Глава XI

Jer. 11:1. The word came from the Lord to Jeremiah, saying: Hear the words of this covenant. Having shown the folly of those who say that God, taking care of the church, will not punish them when they sin, and that those who commit sins before God will not have any benefit from circumcision, he threatens them with the fact that, if they do not listen to the admonition of the prophet, they will be subjected to extreme punishment. Jer. 11:3–4. Cursed be the man who will not hearken to the word of this covenant, which your father commanded in the day in which he brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the furnace of iron. The Hebrew text says, “out of the furnace of iron,” in the sense that your fathers fell into such calamities as iron being softened and broken in the furnace. How did they listen when they were enslaved and destroyed by the Egyptians? To show that it is possible to listen whenever one wants. There was clay and bricks, and no one contradicted; (there was) rest and manna, and they grumbled. But nothing was great for the stiffnecks. Jer. 11:5. May I confirm my oath, which I swore by your father. He does the same in the new (testament): he delivered us from cruel slavery, intolerable and terrible domination, gave the law to those who did not call Him and did not pray to Him, and again promises to give the kingdom of heaven. Jer. 11:6–8. Read all these words, etc., and do not do it. Look at the humane sympathy of someone who only wants to have mercy on them, observing not what is fair, but what is close (to nature). Otherwise, the father protects, otherwise, a stranger. The father punishes often and does not relax; the stranger, seeing, weakens. Isn’t He the most beloved of our children? From now on I’m leaving everything behind; let domestic disasters serve as the greatest example. Jer. 11:9. There is a meeting found among the men of Judah. He talks about a number of disasters due to sins. Jer. 11:10. Returning to the iniquities of the first (τῶν προτέρων) his father. What condescension! What is difficult, what is hard? It's hard to sin. They did not look at the example of their ancestors. Jer. 11:14. You don’t pray for these people. I won't hear anything. Do you see the solution? And before I said that I will not listen to you; and you say it again. Read these words. And again you open up the possibility of salvation, saying: if by correcting, correct your ways and your deeds* Jer. 11:15. Why did my beloved create an abomination (βδέλογμα) in my house? What's the point of this? What is the reason for saying (this)? Is not a man's way his way? What kind of hardships did you not endure? What efforts did you make, did you endure the struggle? What fall? He wants to annoy me. Why was my beloved angry with me? If I didn’t love her, why would I be offended? That is, why did she so beloved by Me serve idols in the church of My name? Food of prayer (εὐχαί) 101 and holy meat will your wickedness be taken away from you? That is, it is not sacrifice to Me that purifies your idolatry performed to idols. Or will you avoid it? That is, service in words. Jer. 11:15. Will the food of prayer (εὐχαί) and holy meat be taken away? They were given for the purpose of taking away involuntary bodily sins (sins), but not such sins (wickedness). Jer. 11:16. The blessed olive tree, the red blossom, the Lord will call your name, at the sound of its pruning. I have made you always green like an olive tree. To the voice of her circumcision, that is, having no uncircumcised or unclean fruit. In all respects I have adorned you, both with the law, and with the divine service, and with the presiding of the priests, and with My providence. A fire flared up in her. But you brought, he says, punishment. Jer. 11:16. And its branches are not needed. That is, she remained infertile. Hearing this, the prophet became more despondent and prayed to God for the people. Since he said above: you did not pray for these people and cited in confirmation of this word: because my beloved has created an abomination in my house, and (the prophet) still stood for the people, then God, wanting to show the people’s malice and unrepentance, revealed His will to the prophet about them and clearly showed their malice to the unbeliever. In fact (πείρα) depicted wealth. The beauty of a tree 102 is a never-ending life, forever blooming. Jer. 11:16. At the sound of her circumcision, a fire burned within her; great sorrow is upon you. You will be subjected to not a short-term, but the greatest punishment for your sins. Jer. 11:17. And the Lord 103, who planted it for you, said to eat evil against you because you were evil to the house of Israel. There is very great malice when He who shows such care punishes, (when) He Himself imposes punishment: He would not have suddenly rejected the one he loved if he had not seen strong corruption. Thus, one who loved someone who had done nothing good and took such care would not have retreated so quickly. Therefore, it is fair to serve as evidence of the greatest corruption. Jer. 11:18. Lord, tell me and I will understand: then I saw their beginnings. That is, they hid it from me before You showed it to me. What was that? When they sinned against Me, you did not look; when such an insult was inflicted, you did not see, but said: a man shall not bear his way (Jer. 10:23). Why don’t you say now: “Man’s way is not his,” but you name their beginnings? Jer. 11:19. But I, like a gentle lamb, led to a statement, did not understand 104: I have thought an evil thought against me. Some attribute this to Christ. Without blaming them, let us stick to history. Let the Church be established everywhere. For the second time I already told the prophet: do not pray for them (Jer. 11:14) and not only said it, but also gave reasons. And if he simply said it, he should have obeyed, but now he indicates the reasons. Don't you see what they are doing? When words did not convince him, he convinced him with deeds and showed the insult caused to him. You think, he says, what is the insult to Me. See fairness and modesty. Since it was necessary to expect that, relying on his prayers, they would become worse, and he did not stop praying for them, wanting to show him that he was not only not more humane than God, but was not in the least approaching (to Him), look what he does. He reveals their plans and intentions, showing both what they did and what they said, so that he understands that it is not out of ignorance that he does not listen to them, and does not have mercy (as) unworthy (of mercy). Jer. 11:19. I am like a gentle lamb. The simplicity of the prophet is amazing; nothing pleases God so much (as this quality). And the former, therefore, he experienced due to simplicity. Jer. 11:19. Come and let us put wood into his bread. What does tree mean? Let us crucify him as if he were damned; let him not die an ordinary death; and malice (acts) accordingly. Jer. 11:19. I thought upon me a thought, saying: Come, let us put wood into his bread, and destroy him from the land of the living. That is, the deadly root; it's called a tree. Jer. 11:20. Lord of hosts 105, judge righteously, that I may see your vengeance on them, for I have revealed my justification to you. That is, give them righteous reward. Having learned their malice, he stopped praying. Look at the boldness: I endure this for no reason and in vain; I desire from You the retribution that You want, he says. Let not that which is unjust come from You, as retribution from the Judge. He didn’t just say: judge righteously, test hearts. If anything was done secretly regarding them, if anything was done in their thoughts, You know, You who know all that is hidden. Jer. 11:20. I have revealed my excuse to you. That is, I told You my truth; It is in Your power to punish. You see, he does not provide it to himself, but to God; You heard my excuse; do as you please. Jer. 11:21. For this reason the Lord speaks against the men of Anathoth, who seek my soul, saying: Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or else you will die. Do you see how this had to do with God? They prevented us from saying what is from God; Isaiah also speaks about this: do not tell us the ways of the Lord, but tell us other things (Isaiah 30:10). And great is their malice when they do not even listen to a voice that can help; look at this malice: they, fellow citizens who should have been called a prophet, are themselves trying to destroy him. Where good grows, evil grows even stronger. There was probably great envy. Jer. 11:22. I will visit them and their sons and daughters. But why, look, did the children also suffer a very heavy punishment? For what? Probably they were also evil; they did not understand their husbands’ example. You see how indignant I am when you are insulted; so do you (do) when I am insulted. Jer. 11:23. I will bring evil upon those who live in Anathoth during the summer of visiting them. Again he directed his speech to the future, when he would carry out the punishment, convincing him and showing him how kind he was. Not now, he says, I will bring it, but in the summer, thus giving them time for repentance. Εὐχα ί is also read in ancient times. Greek sp.; to Slavs. B. vows. T ὸ κάλλος ἀπό το ὔ δένδρου. Read in Slav. B. the word: there is no corresponding force in the text of Patrology, as in the ancient. Vatican. and Alexander. sp.; δυνάμεον is read in Marshallian. sp., Vulgate (exhercituum) and Heb. text. Read here in Slav. B. as if there is no corresponding one in the text of Patrology, as in the ancient. Greek sp.; ὄτι is read in Marshalian. sp. according to Heb. text and Vulgate. There is no correspondence to what is read here of Hosts in the text of Patrology, as well as in the ancient. Greek sp.; it is drawn from Hebrew. text or Vulgate.