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For that 49.148 abominable one contrived to find a murder even more accursed than this one. For if he had sinned knowingly and was slain, the deed would have been only child-murder; but now, sinning out of ignorance—for he had not even heard the oaths—and then being killed, he would have made the pain for his father twofold; for he was about to sacrifice a son, and a son who had sinned in no way. But now we must proceed to the next parts of the story. For when he had eaten, it says, *His eyes saw clearly*. Here too he accuses the king of great folly, showing that the famine had nearly blinded all the soldiers, and had poured a great darkness over their eyes. Then, it says, one of the soldiers saw and said, *Your father put the people under a strict oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats bread today’; and the people were faint.* And Jonathan said, *My father has troubled the land.* What is, *has troubled*? He has destroyed, he has corrupted all. Therefore, when the oath was transgressed, all were silent, and no one dared to bring the responsible one forward; and this too became no small crime; for not only those who swear falsely, but also those who are aware but conceal it, share in the crimes. 4. But let us see what follows. And Saul said, *Let us go down after the Philistines and plunder them.* And the priest said, *Let us draw near here to God.* For in ancient times God was the general of the wars, and without his consent they never dared to engage in battle, and war became for them an occasion for piety. For they were defeated not from weakness of body, but from sins, if ever they were defeated, nor did they conquer from strength and courage, but from favor from above, whenever they did conquer. Both victory and defeat were a training ground and school of virtue for them, and not only for them, but also for those who fought against them; for to them also this was very clear, that the war against the Jews was decided not by the nature of the weapons, but by the life of the combatants and their right actions. At any rate, the Midianites, having once understood this, and knowing that that nation is invincible, and that it is impossible to defeat it by engines and weapons, but that it is possible to capture them by sin alone, beautified fair-formed maidens and, placing them on the battle line, called the soldiers to licentiousness, endeavoring through fornication to turn away the alliance of God; which indeed also happened. For when they fell into sin, they became an easy prey to all, and those whom weapons and horses and soldiers and so many engines could not capture, the nature of sin handed them over, bound, to their enemies; and shields and spears and all arrows were put to shame, but beauty of face and licentiousness of soul subdued these noble men. For this reason someone advises, saying: *Do not gaze at another’s beauty, and do not meet a harlot woman.* *For honey drips from the lips of a prostitute, which for a time moistens your throat, but afterward you will find it more bitter than gall, and sharpened more than a two-edged sword.* 49.149 For a prostitute does not know how to love, but only plots; her kiss holds venom, and her mouth a deadly poison. But if it does not appear immediately, for this reason one must avoid her all the more, because she has concealed the destruction, and has death hidden within, and does not even allow it to become manifest from the beginning. So if anyone pursues pleasure, and a life full of good cheer, let him flee the company of prostituting women; for they fill the souls of their lovers with countless wars and tumults, stirring up for them continuous battles and contentions through words, through all deeds. And just like the most hostile of enemies, so too do these women do and devise everything, so as to surround them with shame and poverty and the worst evils. And in the same way that hunters, having spread out their nets, attempt to drive the wild animals in, so as to slaughter them; so too do these women, when they spread out the wings of licentiousness from every side through their eyes and gestures and

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ἐπενόησε γὰρ ὁ 49.148 μιαρὸς ἐκεῖνος καὶ τούτου πάλιν ἐναγέστερον φόνον εὑρεῖν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ εἰδὼς ἥμαρτε καὶ ἐσφάγη, παιδοκτονία μόνον τὸ γινόμενον ἦν· νυνὶ δὲ ἐξ ἀγνοίας ἁμαρτὼν οὐδὲ γὰρ ἤκουσε τῶν ὅρκων, εἶτα ἀναιρεθεὶς, διπλοῦν ἂν ἐποίησε τῷ πατρὶ τὸ ἄλγος· καὶ γὰρ παῖδα, καὶ παῖδα οὐδὲν ἁμαρτόντα, καταθύειν ἔμελλεν. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὰ ἐχόμενα τῆς ἱστορίας πορευτέον λοιπόν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔφαγεν, Ἀνέβλεψαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ, φησί. Πολλὴν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοῦ βασιλέως κατηγορεῖ τὴν ἅνοιαν, δεικνὺς ὅτι σχεδὸν ὁ λιμὸς ἐπήρωσε τοὺς στρατιώτας ἅπαντας, καὶ πολλὴν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν κατέχεε τὴν ἀχλύν. Εἶτα ἰδών τις, φησὶ, τῶν στρατιωτῶν λέγει· Ὁρκίσας ὥρκισεν ὁ πατήρ σου τὸν λαὸν λέγων· Ἐπικατάρατος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς φάγεται ἄρτον σήμερον· καὶ ἐξελύθη ὁ λαός. Καὶ εἶπεν Ἰωνάθαν· Ἀπήλλαχεν ὁ πατήρ μου τὴν γῆν. Τί ἐστιν, Ἀπήλλαχεν; Ἀπώλεσε, διέφθειρεν ἅπαντας. Παραβαθέντος τοίνυν τοῦ ὅρκου πάντες ἐσίγων, καὶ οὐδεὶς τὸν ὑπεύθυνον εἰς μέσον ἀγαγεῖν ἐτόλμα· οὐ μικρὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἔγκλημα λοιπὸν ἐγίνετο· οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἐπιορκοῦντες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ συνειδότες μὲν, περιστέλλοντες δὲ, κοινωνοῦσι τῶν ἐγκλημάτων. δʹ. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἵδωμεν τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ εἶπε Σαούλ· Καταβῶμεν ὀπίσω τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ διαρπάσωμεν αὐτούς. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἱερεύς· Προσέλθωμεν ἐνταῦθα πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Τὸ γὰρ παλαιὸν ὁ Θεὸς ἐστρατήγει τῶν πολέμων, καὶ χωρὶς τῆς ἐκείνου γνώμης οὐδέποτε ἐτόλμων ἅπτεσθαι μάχης, καὶ ὁ πόλεμος αὐτοῖς εὐσεβείας ὑπόθεσις ἐγίνετο. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐξ ἀσθενείας σώματος, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ ἁμαρτιῶν ἡττῶντο, εἴ ποτε καὶ ἡττήθησαν, οὔτε ἀπὸ δυνάμεως καὶ ἀνδρείας, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ εὐνοίας τῆς ἄνωθεν ἐκράτουν, ὁπότε καὶ ἐκράτουν. Καὶ ἡ νίκη καὶ ἡ ἧττα γυμνάσιον αὐτοῖς καὶ διδασκάλιον ἀρετῆς ἦν, οὐκ αὐτοῖς δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς πολεμοῦσιν αὐτοῖς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκείνοις τοῦτο κατάδηλον ἦν, ὅτι οὐ τῇ φύσει τῶν ὅπλων ὁ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἐκρίνετο πόλεμος, ἀλλὰ τῷ βίῳ τῶν πολεμούντων καὶ τοῖς κατορθώμασι. Τοῦτο γοῦν ποτε συνιδόντες οἱ Μαδιηναῖοι, καὶ γνόντες ὡς ἀκαταμάχητόν ἐστι τὸ ἔθνος ἐκεῖνο, καὶ μηχανήμασι μὲν καὶ ὅπλοις ἀμήχανον αὐτὸ καταγωνίσασθαι, ἁμαρτίᾳ δὲ μόνον δυνατὸν αὐτοὺς ἑλεῖν, παρθένους καλλωπίσαντες εὐμόρφους καὶ στήσαντες ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως, εἰς ἀσέλγειαν ἐξεκαλοῦντο τοὺς στρατιώτας, διὰ τῆς πορνείας ἀποστῆσαι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν συμμαχίαν σπουδάζοντες· ὅπερ δὴ καὶ συνέβη. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐνέπεσον εἰς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, εὐχείρωτοι πᾶσιν ἐγένοντο, καὶ οὓς ὅπλα καὶ ἵπποι καὶ στρατιῶται καὶ τοσαῦτα μηχανήματα ἑλεῖν οὐκ ἴσχυσαν, τούτους ἁμαρτίας φύσις δεδεμένους τοῖς πολεμίοις παρέδωκε· καὶ ἀσπίδες μὲν καὶ δόρατα καὶ βέλη πάντα ἠλέγχετο, ὄψεως δὲ εὐμορφία καὶ ψυχῆς ἀκολασία τοὺς γενναίους ἐχειρώσατο τούτους. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο παραινεῖ τις λέγων· Μὴ καταμάνθανε κάλλος ἀλλότριον, καὶ μὴ ὑπάντα γυναικὶ ἑταιριζομένῃ. Μέλι γὰρ ἀποστάζει ἀπὸ χειλέων γυναικὸς πόρνης, ὃ πρὸς καιρὸν λιπαίνει σὸν φάρυγγα, ὕστερον δὲ πικρότερον χολῆς εὑρήσεις, καὶ ἠκονημένον μᾶλλον μαχαίρας διστόμου. 49.149 Πόρνη γὰρ φιλεῖν οὐκ ἐπίσταται, ἀλλ' ἐπιβουλεύει μόνον· ἰὸν ἔχει αὐτῆς τὸ φίλημα, καὶ φάρμακον δηλητήριον τὸ στόμα. Εἰ δὲ οὐ φαίνεται εὐθέως, διὰ τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἀποφεύγειν αὐτὴν δεῖ, ὅτι περιέστειλε τὸν ὄλεθρον, καὶ τὸν θάνατον ἐγκεκρυμμένον ἔχει, καὶ οὐδὲ ἀφίησιν ἐκ προοιμίων γενέσθαι κατάδηλον. Ὥστε εἴ τις ἡδονὴν διώκει, καὶ εὐθυμίας γέμοντα βίον, τὰς τῶν πορνευομένων γυναικῶν φευγέτω συνουσίας· πολέμων γὰρ μυρίων καὶ θορύβων τὰς τῶν ἐραστῶν πληροῦσι ψυχὰς, μάχας αὐτοῖς καὶ φιλονεικίας κινοῦσαι διηνεκεῖς διὰ ῥημάτων, διὰ πραγμάτων ἁπάντων. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ τῶν ἐχθρῶν πολεμιώτατοι, οὕτω δὴ καὶ αὗται πάντα ποιοῦσι καὶ πραγματεύονται, ὥστε καὶ αἰσχύνῃ καὶ πενίᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις αὐτοὺς περιβαλεῖν κακοῖς. Καὶ ὃν τρόπον οἱ θηραταὶ τὰ δίκτυα ἀναπετάσαντες, τὰ ἄγρια τῶν ζώων ἐμβάλλειν ἐπιχειροῦσιν, ὥστε αὐτὰ κατασφάξαι· οὕτω δὴ καὶ αὗται, ἐπειδὰν τὰ πτερὰ τῆς ἀσελγείας πάντοθεν ἀναπετάσωσι δι' ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ σχημάτων καὶ