Lovers become enemies; Oholah and Oholibah
Who the lovers are, Ezekiel has shown, saying to Jerusalem, whom he calls Oholibah: “Thus says the Lord Lord: Behold, I raise up your lovers against you round about, sons of Babylon and all the Chaldeans”; for these, formerly being friends, according to divine providence changed unto enmity. Which indeed often comes about upon desire turning toward hate; for he says concerning Samaria: “And Oholah whored from me and set herself upon her lovers the Assyrians”; and after a little: “For this reason he handed her over into hands of her lovers, into hands of sons of Assyrians”; and he says also concerning Jerusalem: “And her sister Oholibah saw, and she corrupted her setting-upon beyond the whoredom of her sister, and she set herself upon the sons of the Assyrians.”
Greek
Klagel. Jerem. 1, 19. Τοὺς ἐραστὰς οἲτινές εἰσι, δεδήλωκεν Ἰεζεκιὴλ λέγων πρὸς Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἣν Ὀλίβαν καλεῖ· «τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος· ἰδοὺ ἐξεγείρω τοὺς ἐραστάς σου ἐπὶ σὲ κυκλόθεν, υἱοὺς Βαβυλῶνος καὶ πάντας τοὺς Χαλδαίους«· οὑτοι γὰρ πρότερον ὄντες φίλοι κατὰ θείαν πρόνοιαν εἰς ἔχθραν μετέβαλον. ὃ δὴ πολλάκις ἐπὶ ἔρωτος γίνεται τρεπομένου πρὸς μῖσος· λέγει γὰρ περὶ μὲν Σαμαρείας· «καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσεν ἡ Ὅλλα ἀπ' ἐμοῦ καὶ ἐπέθετο ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐραστὰς αὐτῆς τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους‘ «, καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· «διὰ τοῦτο παρέδωκεν αὐτὴν εἰς χεῖρας τῶν ἐραστῶν αὐτῆς, εἰς χεῖρας υἱῶν Ἀσσυρίων( λέγει δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς Ἰερουσαλήμ· «καὶ εἶδεν ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῆς Ὀλίβα, καὶ διέφθειρε τὴν ἐπίθεσιν αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ τὴν πορνείαν τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἐπέθετο.
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.