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I will not be shaken for ever;” wherefore he is also immediately abandoned by the Lord who works good things with him, and a foreign spirit engages with him; therefore he says in the same psalm: “But I said in my prosperity: I shall not be moved for ever. But you turned your face away, and I was troubled; O Lord, in your will you have given strength to my beauty.” Teaching that having previously said, I shall not be moved for ever, after this, when God turned his face away because of the boastful voice, he confesses that he was troubled; then, being benefited by these things, his former achievements he no longer ascribes to himself, but to God, saying: “O Lord, in your will you have given strength to my beauty.” For when, he says, you turned your face away and I was troubled, then I knew that also long before in your will you had given strength to my beauty. For if there was any beauty belonging to my soul before the sin, this itself was present to me from your grace and gift; and these things he confesses after the awareness of his own weakness.

3. However, when Nathan the prophet came to him, when he went in to Bathsheba, he also offers up the prayer in the fiftieth psalm, saying: “Against you 22.916 only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight;” but in saying, against you only have I sinned, he does not mean this, that he sinned against God only; for the manner of his sin was not blasphemy, nor perjury, nor any such impiety, that one might suppose he had sinned against God; but if one must say, he sinned greatly against Bathsheba, and most greatly also against Uriah, but above all against his own soul; how then does he say here, against you only have I sinned? but I think he says this, that to you alone is my sin known. For he adds the clearer statement in: “And I have done what is evil in your sight.” For I had no fear of men, if your fear had not been upon me. Therefore, having cast himself on his face, he says he will not rise up before he obtains his request. And all the fellow-workers of good things pray with him, entreating that he be heard; wherefore it is said in the one hundred and thirty-first psalm: “Remember, O Lord, David and all his meekness; how he swore to the Lord, he vowed to the God of Jacob. If I shall enter into the tabernacle of my house, if I shall go up upon the bed of my couch, if I shall give sleep to my eyes and slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.”

4. And thus to him who prayed and affirmed that he would not go up upon the bed of his couch, and that he would not enter into his house, and further that he would not give slumber to his eyelids, until he should find the future place of the Lord, the Lord shows him Bethlehem; wherefore after the prayer, the holy angels of God, having prayed with him, say next: “Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah.” And Ephrathah is Bethlehem, as Moses relates, saying: “And Rachel died, and was buried on the way to Ephrathah; this is Bethlehem.” But Micah also says that Ephrathah is Bethlehem, saying: “And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah.” Then David prayed not only to know the place of the Lord, but also whence his tabernacle would be; and the tabernacle happens to be the tent and the body which the Word of God assumed; fittingly concerning the place they announced beforehand, saying: “Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah.” But concerning the tabernacle, they say next to him: “The Lord swore truth to David, and he will not break it; of the fruit of your womb I will set upon your throne.” By which things David is taught that the future tabernacle of the Lord was the fruit that would be born from his womb.

9. Why the evangelist mentioned Ruth.

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σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα·» διὸ καὶ παραχρῆμα καταλείπεται ὑπὸ τοῦ συνεργοῦντος αὐτῷ τὰ ἀγαθὰ Κυρίου, συμπλέκεται δὲ αὐτῷ πνεῦμα ἀλλότριον· λέγει δ' οὖν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ψαλμῷ· «Ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπα ἐν τῇ εὐθηνίᾳ μου· Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Σὺ δὲ ἀπέστρεψας τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ ἐγενήθην τεταραγμένος· Κύριε, ἐν τῷ θελήματί σου παρέσχου τῷ κάλλει μου δύναμιν.» ∆ιδάσκων ὅτι πρότερον εἰπὼν οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, μετὰ ταῦτα ἀποστρέψαντος τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν μεγαλορήμονα φωνὴν, ὁμολογεῖ τεταράχθαι· εἶτ' ὠφεληθεὶς ἐπὶ τούτοις, τὰ πάλαι ἑαυτοῦ κατορθώματα, οὐκέτι ἑαυτῷ, τῷ Θεῷ δὲ προσγράφει λέγων· «Κύριε, ἐν τῷ θελήματί σου παρέσχου τῷ κάλλει μου δύναμιν.» Ὅτε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπέστρεψας τὸ πρόσωπόν σου καὶ ἐγενήθην τεταραγμένος, τότε ἔγνων ὅτι καὶ πάλαι πρότερον τῷ σῷ θελήματι παρέσχου τῷ κάλλει μου δύναμιν. Εἰ γὰρ ἦν τι κάλλος ὑπάρχον περὶ τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχὴν πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τοῦτο αὐτὸ ἐκ σῆς χάριτος καὶ δωρεᾶς μοι προσῆν· ταῦτα δὲ μετὰ τὴν συναίσθησιν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀσθενείας ὁμολογεῖ.

γʹ. Πλὴν ἐν τῷ ἐλθεῖν πρὸς αὐτὸν Νάθαν τὸν προφήτην, ἡνίκα εἰσῆλθε πρὸς Βηρσαβεὲ, καὶ τὴν ἐν τῷ πεντηκοστῷ ψαλμῷ εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπει λέγων· «Σοὶ 22.916 μόνῳ ἥμαρτον, καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιόν σου ἐποίησα·» λέγων δὲ, σοὶ μόνῳ ἥμαρτον, οὐ τοῦτό φησιν ὅτι εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἥμαρτον μόνον· οὔτε γὰρ βλασφημίας, οὔτε ἐπιορκίας, οὔτε τοιαύτης τινὸς ἀσεβείας ὁ τρόπος αὐτοῦ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἵνα τις ὑπολάβοι αὐτὸν εἰς Θεὸν ἡμαρτηκέναι· ἀλλ' εἰ χρὴ εἰπεῖν, τὰ μεγάλα ἥμαρτεν εἰς τὴν Βηρσαβεὲ, τὰ μέγιστα δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸν Οὐρίαν, ὑπὲρ πάντα δὲ εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν· πῶς οὖν ἐνταῦθά φησι, σοὶ μόνῳ ἥμαρτον; ἀλλ' οἶμαι τοῦτ' αὐτὸν λέγειν, ὅτι σοι μόνῳ ἔγνωσται τὸ ἁμάρτημά μου. Ἐπιφέρει γοῦν τὸ σαφέστερον ἐν τῷ· «Καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιόν σου ἐποίησα.» Ἀνθρώπων γὰρ οὐδείς μοι φόβος ἦν, εἰ μὴ ὁ σὸς ἐπέκειτο φόβος. Ῥίψας γοῦν ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον, οὐ πρότερον ἀναστήσεσθαί φησιν, ἢ τυχεῖν τῆς ἀξιώσεως. Καὶ συνεύχονταί γε αὐτῷ πάντες οἱ ἀγαθῶν συνεργοὶ, παρακαλοῦντες εἰσακουσθῆναι αὐτόν· διὸ εἴρηται ἐν ἑκατοστῷ τριακοστῷ πρώτῳ ψαλμῷ· «Μνήσθητι, Κύριε, τοῦ ∆αβὶδ καὶ πάσης τῆς πραότητος αὐτοῦ· ὡς ὤμοσε τῷ Κυρίῳ, ηὔξατο τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ. Εἰ εἰσελεύσομαι εἰς σκήνωμα οἴκου μου, εἰ ἀναβήσομαι ἐπὶ κλίνης στρωμνῆς μου, εἰ δώσω ὕπνον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου καὶ τοῖς βλεφάροις μου νυσταγμὸν, ἕως οὗ εὕρω τόπον τῷ Κυρίῳ, σκήνωμα τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ.»

δʹ. Οὕτως δὲ αὐτῷ εὐξαμένῳ καὶ διαβεβαιωσαμένῳ, ὅτι μὴ πρότερον ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ κλίνης στρωμνῆς αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τε οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔτι οὐ δώσει τοῖς βλεφάροις αὑτοῦ νυσταγμὸν, ἕως οὗ εὕρῃ τὸν μέλλοντα τοῦ Κυρίου τόπον, δείκνυσιν ὁ Κύριος αὐτῷ τὴν Βηθλεέμ· διὸ μετὰ τὴν εὐχὴν συνευξάμενοι αὐτῷ ἱεροὶ ἄγγελοι Θεοῦ ἐπιλέγουσιν ἑξῆς· «Ἰδοὺ ἠκούσαμεν αὐτὴν ἐν Ἐφραθᾷ.» Ἐφραθὰ δέ ἐστιν ἡ Βηθλεὲμ, ὡς ἱστορεῖ Μωϋσῆς λέγων· «Ἀπέθανε δὲ Ῥαχὴλ, καὶ ἐτάφη ἐν ὁδῷ Ἐφραθᾶ·αὕτη ἐστὶ Βηθλεέμ.» Ἀλλὰ καὶ Μιχαίας φησὶ τὴν Ἐφραθὰ εἶναι Βηθλεὲμ, λέγων· «Καὶ σὺ, Βηθλεὲμ οἶκος τοῦ Ἐφραθᾶ, οὐδαμῶς εἶ ἐλαχίστη ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν Ἰούδα.» Εἶτα ἐπεύξατο ὁ ∆αβὶδ οὐ μόνον τὸν τόπον γνῶναι τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ ὁπόθεν ἔσται· σκήνωμα δὲ τὸ σκῆνος καὶ τὸ σῶμα ὃ ἀνείληφεν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος τυγχάνει· εἰκότως περὶ μὲν τοῦ τόπου προαπήγγειλαν φήσαντες· «Ἰδοὺ ἠκούσαμεν αὐτὴν ἐν Ἐφραθᾷ.» Περὶ δὲ τοῦ σκηνώματος ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγουσιν αὐτῷ· «Ὤμοσε Κύριος τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἀλήθειαν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσῃ αὐτήν· ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον σου.» ∆ι' ὧν διδάσκεται ὁ ∆αβὶδ ὅτι τὸ μέλλον ἔσεσθαι τοῦ Κυρίου σκήνωμα, ὁ καρπὸς ἦν ὁ ἐκ κοιλίας αὐτοῦ γενησόμενος.

Θʹ ∆ιὰ τί τῆς Ῥοὺθ ἐμνημόνευσεν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής.