therefore they shall eat the fruits of their works. Woe to the lawless, evil will befall him according to the works of his hands. And now the prophet pronounces woe upon the people of the Jews, and gives the reasons for the lamentations over them. For they said, he says, among themselves: Let us bind the righteous one, for he is unprofitable to us. For they did not receive through faith Christ the Savior of all, but they have continued to dishonor him, and they thought in truth that he who came for this purpose would in no way be useful to life, so that all things in us might be made new in him, and he might transfer those of the blood of Israel from a legal way of life to a spiritual one.

49 Therefore, supposing him to be useful for nothing, they bound him over to death, as far as it was in their power, even if he came back to life again as God, having emptied Hades, and destroyed the power of corruption. For he is life and life-giving. Nevertheless, they counseled against themselves, wanting to bind the righteous one; and they will eat the fruits of their works. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. And those who are gentle in their ways, and have a God-loving mind, will find good fruits from this; but those who are turning away and disobedient, and who fight against the divine glory, will eat the fruits of their works, that is, fire, and justice and punishment and the things that come from wrath. For such evils will certainly follow those who have chosen to fight against God. It is true then that, woe to the lawless, evil will befall him according to the works of his hands; for just as they brought Jesus to Pilate, and to the unruly rages of the soldiers, so also they themselves will be handed over, he says, to the Roman armies. And indeed we will find Ezekiel saying this clearly and through his voice. For it was said to the unholy and Lord-slaying Jerusalem: As you have done, so shall it be to you. Your recompense shall be returned upon your own head.