Глава 14

Jer.14:1. And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah about lack of rain. The Lord gives all kinds of admonitions to the Jews so that they stop in their evil desire. The Prophet describes the crying and lamentation that occurred due to lack of rain. It says that springs, deposits and collections of rainwater have become scarce. This was followed by the barrenness of the land, and livestock, not only domestic, but also wild, participated in the suffering. For he says: Jer.14:5. And she gave birth to fir trees in the field, and left them as if there were no grass. (Jer. 14:6) “Onagre stood on the stones, sweeping the wind within himself like a serpent.” This is what people do when they are thirsty, cooling their internal heat with a breath of wind. Then the Prophet prays, recalls the sins common to all, and thereby appeases God. For he says: “I have sinned against you” (Jer. 14:8) “Israel’s expectation”, You save “in the time of trouble.” All favors are expected from You. “Like a stranger are you on the earth, and like a native, turning away into the vital?” The words: like a native, the Syrian interpreter translated: “like a traveler” 6. Why do you despise us, says the Prophet, and become like a stranger who neglects the houses in which he lives as if they were strangers, and a passing traveler who does not care about what he meets on the way. Jer.14:9. The food will be like this. Is the man asleep, or is it because his husband cannot save him? He who sleeps does not hear those pleading, and he who is overcome by illness is unable to intercede. The Prophet seems to be saying this: do not hesitate to show mercy; because You are able, and are awake, and are present everywhere, and are close to everyone. This is what he added: “You are in us, Lord, and Your name is called to be upon us, do not forget us.” It also sets forth the answer given by God. Jeremiah 14:10. Having loved to struggle with your nose, and not resting, i.e. did not stop on the path of deceit. For this is also shown by the added words: “And God do not prosper in them.” The Prophet says that God will remember their untruths and punish them for their dishonesty. God does not command the Prophet to offer prayers for them, and says that he will not pay attention to their fasting, will not accept the sacrifices they make, but will give them over to hunger, ulcers and beatings. The prophet, having heard this, retells the prophecies of the false prophets, and says that they predict the opposite, promising them peace and an abundance of blessings. But the Lord again tells the Prophet that they predict lies, do not serve divine words, and that they are not instruments of grace, but say what they please. For he says: Jer.14:14. He neither commanded them nor spoke to them: for they prophesy to you lies, and fortune-telling, and sorcery, and the desires of their hearts. Visions calls dreams, “magic” - bird fortune-telling, fortune-telling - demonic obsessions, “wishes of the heart” - deception of thoughts. Then the false prophets themselves are threatened with death from illness and beatings in war. For he says: Jeremiah 14:15. They will die a cruel death, they will die with sword and famine. Those who followed their words will perish with them. They will not be worthy of burial, because everyone will equally be subjected to the same disasters. But the Lover of Mankind, having predicted grief, again urges us to use the medicines of repentance. For he says: Jeremiah 14:17. May your eyes be filled with tears day and night, according to the greatness of the calamities that will befall you. The Prophet describes these deplorable events: Jer.14:18. If I go out into the field, and behold, slay him with the sword, and if I go into the city, and behold, they are melted away by famine. Adds to this the disasters of captivity. “For the Prophet and the priest went into the earth without knowing it.” And the blessed Prophet Daniel, and the divine priest and Prophet Ezekiel, and besides them, many other priests participated in these sorrowful events; because God, also providing for the wicked, sent prophets into captivity, as if they were some kind of teachers of the law and mentors, so that the Jews would not deviate into wickedness. Having described this, the Prophet turns his speech to God. (Jer.14:19). Food “Thou hast rejected Judah, and Thy soul departed from Zion?” Instead of: Thy providence, the Prophet humanly said: “Thy soul” in order to more clearly express the prophecy. He says that the inflicted ulcer is incurable, and adds, saying this: Jeremiah 14:20. Let us know, O Lord, our sins and our father’s iniquities, because we have sinned before You. Jer.14:21. Stop for Your name's sake, i.e. stop burdening us with disasters, and look not at us, but at Your name, because by Your name we are called a people. “Do not destroy the throne of Your glory.” That's what Jerusalem was called. And the Lord in the Holy Gospel, prohibiting oaths, said: do not swear “neither by Jerusalem, for” the throne “is of the great King” (Matthew 5:35). For God showed His presence there. He reminds us of His covenant with the fathers, that there is no help from idols, but that He gives the rain that comes down from heaven, because creation is not without a ruler. For this expresses: (Jer. 14:22) and the sky will give “its moisture. Are you not, Lord? and let us wait for You, for You created all this.” This is how it reads in the Slavic translation.