Woe to Those Who Drag Their Sins
“Woe to those who drag their sins as with a long rope, and their lawless deeds as with the strap of a heifer’s yoke, who say: Let what he will do come near quickly, so that we may see; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, so that we may know” (Isaiah 5:18–19).
The Maker and Lord of all, overcoming the weakness of human nature by his gentleness, spoke to the people of old through the holy prophets the things by which they might be expected to leave the worse and turn to the better, to cease from wickedness and sin, to live in virtue instead, and to choose to do what is good. For this reason he sometimes set before them the rewards prepared for the saints, and at other times described the kinds of punishment that fit those who love sin, so as to drive them from every side toward what would profit them.
But no means could drive out the degeneracy of the Jews. For they had turned aside to the love of gain and to luxuries, and, already sick with the utmost madness against God, they set upon the holy prophets fiercely. Some, wholly disbelieving what was spoken through them, said: “Speak other things to us, and announce to us another deception” (Isaiah 30:10). Others, all but blaming the forbearance of the divine nature, and no doubt laughing at one another, said: “The days are far off; every vision has perished” (Ezekiel 12:22).
Indeed, God said somewhere to the blessed Ezekiel: “Son of man, behold, the house of Israel, the rebellious house, keeps saying: The vision that this man sees is for many days, and he prophesies for distant times. Therefore say to them: Thus says Adonai the Lord: None of my words that I speak will be delayed any longer; for I will speak a word and do it, says Adonai the Lord” (Ezekiel 12:27–28).
Others again, as though they had all but despaired of their own salvation and life, grew insolent toward his wrath and even said: “Let the time of war come quickly; those who wish to ravage us will not find us cowardly or timid. We too are skilled in war and know tactics well.”
Those who thought this way he rightly calls wretched, saying: “Woe to those who drag their sins as with a long rope, and their lawless deeds as with the strap of a heifer’s yoke.” By “sins” and “lawless deeds” here he means the penalties or punishments for sins, which were still far off and not yet near, because God still wished to bear with them …
Greek
ΛΟΓΟΣ ∆ʹ.}1 9 Οὐαὶ ἐπισπώμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὡς σχοινίῳ μακρῷ καὶ ὡς ζυγοῦ ἱμάντι δαμάλεως τὰς ἀνομίας, οἱ λέγοντες· Τὸ τάχος ἐγγισάτω ἃ ποιήσει, ἵνα ἴδωμεν, καὶ ἐλθέτω ἡ βουλὴ τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰσραὴλ, ἵνα γνῶμεν.9 Ὁ μὲν τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸς καὶ Κύριος, ἡμερό- τητι νικῶν τῆς ἀνθρώπου φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν, προσελάλει τοῖς ἀρχαιοτέροις διὰ τῶν ἁγίων προφη- τῶν, τὰ δι' ὧν ἦν εἰκὸς μεταχωρῆσαι πρὸς τὰ βελ- τίω, τὰ χείρω μεθέντας, καὶ φαυλότητος μὲν κατα- λῆξαι καὶ ἁμαρτίας, διαβιῶναι δὲ μᾶλλον ἐν ἀρετῇ, καὶ κατορθοῦν ἑλέσθαι τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ταύτης τε ἕνεκα τῆς αἰτίας, ποτὲ μὲν αὐτοῖς παρετίθει τὰ γέρα τὰ τοῖς ἁγίοις ηὐτρεπισμένα· ποτὲ δὲ τοὺς τῆς κολάσεως ἀφηγεῖτο τρόπους, τοὺς τοῖς φιλαμαρτήμοσι πρέπον- τας, ἵνα πανταχόθεν συνελάσῃ 55 πρὸς τὸ ὠφελοῦν. Ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς ἦν τρόπος ὁ τὰς Ἰουδαίων ἐξιτηλίας ἀπώσασθαι δυνάμενος. Ἀπονενευκότες γὰρ εἰς φιλο- κερδίαν καὶ τρυφὰς, καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην ἤδη νοσοῦντες ἀπόνοιαν κατὰ Θεοῦ, τοῖς ἁγίοις προφήταις ἐπεφύοντο δεινοί. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀπιστοῦντες παντελῶς τοῖς δι' αὐ- τῶν λεγομένοις ἔφασκον· "6Ἄλλα ἡμῖν λαλεῖτε, καὶ ἀναγγέλλετε ἑτέραν πλάνησιν·"6 οἱ δὲ μονονουχὶ καὶ καταιτιώμενοι τὸ τῆς θείας φύσεως ἀνεξίκακον ἀλ- λήλοις κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς προσγελῶντες ἔφασκον· Ἀλλὰ μακρὰν αἱ ἡμέραι, ἀπόλωλε πᾶσα ὅρασις. Καὶ γοῦν ἔφη που Θεὸς πρὸς τὸν μακάριον Ἰεζεχιήλ· "6Υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου, ἰδοὺ ὁ οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ ὁ παραπικραίνων, λέγοντες λέγουσιν· Ἡ ὅρασις ἣν οὗτος ὁρᾷ, εἰς ἡμέ- ρας πολλὰς, καὶ εἰς καιροὺς μακροὺς οὗτος προφη- τεύει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰπὸν αὐτοῖς· Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος· Οὐ μὴ μηκύνωσι πάντες οἱ λόγοι μου, οὓς ἂν λαλήσω· ὅτι λαλήσω λόγον, καὶ ποιήσω, λέγει Ἀδωναῒ Κύριος."6 Ἕτεροι δὲ πάλιν μονονουχὶ καὶ ἀπεγνωκότες τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας καὶ ζωῆς, κατ- εθρασύνοντο τῆς ὀργῆς, καὶ δὴ καὶ ἔφασκον· Ἡκέτω τὸ τάχος ὁ τοῦ πολέμου καιρὸς, οὐκ ἀνάνδρους ἡμᾶς ἢ ψοφοδεεῖς ὄντας εὑρήσουσιν οἱ καταδῃοῦν ἐθέλοντες. Ἐμπειροπόλεμοι καὶ ἡμεῖς, καὶ εὖ εἰδότες τὰ τακτικά. Τοὺς ταῦτα πεφρονηκότας ταλανίζει δικαίως, καί φησιν· "6Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐπισπώμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὡς σχοινίῳ μακρῷ, καὶ ὡς ζυγοῦ ἱμάντι δαμάλεως τὰς ἀνομίας."6 Ἁμαρτίας δὲ καὶ ἀνομίας ἐν τούτοις φησὶ τὰς ὑπέρ γε τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τιμωρίας ἤτοι κολάσεις, μακρὰν μὲν οὔσας ἔτι, καὶ οὔπω πλησίον, διά τοι τὸ ἀνεξικα- κεῖν ἔτι βούλεσθαι τὸν