Mouth of the Lord is the prophets; blood repaid in captivity
Mouth of the Lord must be taken as the prophets, of whom Isaiah being one was saying: “For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things.” And Jerusalem has been reproached by the Savior as “having killed the prophets,” inasmuch as she also embittered the mouth of the Lord, having given them over to most bitter pains. And God, who seeks out the blood of the prophets, hands over her young men and virgins to captivities from wars and again. In return, then, for what she has suffered, she confesses, providing herself as an example to the others, toward their not suffering similar things—having learned the righteousness of God.
Greek
Klagel. Jerem. 1, 18. Στόμα κυρίου τοὺς προφήτας ἐκληπτέον, ὡν ὑπάρχων Ἡσαΐας ἔλεγε· «τὸ γὰρ στόμα κυρίου ἐλάλησε ταῦτα. Ἱερουσαλὴμ δὲ ὠνείδισται ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ὡς «ἀποκτείνασα τοὺς προφήτας«, καθὸ καὶ παρεπίκρανε τὸ στόμα κυρίου πόνοις αὐτοὺς πικροτάτοις ἐκδοῦσα. ὁ δὲ τὸ αἶμα τῶν προφητῶν ἐκζητῶν< θεὸς ταῖς ἐκ πολέμων καὶ πάλιν αἰχμαλωσίαις παραδίδωσιν αὐτῆς νεανίσκους τε καὶ παρθένους. ἀνθ’ ὧν οὗν πέπονθεν, ἐξομολογεῖται τοῖς ἅλλοις ἑαυτὴν παράδειγμα τούτοις παρέχουσα, πρὸς τὸ μὴ παθεῖν παραπλήσια τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ μαθόντας δικαιοσύνην.
About this text
Origen, Fragments on Lamentations. Original English Translation from the Greek (Klostermann).
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.