Глава 12

Ezek.12:1–2. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, in the midst of a house of great sorrow you live, whose eyes have to see and do not see, and whose ears have to hear and do not hear: for there is a house of great sorrow. This word depicted the inclination of the soul to both, for, says the Prophet: “They have eyes to see, but do not see, and ears to hear, and do not hear.” And teaching that these infirmities did not arise from nature, he added: “For this is a house of great sorrow.” Symmachus translated the word: “very bitter”: “covetous,” that is, stubborn, rebellious, disobedient. But the Lord predicted this to the Prophet when he intended to give him the command to prophesy, not in words, but in actions, and as if justifying himself, he said that he was forced to give such a command because of the hardness of heart and disobedience of the people. Ezek.12:3. And you, son of man, make for yourself vessels of captivity, and be captive during the day before them, and be removed from your place to another place before them, so that they may see that there is a house of great sorrow. And explaining what has been said, he adds: Ezek.12:4–6. And thou shalt bring forth thy vessels, as a vessel of captivity by day, before their eyes: and thou shalt go forth in the evening before them, as a captive goeth forth. Dig a wall for yourself, and let you come out through it in front of them. You will be taken on the shoulder, and you will come out covered, you will cover your face, and you will not see the land, because you have given a miracle to the house of Israel. Go, God says to the Prophet, like a man who is besieged, and then, when the city is taken, he is forced to flee, digs through the wall and figures out how to leave, covers his face so that they won’t recognize him if anyone sees him. For in you, who will do this, I want, says God, to foretell the future captivity of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Yet the godly Jeremiah reveals this to us in detail, retelling how Zedekiah, after taking the city, fled at night with his household and bodyguards, finding a way out through the royal garden. Then the Prophet announces that he, as a fulfiller of divine commands, has put into effect everything that was told to him. After I have done this, he says, Ezek.12:8–11. The word of the Lord came to me in the morning, saying: Son of man, have you not decided against the house of Israel to anger the house, what are you doing? The words to them: thus says the Lord Adonai: to the prince and the elders of Jerusalem, and to all the house of Israel who are among them: the words, because I have done this miracle, as I have done, it will be for them, they will go out into exile and captivity. When, says God, these disobedient and stubborn ones ask you about the reason for what you are doing, tell them clearly: I serve for you as a miracle and a sign, I prophesy with my deeds and write in myself what will happen to the king of Jerusalem and to all the princes. Ezek.12:12. For the prince among them will be taken on his shoulder, and he will come out through the wall, and dig through, and cover his face, so that his hair will be invisible, and he will not see the earth. However, even in this way, fleeing and using all means to hide, he will be captured by the enemies. Ezek.12:13. And I will cut off My nan, and he will be in My possession, and I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans, and he will not see her, and there he will die. From all that was said, he made it clear that, having used weapons of his enemies, he would punish the king, the princes, and all his subjects for their wickedness. For He called His enemies “His wilderness,” and “His possession” the siege. The fourth book of Kings and blessed Jeremiah clearly speak about this. Nebuchadnezzar, having sent a horse squad into the desert of Jericho and captured Zedekiah and those who fled with him there, brought them to Devlath, and there, having first killed the children of Zedekiah, and made him a spectator of the beating of the children, then gouged out his eyes, and, having covered him with bonds made of copper, he took them to Babylon, forcing him to live in a millstone house. Why does the prophecy say that he will be taken to Babylon, and “will not see” it. Ezek.12:14–15. And all, God continues, who are around him, his helpers, and all who intercede with him, I will scatter throughout all the wind, and I will pour out sword after them. And they will say that I am the Lord, when I am scattered among the nations, and I am scattered throughout the countries. I will arrange that those who escape killing in battle will be taken away captives, and I will make them migrants and wanderers, so that they will actually know that idols are mute and completely powerless, and I am the Lord and Master. Ezek.12:16. And I will leave a man from them to be a number from the sword, and from famine, and from death, so that all their iniquities will be carried away among the nations, and they will go in and take away, for I am the Lord. They themselves, who form the remnant after famine and death and the enemy's beating, will become the accusers of their own wickedness and lawlessness, teaching the nations to which they will be resettled that they will bear punishment for their sins before Me. Ezek.12:17. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Ezek.12:18. O son of man, bear thy bread with sickness, and drink thy water with suffering and sorrow. And this again serves as a sign of hunger, which will happen during the siege. Ezek.12:19–20. And you said to the people of the earth: This says the Lord Adonai to those who live in Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their bread in shortage, and they will drink their water with destruction: for let the land perish with its fulfillment, for all who live in it will perish in wickedness. And their cities will be desolate, and their land will be destroyed, and they will know that I am the Lord. Since, using the blessings I bestowed and enjoying the fruits of the earth, you did not recognize the giver and were not grateful to the benefactor, then in the deprivation of blessings and in the desolation of cities you will recognize My dominion. The Prophet, while in captivity, foreshadowed this to those remaining in Jerusalem, since God wanted to console those who had already become captives with the fact that they were not the only ones suffering, but would also have others as accomplices in this, and to convince those living still in Jerusalem, through the fear of the prophecy of disasters, to abandon wickedness. Moreover, since those living in Jerusalem contradicted the words of the divine Jeremiah, as well as those who were in Chaldea - the words of the godly Ezekiel, then, prophesying in agreement, they necessarily confirmed each other, and by their agreement showed that their words were divine. For if they lived close to each other, then in the reasoning of the agreement of their words there would be suspicion. But since they were separated from each other by a distance of many days' journey and foreshadowed the same thing, it was necessary to prove that they were speaking divinely. Therefore, Jeremiah sends a message to those living in Chaldea, and Ezekiel to those living in Judea, because the God of all has used every means for both to make the opportunity available to take advantage of. Ezek.12:21. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Ezek.12:22. Son of man, what a parable is this in the land of Israel! saying: The days are long, every vision is destroyed, That is, why did those living in Judea habitually say to the prophets: Do you predict what will happen after a great number of years, mixing lies with your words and not predicting anything true? Ezek.12:23. For this reason, speak to them: Thus says the Lord Adonai: I will turn away this parable, and then the house of Israel will not speak that parable, as you said to them: The days are drawing near, and the time of every vision. Since long-suffering is called deceit, let them be convinced that the prophecy will soon be fulfilled, and the predicted punishment will appear on the eve. Ezek.12:24. For there shall be no one who sees any false vision, or who practices sorcery, that is pleasing to the children of Israel. I will silence, says God, your false prophets, who try to predict contrary to My Prophets and falsely proclaim the enjoyment of good things. Ezek.12:25. For I am the Lord, I will speak My words, and I will do them, and I will not continue them: in your days you will provoke the house of Israel to anger: I will speak the word, and I will do it, says Adonai the Lord. You do not listen to My Prophets, says God, as if they were saying something empty. I broadcast through them, and rather than the spoken word, I will bring the word to fulfillment, making you yourself eyewitnesses of the truth of the words. So, again expressing the same thing in other words, and those who accused the Prophets of not predicting the present, but falsely foretelling what will happen later in distant times, frightening them with the threat of the speedy bringing of the prophecies into reality, he says: Ezek.12:28. All my words will not last, even as I say, “I will speak a word and do it,” says the Lord Adonai.