you may acquire from my good things. For God is a friend to me, and rejoicing in his works I converse with him, and he becomes breath in me. I do not listen to evil men. Heaven is my roof, all the earth my bed, the woods my table, fruits the enjoyment of my food, rivers servants {for my thirst}. I do not eat flesh like a lion, nor does the meat of other animals rot within me, nor do I become a tomb for dead irrational creatures; for Providence brings me nourishment, fruits, as a loving mother brings milk to her child. 2.25 But you seek, Alexander, to learn from me what extraordinary thing I possess beyond other men, or what wisdom I know beyond many. You see me, I live as I was created from the beginning. I live as I was born from my mother, naked without wealth and cares; because of this, all that God does, I know, and what must happen, I understand. But you are amazed, practicing divination {and are you not ashamed} concerning the daily things that come upon you, not understanding the works of God shown to you in their season: famines, wars, thunderbolts, droughts, rains and destructions of crops, I foreknow; and how and from where these things happen and why, Providence gives knowledge to me. And this greatly gladdens me, ‖that God has made me a counselor of his own works, as a beloved son‖, that God with his own works {a counselor} has made righteousness toward me‖. If a fear of enemies comes upon a king or another terror, he comes to me as to an angel of God {seeking prudence}, and I, having appealed to the providence of God, persuade it to give some good thing to the one present with me; and having put an end to this fear, I send him away with courage. 2.26 What is better, tell me, to harm men and have a name of ill repute, or rather to guard them {and to do good} and to be known as a benefactor? And what is fitting for the sons of God, to make war and tear down the things created by providence, or to make peace and build up again the things that are ruined and desolate, as a servant of the creator? This authority will not profit you, King Alexander, nor the abundance of gold or the many elephants, nor the varied and diverse clothing around you, nor the army now surrounding you, nor the horses and the spear-bearers and all that you have taken from others with wars and battle; but you will profit the most, if you are persuaded by my words and obey my voice. 2.27 But you, Alexander, if you should kill me, I am not afraid, as I {me} tell you what is expedient for you; for I will go to my God, who has prepared all things; for he himself knows my justice and nothing is hidden from him, whose eyes are all the stars, the sun and the moon, and he himself will judge also the others who do wrong, from whom you will not hide nor will you have a place to flee him {rising up you will not escape his judgment}; so that {King Alexander} you should not tear down what God wishes to be built, nor force to disappear what he wishes to adorn, nor pour out the blood of cities, nor cross over dead nations {upon them}; for it is better for you to live for yourself than to kill others and not dying to call others blessed and to know loss rather than seizing the things of others than to consider this a gain. 2.28 Why, being one soul, do you wish to destroy so many nations? Why do you, foolishly rejoicing, fill the inhabited world with many evils? Why do you see the misfortunes of others as your own gains? Why do you laugh at those who weep? Remember me, the naked and poor one in the wilderness, and gain yourself and, having ended the wars, embrace peace, the friend of providence, and do not seek to have courage in evil things, but to live a carefree life with us; cast off from yourself the wool of sheep and do not take refuge in a dead shelter. Then you will honor yourself, having imitated us, having become such as you were also created. For a soul is tested for virtue in the wilderness. 2.29 Choose, therefore, O King Alexander, to live our immaterial life; I do not know if you are so blessed as to be able, being persuaded by our words, to find yourself. Now the Macedonians await you, so that they may overthrow cities and slaughter men and plunder their things, and today they are grieved who

κτήσῃ ἐκ τῶν ἐμῶν ἀγαθῶν. ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἐμοὶ φίλος καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις αὐ τοῦ ἀγαλλιῶν προσομιλῶ, καὶ ἔμπνους ἐν ἐμοὶ γίνεται. κακῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἀκούω. οὐρανός μοι στέγῃ, γῆ μοι πᾶσα στρωμνή, ὗλαι τράπεζα, καρποὶ τροφῆς ἀπόλαυσις, ποταμοὶ διάκονοι {δί ψης}. οὐκ ἐσθίω σάρκας ὡς λέων, οὐδὲ σήπεται ἐν ἐμοὶ ἑτέρων ζῴων κρέα, οὐδὲ γίνομαι τάφος νεκρῶν ἀλόγων· πρόνοια γάρ μοι τροφὴν φέρει καρποὺς ὡς φίλη μήτηρ τῷ τεχθέντι γάλα. 2.25 ἀλλὰ σὺ ζητεῖς, Ἀλέξανδρε, τοῦ μαθεῖν παρ' ἐμοῦ, τί περισσὸν τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων κέκτημαι ἢ τί οἶδα σοφὸν παρὰ πολ λούς. ἐμὲ βλέπεις, βιῶ ὡς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐκτίσθην. ζῶ ὡς παρὰ τῆς μητρὸς ἐτέχθην, γυμνὸς ἄνευ πλούτου καὶ φροντίδων· διὰ τοῦτο, ὅσα ὁ θεὸς ποιεῖ, οἶδα καὶ τί δεῖ γενέσθαι, ἐπίσταμαι. ὑμεῖς δὲ θαμβεῖσθε μαντευόμενοι {καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνεσθε} περὶ τῶν καθ' ἡμέραν ἐφ' ὑμᾶς παρερχομένων μὴ συνιέντες τὰ καθ' ὥραν δεικνύμενα ὑμῖν ἔργα θεοῦ· λιμούς, πολέμους, κεραυνούς, αὐχμούς, ὄμβρους καὶ καρπῶν φθορὰς προγινώσκω ἐγώ· καὶ πῶς καὶ πόθεν ταῦτα γί νεται καὶ διὰ τί, ἐμοὶ παρέχει γνῶσιν ἡ πρόνοια. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ λίαν εὐφραίνει με, ‖ὅτι τῶν ἰδίων ἔργων ὁ θεὸς ἐμὲ σύμβουλον πεποίηκεν ὡς υἱὸν ἀγαπητόν‖, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς μετὰ τῶν ἰδίων ἔργων {σύμβουλον} πεποίηκε τὴν δικαιοσύνην πρός με‖. πολεμίων φόβος ἐὰν ἐπέλθῃ βασιλεῖ ἢ ἑτέρα πτόησις, πρός με ἔρχεται ὡς πρὸς ἄγγελον θεοῦ {ζητῶν φρόνησιν}, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐντυχὼν τῇ προνοίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ πείθω αὐτὴν ἀγαθόν τι δοῦναι τῷ παρόντι πρός με· καὶ φό βον τοῦτον καταλύσας μετὰ θάρσους αὐτὸν ἀποπέμπω. 2.26 τί βέλτιον, εἰπέ μοι, καταβλάπτειν ἀνθρώπους καὶ κακῆς δόξης ὄνομα ἔχειν ἢ μᾶλλον τούτους φυλάττειν {καὶ εὐεργετεῖν} καὶ εὐεργέτην γνωρίζεσθαι; καὶ τί πρέπει τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ, πολεμεῖν καὶ κατασκάπτειν τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς προνοίας δημιουργηθέντα ἢ εἰρηνεύειν καὶ προσανοικοδομεῖν τὰ πεπονημένα καὶ κατερηριμ μένα ὡς δημιουργοῦ λάτριν; οὐκ ὠφελήσει σε, βασιλεῦ Ἀλέξανδρε, ἡ ἐξουσία αὕτη οὐδὲ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ χρυσοῦ ἢ οἱ πολλοὶ ἐλέφαντες οὐδὲ ἐσθὴς ἡ ποικίλη καὶ διάφορος ἡ περί σε οὐδ' ὁ στρατὸς ὁ νῦν σοι περιστοιχιζόμενος οὐδ' ἵπποι καὶ οἱ δο ρυφόροι καὶ πάντα ὅσα σὺ τῶν ἄλλων μετὰ πολέμων καὶ μάχης ἀφείλω· ἀλλ' ὀνήσῃ τὰ μέγιστα, ἐὰν πεισθῇς τοῖς ἐμοῖς λόγοις καὶ ὑπακούσῃς τῆς ἐμῆς φωνῆς. 2.27 σὺ δέ, Ἀλέξανδρε, ἐάν με φονεύσῃς, οὐ φοβοῦμαι, λέγοντά {με} τά σοι συμφέροντα· ἀπελεύσομαι γὰρ πρὸς τὸν θεόν μου, ὃς κατεσκεύασε τὰ πάντα· αὐτὸς γὰρ οἶδέ μου τὴν δίκην καὶ τούτῳ λέληθεν οὐδέν, οὗ ὄμματα πάντες οἱ ἀστέρες, ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη, καὶ αὐτὸς κρινεῖ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀδικοῦντας, ὃν οὐ λήσεις οὐ δὲ τόπον ἕξεις ποῦ φεύξῃ τοῦτον {ἀναστὰς οὐδὲ τούτου τὴν δίκην παρελεύσῃ}· ὥστε {βασιλεῦ Ἀλέξανδρε} μὴ κατάβαλλε, ἃ ὁ θεὸς θέλει κτίζεσθαι μηδ' ἀφανίζειν βιάζου, ἃ ἐκεῖνος κοσμεῖν βού λεται, μηδὲ σπένδε αἷμα πόλεων μηδὲ νεκρὰ ἔθνη διάβαινε {ἐπ' αὐτά}· σεαυτῷ γὰρ μᾶλλον ζῆσαι κρεῖττον ἤπερ ἄλλους κατακτεί νειν καὶ μὴ θανόντα ἄλλους μακαρίζειν καὶ ζημίαν εἰδέναι μᾶλ λον τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἁρπάζειν ἤπερ κέρδος ἡγεῖσθαι τοῦτο. 2.28 τί μία ψυχὴ γενόμενος τοσαῦτα ἔθνη καταλῦσαι θέλεις; τί σὺ ἀφρόνως εὐφραινόμενος πολλῶν κακῶν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐμπιπλᾷς; τί τὰς ἀλλοτρίας συμφορὰς ὡς ἑαυτοῦ κέρδη ὁρᾷς; τί κατὰ δακρυ όντων σὺ γελᾷς; μνήσθητι τοῦ ἐπ' ἐρημίαις ἐμοῦ τοῦ γυμνοῦ καὶ πενιχροῦ, καὶ σεαυτὸν κέρδησον καὶ τοὺς πολέμους καταλύσας τὴν τῆς προνοίας φίλην ἄσπασαι εἰρήνην καὶ μὴ ζήτει ἐν κακοῖς ἀν δρείαν ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ μεθ' ἡμῶν ἀμέριμνον βίον διάγειν· ἀπόρριψον ἀπὸ σοῦ τοὺς τῶν προβάτων μαλλοὺς καὶ μὴ κατάφευγε ἐπὶ σκέπην νεκράν. τότε τιμήσεις σεαυτὸν μιμησάμενος ἡμᾶς γεγονὼς οἷος καὶ ἐκτίσθης. πειράζεται γὰρ εἰς ἀρετὴν ἐν ἐρημίᾳ ψυχή. 2.29 ἑλοῦ τοιγαροῦν, ὦ βασιλεῦ Ἀλέξανδρε, βίον διάγειν ἄϋλον ἡμέτερον· οὐκ οἶδα εἰ οὕτως εἶ μακάριος ὡς δυνηθῆναί σε πεισ θέντα τοῖς ἡμετέροις λόγοις σεαυτὸν εὑρεῖν. νῦν ἀναμέ νουσί σε Μακεδόνες, ἵνα πόλεις καταβάλλωσι καὶ ἀνθρώπους κα τασφάξωσι καὶ τὰ ἐκείνων διαρπάσωσι, καὶ λυποῦνται σήμερον οἱ