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and having finished us off, just as he reckoned to destroy us, let us wipe him out so that he may not rise up against any border of Israel. And let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will make atonement with them to the Lord on the hill of Saul." Therefore, in that place they impaled the men, in which he had dared the lawless murders. And these were two illegitimate sons of Saul, 1.156 and five of his later sons. Therefore, when the punishment had been carried out, the Lord became merciful and the earth gave its customary fruit.

And it happened after these things, that in the evening time David arose from his bed, and walked on the roof of the king's house, and he saw a woman bathing from the roof, and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. And seeing the woman bathing he did not flee the sight as deadly, but being bewitched by the lure of her beauty, he swallowed the hook of sin. And it became perhaps a cure for another, worse passion, that is, of arrogance. Which indeed he himself, indicating, said: "But being exalted, I was humbled and was at a loss. And I said in my prosperity, 'I shall never be moved'; but you turned away your face, and I became troubled. But it is good for me that you have humbled me, that I might learn your statutes." For through the rebellion of his son he paid clear penalties for both the murder and the adultery according to the divine prophecy. For it says: "Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own house" and what follows. Therefore, how much affliction and misfortune and care are of benefit, we learn even from this story. For being persecuted by Saul, the godly David accomplished all philosophy, and being drawn up for battle and occupying his mind with the cares of wars, he lived according to the sacred laws. But having obtained a little respite, he suffered that 1.157 fall. But when the prophet came in to him, and he endured his rebuke and made his confession and said, "I have sinned against my Lord," the prophet says, "You shall not die, except that in provoking you have provoked the Lord among his adversaries." And first, indeed, God struck the adulterous child, then also indicating his son's rebellion against him he says, "And now a sword shall not depart from your house." Rightly, therefore, he said, "The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death." For God subjected him to all kinds of chastisements, as indeed an all-wise physician, after the confession of his sin. Therefore the blessed David, before his death, calling his son Solomon, said to him, "Solomon my son, it was in my soul to build a house for the Lord God. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have made great wars. You shall not build a house for my name. Behold, a son shall be born to you, and I will give him rest from all his enemies, for Solomon shall be his name. He shall build a house for my name.' And now, be strong and courageous. And behold, I in my poverty have prepared for the house of the Lord one hundred thousand talents of gold and a thousand thousand talents of silver, and bronze and iron of which there is no number; and to these you must add for the building of the temple 1.158 of the Lord." And David, an old man and full of days, having made his son Solomon king, again said to him in the presence of the people, "Behold, I have prepared for the house of my God gold, silver, bronze, iron and every precious stone and costly and varied precious stones. And besides these I give, apart from what I have prepared for the holy house, three thousand talents of gold from Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the temple with them." And the rulers of the sons of Israel gave for the works of the house of God seven thousand talents of gold and silver and precious stones and countless bronze. And David, having blessed the people and

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καὶ συντελέσας ἡμᾶς, ὥσπερ ἐλογίσατο ἡμᾶς ἐξολοθρεῦσαι, ἀφανί σωμεν αὐτὸν τοῦ μὴ ἀντικαθίστασθαι παντὶ ὁρίῳ Ἰσραήλ. καὶ δοθήτωσαν ἡμῖν ἄνδρες ἑπτὰ ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξιλασόμεθα ἐν αὐτοῖς κυρίῳ ἐν τῷ βουνῷ Σαούλ." ἐκ ἐκείνῳ τοίνυν τῷ χωρίῳ ἀνεσκολόπισαν τοὺς ἄνδρας, ἐν ᾧ τὰς παρανόμους ἐτόλμησεν ἐκεῖνος μιαιφονίας. οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν τοῦ Σαοὺλ δύο μὲν υἱοὶ νό 1.156 θοι, πέντε δὲ τῶν ὑστέρων υἱῶν αὐτοῦ. τῆς οὖν τιμωρίας γεγε νημένης ἵλεως ὁ δεσπότης ἐγένετο καὶ ἡ γῆ τὸν ἐξ ἔθους ἔδωκε καρπόν.

Ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ δείλης ἀνέστη ∆αβὶδ ἀπὸ τῆς κοίτης αὐτοῦ, καὶ περιεπάτει ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος τοῦ οἴκου τῶν βασιλέων, καὶ εἶδε γυναῖκα λουομένην ἀπὸ τοῦ δώματος, καὶ ἡ γυνὴ καλὴ τῇ ὄψει σφόδρα. καὶ ἰδὼν τὸ γύναιον λουόμενον οὐκ ἔφυγε τὴν θέαν ὡς ὀλεθρίαν, ἀλλὰ καταθελχθεὶς τῷ τῆς ὥρας δελέατι τὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατέπιεν ἄγκιστρον. καὶ ἑτέρου τάχα πάθους χείρονος, τῆς ἐπάρσεως δηλονότι, γέγονεν ἴαμα. ὅπερ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ὑποφαίνων ἔλεγεν "ὑψωθεὶς δὲ ἐταπεινώθην καὶ ἐξηπορήθην. καὶ ἐγὼ μὲν εἶπον ἐν τῇ εὐθηνίᾳ μου, οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἀπέστρεψας δὲ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ ἐγεννήθην τεταραγμένος. ἀλλ' ἀγαθόν μοι ὅτι ἐταπείνωσάς με, ὅπως ἂν μάθω τὰ δικαιώματά σου." διὰ γὰρ τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐπα ναστάσεως δίκας ἐναργεῖς ἔτισε τοῦ τε φόνου καὶ τῆς μοιχείας κατὰ τὴν θείαν πρόρρησιν. φησὶ γάρ "τάδε λέγει κύριος· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐγείρω κακὰ ἐπί σε ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου σου" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ὅσον τοίνυν θλῖψις ὀνίνησι καὶ συμφορὰ καὶ μέριμνα, καὶ ἐκ ταύτης τῆς ἱστορίας μανθάνομεν. διωκόμενος γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ ὁ θεὸς ∆αβὶδ πᾶσαν κατώρθου φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ παραταττόμενος καὶ ταῖς φροντίσι τῶν πολέμων ἐνασχολῶν τὴν διάνοιαν κατὰ τοὺς ἱε ροὺς ἐπολιτεύετο νόμους. ἀνακωχῆς δὲ τυχὼν ὀλίγης τὸν ὄλισθον 1.157 ἐκεῖνον ὑπέμεινε. τοῦ δὲ προφήτου πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσελθόντος, καὶ τὸν ἔλεγχον αὐτοῦ ὑπομείναντος καὶ τὴν ἐξομολόγησιν ποιησαμέ νου καὶ "ἡμάρτηκα τῷ κυρίῳ μου" φήσαντος, φησὶν ὁ προφή της "οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃς, πλὴν παροργίζων παρώργισας ἐν τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις τὸν κύριον." καὶ πρῶτον μέντοι τὸ μοιχαλίδιον παι δίον ἐπάταξεν ὁ θεός, ἔπειτα καὶ τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐπανάστασιν κατ' αὐτοῦ παραδηλῶν φησί "καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἐξαρθήσεται ῥομφαία ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου σου." εἰκότως οὖν ἔλεγε "παιδεύων ἐπαίδευσέ με ὁ κύριος, τῷ δὲ θανάτῳ οὐ παρέδωκέ με." καὶ γὰρ παντοδαπαῖς αὐτόν, οἷα δὴ πάνσοφος ἰατρός, παιδείαις ὑπέβαλεν ὁ θεὸς μετὰ τὴν ὁμολογίαν τῆς ἁμαρτίας. ὁ οὖν μακάριος ∆αβὶδ πρὸ τῆς τελευτῆς αὐτοῦ καλέσας τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Σολομῶντα εἶπεν αὐτῷ "Σολομῶν τέκνον μου, ἐμοὶ ἐγένετο ἐπὶ ψυχὴν τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι οἶκον κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ. καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμοί, λέγων «αἷμα εἰς πλῆθος ἐξέχεας καὶ πολέμους ἐποίησας μεγάλους. οὐκ οἰκοδομήσεις οἶκον τῷ ὀνόματί μου. ἰδοὺ υἱὸς τίκτεταί σοι, καὶ ἀναπαύσω αὐτὸν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι Σολομῶν ὄνομα αὐτῷ. οὗτος οἰκοδομήσει οἶκον τῷ ὀνόματί μου.» καὶ νῦν ἀνδρίζου καὶ ἴσχυε. καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ κατὰ τὴν πτωχείαν μου ἡτοίμασα εἰς οἶκον κυρίου χρυσίου τάλαντα χιλιάδας ἑκατὸν καὶ ἀργυρίου τάλαντα χιλίας χιλιάδας, καὶ χαλκὸν καὶ σίδηρον οὗ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός· καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα πρόσθες εἰς οἰκοδομὴν ναοῦ 1.158 κυρίου." καὶ ∆αβὶδ πρεσβύτης καὶ πλήρης ἡμερῶν, καὶ βασι λεύσας τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Σολομῶντα πάλιν εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἐνώπιον τοῦ λαοῦ "ἰδοὺ ἡτοίμασα εἰς οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ μου χρυσίον ἀργύριον χαλκὸν σίδηρον καὶ πάντα λίθον τίμιον καὶ λίθους τιμίους πολυ τελεῖς καὶ ποικίλους. καὶ πρὸς τούτοις δίδωμι, ἐκτὸς ὧν ἡτοί μασα εἰς οἶκον τὸν ἅγιον, χρυσίου τοῦ ἐξ Ὠφεὶρ τάλαντα τρισχί λια, καὶ ἑπτακισχίλια τάλαντα ἀργυρίου δοκίμου, τοῦ ἐξαλει φθῆναι ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς τοίχοις τοῦ ἱεροῦ." οἱ δὲ ἄρχοντες τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἔδωκαν εἰς τὰ ἔργα τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ χρυσίου τάλαντα ἑπτακισχίλια καὶ ἀργύριον καὶ λίθους τιμίους καὶ χαλκὸν ἄπειρον. καὶ εὐλογήσας τὸν λαὸν ὁ ∆αβὶδ καὶ