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Things being in this state, and the armies being arrayed with him, and the cities being under the tyrant, a certain man Hushai, being a good man, a friend of David, remained, preserving his friendship for him in the change of these times; and seeing him wandering suddenly through the desert, he tore his tunic, sprinkled himself with ashes, and lamented bitterly and piteously; and since he could do nothing, he offered the consolation of his tears. For he was not a friend of the times, nor of the dynasty, but of virtue; for this reason, when the rule changed, he did not change his friendship. Therefore, when David saw him doing these things, he said to him: These are the actions of a friend and one genuinely disposed toward us; but it will profit us nothing, but it is necessary to plan and consider something, so that the terrible things that have befallen us may be resolved, and we may find some deliverance from our misfortunes. Having said these things, he suggests such a plan to him: Go to my son, and putting on the mask of a friend, scatter his counsels for me, and make the counsel of Ahithophel void. Now this Ahithophel was then influential with the tyrant, being skilled in the arts of war, and also skilled in commanding in war and battle; wherefore David feared him more than the tyrant; so skillful was the man in his judgments. Hearing these things, that man was persuaded, and considered nothing cowardly or unmanly, nor did he say: What if I am caught? What if my mask is revealed? What if the drama of my pretense is discovered? Ahithophel is shrewd; perhaps he will expose this, and make it manifest, and I will perish rashly and in vain. Thinking nothing of such things, he leaped into the camp of the tyrant, casting everything upon God, and threw himself into the midst of the dangers. These things have been said by me, not only that we might praise, but that we might also learn the painful things, and whatever David suffered, and whatever other profits it is possible to reap from the story, and that we might bring these things forward. For behold, that which is constantly sought by the many, why the righteous are afflicted, while the wicked are at ease, this it is possible to find here. For the righteous man was in misfortunes; but the vile one, and a patricide, and an enemy and foe of nature itself, was in prosperity and in royal courts; but neither did that one gain anything from this, nor was this holy one harmed; but the one became liable to greater afflictions, while the other shone more brightly, like gold in a furnace, becoming purer through affliction. 2. Learn this first from here, not to be troubled in such adversities, when you see them befalling the righteous; 55.82 another after this, not to change with the times, but to know the laws of friendship; third, to dare even dangers for the sake of virtue; fourth, to be hopeful even in desperate situations, awaiting the alliance from God. Since that Hushai at that time did not see the army, nor the fear of the tyrant, nor the multitude of horses, nor the phalanxes of the hoplites, nor that the cities had been preoccupied, nor the desolation of David, nor his isolation and weakness; but looking to one thing only, the invincible alliance of God, and his good will, he thus judged both sides, and found the one to be rotten, the other strong. For the one acted unjustly, while the other kept himself with what is just. Standing, therefore, not where there was a multitude of men, but where there was an alliance of virtue, he thus drew God to himself. I say these things, so that we too, even if those who have justice on their side are weak, may serve their cause; and even if those who do wrong are strong, we may flee their alliance. For wickedness, even if it has the whole world with it, is weaker than all things; but virtue, even if it happens to be isolated, is more powerful than all things; for it has God standing with it.

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πραγμάτων ἐν τούτοις ὄντων, καὶ τῶν στρατοπέδων μετ' ἐκείνου τεταγμένων, καὶ τῶν πόλεων ὑπὸ τὸν τύραννον οὐσῶν, Χουσί τις ἄνθρωπος ἐπιεικὴς, φίλος ὢν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, ἔμενε τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν φιλίαν διατηρῶν ἐν τῇ τῶν καιρῶν τούτων μεταβολῇ· καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀθρόον κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον πλανώμενον, διέῤῥηξε τὸν χιτωνίσκον, κατεπάσατο τέφραν, ἀνῴμωξε πικρὸν καὶ ἐλεεινόν· καὶ ἐπειδὴ μηδὲν ἠδύνατο, τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν δακρύων εἰσφέρει παραμυθίαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν τῶν καιρῶν φίλος, οὐδὲ τῆς δυναστείας, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς· διὰ τοῦτο, τῆς ἀρχῆς μεταπεσούσης, τὴν φιλίαν οὐ μετέβαλεν. Ἰδὼν τοίνυν αὐτὸν ὁ ∆αυῒδ ταῦτα ποιοῦντα, φησὶ πρὸς αὐτόν· Φίλου μὲν καὶ ταῦτα καὶ γνησίως πρὸς ἡμᾶς διακειμένου· ὀνήσει δὲ οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ δεῖ τι βουλεύσασθαι καὶ σκοπῆσαι, ὅπως ἂν λυθῇ τὰ καταλαβόντα δεινὰ, καὶ ἀπαλλαγήν τινα εὕροιμεν τῶν συμφορῶν. Ταῦτα εἰπὼν, εἰσηγεῖται γνώμην ἐκείνῳ τοιαύτην· Ἀπελθὼν πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν τὸν ἐμὸν, καὶ φίλου προσωπεῖον ὑποδὺς, διασκέδασόν μοι τὰς ἐκείνου βουλὰς, καὶ τοῦ Ἀχιτόφελ τὴν βουλὴν ἄκυρον ποίησον. Ὁ δὲ Ἀχιτόφελ οὗτος τοῦ τυράννου τότε ἐκράτει, δεινὸς μὲν ὢν τὰ πολεμικὰ, δεινὸς δὲ καὶ στρατηγῆσαι ἐν πολέμῳ καὶ μάχῃ· διὸ καὶ τοῦ τυράννου μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐδεδοίκει· οὕτως ἦν δεινὸς ἐν ταῖς γνώμαις ὁ ἀνήρ. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐκεῖνος ἐπείσθη, καὶ οὐδὲν μικρόψυχον ἐλογίσατο, οὐδὲ ἄνανδρον, οὐδὲ εἶπε· Τί δὲ ἂν ἁλῶ; τί δὲ ἂν ἀποκαλυφθῇ μοι τὸ προσωπεῖον; τί δὲ ἂν φωραθῇ τὸ δρᾶμα τῆς ὑποκρίσεως; δεινὸς ὁ Ἀχιτόφελ· ἴσως καὶ τοῦτο ἐλέγξει, καὶ ποιήσει κατάφωρον, καὶ ἀπολοῦμαι εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην. Οὐδὲν τῶν τοιούτων ἐννοήσας, εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐπεπήδησε τοῦ τυράννου, τὸ πᾶν ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν ῥίψας, καὶ εἰς μέσους ἑαυτὸν ἀφῆκε τοὺς κινδύνους. Ταῦτά μοι εἴρηται, οὐχ ἵνα ἐπαινέσωμεν μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ τὰ ἀλγεινὰ, καὶ ὅσα πέπονθεν ὁ ∆αυῒδ καταμάθωμεν, καὶ ὅσα ἕτερα ἀπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας δυνατὸν καρπώσασθαι κέρδη, καὶ ταῦτα εἰς μέσον ἀγάγωμεν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, ὃ συνεχῶς ἐπιζητεῖται παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν, διὰ τί δίκαιοι θλίβονται, πονηροὶ δέ εἰσιν ἐν ἀνέσει, τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ δίκαιος ἐν συμφοραῖς ἦν· ὁ δὲ μιαρὸς, καὶ πατραλοίας, καὶ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῆς ἐχθρὸς καὶ πολέμιος, ἐν εὐπραγίᾳ καὶ βασιλικαῖς αὐλαῖς· ἀλλ' οὔτε ἐκεῖνος ἐντεῦθεν ἐκέρδαινέ τι, οὔτε ὁ ἅγιος οὗτος ἐβλάπτετο· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἐγίνετο μείζοσι θλίψεσιν ὑπεύθυνος· ὁ δὲ λαμπρότερον διέλαμπε, καθάπερ χρυσὸς ἐν καμίνῳ, τῇ θλίψει καθαρώτερος γινόμενος. βʹ. Τοῦτο δὴ πρῶτον ἐντεῦθεν μάνθανε, μὴ ταράττεσθαι ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις δυσημερίαις, ὅταν ἴδῃς ἐπὶ 55.82 τῶν δικαίων συμβαινούσας· ἕτερον μετὰ τοῦτο, μὴ μεθίστασθαι πρὸς τοὺς καιροὺς, ἀλλ' εἰδέναι φιλίας νόμους· τρίτον, τὸ καὶ κινδύνων κατατολμᾷν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρετῆς· τέταρτον, τὸ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀπόροις εὔελπιν εἶναι, τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ συμμαχίαν ἀναμένοντα. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Χουσὶ τότε ἐκεῖνος οὐ τὸ στρατόπεδον εἶδεν, οὐ τοῦ τυράννου τὸν φόβον, οὐ τῶν ἵππων τὸ πλῆθος, οὐ τὰς φάλαγγας τῶν ὁπλιτῶν, οὐ τὸ προκατειλῆφθαι τὰς πόλεις, οὐ τὴν ἐρημίαν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, οὐ τὴν μόνωσιν καὶ τὴν ἀσθένειαν· ἀλλ' εἰς ἓν μόνον ἰδὼν, τὴν ἄμαχον τοῦ Θεοῦ συμμαχίαν, καὶ τὴν εὔνοιαν τὴν ἐκείνου, οὕτω τὰ μέρη ἑκάτερα ἔκρινε, καὶ εὗρε τὸ μὲν σαθρὸν, τὸ δὲ ἰσχυρόν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀδίκως ἐποίει, ὁ δὲ μετὰ τοῦ δικαίου ἑαυτὸν ἐφύλαττε. Στὰς τοίνυν, οὐκ ἔνθα πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ἔνθα ἀρετῆς συμμαχία, οὕτως ἐπεσπάσατο τὸν Θεόν. Ταῦτα λέγω, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς, κἂν ἀσθενεῖς ὦσιν οἱ τὰ δίκαια ἔχοντες, τὰ ἐκείνων θεραπεύωμεν· κἂν ἰσχυροὶ οἱ ἀδικοῦντες, φύγωμεν αὐτῶν τὴν συμμαχίαν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ κακία, κἂν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἔχῃ μεθ' ἑαυτῆς, πάντων ἐστὶν ἀσθενεστέρα· ἡ δὲ ἀρετὴ, κἂν μεμονωμένη τύχῃ, πάντων ἐστὶ δυνατωτέρα· τὸν γὰρ Θεὸν ἔχει μεθ' ἑαυτῆς ἱστάμενον.