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we are commanded to love our enemies, when we hate even those who love us, what penalty shall we pay? For if he who loves those who love him will be no better than the Gentiles; he who threatens those who have done no wrong, what pardon will he have? The demon envies, indeed, but men, and no demon; but you, being a man, envy men? And what pardon will you receive? Terrible is envy, terrible, and it persuades one to despise one's own salvation; for thus did Saul summon an evil demon against his own soul; and having called the physician, he was again envious. For such is envy; he knew that he was saved, and wished rather to perish than to see his savior held in high esteem. And, if you wish, I will recount to you what benefits David bestowed upon Saul, and with what he repaid him after these things. When a most grievous war once befell the Jews, and all were cowering and afraid, and no one dared to come forward, but the entire city was in extremities, and each one saw death before his eyes, and all expected to die each day, this man, having come in from the sheep to the battle line, undertook the war of all, and seeing no necessity imposed 63.680 upon him, but also having many who were hindering him (for his brother rebuked him, and the king, looking to the unripeness of his age, held him back and commanded him to stay), having become impassioned from within, he ran upon the barbarians, and showed such concern for the king, that even before the war and the victory he raised him up as he lay in sight and said: Let not the heart of my lord fail because of him; for your servant will go forth and will fight with this foreigner. Is this a small thing, tell me, for one having no necessity to give his own life, and for their benefit to leap into the midst of the enemy, having never received any good from them? Ought he not after these things to be inscribed as a master, and proclaimed the common savior of the city, he who preserved the life of all after the grace of God? For what other benefit was greater than this? For not for money, nor for glory and power, but for his very soul he bestowed the benefit, and recalled him from the very gates of death, and through him the king lived thereafter, and enjoyed his rule. With what, then, did he repay him after these things? For if one should see the greatness of his achievements, not even if he had taken the crown from his own head and placed it on David’s would he have rendered a worthy reward, but would have owed the greater part; for that one bestowed on him both life and kingdom; but this one was about to cede to him the kingdom only. But nevertheless let us see his rewards. When he took the head of the barbarian, and was returning with the spoils, the dancing women came out, it says, singing and saying, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was angry, and was eyeing David from that day. For what reason, tell me? For if one must say something wonderful, they favored Saul more than David by saying these things; and he ought to have loved him, because at least they gave him the thousands. Why then is he indignant that they gave the ten thousands to that one? For if he had accomplished something in the war, and had contributed at least some small share, it would have been well said, that Saul in his thousands, and David in his ten thousands; but if he himself sat inside, afraid and trembling, expecting to die each day, while this one did everything; how was it not absurd for the one who contributed nothing to the dangers to be indignant that he did not receive the greater part of the praise? For if it was necessary to be indignant, David ought to have been indignant, because having accomplished everything himself, he had another as a sharer of the praise. But such is envy; it does not bear to look calmly on the success of others, but considers the prosperity of a neighbor to be one's own misfortune, and melts at the good things of a neighbor; just as the king of Gerar also experienced; for seeing Isaac each

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ἐχθροὺς ἀγαπᾷν κελευόμεθα, ὅταν καὶ τοὺς φιλοῦντας μισῶμεν, ποίαν τίσομεν δίκην; Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τοὺς φιλοῦντας ἀγαπῶν, οὐδὲν ἄμεινον τῶν ἐθνικῶν διακείσεται· ὁ τοῖς μηδὲν ἠδικηκόσιν ἐπηρεάζων, ποίαν ἕξει συγγνώμην; Ὁ δαίμων φθονεῖ μὲν, ἀνθρώποις δὲ, δαίμονι δὲ οὐδενί· σὺ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ὢν, ἀνθρώποις φθονεῖς; καὶ ποίας τεύξῃ συγγνώμης; ∆εινὸν ἡ βασκανία, δεινὸν, καὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἀναπείθει καταφρονεῖν σωτηρίας· οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Σαοὺλ δαίμονα πονηρὸν ἐκάλεσε κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς· καὶ καλέσας τῷ ἰατρῷ πάλιν ἐβάσκαινε. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ὁ φθόνος· ᾔδει ὅτι ἐσώθη, καὶ ἀπολέσθαι μᾶλλον ἤθελεν, ἢ τὸν σώσαντα εὐδοκιμοῦντα ἰδεῖν. Καὶ, εἰ βούλεσθε, διηγήσομαι ὑμῖν τίνας εὐεργεσίας εὐεργέτησεν ὁ ∆αυῒδ τὸν Σαοὺλ, καὶ τίσιν αὐτὸν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐκεῖνος ἠμείψατο. Πολέμου ποτὲ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους καταλαβόντος χαλεπωτάτου, καὶ πάντων κατεπτηχότων καὶ δεδοικότων, καὶ οὐδενὸς προκύψαι τολμῶντος, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐσχάτοις τῆς πόλεως οὔσης ἁπάσης, καὶ τὸν θάνατον πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἑκάστου βλέποντος, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἀποθανεῖσθαι τὴν ἡμέραν προσδοκώντων ἁπάντων, εἰσελθὼν οὗτος ἀπὸ τῶν προβάτων ἐπὶ τὴν παράταξιν, τὸν ἁπάντων ἀνεδέξατο πόλεμον, καὶ οὐδεμίαν ὁρῶν ἀνάγκην ἐπικει 63.680 μένην αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλοὺς τοὺς κωλύοντας ἔχων (καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἐπετίμα, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς τὸ τῆς ἡλικίας ἄωρον ἀφορῶν κατεῖχε καὶ μένειν ἐκέλευε), διαθερμανθεὶς οἴκοθεν ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἔτρεχε, καὶ τοσαύτην κηδεμονίαν περὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἐπεδείξατο, ὡς καὶ πρὸ τοῦ πολέμου καὶ τῆς νίκης ἐπ' ὄψιν αὐτὸν κείμενον ἀναστήσας εἰπεῖν· Μὴ συμπεσέτω ἡ καρδία τοῦ κυρίου μου δι' αὐτόν· ὅτι ὁ δοῦλός σου προελεύσεται καὶ πολεμήσει μετὰ τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου τούτου. Ἆρα μικρὸν τοῦτο, εἰπέ μοι, τὸ μηδεμίαν ἀνάγκην ἔχοντα τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπιδοῦναι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκείνων ὠφελείας εἰς μέσους πηδῆσαι τοὺς πολεμίους, μηδὲν μηδέποτε παρ' αὐτῶν εὖ παθόντα; ἆρα οὐκ ἔδει αὐτὸν μετὰ ταῦτα δεσπότην αὐτὸν ἐπιγράφεσθαι, καὶ σωτῆρα κοινὸν τῆς πόλεως ἀναγορεύειν, τὸν καὶ τὴν ἁπάντων ζωὴν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν διατηρήσαντα; Ποία γὰρ ταύτης εὐεργεσίας μείζων ἑτέρα ἦν; Οὐ γὰρ εἰς χρήματα, οὐδὲ εἰς δόξαν καὶ δυναστείαν, ἀλλ' εἰς αὐτὴν αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν εὐεργεσίαν κατέθετο, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν αὐτὸν ἀνεκαλέσατο τῶν τοῦ θανάτου πυλῶν, καὶ δι' ἐκείνου ἔζη λοιπὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ ἀπέλαυε τῆς ἀρχῆς. Τίσιν οὖν αὐτὸν μετὰ ταῦτα ἠμείψατο; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ αὐτό τις τῶν κατορθωμάτων τὸ μέγεθος ἴδοι, οὐδ' εἰ τὸν στέφανον ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ λαβὼν κεφαλῆς ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἔθηκεν, οὐδέπω τὴν ἀξίαν ἦν ἀποδεδωκὼς ἀμοιβὴν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πλέον ὀφείλων· ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ καὶ ζωὴν καὶ βασιλείαν αὐτῷ ἐχαρίσατο· οὗτος δὲ βασιλείας αὐτῷ παραχωρεῖν ἔμελλε μόνης. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν αὐτοῦ τὰς ἀμοιβάς. Ἐπειδὴ τοῦ βαρβάρου τὴν κεφαλὴν ἔλαβε, καὶ τὰ λάφυρα ἔχων ἐπανῄει, ἐξῆλθον αἱ χορεύουσαι, φησὶν, ᾄδουσαι καὶ λέγουσαι, Ἐπάταξε Σαοὺλ ἐν χιλιάσι, καὶ ∆αυῒδ ἐν μυριάσι. Καὶ ὠργίσθη Σαοὺλ, καὶ ἦν ὑποβλεπόμενος τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης. Τίνος ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι; εἰ γὰρ χρή τι θαυμαστὸν εἰπεῖν, τῷ Σαοὺλ ἐχαρίσαντο μᾶλλον ἢ τῷ ∆αυῒδ ταῦτα λέγουσαι· καὶ ἀγαπᾷν αὐτὸν ἐχρῆν, ὅτι τὰς χιλιάδας γοῦν ἔδωκαν αὐτῷ. Τί οὖν ἀγανακτεῖ, ὅτι ἔδωκαν τὰς μυριάδας ἐκείνῳ; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν τι συντελέσας εἰς τὸν πόλεμον, καὶ μικρὰν γοῦν τινα μοῖραν εἰσενεγκὼν, καλῶς ταῦτα ἐλέγετο, ὅτι Σαοὺλ ἐν χιλιάσι, καὶ ∆αυῒδ ἐν μυριάσιν· εἰ δὲ αὐτὸς μὲν δεδοικὼς καὶ τρέμων ἔσω ἐκάθητο, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀποθανεῖσθαι προσδοκῶν, οὗτος δὲ τὸ πᾶν εἰργάσατο· πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον ἦν, τὸν μηδὲν εἰς τοὺς κινδύνους συμβαλόμενον ἀγανακτεῖν, ὅτι μὴ τὸ πλέον τῆς εὐφημίας ἔλαβεν; Εἰ γὰρ ἀγανακτεῖν ἐχρῆν, τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἀγανακτεῖν ἔδει, ὅτι τὸ πᾶν αὐτὸς κατορθώσας μεριστὴν ἕτερον ἔσχε τῆς εὐφημίας. Ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτον ἡ βασκανία· οὐκ ἀνέχεται πράως ὁρᾷν τὴν ἑτέρων εὐπραγίαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ πλησίον εὐημερίαν οἰκείαν δυσπραγίαν εἶναι νομίζει, καὶ τήκεται τοῖς τοῦ πλησίον ἀγαθοῖς· καθάπερ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Γεράρων ὑπέμεινεν· ὁρῶν γὰρ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ καθ' ἑκάστην