Глава 32

Therefore, I promised the same here. But since they were furious against our God and Savior, and brought judgment upon themselves; then the Prophet now moves on to another prophecy, which was communicated to him in the tenth year of the reign of Zedekiah, and this was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. At the same time, the city was besieged by him, and the Prophet lived in prison, thrown into it by King Zedekiah for foretelling the capture of the city, the enslavement of the king and the people. That is why it is said: and he lived in prison. However, he is given the command to buy his brother’s field; for it is said: the purchase belongs to you, as to the closest relative. A man selling a field came to me, says the prophet, I bought it as I was commanded, and received a record of this in the presence of everyone, both the seller and the witnesses. He gave this record to Baruch, saying that God commanded that it be placed (Jer. 32:14) in a “clay vessel, that the days may last” many. God commanded this to be done, in fact assuring the people that the Jews would undoubtedly be returned from captivity and would take possession of their native land. This is what the Prophet said: (Jer.32:15). For “this is what the Lord Almighty God of Israel says: Churches, villages, and vineyards will yet be added to this land.” After this was accomplished, says the Prophet, I offered a prayer to God, saying the following: You are the creator of heaven and earth, you oversee everything, (Jer. 32:17) “nothing will be hidden from You,” neither the present nor the future; You have immeasurable treasures of mercy, and You demand an account for sins. But if the children also imitate the wickedness of their fathers, You impose great punishments on them, as on their fathers who did not understand the disasters. And having added many other similar things, recalling the miracles that happened in Egypt, the gifts sent down from there, the ingratitude of those who were blessed, the Prophet asks: why did God, when the enemies besieged and besieged the city, and those living in it were dying from hunger and plague, ordered him to buy a field and take a record about it, while the city was ready to fall. And to this God says to him: Jer.32:27. I am the Lord God of all flesh, food will be hidden from Me every verb? that is, is it possible for the Creator and Ruler of all not to know anything happening in the World? Jer.32:28. Just for the sake of tacos says “The Lord: this city is given over” into the hands of the Chaldeans and “in the hand” of Nebuchadnezzar “the king of Babylon, and he will take it away.” Then he tells how the enemies, having entered the city, will set fire to it and those churches in which they made sacrifices to Baal and made libations to other gods; it also exposes the intention with which they did this. Jer.32:29. To anger Me. I betray the city, says God, for the iniquity of the inhabitants; for they have never ceased to provoke Me from the day that I created this city: (Jer. 32:31) “and even to this day.” Therefore I have recognized it as good, says God, “Get him away from my presence,” (Jer. 32:32) “for the sake of all the children of Israel and the children of Judah.” And the kings and the priests and their princes, and those who prophesied falsely, with one accord with all the people, (Jer. 32:33) “turning their back to Me, and not their face,” forsaking Me, they served idols. Blessed Ezekiel also informs that, having given “their back” “to the church,” they worshiped the “sun” (Ezek. 8:16). But I, says God, did not cease to instruct them in the truth through the Prophets. But it was not enough for them to be wicked in their homes; even in the house dedicated to Me, they set up idols. Jer.32:35. And the churches of Baal were built together, even in the wilds of the son of Hinnoml, tower which is in Geva. From this it is clear that Tatheof was the name of the idol: because “Baal” is the general name for idols. The Prophet says that in these places they dared to kill sons and daughters. For this, says God, I gave this city over to sword, famine, pestilence and slavery. However, after a certain time, I will again give freedom to the enslaved, return them to their native land, and grant them the same care as before. And what was said: (Jer. 32:39) “And I will give them a different heart and a different way, to fear Me all their days,” must be understood in such a way that, as a result of the punishment and the liberation that follows, they will come to know the one existing God, and will be freed from their former delusion. Jer.32:40. And I bequeath to them an everlasting covenant, and I will not turn it away after them. And this promise would have been fulfilled on them if they had only wanted to. But by retreating from God, they deprived themselves of this grace. Having said this and the like in much more detail, God added: Jer.32:43. And the villages will prevail on the land, about which you speak, impassable there is “from man and beast, and was given into the hands of the Chaldeans”, (Jer. 32:44) “and they will take over the villages with silver:” and they will be written “in the books”, and they will be sealed. God answered all this to the Prophet’s question, admonishing him that for this reason he himself ordered him to buy the field, in order to show by deed the truth of the prophecy. For he says: And they will buy villages in the “land of Benjamin, and around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities above, and in the cities of Sephil, and in the cities of Nageb.” The word: “Sephila” calls the valley, and the word: “Nagev” the south.