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the recompense will be from God, when, after doing countless good things to our enemies, we receive the opposite. Then he says, ‘Behold, I know that you shall surely reign, and the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.’ And now swear to me by the Lord that you will not destroy my seed after me, and that you will not blot out my name from my father’s house.’ And how do you know this, tell me? With you are the armies, with you the money, the weapons, the cities, the horses, the soldiers, all the power of the royal establishment; but this one is desolate and naked, without a city, without a hearth, without a home. Whence then do you say these things, tell me? From his very character. For the naked and unarmed and desolate man would not have prevailed over me, who am fully armed and clothed with such great power, unless he had God with him; and he who has God with him is stronger than all. Do you see how Saul philosophizes after the plot? Do you see how it is possible to reject all wickedness and to change, and to return to what is better? 9. Let us not, therefore, be neglectful of our own salvation. For even if we should be borne down to the very abysses of evil, it is possible to recover ourselves again, and to become better, and to put away all evil. Then what does he say? ‘Swear to me by the Lord that you will not destroy my seed after me, and that you will not blot out my name from my father’s house.’ The king offers a supplication to the private citizen, and he who wears the diadem makes an entreaty, pleading for his own children to the fugitive. And this is a proof of David’s virtue, that his enemy felt bold about such matters. But if he demands an oath, it is not because he distrusts the character of David, but because he considers all the evil things he had done to him. ‘Swear to me, not to blot out my seed after me.’ He leaves his enemy as guardian of his own children, and places his offspring in his hands, as it were taking their right hands through these words, and bringing in God as a mediator. What then of David? Did he show even a little irony at these things? Not at all; but he immediately consented, and granted the favor; and when Saul died, he not only did not kill them, but he even provided more than he had promised then. For he brought his descendant, who was lame and maimed in his leg, into his own house, and made him eat at his table, and deemed him worthy of the greatest honor; and he was not ashamed, nor did he feel embarrassed, nor did he think that the royal table was dishonored by the boy’s disability; but rather he took pride in it and glorified in it. For each of those who dined with him went away having received a great lesson in philosophy. For seeing the descendant of Saul, who had done so many 54.708 evil things to David, enjoying such honor from him, even if he were fiercer than all beasts, being ashamed and blushing, he would make peace with all his enemies. And yet even if he had ordered food for him from elsewhere, and had appointed him a large, regular allowance, it would have been a great thing; but to bring him to the table itself is an excess of philosophy. For you know, of course, that it is not very easy to love the children of enemies. Why do I say love? Rather, not to hate, nor to drive away. For many, even after their enemies have died, have let loose their anger toward them upon their children. But not so this noble man; but he both preserved his enemy while he was alive, and after he had departed, he showed his goodwill toward him to his children. What could be holier than his table, which the children of an enemy surrounded, even of an enemy who was a murderer? What could be more spiritual than that feast, in which so many blessings abounded? It was more like an angel's gathering than a man's. For to embrace and love the children of one who had tried to kill him countless times, and thus the life

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τοῦ Θεοῦ κείσονται αἱ ἀντιδόσεις, ὅταν μυρία τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀγαθὰ ποιήσαντες, τὰ ἐναντία ἀπολάβωμεν. Εἶτά φησιν, ὅτι Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ γινώσκω, ὅτι βασιλεύων βασιλεύσεις, καὶ στήσεται ἡ βασιλεία Ἰσραὴλ ἐν χειρί σου. Καὶ νῦν ὄμοσόν μοι κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἵνα μὴ ἐξολοθρεύσῃς τὸ σπέρμα μου ὀπίσω μου, καὶ μὴ ἀφανίσῃς τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου. Καὶ πόθεν γινώσκεις, εἰπέ μοι, τοῦτο; Παρὰ σοὶ τὰ στρατόπεδα, παρὰ σοὶ τὰ χρήματα, τὰ ὅπλα, αἱ πόλεις, οἱ ἵπποι, οἱ στρατιῶται, ἅπασα τῆς βασιλικῆς παρασκευῆς ἡ δύναμις· οὗτος δὲ ἔρημος καὶ γυμνὸς, ἄπολις καὶ ἀνέστιος, ἄοικος. Πόθεν οὖν ταῦτα λέγεις, εἰπέ μοι; Ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μὲν οὖν τοῦ τρόπου. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ὁ γυμνὸς καὶ ἄοπλος καὶ ἔρημος ἐμοῦ τοῦ καθωπλισμένου καὶ τοσαύτην περιβεβλημένου δύναμιν περιεγένετο, εἰ μὴ τὸν Θεὸν εἶχε μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ· ὁ δὲ τὸν Θεὸν ἔχων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, πάντων ἐστὶν ἰσχυρότερος. Εἶδες οἷα φιλοσοφεῖ μετὰ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ὁ Σαούλ; εἶδες πῶς δυνατὸν ἅπασαν ἀποπτύσαι πονηρίαν καὶ μεταβαλέσθαι, καὶ πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον ἐπανελθεῖν; θʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν καταῤῥᾳθυμῶμεν τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας. Κἂν γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὰ κατενεχθῶμεν τῆς κακίας τὰ βάραθρα, δυνατὸν ἑαυτοὺς ἀνακτήσασθαι πάλιν, καὶ γενέσθαι βελτίους, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀποθέσθαι κακίαν. Εἶτα τί φησιν; Ὄμοσόν μοι κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἵνα μὴ ἐξολοθρεύσῃς τὸ σπέρμα μου ὀπίσω μου, καὶ μὴ ἀφανίσῃς τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου. ∆έησιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ ἰδιώτῃ προσάγει, καὶ ἱκετηρίαν τίθησιν ὁ τὸ διάδημα περικείμενος, ὑπὲρ τῶν παίδων τῶν ἑαυτοῦ παρακαλῶν τὸν φυγάδα. Καὶ τοῦτο τῆς τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἀρετῆς τεκμήριον, τὸ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων θαῤῥῆσαι τὸν ἐχθρόν. Εἰ δ' ὅρκον ἀπαιτεῖ, οὐκ ἀπιστῶν τῷ τρόπῳ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, ἀλλ' ἐννοῶν ὅσα εἰς αὐτὸν εἰργάσατο κακά. Ὄμοσόν μοι, μὴ ἀφανίσαι τὸ σπέρμα μου ὀπίσω μου. Ἐπίτροπον τὸν πολέμιον καταλιμπάνει τῶν ἑαυτοῦ παίδων, καὶ ταῖς ἐκείνου χερσὶν ἐντίθησι τὰ ἔκγονα, μονονουχὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς αὐτῶν λαβόμενος διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν μεσίτην εἰσάγων. Τί οὖν ὁ ∆αυΐδ; Ἆρα κἂν μικρὸν εἰρωνεύσατο πρὸς ταῦτα; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλ' εὐθέως ἐπένευσε, καὶ τὴν χάριν ἔδωκε· καὶ τελευτήσαντος τοῦ Σαοὺλ, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀπέκτεινεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλέον, ὧν ὡμολόγησε, τότε παρέσχε. Τὸν γὰρ ἔκγονον τὸν τούτου, χωλὸν ὄντα καὶ πεπηρωμένον τὸ σκέλος, εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν εἰσήγαγε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ὁμοτράπεζον ἐποίησε, καὶ τῆς μεγίστης ἠξίωσε τιμῆς· καὶ οὐκ ἠρυθρία, οὐδ' ἐνεκαλύπτετο, οὐδὲ τὴν τράπεζαν ἐνόμιζε καταισχυνθῆναι τὴν βασιλικὴν τῇ πηρώσει τοῦ παιδός· ἀλλ' ἐνεκαλλωπίζετο καὶ ἐνηβρύνετο μᾶλλον. Καὶ γὰρ ἕκαστος τῶν συνδειπνούντων αὐτῷ, μεγάλην φιλοσοφίας διδασκαλίαν λαμβάνων ἀπῄει. Ὁρῶν γὰρ τὸν ἔκγονον τοῦ Σαοὺλ, τοῦ τοσαῦτα 54.708 κακὰ ἐργασαμένου τὸν ∆αυῒδ, τοσαύτης ἀπολαύοντα παρ' αὐτῷ τιμῆς, εἰ καὶ πάντων θηρίων ἀγριώτερος ἦν, αἰσχυνόμενος καὶ ἐρυθριῶν πρὸς ἅπαντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐσπένδετο. Καίτοι εἰ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν αὐτῷ τροφὴν ἐπέταξε, καὶ σιτηρέσιον ὥρισε τεταγμένον πολὺ, μέγα ἦν· τὸ δὲ καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν αὐτὸν ἀγαγεῖν τὴν τράπεζαν ὑπερβολὴν ἔχει φιλοσοφίας. Ἴστε γὰρ δήπου, ὡς οὐ σφόδρα εὔπορον ἐχθρῶν παῖδας φιλεῖν. Τί λέγω φιλεῖν; Μὴ μισεῖν μὲν οὖν, μηδ' ἐλαύνειν. Πολλοὶ γοῦν καὶ τελευτησάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν εἰς τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ἐκείνων τὴν πρὸς ἐκείνους ἀφῆκαν ὀργήν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ γενναῖος οὗτος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζῶντα τὸν πολέμιον διετήρησε, καὶ ἀπελθόντος ἐκείνου, τὴν περὶ ἐκείνου εὔνοιαν εἰς τοὺς παῖδας ἐνεδείξατο. Τί τῆς τραπέζης τῆς ἐκείνου ἁγιώτερον, ἣν ἐχθροῦ παῖδες ἐκύκλουν, καὶ ἐχθροῦ σφαγέως; τί τῆς εὐωχίας ἐκείνης πνευματικώτερον, ἐν ᾗ τοσαῦται ἔβρυον εὐλογίαι; Ἀγγέλου μᾶλλον, ἢ ἀνθρώπου συγκροτοῦντος ἦν. Τὸ γὰρ ἀσπάζεσθαι καὶ φιλεῖν τοὺς παῖδας τοῦ μυριάκις αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν ἐπιχειρήσαντος, καὶ οὕτω τὴν ζωὴν