Καὶ ἦν κραυγὴ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ γυναικῶν αὐτῶν μεγάλη πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῶν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους.
καὶ ἦσάν τινες λέγοντες Ἐν υἱοῖς ἡμῶν καὶ ἐν θυγατράσιν ἡμῶν ἡμεῖς πολλοί· καὶ λημψόμεθα σῖτον, καὶ φαγόμεθα καὶ ζησόμεθα.
καὶ εἰσίν τινες λέγοντες Ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν καὶ οἰκίαι ἡμῶν, ἡμεῖς διεγγυῶμεν· καὶ λημψόμεθα σῖτον καὶ φαγόμεθα.
καὶ εἰσίν τινες λέγοντες Ἐδανισάμεθα ἀργύριον εἰς φόρους τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν καὶ οἰκίαι ἡμῶν.
νῦν ὡς σὰρξ ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν σὰρξ ἡμῶν, ὡς υἱοὶ ἡμῶν υἱοὶ αὐτῶν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς καταδυναστεύομεν τοὺς υἱοὺς ἡμῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ἡμῶν εἰς δούλας, καὶ εἰσὶν ἀπὸ θυγατέρων ἡμῶν καταδυναστευόμεναι· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν δύναμις χειρὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν τοῖς ἐντίμοις.
καὶ ἐλυπήθην σφόδρα καθὼς ἤκουσα τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς λόγους τούτους.
καὶ ἐβουλεύσατο καρδία μου ἐπʼ ἐμέ, καὶ ἐμαχεσάμην πρὸς τοὺς ἐντίμους καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ εἶπα αὐτοῖς Ἀπαιτήσει ὁ ἀνὴρ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ὑμεῖς ἀπαιτεῖτε· καὶ ἔδωκα ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἐκκλησίαν μεγάλην,
καὶ εἶπα αὐτοῖς Ἡμεῖς κεκτήμεθα τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τοὺς πωλουμένους τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐν ἑκουσίῳ ἡμῶν· καὶ ὑμεῖς πωλεῖτε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν ; καὶ ἡσύχασαν καὶ οὐχ εὔροσαν λόγον.
καὶ εἶπα Οὐκ ἀγαθὸς λόγος ὃν ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε· οὐχ οὕτως ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἀπελεύσεσθε ἀπὸ ὀνειδισμοῦ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν.
καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου καὶ οἱ γνωστοί μου καὶ ἐγὼ ἐθήκαμεν αὐτοῖς ἀργύριον καὶ σῖτον, ἐνκατελίπομεν δὲ τὴν ἀπαίτησιν ταύτην.
ἐπιστρέψατε δὴ αὐτοὶ ὡς σήμερον ἀγροὺς αὐτῶν, ἀμπελῶνας αὐτῶν, ἐλαίας αὐτῶν καὶ οἰκίας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀργυρίου τὸν σῖτον καὶ τὸν οἶνον καὶ ἐξενέγκατε ἑαυτοῖς.
καὶ τὴν ἀναβολήν μου ἐξετίναξα καὶ εἶπα Οὕτως ἐκτινάξαι ὁ θεὸς πάντα ἄνδρα ὃς οὐ στήσει τὸν λόγον τοῦτον ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ κόπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσται οὕτως ἐκτετιναγμένος καὶ κενός. καὶ εἶπεν πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία Ἀμήν, καὶ ᾔνεσαν τὸν κύριον· καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ λαὸς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο.
Ἀπὸ ἡμέρας ἧς ἐνετείλατό μοι εἶναι εἰς ἄρχοντα αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Ἰούδα, ἀπὸ ἔτους εἰκοστοῦ καὶ ἕως ἔτους τριακοστοῦ καὶ δευτέρου τῷ Ἀρσεναθά, ἔτη δώδεκα, ἐγὼ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν βίαν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔφαγον.
καὶ τὰς βίας τὰς πρώτας ἃς πρὸ ἐμοῦ ἐβάρυναν ἐπʼ αὐτούς, καὶ ἐλάβοσαν παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐν ἄρτοις καὶ ἐν οἴνῳ ἔσχατον ἀργύριον, δίδραχμα τεσσεράκοντα, καὶ οἱ ἐκτετιναγμένοι αὐτῶν ἐξουσιάζονται ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν· καὶ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐποίησα οὕτως ἀπὸ προσώπου φόβου θεοῦ.
καὶ ἐν ἔργῳ τοῦ τείχους τούτων οὐκ ἐκράτησα, ἀγρὸν οὐκ ἐκτησάμην· καὶ πάντες οἱ συνηγμένοι ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον.
καὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα ἄνδρες, καὶ ἐρχόμενοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν κύκλῳ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τράπεζάν μου.
καὶ ἦν γινόμενον εἰς ἡμέραν μίαν μόσχος εἰς, καὶ πρόβατα ἐκλεκτὰ καὶ χίμαρος ἐγίνοντό μοι, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον δέκα ἡμερῶν ἐν πᾶσιν οἶνος τῷ πλήθει· καὶ σὺν τούτοις ἄρτους τῆς βίας οὐκ ἐζήτησα, ὅτι βαρεῖα ἡ δουλία ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον.
μνήσθητί μου ὁ θεὸς εἰς ἀγαθὸν πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ.
2 Ezra. Septuaginta. ed. Henry Barclay Swete. United States. 2017.
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