Commentary on Isaiah, Discourses 20–30

Commentary on Isaiah, Discourses 20–30

Cyril of Alexandria

c. AD 376–444

Cyril wrote his Commentary on Isaiah in five books, which the English text divides into thirty discourses. He explains each passage first as history, for what happened to Israel and Judah, and then as prophecy of Christ and of the Church. The commentary is the longest that Cyril wrote on the Old Testament. This volume holds Discourses 20 to 30.

Discourse 20

1 And it came to pass in the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of the Assyrians came up against the fortified cities of Judah, and took them. And the king of the Assyrians sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to king Hezekiah, with a great force, and he stood by the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller's field. The account of the history is clear to all who are more eager to learn; nevertheless I will speak, summarizing as much as possible. When Ahaz was reigning in Jerusalem, and then Pekah son of Remaliah, and Rezin the king of Syria were besieging Judah, and had determined to lay their hand upon Jerusalem itself, the aforementioned [king], being weak for resistance, sent an embassy, and indeed called for aid Tiglath-Pileser king of the Assyrians, and with many gifts persuades him to come to his aid and to check the aggressions of the kings who had conspired against him, I mean, of Samaria and of Syria. When this was done, his enemies perished. For the Assyrian took both Damascus and Syria, and from then on, Ahaz came under his hand, and under tribute and taxes. He was one of the very worst. For he was an idolater and God-hated, and had perhaps surpassed all others in his perversities against God. When Ahaz had ended his human life, Hezekiah reigned in his place, being his son, but a God-loving man, and one who embraced the boasts of the highest righteousness and piety.

2 This one, it says, rebelled against the king of the Assyrians. For he did not endure to allow his own kingdom to be under tribute, as Ahaz had indeed. For this reason Sennacherib the king of the Assyrians, as one who was owed to have all of Judah under tribute, and their very kingdom, was kindled to anger, and having ravaged Samaria, he set his army against the cities throughout Judah, and having taken many, he then sends Rabshakeh against Jerusalem itself, not for the present to move weapons in the manner of war, but rather with threats and promises of clemency to entice the common people. And there went out to him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Somnas the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder. And Rabshakeh said to them: Say to Hezekiah: Thus says the king, the great king of the Assyrians: Is battle array made by counsel or by words of the lips? And now in whom do you trust, that you disobey me? Behold, you trust in this broken reed of a staff, in Egypt, upon which if anyone should lean, it will go into his hand. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt, and all who trust in him. The gates being evidently shut, and the most warlike people standing by the walls, performing the duty of ambassadors, the chosen men of the king, and the leaders among the priests, went out to Rabshakeh.

3 But he, being of Persian cruelty, and having a mouth speaking great things, according to what is written, acted insolently against the glory of God. And he names Hezekiah by a bare title, not adding king; nor any other of the things that are most fitting for such eminences. But the king of the Assyrians, he does not simply say this, but even calls him great. And he says that, Is battle array made by counsel or by words of the lips? For since the Jews, having the law through Moses, were considered wiser than the other nations; and indeed they said, Blessed are we, O Israel, for the things that are pleasing to the Lord are known to us; Rabshakeh brings this boast to nothing, saying that in the face of imminent war and battle, it would be completely useless to help them, both the knowledge of laws, and prudence and mere counsels, and that which is, as it were, skillful in words. And since some of those who had reigned in Judea had called on the hand of the Egyptians for aid, although doing this wrongly, the Assyrian thought that now too Hezekiah did not trust in God, but in certain others, or rather in those of the Egyptians who held the land. For this reason he calls it a reed staff. For the hope in them is somehow fragile, he says, and always easily broken, and it harms rather than having the strength to help those who use it;

4 just as a reed staff, upon which if one should rest, he will surely break it, and it will injure the one who trusted in it. But if you say: 'We trust in the Lord our God,' now make a wager with my lord the king of the Assyrians, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to set riders on them. And how can you turn away the face of one governor? Again he speaks rashly, and lifts up his horn on high, and speaks injustice against God. For if indeed, he says, you trust in him, make a wager with my Lord, that is, arm yourselves and stand for battle. And I will add two thousand horses for you, and this will suffice, he says, as proof that you will overcome the hand of the Assyrians if you find men to ride them or who even know how to ride horses in battles at all. Then how, when you are not able to fulfill even this, will you overcome one governor? For the rule of the Assyrians is divided, and it has subject kings under the one greater than all, who were also named governors. Servants are they who trust in the Egyptians, for horse, and for rider. And now have we come up without the Lord against this land to war against it? The Lord said to me: Go up against this land, and destroy it.

5 He completely cuts off the hope in the Egyptians, all but saying that those who trust in it are already ranked among servants. For they will be easily captured, he says, having trusted in horse and rider. Then he utters something bitter and, as it were, from his inherent wickedness, affirming that the battle against Judea is not undertaken without the Lord. For if indeed, he says, as you yourselves say, the God among you is great and most mighty, and champions the land, how have we come up against it? For if we have overcome the strength of the defender, he is not great, but rather small and weak. But if he is great and powerful, we are not hindered wishing to ravage Judea; we did not come up against it without the Lord. And Eliakim, and Somnas the scribe, and Joah said to him: Speak to your servants in Syriac, for we hear; and do not speak to us in Judean. And why do you speak in the ears of the people on the wall? And Rabshakeh said to them: Has my lord sent me to your master, or to you, to speak these words? Is it not to the men sitting on the wall, so that they may also eat? The common folk are always somehow easily terrified, and far too ready for despair, especially when war is at hand, and when slaughter is expected, and conflagrations throughout the city.

6 For this reason, and very prudently, those conversing with Rabshakeh say that he should not speak in Judean, but rather use the Syrian tongue. For they did not want words full of barbarian madness to be injected by him into the hearing of the common people, even though King Hezekiah was urging them to valor, and stating clearly that the Lord was with them, and that for those who trust in God, hope is unshaken, while human affairs are easily shaken, and are as nothing at all, I say, compared to His power. But Rabshakeh understands, and is not ignorant of the reason for being prevented from speaking in Judean. For this reason he says that the purpose of his mission was not to them, nor indeed to the king, but rather that he might converse with those on the wall. But he acts insolently again, and belches out words from an unclean heart, saying that for this reason they are sitting on the wall guarding the city, so that, starving and having become in want of both bread and water, they might be brought to this point of necessity, as to make for themselves food and drink of things utterly detestable and perhaps fit for dogs. And Rabshakeh stood, and cried out with a loud voice in Judean, and said: Hear the words of the great king, the king of the Assyrians. Thus says the king: Let not Hezekiah deceive you with words that will not be able to deliver you;

7 and let not Hezekiah say to you, 'God will deliver you,' and 'this city shall not be delivered into the hands of the king of the Assyrians.' Do not listen to Hezekiah. Thus says the king of the Assyrians: If you wish to be blessed, come out to me, and each of you will eat from his vine, and from his fig trees, and you will drink water from your cistern until I come and take you to a land, like your land, of grain and wine, and of bread and vineyards. He now directs his words to those seated on the battlements, who were eager to resist those wanting to besiege the city; again and again he calls the Assyrian a great king, and belittles the hope placed in God, and calls Hezekiah a liar and a deceiver, for saying that they should rather depend on God, and in no way fear the assaults of men when He is their defender. Then he makes promises to those who desert to him, that they will be in their own lands for a time. For this is the meaning of, 'Until I come and take you.' They will enjoy their own fields, and he soothes, as it were, the terror of captivity, and conceals the harshness of the matter with deceitful words, adding, 'Until I come, and take you to a land like your own land.' For he compares the land of the Assyrians to the land of the Judeans, all but saying:

8 Even if you leave Judea and come to be with us, you will no less find your own land. For the land of the Persians and Assyrians is a land of grain and wine, and of bread and vineyards. Let not Hezekiah deceive you, saying: 'God will deliver you.' Did the gods of the nations each deliver their own country from the hand of the king of the Assyrians? Where is the god of Hamath and Arphath?and where is the god of the city of Sepharvaim? Were they able to deliver Samaria from my hand ? Which of all the gods of these nations has delivered his land from my hand, that God should deliver Jerusalem from my hand? And they were silent, and no one answered him a word, because the king had commanded not to re- to be judged. Rabshakeh is again barbarous in his opinion, and is heavy with his words against God, and is greatly proud that the Assyrians have taken as many cities of the nations as possible, with none being saved by the falsely-named gods within them, but he was ignorant that those were wood, and stones, and the artful work of a human hand, and nothing else. But the God of Judea, or rather of the whole world, is a living and true God, not recently made, but rather the maker even of the ages, and creator of all things, and Lord of hosts.

9 Therefore Rabshakeh thinks it will be the clearest proof for the Jews, that they will be completely and entirely captured, even if the great God should help them, that none of the gods among the Greeks was able to save a city, or a country in which it was honored. For this reason he says: Where is the god of Hamath, and of Arphad? And he adds, were they not able to rescue Samaria from my hand? But, O most wretched one, I would say, they themselves also worshipped the golden calves, and the land was captured as God withheld his help. And, as I said before, if none of the gods among the Greeks has saved his own, this means nothing with respect to the God who is truly, and by nature, and great. For they obtained by human art the lot of at least being seen only. But He rules over all things, and has an invincible hand, being the Lord of hosts. But no one answers Rabshakeh, as the king commanded them to be silent, and very prudently. For uncultured words, and a barbarous spirit, and for the tirades against God, it was necessary to weep rather than to argue back. And this, I think, the blessed David teaches when he says: "I set a watch on my mouth, while the sinner stood against me. I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence from good things.

10 And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, the steward, and Shebna the scribe of the host, and Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh. And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth, and went up into the house of the Lord. At the boasts of Rabshakeh, and the unbridled tirades concerning God, those sent to him tore their tunics, and reported to the king the things outrageously proclaimed out of Persian madness. And he tore his garment, and changed into sackcloth, that is, a garment of mourning, and went up, it says, into the house of the Lord. And what was the reason for tearing their garments? It was a custom for the Jews to do this at blasphemies against God. And so the Savior was handed over to the leaders of the Jews, and the judge of the world was judged by them. But He was silent, not answering the voices of those who spoke falsely. Then the high priest says to him: "I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God? Jesus says to him: You have said so. Nevertheless, I say to you, From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tore his garments, saying: He has blasphemed.

11 And the God of all things also said through one of the prophets to those of the blood of Israel, that "Rend your hearts, and not your garments. For perhaps they thought to be pious, and to please God with the highest honors, by tearing their tunics at the blasphemies against him, even if they took no account of the things decreed through Moses. Hezekiah put on sackcloth, that is, a garment of mourning, and he goes up into the house of God, and very fittingly. For it is fitting to mourn, and for those in the height of evils to weep and be afflicted, and to place hope of salvation in God, and to sit before him, and to frequent holy places, where one might most fittingly make supplications to him. And he sent Eliakim the steward, and Shebna the scribe, and the the elders of the priests clothed in sackcloth to Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet, and they said to him: Thus says Hezekiah: Today is a day of affliction, and of reproach, and of rebuke, and of wrath, because the birth-pang has come to the one giving birth, but she does not have the strength to give birth. If perhaps the Lord your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, which the king of the Assyrians sent to reproach the living God, and to reproach the words which the Lord your God heard, and you will pray to the Lord your God for these who are left.

12 Those prominent in the priesthood and crowned by law with the highest honors, along with the others, he commanded not to be in sacred garments and those more fitting for the liturgy, but rather to go clothed in sackcloth, that is, in garments of mourning, to the blessed prophet Isaiah, and to report that a day of affliction and reproach had befallen them. For, it says, God all but reproaches those dwelling in the holy city, as having neglected the gentleness according to the law; and he rebukes them for having sinned, and thus brings upon them things from his wrath. And they clearly affirmed that their affairs had come to such a state as to make Israel resemble a woman giving birth, but who has come to her last extremity for being unable to bear the child. And he wishes that the God of all would, through the mediation of the prophet, listen to the words of Rabshakeh, which he has heard by himself. For nothing of existing things escapes his notice, as many had already been destroyed in other cities, and their houses burned. Pray, he says, for these who are left. Hezekiah is exceedingly pious, calling upon him who is honored by God, clearly the prophet, to become a helper. It is therefore beneficial to fall down before God through the leading saints. For on their account he grants his favor, and often pities even the tear of those who are accustomed to be slothful. And Isaiah said to them: Thus you shall say to your lord:

13 Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the envoys of the king of the Assyrians have reproached me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and having heard a report he will return to his own land, and he will fall by the sword in his own land. God gives courage, and not after a long time, but straightway and immediately, to the one trusting in him, and has shown his hope to be beneficial, and that it is not without reward to run to the house of the Lord, and together with prayers to shed a tear from distress. Thus is the Master of all appeased, being philanthropic. But since Rabshakeh, shearing off the hope of being saved from those of Israel, even if the all-powerful God should choose to save them, impiously said: Let not Hezekiah deceive you, that God will deliver Jerusalem from my hand. Have the gods of these nations each delivered his own land from my hand?

14 For this reason and very appropriately he frees them from terrors, and does not allow them to be dismayed by cold and old-womanish words and by barbaric foul-mouthedness, but rather he strengthens them for a much-desired hope, saying that the arrogant tyrant would be carried back to his own land unwillingly, by a malevolent spirit terrifying and driving him unbearably into fears for his own kingdom, and that he would fall by the sword, having been in no danger at all in a foreign land, nor yet having boasted in the slaughters of his enemies, nor being rich in the splendid rewards of valor against his foes; but while spending his time in his own land, he has fallen there in his own land, this happening contrary to hope and unexpectedly. For where one would think he would be spending his time freed from terrors, there he has fallen, and by those from whom it was likely he would be saved while in danger. And who these were we shall know from what follows. And Rabshakeh returned, and found the king besieging Libnah; and the king of the Assyrians heard that Tirhakah king of the Ethiopians had come out to besiege him; and when he heard it, he returned and sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying: Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Let not your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying: Jerusalem will not be given over- lem into the hands of the king of the Assyrians.

15 Or have you not heard what the kings of the Assyrians have done, they have destroyed all the land? Did the gods of the nations rescue them, whom my fathers destroyed, both Gaza and Haran, and Rezeph, which are in the country of Teman, Where are the kings of Hamath, and Arphad, and of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena and Ivvah? When Lachish had perhaps been captured, and had come under the barbarian hand, Libnah was besieged after it, there Rabshakeh is said to have overtaken the Assyrian; but he was greatly disturbed. For Tirhakah, king of the Ethiopians, had marched out against him. Then, fearing lest, his country having been seized, he might be cast out from his most illustrious thrones, he leaves Judea, and hastens rather to his own land; nevertheless, he did not abandon his inherent cruelty. But being inflamed, as it were, to unrestrained anger, perhaps because those of Israel, that is, those who inhabited the holy city, were not willing, having been persuaded by the words of Rabshakeh, to desert to him, the miserable one again speaks rashly against the glory of God; and he commands some of his own men to go quickly to Hezekiah and report to him the things from him. And these were blasphemies against God, saying clearly: since the gods of other countries or nations have perished along with those who worship them, not even the God of the Hebrews himself would be able to deliver them, and snatch them from the hand of the Assyrians.

16 Then he enumerates the cities that have been sacked, which it was likely could do much, from which others have suffered. By these same things he terrifies them, as men about to die, and those who have trusted in Him, the God who rules over all. And Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, and opened it before the Lord; and Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who sits upon the Cherubim, You alone are God of every kingdom of the world. You made heaven and earth. Hear, O Lord; look, O Lord, and see the words which Sennacherib has sent, to reproach the living God. Out of very great piety toward God he spreads out the letter, not as if God were ignorant of the greatness of Sennacherib's arrogance, but rather crying out against the barbarian madness, and making God himself, who has authority over all things, a witness, as it were, of that man's insolent speech. But see how he refers to the words of Sennacherib, raising his supplication. For the one, for his part, mocked the glory of God: "Let not your God deceive you," he says, "in whom you trust, saying: Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hands of the king of the Assyrians. But the other confesses the greatness of his authority, calling him Lord of hosts, and God of Israel, and over all creation, both heavenly and rational. "For you are," he says, "the one who sits upon the Cherubim.

17 And he confesses that even if some are called kings on earth, nevertheless the one who is king by nature and in truth, and who has all things under his feet, would be himself and alone the creator of earth and heaven, and who by his nod established the things that once were not. And he exhorts him to hear and to look, that is, not to overlook and to pass by such bitter blasphemies; but to punish the sinner with justice. For he has reproached the living God, he says, that is, the one who is in no way like those of the nations, to whom that man, comparing him, impiously grew insolent. For truly the kings of the Assyrians have laid waste the whole world, and their land, and have cast their idols into the fire. For they were not gods, but the works of men's hands, wood and stone, and they destroyed them. But you, O Lord our God, save us from their hands, so that every kingdom of the earth may know that you alone are God. I have heard, he says, the barbarian saying: "Did the gods of the nations, each one, deliver his own land from my hand? And if someone should say this, I approve and I am persuaded. For they have conquered all the earth, and have burned the cities, the falsely named gods being able to offer no help; for they have saved no one.

18 For how, or from where, could things made of wood and stone and the works of art of stone-working, and being the artistic creations of craftsmen; For this reason they have perished along with their own worshipers. But You, save us, O Master. For this is also a proof, and it persuades all under heaven, that they must be firmly disposed to the fact that You alone are God. For just as the capture of the lands of the nations testified against the falsely named gods, that they are nothing at all; so also Jerusalem's escape from his hand, being under Your care and Yours alone, both testifies and will make clear to all everywhere the proclamation of Your strength and undefiled glory, and that You alone are God both in heaven and on earth. And Isaiah son of Amoz was sent to Hezekiah, and said to him: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I have heard what you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of the Assyrians. The one who saves is not far, but near and, as it were, at the heels of the prayer is the fulfillment of the requests. For the prophet is sent; having been silent for a time about the barbarian, and not having announced God's verdict on him; "Thus says the Lord," he says, "the God of Israel.

19 He strengthens the one who has believed, and does not declare one of the falsely named gods to be the one who sent him, but rather, making him courageous, he names the Lord, and the God of Israel. And he praises and accepts, as it were, saying: I have heard what you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of the Assyrians. For it is as if he says, "I accept your zeal, I know your love for God, I have made the blasphemy against me unbearable; you came in tears, and as one grieving on my behalf, and I have made your grief the reproaches directed at me. Most praiseworthy, therefore, is the zeal of the saints, and when the glory of God is blasphemed, when they grieve, God is gladdened. This is the word that God has spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and mocked you; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you. Whom have you reproached and provoked? Or against whom have you raised your voice? And you did not lift up your eyes on high to the Holy One of Israel; for you reproached the Lord through messengers. He then makes clear the verdict against the barbarian; and says that the virgin daughter Zion, that is, Jerusalem, will make a mockery of him and will shake her head. And we say that he names Zion, that is, Jerusalem, a virgin and a daughter; a virgin, as being undefiled and not having the stain of abominable idolatry;

20 and a daughter, because he has assigned to her the disposition due from a father to his own children. And she has despised the Assyrian, that is, she has shaken her head at him in a certain way; for she smiled at the vanquished, and has made his misfortunes, as it were, a song and a harmonious melody. Then he says to him: Whom have you reproached and provoked? Or against whom have you raised your voice? For was it one of the falsely named gods whom you grieved with such ardent words? And yet how was it not necessary, he says, to raise the eye of the mind on high, and to consider who and how great is the God of Israel? It was necessary, from the very sight of created things, to see correspondingly the magnitude of the Creator's power. It was necessary to behold the height of his glory, and to think nothing of more earthly things concerning him. But remembering none of these things, he says, you have reproached the Lord. For you said: With the multitude of my chariots I have gone up to the height of the mountains, and to the ends of Lebanon, and I have cut down the height of its cedar, and its beauty, and I entered into the height of a part of the forest, and I set up a bridge, and I have made waters desolate, and every gathering of water. He explains the pomp of Persian arrogance, and its senseless puffing up, and the magnitude of its boasting.

21 For he compares to Lebanon, as we have already said, both the land of the Jews, and perhaps that of the Samaritans, which the ten tribes inhabited. For Lebanon is a mountain in Phoenicia, flourishing and thickly wooded with cedars, trees lifted very high up. The land of the Jews is understood in this way: high, because God was its defender, yet thick, because those in it were seen to be beyond number. But the Assyrian tyrants took Samaria, and ravaged with it not a few cities of Judea. You, therefore, he says, O Assyrian, having an arrogant spirit, and attributing the outcome of events to your own powers, said that With the multitude of my chariots I have gone up to the height of the mountains, and to the ends of Lebanon, that is, against the kingdom itself among those of Israel. I cut down the height of his cedar. Whose? Of Lebanon, that is, of Judea. And by the height of the cedar he means their kingdom, and he entered into the height of a part of the forest. For as I said, many cities of Judea were destroyed along with that of the Samaritans. And you said that I have made a bridge, and I have laid waste waters, and every gathering of water.

22 For the Persians and Assyrians, attributing to their own powers the ability to accomplish everything, in their running through the lands, they would bridge rivers, and they would often carry on, being so numerous, as to be able to exhaust springs, and gatherings of waters, and sometimes not even rivers would suffice for the thirsty men and horses together. And the Greek chroniclers, as many as have made mention of the Persians in their own writings, say that they also bridged the Hellespont itself; and even if a river, they say, was found in the midst of their passing through either a country or a city, the tyrant would command, saying: 'Let it be consumed by drinking.' Therefore, the God of all remembers the arrogance of the Persians, and rebukes those accustomed to boasting. Then after this he shows that they were not rather able to succeed, in those things wherein they have thought so arrogantly; but rather his decree, brought against the transgressors, created in them the reputation of being able. Have you not heard of old what I have done? From ancient days I ordained it, and now I have commanded it to lay waste fortified nations, and those who dwell in fortified cities. I have lifted my hands, and they withered, and became as a dry flower on the rooftops, and as grass. Do you not blush, he says, attributing to your own powers all these things which you think you have accomplished?

23 But, O you who have a vain brow for nothing, have you not heard of old what I have done? For if you should wish, he says, to investigate the words of my prophets, I have already said beforehand that these things would happen. For I from ancient days ordained, that is, I determined and decreed; and I have now brought to pass, as the time called for it, the things foretold, so as to lay waste fortified nations, that is, not weak, and easily captured. I lifted my hands, and they withered. For I, who formerly by forbearance still held them together to exist and stand, withdrew my protecting hand, and like grass they were dried up, and in the manner of a plant they were withered, and like some dry grass were given as food to fire. This indeed he says to him elsewhere also; for since the impious one, having accomplished what was ordained by God to happen, has become greatly proud of himself, he heard God saying again: "Shall the axe be glorified, without him who cuts with it? Or shall the saw be exalted without him who draws it? For just as such instruments do not move themselves to their work, perchance, but rather await the hand of the one who wields them; so also you, he says, have become an instrument of divine wrath, and you did not yourself work with your own powers, but you were rather like an axe, and a saw, appointed to serve the wishes of the one moving you.

24 But now your rest, and your going out I know; and your anger with which you were angry, and your bitterness has come up to me. You are boastful, therefore, he says, having become a minister of the divine judgments, and perhaps you think that by yourself, and alone, you have prevailed over so many nations and countries, so as to burn and capture them. But I know your rest, and your going out, and your coming in. And by rest, I think, death he calls going out and coming in, the way into anything whatsoever of things to be done. For nothing at all escapes the mind that knows all. And adding, that Your anger, with which you were angered, and your bitterness have come up to me, he all but says, You will not have blasphemed without punishment. For I will in no way overlook the malice and bitterness of your unholy thoughts, but, as if provoked to grief, I will inflict upon your rages the fitting justice for them. And I will put a muzzle in your nose, and a bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way in which you came.

25 Since the Assyrian, having a most beast-like irrationality, was mocking God, and as if leaping into unbridled savagery, was uttering blasphemous cries against the glory of God, for this very reason and quite fittingly, as if speaking of a beast, he says that I will put a muzzle in your nose, and a bridle in your lips, all but leading him by the infliction of plagues, and by the greatness of his misfortunes, as by a kind of bridle, checking his outrageous undertakings. Indeed, he says that the Assyrian will return to his own land. For he returned when he heard that Tirhakah, king of the Ethiopians, had come out against him. And yet, Why on earth, someone might say, when his entire army had fallen, was not only he himself saved, but did he also return to his own land? For it was necessary, it was necessary for him, having been stripped of the multitude under his hand, to escape by providence the hand of the consuming angel, so that he might lament his own misfortune and know against whom he had blasphemed, and report the paradox to all others. And this is the sign for you. Eat this year what you have sown, and in the second year the remnant, and in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and you shall eat the fruit. And those who have been left behind in Judah will be for an escape; they will grow a root below, and will produce seed above.

26 Because from Jerusalem will be those who are left, and those who are saved from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth will do these things. Saying that the Assyrian will turn back to his own land, and will depart from the country of the Jews, he defines the time in which this will be, and says: Eat this year what you have sown, and the things that follow this. It is not yet clear to all whether the sign was given to Sennacherib, or rather to Hezekiah and those around him. But we shall speak the meaning of what is written. Then this must be applied to them, or to these. If we say the sign was given to Hezekiah, we understand it thus: For Jerusalem was being besieged, and while a very great army of the Assyrians was attempting to burn and capture it, there was a very great collection of provisions, and fruits stored up, and the things by which it would be possible for those who were being saved in Jerusalem to survive. You therefore, Hezekiah, he says, and all the people with you, eat this year what you have sown; and in the second year, the remnant. And in the third year, sow and reap, and plant vineyards. For having settled in Samaria for two whole years, and having ravaged it all, the Assyrian. When the third had scarcely begun, he went away as a fugitive, especially since those with Rabshakeh around Jerusalem, and who were besieging it, had perished.

27 Therefore in the third year, he says, let there be at last a respite, and for farmers what is sufficient and for vineyard keepers, if they should choose to plant them; peace evidently awarding it and security. And that those who have been saved and left over from the war will be in a firm state of good cheer, he indicates by saying, as of plants, that they will stretch a root downwards, and will cast seed upwards. And that they will dwell securely, and firmly, and outside of all fear, the having a root in the depth gives one to understand. And that the matter of prosperity will be extended to them even to the end, the making of seed above allows one to understand. And he adds, that the zeal of the Lord of Sabaoth will do these things. For since the Assyrian has blasphemed, and comparing him to the falsely named gods, dared to say, God will not deliver Jerusalem from my hand? All these things it will happen, he says, when the Almighty has been moved to zeal. But if one applies against Sennacherib the saying, "Eat this year what you have sown, and in the second year what is left over," we say that those who are accustomed to wage war, either on countries or cities, when the siege is at times delayed and the battle for them extends over time, they also take up farming, so that they might have provisions.

28 And in this same way, it will be fitting for what was said to be understood also in his case. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of the Assyrians: He shall not enter into this city, nor shall he shoot an arrow at it, nor shall he bring a shield against it, nor shall he surround it with a palisade; but by the way that he came, by it he shall return. He recapitulates in a way the sense of what was said, and the course of the matter to its end, summarizing it in a few words, he makes clear. For he will not engage in war, he says, but before battle, before brandishing weapons, before drawing and shooting an arrow, before raising a shield, before encircling it with a palisade, he will return by the same road, and will run home, he says. But it should be known that by 'palisade' in these verses he means the multitude of stakes fixed in the trenches, sharpened to a point, so that none of those who fall might be saved. Thus says the Lord: I will defend this city to save it for my own sake, and for the sake of David my servant. He cuts down the pride of those saved by the mercy of God, and does not allow those who inhabit the holy city to think arrogant thoughts.

29 For it was indeed very likely that they would think and say that they were honored by God because of the fairness of their character, and the spiritual good order of the righteousness within them. Therefore He saves as God, and He benefits those who are saved, not allowing them to be caught in the waves of arrogance. For He said He would defend the city, clearly the holy one, not because of its inhabitants in any way, nor bestowing the favor on any of those still living at that time, but for His own sake, and for David, whom He also calls His own servant, and for His own sake, because He is good and merciful, and it was necessary, I suppose, to bring upon those who mock His divine glory the punishment most fitting for them. Again, for David's sake, because to the memory of the saints He often grants forgiveness for the things in which their descendants sometimes transgress. And the angel of the Lord went out, and killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand from the camp of the Assyrians; and when they arose in the morning, they found all the bodies dead. And Sennacherib king of the Assyrians turned back and departed, and dwelt in Nineveh; and while he was worshipping in the house of Asarach his patriarch, Adrammelech and Sarasar his sons struck him with swords; but they escaped to Armenia, and Achordan his son reigned in his place.

30 The fulfillment of what was expected has been usefully added to what was promised, so that the God of all might not seem to be a liar. For the multitude of the Assyrians was consumed, not captured by the hands of the Jews, not with anyone drawing a bow against them, nor having taken up a spear for battle, or unsheathed a sword, not of mighty horses, but when an angel began the battle, he laid them low with ineffable power, and showed a multitude of dead greater than number. Therefore, the general, that is, Sennacherib, though exceedingly bold, is struck by the miracle, and was with difficulty brought home, and having returned completely stripped of the army he had dragged along, he dwelt wretchedly, it says, in Nineveh. Then what was remaining [ἴσ. εἶτα λοιπὸν] of the promises made by God has been brought to fulfillment. For he has fallen in his house while worshipping a certain patriarch, clearly one of his fathers or grandfathers according to the flesh. For it is the custom of those who have once gone astray, not only to unclean spirits, but also to whatever dead they might choose to attribute this thing. For having once fallen from the straight path, they make their flight to anything that seems good to them without examination. But his sons he says those who killed him are;

31 for when a divine decree was brought against some, those who suffered this would be in danger in every way and entirely, and that they will encounter their own people as exceeding enemies. Not having kinship by blood as a pledge of safety, not the disposition and diligence owed to fathers by their children, but through those by whom it was likely for them to be saved when in danger, through these very ones they are cast into the depths of destruction. And these things, I think, as far as they pertain to the outward appearance of the history, have been said not ungracefully. But I think it is necessary to say something of the innermost doctrines for the exhortation of the spiritual. For the holy city, that is, Zion, or rather Jerusalem, would be a type of the Church of Christ, the truer Zion; this city, the enemies of the truth sometimes, or rather for the most part, besiege, that is, the inventors of unholy heresies; and they do not besiege it alone, but in a way also hiring the powers in the world, the intelligible Sennacherib, that is, clearly, Satan, inspiring them to this, and as it were sending forth those under his hand and those accustomed to serve his perversities, who, when they come to fight against the leaders of the truth, speaking foolishly against the glory of God, will in sum achieve much of no account. For the besieged will be silent, and for what reason, the blessed Paul will teach, saying:

32 "Do not engage in word-wrangling, which is useless for anything; and again, "A heretical man, after a first and second admonition, reject, knowing that such a one has been perverted. For to those who have once completely inclined to deceit and trickery, and are held fast by falsehood, even the word of those who are accustomed to help is perhaps superfluous. For it is written: Speak into the ears of those who listen. Therefore, when the enemies of the truth either promise honors and rests, just like Rabshakeh the scoundrel, or threaten dangers and battles, one must approach God and lay claim to help from above alone. For the right hand from above, which is all-powerful, will suffice, both to save those who are accustomed to walk uprightly, and for the destruction of those who oppose. For he will drive them away, using certain ineffable strengths, and will thus deliver the holy and blameless Zion, that is, the Church, from war. For the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And it came to pass at that time, Hezekiah became sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him: Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you are going to die, and you will not live. And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying: Remember, Lord, how I walked before you in truth, with a true heart, and I have done what is pleasing in your sight.

33 And Hezekiah wept with a great weeping. Hezekiah was indeed one of the most distinguished for love of God, and had a famous reputation for this. For he tore down altars, destroyed sanctuaries, burned the things in the shrines, cut down groves, and never ceased to worship God with sacrifices according to the law. And he prevailed over the barbarians neighboring Judea, so as to make many subject to tribute and taxes. And he built up cities, and having become altogether full of the highest renown, he was justly admired. But, as the children of the Hebrews say, he was carried away a little from what was fitting, and thought great things of himself, and fell into the snares of arrogance. For this reason, God extended to him the rod of love; "For whom the Lord loves," it says, "he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives. For he strikes as a loving father, moving them to better things, and turning away those caught in baser things. For just as the most severe and skillful of physicians melt away the decayed parts of bodies with fire, or cut them with iron, not being accustomed to do this out of hatred for the sick person, but rather being overcome by concern for him; in the same way, I think, The God of all things cuts away the harm of the sicknesses in us with measured displeasures, so that we may not be condemned with the world, according to what is written.

34 King Hezekiah, therefore, had fallen into a sickness, and indeed the evil had come to its end; for he was in extreme danger through the voice of the prophet, who says that he will die, and that it is fitting for him to set his house in order. And this was not from one who was ignorant that he would live and escape the terrible danger of the sickness by mercy from Him, but from one who was calling and inciting him to prayer, so that by asking he might receive the mercy from Him. For He pities those who are loved, and grants to the genuine the finding of the things they long for, and accepts the words of their supplications. Which indeed has been done. For Hezekiah prayed, saying: Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you in truth, with a true heart, and have done what is pleasing in your sight. The confidence of the just is good; for they all but ask for a requital for what has been done and the fruits of their genuineness. And the God of all things is delighted with those who have lived lawfully, and readily assents to those who maintain an exceptional life, when He sees them weeping and weaving toil with their prayer. And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying: Go and say to Hezekiah: Thus says the God of David your father: I have heard the voice of your prayer, and I have seen your tears;

35 behold, I am adding to your time fifteen years, and from the hand of the king of the Assyrians I will save you, and I will defend this city. And this will be the sign to you from the Lord, that God will do this word that he has spoken. Behold, I am turning back the shadow of the steps which the sun has gone down, the ten steps. And the sun went up the ten steps which the shadow had gone down. Not a long time passed, but immediately God assents, and accepts the prayers of the just man. For as it is written in the books of Kings, before the blessed prophet got outside the king's court, the word of God came to him. Having returned therefore immediately, he makes the words from Him clear. For he said that He had heard his voice, that is, had accepted the prayer, and had looked upon his tear; and He immediately grants him the ability to escape the terror of death, and He signifies the measure of the life that was added, so that looking to the end, and being disposed that he would in any case altogether die, he might make the disease of arrogance unacceptable to his mind. And He promises that, just as He had already promised, He would indeed make him stronger than the hand of the Assyrians, and would defend Jerusalem.

36 And He did these things, removing every kind of despondency, and winning back with good things from his gentleness one who had been very greatly grieved. For the one who struck will bind you up. For the God of all things is good and merciful. And He confirms for faith that the things promised will come to pass, by the sign concerning the sun, according to the turning back of the shadow that then happened on the ten steps. And they say that Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah, by some contrivance and art had prepared some steps to be made in his own house, which were, as it were, a clock, and were accustomed to measure the course of the sun by the descent of the shadow that came upon them. Therefore, that Hezekiah was about to return to life, God made manifest by the sun's shadow going backward, and by the day being extended to an unusual measure of hours. And nothing at all is impossible for the Master of all things, but whatever He should choose, He accomplishes by only nodding His assent. "PRAYER OF HEZEKIAH KING OF JUDAH, When he was sick, and arose from his sickness. I said in the height of my days, I will go to the gates of Hades; I will leave behind the remaining years. I said: I shall no longer see the salvation of God on the earth, I shall no longer see a man of my kindred. I left the rest of my life;

37 it went out and departed from me, like one who takes down a tent he has pitched, my spirit was with me, like the web of a weaver who is near to cutting it off. On that day I was delivered up, until morning as to a lion, so he crushed my bones; for from day until night I was delivered to him. It is necessary to say this before all else: for the Seventy have put, in these words, the phrase "in the height of my days," while other interpreters have rendered it "in the midst of the days. But I think, and very prudently, that the words of the Seventy have been set down. For the holy city had been besieged by Rabshakeh and those with him surrounding it with the multitude of Assyrians, greater than could be numbered. But God promised through the voice of Isaiah that he would do marvelous things, and would save those in danger, and would remove the tyrant from Judea, and that he would die upon reaching home. Therefore, when all these things had come to pass, at the time the God of all had said, the boasts of Hezekiah's kingdom were about to be lifted on high. Therefore I said to myself, he says, that in the time of glory, that is, in the very heightening of my days, I will be in the gates of Hades, and I will leave behind the remaining years.

38 Then he adds to these things by which it happens that those seized by sickness converse with the ultimate terrors, and see death not far off. These things are: I shall no longer see salvation from God, nor indeed see a man of my kindred; I have let go the rest of my life, it has departed from me; and I have become like a tent being taken down, and like the web of a female weaver, that is, one who works, or rather, one who weaves, and is finally near to cutting it off. Then he says that, In the whole night and day my bones were delivered up as to a lion crushing them. And who is the lion? Either the burden of sickness, and death, all but roaring like a wild beast in appearance, and threatening its attack, that is, the unleashed terror of expecting to die. For fear and despair together crush the soul, and shatter all its strength. Like a swallow, so will I cry, and like a dove, so will I meditate. For my eyes failed from looking to the height of heaven to the Lord, who delivered me, and took away the anguish of my soul. O Lord, it was also announced to you concerning it, and you have raised up my breath, and being comforted, I lived. For you have chosen my soul, that it might not perish, and you have cast all my sins behind me.

39 Raising songs of thanksgiving, he promises to imitate the things which birds are accustomed to utter well, and to make his hymns unceasing. He says that by raising the eyes of his mind to God, he has been saved, and has escaped both the anguish of his soul, and death itself. For you have raised up my life, he says, I both lived and you preserved mine, so that it might not perish, and you have cast all my sins behind me. This is not the attitude of one sick with arrogance, but of one who has already come to know his own nature, and who knows precisely that we are all liable for many sins, and if God did not wish to save by mercy, no one will boast of having a pure heart, nor will he dare to say he is clean from sin. Therefore, in the blessings which might come to us from God, let him be glorified by us as one who has forgotten those things for which it was fitting to be justly punished. For wise, he says, are those who know themselves. For those in Hades will not praise you, nor will the dead bless you, nor will those in Hades hope for your mercy. The living will bless you, in the way that I also do. For from this day I will beget children, who will declare your righteousness, O Lord of the of my salvation, and I will not cease blessing you with a psaltery all the days of my life.

40 The things spoken through the voice of the psalmist would have a meaning equal to what has been set forth: "What is the prof- it in my blood when I go down into cor- ruption? Shall dust confess to you, or declare your wonders? For those who have once died, and have become captives of the gates of Hades, will perhaps cease even from giving glory. They would add absolutely nothing to what they have done, but rather will remain in the state in which they were left, and will await the time of the universal judgment. Therefore the living, he says, and having the authority to do this good thing, when they are well-treat- ed, will bless you in the same way I also do. He promises to beget children, who will declare the righteousness of God. And some say that a choir is announced, and that in the divine temple he will establish the most melodious singers. But others, applying their mind still more to the ineffable things, say that Hezekiah, being high-minded, thought perhaps to have both an unending kingdom and life itself without end; being disposed to think that the things written concerning Christ, as concerning a son of David, were spoken of and looked to himself. From which they say, although he was in the fourteenth year of his reign, he is not seen to have been concerned with the need to beget children;

41 having learned, therefore, the end of his own life, he takes thought for those who will succeed him, and that he says children, and adds that They will declare the righteousness of the Lord, and his word has indeed missed the truth. For Manasseh became impious and a sinner, but as far as it concerned the intention of his father, he too was pious and a messenger of the glory of God. And Isaiah said to Hezekiah: Take a lump of figs, and mash it, and apply it as a poultice, and you will be well. And Hezekiah said: This is the sign, that I will go up to the house of God. It is written in the fourth book of Kings that the cause of Hezekiah's illness was a painful and hard-to-treat ulcer, so as to defy even the skills of the physicians. But since God once granted life to the just man, and commanded the disease to be driven away, he was to be delivered by means of things through which it was likely, or rather undoubtedly the case, that the wound would tend towards an increase of pains. For the hand of the Almighty is always a worker of wonders; and the manner of assistance comes through unexpected things; clearly, that is, from Him. Mash, therefore, he says, a lump of figs, apply it as a poultice, and you will be well. And from this, as I said, one was to expect to be harmed, that is to say, for the wound to derive some benefit.

42 But since it was God who was commanding, Hezekiah, being all-wise, takes the matter as having the power of a sign, and says that, If I am indeed healed by a lump of figs, this will be for me a sure and true sign that I will go up to the house of God, to sacrifice to Him, clearly, and to pray, as the illness ceases, and every pain has been, as it were, put to rest in me. At that time Meodach son of Ladam, the king of Babylonia, sent letters, and envoys, and gifts to Hezekiah; for he heard that he had been sick unto death, and had recovered. And Hezekiah rejoiced over them with great joy; and he showed them the house of Nechotha, and of the stacte and of the incense, and of the myrrh, and of the silver and of the gold, and all the storehouses of the vessels of the treasury, and all that was in his treasuries; and there was nothing that Hezekiah did not show them in his house. After Sennacherib had been killed by his own sons, the sacred Scripture says that Nechordan his son had reigned in his place. But as it seems, when that one was out of the way, Meodach the son of Laadan inherited the thrones of the kingdom. This one is said to have sent to Hezekiah both gifts and letters, and envoys; and it is necessary to say what the reason for this is.

43 For he heard, it says, that he had been sick unto death and had recovered; but not only this... That Hezekiah was weakened, I say, but then inclined back to run up again to strength, astounded the Babylonian, but certainly that was the truly great and extraordinary sign; by an ineffable and God-befitting nod the sun was commanded to run back and to walk backwards, so that the shadow also went up the ten steps. But the Babylonians and Chaldeans, who are called wise, being very skilled, even if they claimed to be so regarding the course of the sun, and the risings and settings of the stars, were not ignorant, as is likely, of the backward turning, and the unusual length of that day. And it was indeed very likely that the power of the sign had been rumored among those throughout all the earth, and that it was given for confirmation of the promise of God which was made, I say, to Hezekiah. And in another way we say that Merodach had marveled at what paradoxically happened to those with Rabshakeh who besieged Jerusalem, whom the striking hand of an angel destroyed in one night, so that in the morning all the bodies were found dead. Therefore the ambassadors came, since Merodach marveled at the righteousness of Hezekiah on account of these very signs from God that are beyond description.

44 But he, although it was necessary to make a brilliant narration to those who had arrived from Babylon of the timely assistance of the all-powerful God, and the magnificent work of the paradoxes, so that, marveling even more greatly at the divine excellence and the invincible authority of the Master of all, through the words by which they were initiated by him, they might return to their own land, having been enriched with the knowledge of God; for it was thus possible also to benefit others by proclaiming what they had learned; this he did not do, but was rather carried away into human vainglory, and he does not manage his own glory from the things for which he was honored by God, but from the wealth of the kingdom, and up to these things he defines for himself the power of his inherent good repute. For he showed them, it says, the house of Nechotha; and Nechotha is interpreted as of the spices, and of the stacte, and of the myrrh, and of the silver and of the gold, and all the houses of the vessels of the gaza, that is, of the abundance. For gaza is said to be a Persian word, and it signifies wealth, or abundance. And Isaiah the prophet came to king Hezekiah, and said to him: What do these men say, and from where have they come to you? And Hezekiah said: From a land far away they have come to me, from Babylon. And Isaiah said: What have they seen in your house?

45 And Hezekiah said: All the things in my house they have seen, and there is nothing in my house that they have not seen, but also the things in my treasuries they have seen. And Isaiah said to him: Hear the word of the Lord of Sabaoth: Behold, days are coming, and they shall take all the things in your house, and whatever your fathers have gathered until this day, it will come to Babylon, and they will leave nothing at all behind; and God said: that they will also take from your children whom you have begotten, and they will make them eunuchs in the house of the king of the Babylonians. The prophet was sent from God, but at first, having met with Hezekiah, he pretends to speak as if he had arrived on his own accord. In this way, then, he says: What do these men say? And his speech was made with much skill. For the Babylonians had arrived, perhaps, as I said, being eager to learn the cause of the backward turning of the sun, and for what reason this so renowned sign had happened. But he, although it was rather necessary, as I said, to relate to them the divine excellence, and that creation yields to His nods, showed the house of the incense, and of the treasure. Therefore the prophet inquires both for what reason they came, and what their message was. But he, in response to this, said absolutely nothing?

46 but that they came from Babylon, and from a faraway land, this very thing and this alone he says; perhaps being very proud, that even those very far away, and separated by the long distances lying in between, not moderately lay claim to friendship with him of those who had been diligent. When the prophet therefore asked what they had seen, and the king said that nothing remained unseen by them, he says that days will come in which all the things in his treasuries, gathered both with diligence and with the care of those before him, will be moved to the Babylonians; and he added to this that also from the children who would be born to him in due time, as in the longer successions of the family, those who are obviously skilled in these things will make *spadones*, that is, eunuchs, in the house of the king of the Babylonians. And he says that such things happened, or rather the book of Kings testifies, in the days of Jechoniah, when Nebuchadnezzar, having taken all of Judea by force, and having burned down Jerusalem, and in addition the divine temple, carried Israel away captive, among whom were those with the divine Daniel in the house of the king of the Babylonians, who they say became *spadones*, that is, eunuchs. What then, and for what useful purpose, was this matter of such a prediction?

47 For by this God shows either that for those who had come from Babylon, it was surely better, and wise, to make a necessary account of the paradoxical things that had happened through the divine excellence and magnificence, or rather, to all but provoke the eye of the Babylonians by showing them the hidden things in the treasuries. And Hezekiah said to Isaiah: Good is the word of the Lord which he has spoken; let there be peace and righteousness in my days. He was at a loss for a defense, and having no helping word for his own failings, he says that the word of God is good, although it had announced things for which it was fitting that an unbearable tear should be poured from his eyes. Then he seeks the thing that was spoken [it is written: peace] in his own days, all but saying farewell to those who would come after him, and completely sparing no thought for his own country, city, and family. But it would have been better for him to lament over the things foretold, and to ask for mercy from God, also for those after him, not to ask for temporary and limited prosperity. But the mind of man is too weak, and we stumble in many things, as it is written, and no one among us could ever be keen-witted and wise, but often even a God-loving heart and an admired mind falls into that which is not right. Comfort, comfort my people, says God;

48 priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem, comfort her, for her humiliation is filled; her sin is absolved, for she has received from the hand of the Lord double for her sins. The discourse has passed on to the things in Christ, and henceforth makes a clear proclamation of the grace through him; yet it is not seen to have proceeded unreasonably, nor indeed to have been introduced at an unfitting time. For perhaps some of those who have not very accurately studied the things in the divine Scripture might say: In what way does the prophet here make the prophecy concerning Christ neighbor to the words of Hezekiah? And we shall make our defense to this by saying that: because the discourse, having mentioned the last capture of the land of the Jews, and of Jerusalem itself, as now being at the right time and necessity, has necessarily introduced the consolation that came from God after this. And I will briefly state the precise clarification of what we have just said. For there have been very many attacks against Jerusalem, and the country of the Jews has often been sacked; on the one hand by the hand of the Assyrians; on the other hand also by neighboring Barbarians, and indeed also by certain others who ravaged it. Then the last capture took place, the one by Nebuchadnezzar in the time of the reign of Jechoniah, when Israel was also carried away captive into the land of their captors.

49 And in the time of the reign of Cyrus he was released from captivity and returned to Judea, and rebuilt the temple, and they dwelt not divided, until the coming of our Savior. Since Therefore, having made mention of the final capt- ivity, when the Babylonians, having come [or, having] with all that was in the treas- uries of the kings of Judea, returned to their own land, he necess- arily makes the prediction of the consolation that came after this, that is, clearly, the one through Christ, to those who minister the divine Gospel, commanding, and saying: "Comfort, comfort my people, says God. For a consol- ation for salvation, especially first for those of Israel, was the com- ing of Christ, and the oracles through him, as he says cle- arly: "I was not sent except to the lost she- ep of the house of Israel. O therefore, he says, you priests, O ministers of the new things, and of the oracles through Christ, speak to the heart of Jerusalem, that is, make the word of consola- tion acceptable to those who hear. For the law was burdensome to all, teaching both shadows and types; not instilling into the mind and heart the instruc- tion concerning necessary things for the hearers, but, as it were, it with difficulty placed a certain external knowledge, which is in letters only.

50 But the saving, and evangelical proclamation is spoken, with the Holy Spirit showing the depth of each one’s m- ind, and sending in spiritual insights, and implanting the words of the saints, and somehow kindling them, as it were, in the inmost recesses of the mind. Such a one was the blessed David, psalm-singing and saying: "In my heart I have hidden your words, that I might not sin against you. But the Savior also addressed the holy apostles, that You place the word in your hearts, clearly the one from him, and saving. That the evangelical proclamation is spoken into the mind and he- art by the holy mystagogues, with the Holy Spirit cooperating toward this, or rather, accomplishing everything, the proof would follow from the holy Scriptures. For somewhere God said through one of the holy prophets: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant which I made with their fa- thers, in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not remain in my covenant. And I disregard- ed them, says the Lord, because this is the covenant that I will make with them in those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their mind, and on their hearts I will write them. And the blessed Paul also writes to some:

51 "You are our epistle, known and re- ad by all men, being made manifest that you are an epistle of Christ ministered by us, writ- ten not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of a fleshly heart. But it seems to some that instead of the minis- ters of the divine proclamation, the holy angels have been named priests in these things; for whom it would indeed be most fitting to be able to speak in hearts. Comfort her, therefore. What then should you say? that the God of all has ceased from the wrath that was upon them. "Her humiliation is accomplished. For sufficiently, he says, has she been hum- bled, and her sin is pardoned. "For she has received from the Lord’s hand double for her sins. Did not God then punish beyond what was due, and did he not imp- ose penalties equal to the crimes, but far beyond them, and as it were, double? Then how is the matter not incre- dible? And how will he speak the truth, saying: The Lord will not take vengeance twice for the same thing in affliction? how then must one understand what is said? for it is as if a child-loving father and one having the greatest compas- sion, having afflicted a sinning son (of the sons? a little, thinks perhaps that the emotion shown towards him was even beyond measure; and the cause of this is fondness, and the disposition owed to children from a father;

52 thus he says that Jerusalem, who is being comforted, has received from the Lord’s hand double for her sins, although she was condemned for a very long time, with terrible, and unbearable things, yet moderately, and not punished in proportion to the things done by him. "For the Lord is truly compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, and of great mercy, and true, and he has not dealt with us according to our iniquities; nor has he dealt with us according to our sins. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and all the crooked things shall be made straight, and the rough way into a plain, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God, for the Lord has spoken. Saying that Israel has been redeemed, and that Jerusalem has been delivered from her own trespasses and having commanded her to be comforted, he indicates the time of consolation, as if coming and running on the very heels of what has been said; and this is the time of our Savior's advent, whose forerunner the divine Baptist has entered into the wilderness of Judea, crying out and saying: "Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight the paths of our God. For this reason, having foreknown this in spirit, the blessed Zechariah, who was the father of this John, also prophesied, saying:

53 "And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways. And concerning him the Savior said to them: "He was the lamp that burns and shines. And you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. For the Sun of righteousness, and the true light, is Christ. But the sacred Scripture compares the blessed Baptist to a lamp. For in comparison to the divine and ineffable light, to the unutterable and exceeding great brightness, the measure of the human intellect would rightly be compared to a small lamp, even if it were full of light and wisdom. What then is the meaning of, "Prepare the way of the Lord," and that one must indeed make his paths straight? He clarifies by adding: "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and all the crooked things shall be made straight, and the rough way into a plain. For there are certain highways, or paths, that are scarcely passable, and these are rough and difficult to travel, so that in some places they rise to mountains and hills, and in others they descend, and hang over deep cliffs.

54 But if it should happen somehow that the high and steep places sink, and the hollow and deep places are filled up, then indeed, then in every way and altogether the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough and ravine-like places into smooth plains, and as if having the road level. When is this? This has happened spiritually through the power of our Savior. For long ago for all people, so to speak, the excellent life was difficult to travel, and the path of the evangelical life was unpracticed, because the mind of all was mastered by worldly and earthly desires, and was borne along by the unfitting movements of the flesh. But since, having become man, that is, flesh, according to the Scriptures, he abolished sin in the flesh, and cast down principalities and powers, and the world-rulers of this world, he has shown to us the way to piety to be smooth and most easy to run, having nothing steep, or raised on high, nothing hollow below, but rather smoothed into plains. All the crooked things have become straight. And not only this, but "and the glory of the Lord, he says, shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God, for the Lord has spoken. But he says that glory will be revealed, how or in what manner?

55 For the only-begotten Word of God was, and is, since indeed he is also God, and ineffably begotten of God the Father in the excellencies of the Godhead, far above all rule and authority, and thrones, and dominions and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come; and he himself is the Lord of glory, and we too have known his glory, although formerly not knowing it, when, having become like us as a man, according to the economy, showed himself equal in strength, and equal in work, and equal in glory to God the Father, upholding all things by the word of his power, and easily performing the divine signs, rebuking creation, raising the dead, and effortlessly accomplishing the other wonders. Therefore the glory of the Lord was seen; and all flesh has seen the salvation of God, that is, clearly, of the Father. For he sent us his Son from heaven as Savior and Redeemer. For since the law perfected nothing, and the sacrifices in types did not have the power to wash away sins, we are perfected in Christ, and being freed from every stain, we have been honored with the spirit of adoption. And the grace for this, as far as concerns the purpose of the one who saves, would go to all flesh, that is, to all people. For in these things, ‘flesh’ must be understood as 'man'.

56 But if some should appear to have been deprived of salvation, even so the word of the prophet would be true. For the purpose of the one who honored. and willed to save, and not the indifference of those who were called is examined. And he necessarily adds, 'For the Lord has spoken,' lest anyone think he is speaking falsely, or from his own heart, or perhaps spouting forth what seems good to him. But that he has foretold what has seemed good to God, and what will in every way and entirely come to pass. A voice of one saying, 'Cry out.' And I said, 'What shall I cry?' 'All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withered, and the flower fell off; but the word of God remains forever.' That it is not possible in any other way for those who truly love him and who yearn to attain him to see the salvation of God, except only by choosing to think, and to do the things that seem good and are pleasing to him, he makes it clear.

57 For it is necessary, I think, for those who wish to live in a manner befitting saints, and to choose the pure and excellent life, and to bind on as a kind of crown the glories of the life in Christ, to consider as nothing the distraction in this life, to cast as far away as possible the glory among men, which is temporary, and to hold that human affairs are in truth like grass and herbs, and to have in mind and heart the word of God, that is, the Word from God and the Father. For he dwells in our hearts through faith, and having been enriched by his divine Spirit, we have him in ourselves. For this possession is worth acquiring, and is the cause of life forever. For the Word of God, remaining forever and living, preserves and gives life. But if someone should wish to understand 'the word of God' as his commandment; we say that this too is not moderately beneficial. For it also preserves those who practice it for a long life, according to what was said by the Savior himself: "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death forever. Go up on a high mountain, you who bring good tidings to Zion; lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem. Lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God! Behold, the Lord comes with strength, and his arm with dominion.

58 Behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. As a shepherd he will shepherd his flock, and with his arm he will gather the lambs, and he will comfort those that are with young.' To those who minister the divine and saving proclamation, I mean the holy apostles and evangelists, or even, to put it simply, those who at various times have presided over the rational flocks and have the office of mystagogy, in what manner they might be lovers of God, and renowned, and filled with the highest glory he shows in these words. For it is not fitting, he says, for one evangelizing the glory and salvation of God everywhere to do this fearfully, and timidly, and striving to be unnoticed; but rather, as those who have become exalted, and are seen by all, and with great boldness as if having leapt upon a mountain, to use in a way a piercing voice, and one free from fear. Which indeed the divine disciples themselves, beseeching, said to the ruler of all that this might be theirs God; And now, Lord, look upon their threats, clearly meaning those of the Jews, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness. Lift up therefore, do not be afraid, he says. Announce to the cities of Judah, Your God, behold the Lord comes with strength, and his arm with dominion.

59 And by adding "Behold," he does not allow hope to be stretched out to a long time for the arrival, but shows the Redeemer as being about to come after a short while, or rather, as having somehow already come to the very door. For he has commanded them to stretch out their hand, as it were, and to reveal with a finger the one who was foretold. And that it will not be like one of the holy prophets nor indeed in the measure of supplicants, but in despotic authority, and in power and lordship most befitting God, he made clear by saying, "He comes with strength, and his arm with dominion. For the divine prophets used to beseech that something might come from God, and indeed that it might be for the peoples under their hand. But the Savior and Lord of all, not lifting up a prayer, nor indeed receiving anything by request and then giving it, but as a true Son, has distributed the good things from the Father with the dignity befitting one who is free to those who have believed in him, and he worked all things using his own power and indeed authority. And that the mystery of the economy will not be fruitless for the one who became as we are, and endured the cross, and death on it, he shows by saying: "Behold his reward is with him, and his work before him," and he calls "reward" the fruit of having died according to the flesh.

60 For he said, "Truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth more fruit. And again: "If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself. For as Paul says: "He endured the cross, despising the shame. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The divine David also, having foreknown this in spirit, sings and says to him: "All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord. Therefore the economy is not without reward nor fruitless. And it followed and happened as if in his eyes as he shepherded his own flocks, and with his arm, that is, with his strength, gathered the lambs. For those who believed in him were created anew for a newness of life like newborn and young sheep, having clearly received the rebirth from above and through the Spirit. Therefore they long for the spiritual milk, being nourished as infants at first, but advancing also to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Therefore the lambs were shepherded, and some who were with young, that is, those having in the womb, were also comforted.

61 For the Gentiles would rightly be understood as lambs just appeared and newly born. And one might say that those having in the womb are those already travailing with the word concerning him, as from the legal teachings and prophetic proclamations. For Christ has saved not only those from the Gentiles, but also those of the blood of Israel, to whom he says he was especially sent, who are also comforted, confirming by faith the accurate knowledge of the mystery that has come to them. Who has measured the water in the hollow of his hand, and the heaven with a span, and all the earth with a handful? Who has weighed the mountains with a scale, and the valleys with a balance? Who has known the mind of the Lord, and who has been his counselor, who will instruct him? Or with whom did he take counsel, and who instructed him? Or who showed him judgment? or who showed him the way of understanding? Through things unattainable and impossible for all men, or rather, perhaps, even for the powers above and in heaven, he attempts to show the transcendent and incomprehensible nature of the wisdom in God. For the mystery of Christ has been wondered at, and in ineffable words is the reason of the economy seen. And it seems to me that it is opportune to use the words of Paul and say: "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

62 For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or are these things not kindred to what has been said, one might say, and very reasonably so? For a deep depth, and an incomprehensible thing appears in the divine considerations. And just as it is utterly impracticable and impossible for the whole of the water to be measured by a human hand, and the heaven by a span, and all the earth by a handful, and for the weight of the mountains to be made manifest by a weight and a balance, just how great it is, in this same way, one could not comprehend the mind of the Lord. And He Himself will confirm this, saying through one of the holy prophets: "For my ways are not as your ways, but as the heaven is distant from the earth, so are my ways distant from your ways, and your thoughts from my mind. For of whom, he says, did I ever have need to counsel or instruct me, or to show him judgment, that is, justice, or righteous judgment, or the way of understanding. For if he is wisdom itself, and he himself makes every mind wise, and is the giver of the light of understanding to the rational creation; how could he need another, or in what way could anyone find fault with what he might purpose? But from this the prophet works a great benefit for his hearers. For some of the unbelievers already dare to say:

63 For what need was there for the Word of God to become like us, and to endure flesh, and the stain from it, when He wished to save those on earth, even though, he says, it is not difficult for Him as God to accomplish what He wills by a nod. Then how has He not become man in vain? And having come round through strange thoughts impiously to the unseemliness of the economy, they fight against the glory of the mystery. Therefore the prophet in these things cuts short their foolish empty counsels; and he says that the wisdom in God is incomprehensible, and the mind in him, even if he is wisdom itself and the highest and purest mind, so that for the rest it would be unacceptable, or rather the argument of the unbelievers would justly be laughed at, having dared, I know not how, to censure the economy of the Only-Begotten in the flesh as not having been well done. But it seems to some that: Who has measured the water in his hand, and the heaven with a span, and the rest, applies to God who rules all things, as being able to measure out the water, and heaven and earth, mountains and valleys, and having knowledge of all things absolutely, even the impossible, grasping all that has come into being, and holding as nothing the things of so great a size and mass of created things and those conceived in immeasurable multitude.

64 Indeed, if anyone should choose to think thus, he would perhaps do no wrong.