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of their labor. 5. This he brought upon the Egyptians as a final plague, after which they urged the Jews to depart; for every house was filled with wailing and lamentation, as all the firstborn met a sudden end. For he brought the plague upon their most cherished ones, striking with sharper arrows those who had been unfeeling regarding the previous plagues. And he led them out with silver and gold. For since the Egyptians did not even permit the Jews to take their own belongings, in addition to their own things they also took the wealth of the Egyptians, receiving the gold and silver as a kind of wage for their harsh slavery. For God did not unjustly command this to happen, but was both chastising the unjust and refreshing the souls of the wronged. And there was not a feeble person among their tribes. For they did not experience the plagues brought upon the Egyptians. For God commanded them to plunder the Egyptians, as ones who had been conquered, and who owed a wage for the long-term slavery. It is a great thing also to depart unscathed from a land that suffered the worst things, down to a single person among so many myriads, so that not one remained in Egypt who was overcome by sickness of the body; and Moses recounted this. Egypt was glad when they departed, for the fear of them had fallen upon them. They were so terrified by the various punishments that they considered the freedom of the Hebrews their own good fortune. He spread a cloud for their covering, and fire to give them light by night. For the same cloud became a shelter for them by day, and blocked the distress of the sun's ray; but at night, becoming fiery, it supplied them with the need for light. They asked, and the quail came, and he filled them with the bread of heaven. For when they also craved meat, he provided for them an automatic hunt of birds; and when they asked for bread, he supplied it from above, giving not rain through the clouds, but the food itself. And he speaks of the manna, not as coming from heaven itself, but from the air above their heads, which the divine Scripture calls heaven, and at the same time as bearing an image of the heavenly bread given in mystery to the Church. He split the rock, and waters flowed, and rivers ran in the waterless places. And he cured their thirst by the wondrous birth-pangs of the rock; for in a waterless and 55.660 dry place he commanded a river to gush forth. And he calls the channels of the waters given forth from the rock rivers. But if it were written, "By rivers," you would say that according to the history they crossed only such a river as the Jordan, but in power also others, as many as impeded their crossing. For he remembered his holy word, which he had spoken to Abraham his servant. And he brought out his people with exultation, and his chosen ones with gladness. For all that God promised to Abraham and his company concerning the increase of their race in multitude and glory was true. And Moses says to them in Deuteronomy: Do not say, "Because of my righteousness the Lord brought me out of the land of Egypt," but because of the oath which he swore to your fathers. For God shows mercy to thousands of those who love him, at the same time also exhorting their descendants, that they might keep his statutes. And he gave them the lands of nations, and they inherited the labors of peoples. For not only did he free them from the slavery of the Egyptians, but he also gave them the land of the Canaanites, and made them masters of the labors of others, justly punishing the former, and confirming his own promises. That he did not unjustly cast out the former inhabitants of Palestine, he teaches both through the laws he gave to the Jews, commanding them to flee the imitation of their way of life, and he also teaches when making the promises to Abraham, why indeed he does not immediately give him dominion over that land, but allows him to sojourn for a very long time; For not yet, he says, have been filled

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πόνου αὐτῶν. εʹ. Ταύτην Αἰγυπτίοις ἐπήγαγε τελευταίαν πληγὴν, μεθ' ἣν ἐξελθεῖν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους κατήπειξαν· ἅπασα γὰρ οἰκία θρήνων καὶ ὀλοφύρσεως ἐπέπληστο, τῶν πρωτοτόκων ἁπάντων ἀθρόαν τελευτὴν δεξαμένων. Κατὰ γὰρ τῶν ποθεινοτέρων ἐπήγαγε τὴν πληγὴν, πικροτέραις βάλλων ἀκίσι τοὺς ἀναλγήτως περὶ τὰς προτέρας διατεθέντας πληγάς. Καὶ ἐξήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀργυρίῳ καὶ χρυ σίῳ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐδὲ τὰ οἰκεῖα λαβεῖν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἐπέτρεπον, πρὸς τοῖς οἰκείοις ἔλαβον καὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τὸν πλοῦτον, οἷόν τινα μισθὸν τῆς χαλε πῆς δουλείας κομισάμενοι τὸν χρυσὸν καὶ τὸν ἄργυρον. Οὐ γὰρ ἀδίκως τοῦτο γενέσθαι προσέταξεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας παιδεύων καὶ τοὺς ἀδικηθέντας ψυχαγωγῶν. Καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἐν ταῖς φυλαῖς αὐτῶν ὁ ἀσθενῶν. Τῶν γὰρ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἐπαγομένων πληγῶν οὐκ ἐλάμβανον πεῖραν. Προσέταξε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς σκυλεῦσαι τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, ὡς νενικημένους, καὶ μισθὸν ὀφείλον τας τῆς μακροχρονίου δουλείας. Μέγα δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐκ χώρας τὰ χείριστα παθούσης ἀπαθεῖς ἀπαλλάττεσθαι μέχρι ἑνὸς ἐν μυριάσι τοσαύταις, ἕως ἂν ἐναπομείνῃ τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ μηδεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἀῤῥωστίας κεκρατημένος· τοῦτο δὲ Μωϋσῆς ἱστόρησεν. Εὐφράνθη Αἴγυπτος ἐν τῇ ἐξόδῳ αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἔπεσεν ὁ φόβος αὐτῶν ἐπ' αὐ τοῖς. Οὕτω δὲ ταῖς παντοδαπαῖς ἐξεδειματώθησαν τι μωρίαις, ὡς εὐεργεσίαν οἰκείαν νομίσαι τὴν τῶν Ἑβραίων ἐλευθερίαν. ∆ιεπέτασε νεφέλην εἰς σκέπην αὐτοῖς, καὶ πῦρ τοῦ φωτίσαι αὐτοὺς τὴν νύκτα. Ἡ γὰρ αὐτὴ νεφέλη σκηνὴ μὲν αὐτοῖς μεθ' ἡμέραν ἐγίνετο, καὶ τῆς ἀκτῖνος ἐκώλυε τὸ λυποῦν· νύκτωρ δὲ πυροειδὴς γινομέ νη, τοῦ φωτὸς αὐτοῖς ἐχορήγει τὴν χρείαν. Ἤτησαν, καὶ ἦλθεν ὀρτυγομήτρα, καὶ ἄρτον οὐρανοῦ ἐνέπλη σεν αὐτούς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ κρεῶν ὠρέχθησαν, παρ έσχεν αὐτοῖς θήραν ὀρνίθων αὐτόματον· καὶ δεηθεῖσιν ἄρτων ἄνωθεν ἐχορήγησε, διὰ τῶν νεφελῶν οὐχ ὑετὸν, ἀλλ' αὐτὴν δωρησάμενος τὴν τροφήν. Τὸ δὲ μάννα λέγει, οὐχ ὡς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἀέρος, ὅπερ ἡ θεία Γραφὴ οὐρανὸν προσαγορεύει, φερό μενον, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ὡς εἰκόνα τοῦ οὐρανίου ἄρτου τοῦ δοθέντος ἐν μυστηρίῳ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ φέρον. ∆ιέῤῥηξε πέτραν, καὶ ἔῤῥυσαν ὕδατα, καὶ ἐπορεύθησαν ἐν ἀνύδροις ποταμοί. Ἐθεράπευσε δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ δίψος ταῖς παραδόξοις ὠδῖσι τῆς πέτρας· ἐν ἀνύδρῳ γὰρ καὶ 55.660 ξηρᾷ ποταμοῦ ἀναβλύσαι προσέταξε. Καλεῖ δὲ ποταμοὺς τῶν ἀναδοθέντων ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ὑδάτων τοὺς ὀχετούς. Εἰ δὲ γράφοιτο, Ποταμοῖς, ἐρεῖς ὡς κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν τοιοῦτον μόνον τὸν Ἰορδάνην διέβησαν, δυνάμει δὲ καὶ ἄλλους, ὅσοι πρὸς διάβασιν ἐνεπόδιζον. Ὅτι ἐμνήσθη τοῦ λόγου τοῦ ἁγίου αὐτοῦ, τοῦ πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐξήγαγε τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει, καὶ τοὺς ἐκλέκτους αὐτοῦ ἐν εὐφροσύ νῃ. Ἀψευδῆ γὰρ ὅσα Θεὸς τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἐπηγγείλατο περὶ τοῦ τὸ γένος αὐξῆσαι πλήθει καὶ δόξῃ. Καὶ Μωϋσῆς δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ φησί· Μὴ εἴπῃς, ∆ιὰ τὰς δικαιοσύνας μου ἐξήγαγέ με Κύ ριος ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ὅρκον, ὃν ὤμοσε τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ποιῶν ἐστιν ἔλεος εἰς χιλιάδας τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν, ἅμα καὶ προτρε πόμενος τοῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν, ὅπως ἂν φυλάξωσι τὰ δικαιώματα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς χώρας ἐθνῶν, καὶ πόνους λαῶν κατεκληρονόμησαν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τῆς Αἰγυπτίων ἠλευθέρωσε δουλείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν Χαναναίων αὐτοῖς ἐδωρήσατο γῆν, καὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων πόνων δεσπό τας ἀπέφηνε, κἀκείνους κολάσας ἐνδίκως, καὶ τὰς οἰκείας ἐμπεδώσας ἐπαγγελίας. Ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ἀδίκως ἐξέβαλε τοὺς πρῴην τὴν Παλαιστίνην οἰκοῦντας, διδάσκει μὲν καὶ δι' ὧν Ἰουδαίοις ἐνομοθέτησε, φυγεῖν κελεύσας τῆς ἐκείνων πολιτείας τὴν μίμησιν, διδάσκει δὲ καὶ τὰς πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἐπαγγελίας ποιούμενος, τί δήποτε δὲ μὴ εὐθὺς αὐτῷ δίδωσι τῆς γῆς ἐκείνης τὴν δεσποτείαν, ἀλλὰ παρ οικεῖν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐᾷ· Οὔπω γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀναπεπλή