Глава XXXIV

So that at least from this I can breathe freely; this was when he was taken - to Babylon, (where) he enjoyed great tranquility so that he knew God's love for mankind; (a) in order to make the sad acceptable (it is said): they will mourn you. Jer. 34:8. The word former. There was an ancient law (Ex. 21:2) that a Jew should serve six years. I wanted the Jews to be philanthropic towards everyone. But since they did not want to, he encourages and leads them to (spare) their fellow tribesmen. What's going on? Having gathered, they took an oath and concluded an agreement in front of the priests, in front of the nobles, all in the presence of all, in the presence of Zedekiah's former ones, regarding the fact that each would release a slave to a slave. Then they began to regret what happened and left them as slaves and slaves. Jer. 34:12. And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. First I established a law (for the forgiveness of) debtors; freed him from slavery and ordered this to be carried out; demanded rewards for good deeds. Was he doing this for nothing? When they made successful experiments with slavery, then he directed them to forgiveness (of debts). What can anyone say (about this)? The Jews are smarter than us. (And after a few words) There he allowed seven (ἐπτά) years, here he completely destroyed slavery. There is neither slave nor free (Gal. 3:28). (And after a few words). Let this not make the slaves more careless. Do not despise them, because those who receive good deeds, he says, are brothers. Jer. 34:16. And turn away. I retaliate not only for the injustice done to those, but also (in general) for breaking the law. Jer. 34:17. You won't listen to me. All your piety is at risk! What then? He says: severe punishment, death for slavery. Why is this rewarded? (Because) oaths are trampled upon, contracts are broken, the greatest name of God is insulted; so when you see them scattered, do not think only about the insult caused to the slaves; but add (to this) God, whom they offended, and you will see 205 that they suffer a worthy punishment. Jer. 34:18. I hereby grant you absolution. (And a little later). And I will give to men who transgress my covenant, who do not keep the words of my covenant, to do evil before me: cut the calf into two parts, and walk between the divided parts thereof, princes of Judah and princes of Jerusalem, and so on. The prophet describes the type of (conclusion) of the covenant, making the denunciation more expressive: having sacrificed a calf to God and dividing it into two parts, they passed through the middle (between them); Having brought the divided parts, they decided, in accordance with the law, to recognize slaves as free before God, promising to do this to appease the Divine in the coming wrath. Then, through the fault of the false prophets, since God is not angry, they changed (this decree) and returned those released (to freedom). Therefore, an angry God, making a reproof, threatens them with destruction. And since anyone would rightly say that God promised, as those words of the appeal indicated, a change for the better, which is why the prophet, seeing the change in them, became perplexed during the siege of the city, then God, convincing him, predicted the capture (of the city) and exposed the disposition of the feigned pious. Nothing else brought the city to a siege other than the fact that they did not remain (faithful) to the agreement concluded by Zedekiah with the barbarians. What's more meaningless than that? The perjury has overthrown the city, and the same disease continues again; only those who did not fight with God did this. Those who take an oath and those who break it will face punishment. What is read here οὐδέ is omitted as excluded by the meaning of the speech.