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let us despise goodness, treasuring up wrath for ourselves. Thus David said, the Lord is good to all; and having elaborated that He supports those who are falling, that He gives food in due season, he did not end with these things; but he said: The Lord preserves all who love Him, and He will destroy all sinners. And just as Isaiah hid some mystery in the midst concerning the coming of the Savior, interjecting it for those worthy to understand these things. Therefore, the present things are connected with what was said by David before the things concerning the throne. But according to some, having spoken about the restoration of the captives from Israel, he then brings on the difficult things against those of the Moabites who rejoiced over them, on account of their arrogant choice for impiety, as if speaking from the person of the prophets, We have heard the pride of Moab. For they agree with God as punishing in justice, as having heard what things they contrived through Balaam to the insult of the God of all, and how many things after these they have done fighting against the glory of God. In return for which God answers those who said this, I have taken away the pride, calling the Moabites pride itself. For God opposes the proud, and especially those who are sick with impiety. Therefore He turns to it, and says: Not so is your divination, not so, showing that I for my part cut off Moab. But the divinations among them did not foretell this, announcing the opposite. For they thought great things of the divining demon among them; but Symmachus says, Not so are his arms. Showing that for the things he boasts of, he does not have similar deeds. But some say that he shows the ancient divination of Balaam to be useless. Moab will wail, shows that what they did not expect from the divination has happened. And wailing is the mournful voice of women overcome by the heaviest grief. And now he shows both the painfulness of the blow, and the weakness of those who suffer, a meditation for the inhabitants of Asedeth. This city of Moab, they practiced a lamentation, an equal song, against themselves. But Symmachus rendered it thus: To those who rejoice in the earthen wall, cry out, showing the weakness of the, 2112 demon in whom, when he spoke, they trusted. And you will not be ashamed, the fields of Heshbon. He seems to be speaking to the Assyrians, concerning the city of the Moabites, Heshbon, which has spaciousness in its surrounding suburbs, which city he urges them to treat badly, along with Sebama, so that their vines, being cut down, might somehow mourn. And he calls the Assyrians those who devour nations; and he urges them to the devastation of the Moabites, up to the Moabite city of Jazer. And perhaps he might call the inhabitants of the Moabites vines, whom it is also the custom of Scripture to call trees and a forest. According to, "For the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth is the man of Judah, a beloved new plant. And the late summer fruit, and the harvest, and the vine signify in another way, the flourishing, and vigorous, and beautiful, and luxurious quality of their life; in which, as if drunk, they passed their time reveling in impiety. But the command not to be ashamed shows the work of God, not the power of the Assyrians, to whom he again says, You shall not attack those of them who have fled into the wilderness, commanding to let them be, and not to add to the slain, but to seem to have received wandering and forgetfulness of these things. For God is philanthropic even when He punishes. And He calls the Assyrians those sent and dispatched by Him; and the phrase, they were abandoned, is added, rather as if Moab would not have been in these circumstances, unless God had abandoned it. For this reason I will weep, like the weeping of Jazer. The prophet says this, groaning over their misfortunes. And he represents Jazer as having been sacked above the others, as it would be fitting for it thus to lament the others, both Sebama and Heshbon, calling their inhabitants vines. Over whose harvest and vintage the army of the enemy spoke the word, I will tread down, and all things will fall. And the phrase, gladness and rejoicing will be taken from your vineyards. For being impious, they always had sacrificing as a pretext for gladness,

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καταφρονήσωμεν τῆς χρηστότητος, ὀργὴν ἑαυτοῖς θησαυρίζοντες. Οὕτως εἰπὼν ὁ ∆αβὶδ, χρηστὸς Κύριος τοῖς σύμπασιν· καὶ ἐπεξεργασάμενος, ὅτι ὑποστηρίζει τοὺς καταπίπτοντας, ὅτι δίδωσι τὴν τροφὴν ἐν εὐκαιρίᾳ, οὐκ ἐν τούτοις κατέληξεν· ἀλλ' ἔφη· Φυλάσσει Κύριος πάντας τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας αὐτὸν, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἐξολοθρεύσει. Καθάπερ δέ τι μυστήριον Ἡσαΐας ἐν μέσῳ τὸ περὶ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας κατέκρυψε τοῖς ἀξίοις τοῦ ταῦτα συνιέναι παρεμβαλών. Συναφῆ τοιγαροῦν τὰ νῦν τοῖς πρὸ τῶν περὶ τοῦ θρόνου λελεγμένων ∆αβίδ. Κατὰ δέ τινας, τὰ περὶ τῆς ἀποκαταστάσεως τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ αἰχμαλώτων εἰπὼν, πρὸς τοὺς ἐπιχαρέντας αὐτοῖς αὖθις τῶν Μωαβιτῶν ἐπιφέρει τὰ δυσχερῆ, διὰ τὴν αὐτῶν ὑπερήφανον ἐπ' ἀσεβείᾳ προαίρεσιν, ὡς ἐκ προσώπου λέγων τῶν προφητῶν, Ἠκούσαμεν τὴν ὕβριν Μωάβ. Συναινοῦσι γὰρ ὡς ἐν δίκῃ κολάζοντι τῷ Θεῷ, ὡς ἀκηκοότες οἷα διὰ τοῦ Βαλαὰμ ἐφ' ὕβρει τοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐμηχανῶντο Θεοῦ, ὅσα τε μετὰ ταῦτα τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ μαχόμενα πεποιήκασι δόξῃ. Ἀνθ' ὧν ἀμείβεται τοῖς εἰρηκόσι τοῦτο Θεὸς, τὴν ὑπερηφανείαν ἐξῆρα, αὐτόχρημα τοὺς Μωαβίτας ὑπερηφανίαν εἰπών. Ὑπερηφάνοις γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἀντιτάσσεται, καὶ μάλιστα νοσοῦσιν ἀσέβειαν. ∆ιὸ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀποστρέφεται, καί φησιν· Οὐχ οὕτως ἡ μαντεία σου, οὐχ οὕτως, δηλῶν ὡς Ἐγὼ μὲν ἐξέκοψα τὴν Μωάβ. Ἀλλ' οὐ τοῦτο προύλεγον αἱ παρ' αὐτοῖς οὖσαι μαντεῖαι τἀναντία μηνύουσαι. Μεγάλα γὰρ ἐφρόνουν ἐπὶ τῷ μαντευομένῳ δαίμονι παρ' αὐτοῖς· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Οὐχ οὕτω, φησὶν, οἱ βραχίονες αὐτοῦ. ∆ηλῶν ὡς οἷς ἀλαζονεύεται πράξεις ὁμοίας οὐκ ἔχει. Τινὲς δέ φασιν, ὡς τὸ πάλαι τῆς τοῦ Βαλαὰμ μαντείας ἀνόνητον ἐπιδείκνυσιν. Ὀλολύξει Μωὰβ, δείκνυσιν ὡς ἃ μὴ προσεδόκων ἐκ τῆς μαντείας ἀπήντηκεν. Ὀλολυγμὸς δὲ ὀδυνηρὰ φωνὴ γυναικῶν βαρυτάτῳ πένθει κεκρατημένων. ∆είκνυσι δὲ νῦν καὶ τῆς πληγῆς τὸ ἀλγεινὸν, καὶ τῶν πασχόντων τὸ ἀσθενὲς, τοῖς κατοικοῦσι τὸ Ἀσεδὲθ μελέτησις. Πόλις αὕτη Μωὰβ θρῆνον ἴσος ἐμμελῆ καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἐμελέτησαν. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἐξέδωκε· Τοῖς εὐφραινομένοις ἐν τῷ τείχει τῷ ὀστρακίνῳ φθέγξασθε, τὸ ἀσθενὲς δηλῶν τοῦ, 2112 ᾧπερ φθεγγομένῳ ἐπεποίθεσαν, δαίμονος. Καὶ οὐκ ἐντραπήσῃ τὰ πεδία Ἐσεβών. Πρὸς Ἀσσυρίους ἔοικε λέγειν, περὶ πόλεως τῶν Μωαβιτῶν Ἐσεβὼν εὐρυχωρίαν ἐχούσης ἐν τοῖς περικειμένοις αὐτῇ προαστείοις ἣν μετὰ τῆς Σεβαμὰ παρακελεύεται διαθεῖναι κακῶς, ὡς πενθῆσαί πως τεμνομένας τὰς τούτων ἀμπέλους. Ἔθνη δὲ καταπίνοντας, τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους καλεῖ· τὴν δὲ Μωαβιτῶν αὑτοῖς παρακελεύεται δῄωσιν, μέχρι τῆς Ἰαζεὶρ πόλεως Μωαβίτιδος. Λέγοι δ' ἂν ἴσως ἀμπέλους καὶ τῶν Μωαβιτῶν τοὺς οἰκήτορας, οὓς καὶ ξύλα καὶ δρυμὸν ἔθος καλεῖν τῇ Γραφῇ. Κατὰ τὸ, "Ὁ γὰρ ἀμπελὼν Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Ἰούδα νεόφυτον ἠγαπημένον. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ ἡ ὀπώρα, καὶ ὁ θερισμὸς, καὶ ἡ ἄμπελος καθ' ἕτερον τρόπον, τὸ εὐθαλὲς, καὶ ἀκμαῖον, καὶ ὡραῖον, καὶ τρυφηλὸν τῆς ἐκείνων ζωῆς· ἐν ᾗ, καθάπερ μεθύοντες, διῆγον ἐντρυφῶντες τῇ δυσσεβείᾳ. Ἡ δὲ πρόσταξις τοῦ μὴ δεῖν ἐντραπῆναι, δηλοῖ Θεοῦ τὸ ἔργον, οὐκ Ἀσσυρίων τὴν δύναμιν, πρὸς οὓς αὖθίς φησιν, Οὐ μὴ συνάψητε τοὺς εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ἐξ αὐτῶν φυγόντας, κελεύων ἐᾷν αὐτοὺς, καὶ μὴ τοῖς ἀνῃρημένοις προσθεῖναι πλάνην δὲ καὶ λήθην εἰληφέναι τούτων δοκεῖν. Ὁ γὰρ Θεός ἐστι καὶ κολάζων φιλάνθρωπος. Ὡς δὲ παρ' αὐτοῦ πεμφθέντας καὶ ἀπεσταλμένους τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους καλεῖ· προσέῤῥιπται δὲ τὸ, ἐγκατελείφθησαν, μᾶλλον ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἐν τούτοις γέγονεν ἡ Μωὰβ, εἰ μὴ Θεὸς αὐτὴν ἐγκατέλιπε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κλαύσομαι, ὡς τὸν κλαυθμὸν Ἰαζήρ. Τοῦτό φησιν ὁ προφήτης ἐπιστένων ταῖς αὐτῶν συμφοραῖς. Πεπορθῆσθαι δὲ τὴν Ἰαζὴρ ὑπὲρ τὰς ἄλλας παρίστησιν, ὡς ἂν πρέποι ταύτην οὕτω τὰς ἄλλας θρηνῶν Σάβαμά τε καὶ Ἐσεβών, ἀμπέλους αὐτῶν καλῶν τοὺς οἰκήτορας. Ὧν ἐπὶ τῷ θερισμῷ καὶ τῷ τρυγητῷ στρατὸς ὁ τῶν πολεμίων ἐλάλησεν τὸ, καταπατήσω, καὶ ἅπαντα πεσοῦνται. Καὶ τὸ, ἀρθήσεται εὐφροσύνη καὶ ἀγαλλίαμα ἐκ τῶν ἀμπέλων σου. ∆υσσεβεῖς γὰρ ὄντες πρόφασιν εὐφροσύνης τὸ θύειν εἶχον ἀεὶ,