But not simply; I will remember Rahab and Babylon, but, to those who know me. There is salvation for men and for women. 10. Even if a whole people sins, it does not overcome the philanthropy of God. The people made a calf, and God did not depart from His philanthropy; men denied God, but God did not deny Himself. These are the gods of Israel; and again the God of Israel is the savior. And not only the people sinned, but also Aaron the high priest; It is Moses who says: And the wrath of the Lord was against Aaron, and I prayed, he says, for him, and God forgave him. Moses intercedes with God for a high priest; and a only-begotten Son asking does not intercede with God? Then He did not prevent Aaron who had stumbled from entering into the high priesthood; but will He prevent you who have come from the gentiles from coming to salvation? Repent you also in like manner, and grace is not withheld from you. Present your character as irreproachable; for God is truly loving to mankind, and all time cannot declare the philanthropy of God; nor if all tongues were to come together, will they be able to narrate even a part of the philanthropy of God. But we speak a part of what is written, but do we not know as much as the angels? He forgave; for He forgives them also, since only One is without sin, He who cleansed away sins. And concerning them this is sufficient, but let us now turn to what concerns us. 33.417 11. Do you wish that I should set before you also other types of repentance? Do you wish to come also to David? Do you wish to see the blessed man? Take him as a type of repentance. The great one fell. After lying down, walking in the evening on the rooftop, he looked without care, and suffered a human passion. The sin was completed, but his good judgment did not die with it. Nathan the prophet came, a reproof, a swift physician. 'God is wroth,' he says, 'and you have sinned.' The commoner spoke to the one who was reigning; the king who wore the purple was not lifted up; for he did not pay attention to the one speaking, but to the One who sent him; the surrounding throng of soldiers did not puff him up with pride; for he was looking at the angelic one; For seeing Him who is invisible, he endured. And he says to the one who came, through him answering the One who sent him: 'I have sinned against the Lord.' Do you see the king’s humility? Do you see his confession? For was there any public rebuke? Did the multitude know? The deed was done quickly, no prophet was present, no reproof was present; and he confesses the evil. Since he confessed with good judgment, he received the swiftest healing. And again Nathan who had reproved him: 'And the Lord has put away your sin.' Do you see the swiftest change of wrath? Nevertheless, by provoking you have provoked the enemies of the Lord. You had many enemies, but your self-control guarded you; but now you have provoked them because of the sin that was committed. 12. But even though he said, 'The Lord has put away your sin,' the king did not cease from repentance; he put on sackcloth instead of purple, sitting on ashes and earth instead of on gold-inlaid thrones; but also having ashes as food, as he himself says: 'For I have eaten ashes like bread.' He wasted away his desirable eye with tears. The rulers begged him to eat bread, and he would not be persuaded; he prolonged the fast for a whole seventh day. Kings confess in this way, ought you, a commoner, not to confess? And after the rebellion of Absalom, though there were many roads for flight, he flees by way of the Mount of Olives, all but calling upon the Redeemer. When Shimei was cursing him, he says: 'Let him alone, that God may look upon my humiliation.' 13. Do you see that it is good to confess? Do you see that there is salvation? And Solomon fell away; but he says, what does he also say: 'Afterward I repented.' And Ahab became most lawless, an idolater, monstrous, the prophet-slayer, one alien to piety, a coveter of others' fields. But when he killed Naboth, and Elijah the prophet came and only threatened him, he put on sackcloth and rent his garments; and what does the philanthropic God say? 'Have you seen how Ahab was humbled before my face 33.420?'

ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς· Μνησθήσομαι Ῥαὰβ καὶ Βαβυλῶνος, ἀλλὰ, τοῖς γινώσκουσί με. Ἔστι καὶ ἐπὶ ἀνδρῶν σωτηρία καὶ ἐπὶ γυναικῶν. Ιʹ. Κἂν ὁλόκληρος λαὸς ἁμάρτῃ, οὐ νικᾷ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν. Ἐμοσχοποίησεν ὁ λαὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἀπέστη ὁ Θεὸς τῆς φιλανθρωπίας· ἠρνήσαντο οἱ ἄνθρωποι Θεὸν, ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν οὐκ ἠρνήσατο. Οὗτοι οἱ θεοὶ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ πάλιν ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ σωτήρ. Καὶ οὐ μόνος ὁ λαὸς ἥμαρτεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἀαρὼν ὁ ἀρχιερεύς· Μωϋσῆς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων· Καὶ ἐπὶ Ἀαρὼν ἐγένετο ὀργὴ Κυρίου, καὶ ἐδεήθην, φησὶν, ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνεχώρησεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός. Μωϋσῆς δυσωπεῖ τὸν Θεὸν ὑπὲρ ἀρχιερέως· καὶ Υἱὸς μονογενὴς αἰτῶν οὐ δυσωπεῖ τὸν Θεόν; Εἶτα τὸν Ἀαρὼν πταίσαντα οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς ἀρχιερωσύνην· σὲ δὲ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐλθόντα κωλύσει ἐλθεῖν εἰς σωτηρίαν; μετανόησον καὶ αὐτὸς ὁμοίως, καὶ οὐ κεκώλυταί σοι ἡ χάρις. Ἄληπτόν σου παράστησον τὸν τρόπον· φιλάνθρωπος γὰρ ἀληθῶς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ οὐ δύναται ὁ πᾶς χρόνος ἐξειπεῖν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν· οὐδ' ἂν πᾶσαι αἱ γλῶσσαι συνέλθωσιν ὁμοῦ, οὐδὲ μέρος τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας διηγήσασθαι δυνήσονται. Ἡμεῖς δὲ λέγομεν μέρος τῶν γεγραμμένων, ἀλλ' οὐκ οἴδαμεν ὅσα καὶ ἀγγέλοι; συνεχώρησεν· συγχωρεῖ γὰρ κἀκείνοις, ἐπειδὴ εἷς μόνος ἀναμάρτητος ὁ τὰς ἁμαρτίας καθαρίσας. Καὶ περὶ μὲν ἐκείνων αὔταρκες, ἡμεῖς δὲ λοιπὸν τὰ περὶ ἡμῶν. 33.417 ΙΑʹ. Θέλεις σοι καὶ ἄλλους τύπους μετανοίας παραστήσω; θέλεις ἐλθεῖν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ∆αβίδ; θέλεις ἰδεῖν τὸν μακάριον; λάβε τύπον μετανοίας. Ἐξέπεσεν ὁ μέγας. Μετὰ κοίτην, τὸ δειλινὸν περιπατῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος, εἶδεν ἀδιαφόρως, καὶ ἔπαθεν ἀνθρώπινον. Ἐτελέσθη ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἀλλ' οὐ συναπέθανεν ἡ εὐγνωμοσύνη. Ἦλθεν Ναθὰν ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγχος, ταχὺς ἰατρός. Ὠργίσθη, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἥμαρτες. Τῷ βασιλεύοντι ὁ ἰδιώτης ἔλεγεν· βασιλεὺς ὁ πορφυροφόρος οὐκ ἐπήρθη· οὐ γὰρ προσεῖχε τῷ λαλοῦντι, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀποστείλαντι· οὐκ ἐτύφωσεν αὐτὸν τὸ περιεστὼς στῖφος τῶν στρατιωτῶν· ἔβλεπε γὰρ τὸν ἀγγελικόν· Τὸν γὰρ ἀόρατον ὁρῶν ἐκαρτέρησεν. Καί φησιν τῷ ἐλθόντι, δι' ἐκείνου τῷ ἀποστείλαντι ἀποκρινόμενος· Ἡμάρτηκα τῷ Κυρίῳ. Βλέπεις βασιλέως ταπεινοφροσύνην; βλέπεις ἐξομολόγησιν; Μὴ γὰρ ᾔδει εἰ ἦν ἔλεγχος; μὴ γὰρ ᾔδεισαν οἱ πολλοί; Ὀξέως ἐπράχθη τὸ πρᾶγμα, οὐ προφήτης παρῆν, ἔλεγχος οὐ παρῆν· κἀκεῖνος ὁμολογεῖ τὸ κακόν. Ἐπειδὴ εὐγνωμόνως ὡμολόγησεν, ὀξυτάτην ἔσχε τὴν ἰατρείαν. Καὶ πάλιν Ναθὰν ὁ ἐλέγξας· Καὶ Κύριος παρεβίβασε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν σου. Βλέπεις ὀξυτάτην θυμοῦ μεταβολήν; Πλὴν παροξύνων παρώξυνας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς Κυρίου. Πολλοὺς ἔσχες τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, ἀλλ' ἐφρούρει σε ἡ σωφροσύνη· νῦν δὲ παρώξυνας διὰ τὴν γενομένην ἁμαρτίαν. ΙΒʹ. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ μάλιστα ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν, Παρεβίβασε Κύριος τὸ ἁμάρτημά σου, οὐκ ἀπέστη τῆς μετανοίας ὁ βασιλεύς· περιεβάλετο σάκκον ἀντὶ πορφύρας, ἀντὶ χρυσοκολλήτων θρόνων ἐπὶ σποδοῦ καὶ γῆς καθήμενος· ἀλλὰ καὶ σποδὸν ἔχων βρῶσιν, καθὼς αὐτός φησιν· Ὅτι σποδὸν ὡσεὶ ἄρτον ἔφαγον. Ἐξέτηξεν δάκρυσιν τὸν ἐπιθυμητὴν ὀφθαλμόν. Οἱ ἄρχοντες παρεκάλουν φαγεῖν ἄρτον, καὶ οὐκ ἐπείθετο· εἰς ἑβδόμην ὁλόκληρον ἡμέραν παρέτεινε τὴν νηστείαν. Βασιλεῖς οὕτως ἐξομολογοῦνται, σὺ ὁ ἰδιώτης οὐκ ὀφείλεις ἐξομολογεῖσθαι; Καὶ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ ἐπανάστασιν, πολλῶν οὐσῶν ὁδῶν τῆς φυγῆς, διὰ τοῦ ὄρους τῶν Ἐλαιῶν φεύγει, μονονουχὶ τὸν Λυτρωτὴν ἐπικαλούμενος. Καταρωμένου αὐτὸν τοῦ Σεμεῒ, λέγει· Ἄφετε αὐτὸν, ὅπως ἐπίδῃ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου. ΙΓʹ. Βλέπεις, ὅτι καλὸν τὸ ἐξομολογήσασθαι; βλέπεις, ὅτι ἔστι σωτηρία; Καὶ Σολομῶν ἐκπέπτωκεν· ἀλλά φησιν, τί καὶ λέγει· Ὕστερον ἐγὼ μετενόησα. Καὶ ὁ Ἀχαὰβ γέγονε παρανομώτατος, εἰδωλολάτρης, ἐξαίσιος, ὁ προφητοκτόνος, ὁ ἀλλότριος τῆς εὐσεβείας, ἀλλοτρίων ἀγρῶν ἐπιθυμητής. Ἀλλ' ὅτε τὸν Ναβουθαὶ ἀπέκτεινεν, ἐλθόντος Ἠλίου τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ μόνον ἐπαπειλήσαντος, περιεβάλετο σάκκον, καὶ ἔῤῥηξε τὰ ἱμάτια· καὶ τί φησιν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Θεός; Ἑώρακας πῶς κατενύγη Ἀχαὰβ ἀπὸ προσώπου 33.420 μου;