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He is silent about many things, as to things foreign to his own portion. However, he does not completely hide the word, but he also gives these a taste of his own love for mankind, so that through the experience in small things, they might rush toward the desire for perfect things ... Since, therefore, he rarely speaks to the Moabites, for this reason it is said, that This is the word which the Lord spoke, whenever he also spoke it. 16.317 And now I say: in three years (of a hireling) the glory of Moab will be dishonored with all its great wealth, and what is left will be small and not honored. By these things it seems to me that he defines a time of punishment for Moab, which he called three years of a hireling. Since, therefore, the whole nature of time is divided into three parts, wishing to represent the perfection of time, he said three years. Therefore, in three years of a hireling the glory of Moab will be dishonored. - The hireling is also slandered in the Gospel by the Savior, who says: But the hireling, and not being a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and flees, because he is a hireling, and does not care about the sheep. And a sojourner and a hireling of the priest shall not eat of the holy things, according to a sojourner and a hireling of the priest shall not eat of the holy things, according to the law. Moab, therefore, hired himself out, and became a hireling. For he did not love God, but by the fantasy of wages and the hope of his own gain, and not by the disposition toward what was being done, he did what he did. Therefore, in three years of a hireling he will be dishonored. As therefore the hireling shepherd is not a shepherd, so also the one who gives alms in order to be glorified by men, receives his reward and is not merciful, nor benevolent. And the one who is temperate for the sake of human approval is not temperate, not pursuing virtue, but hunting for the glory from it. Therefore, those who do anything for show are dishonored before God. So that Moab also will be dishonored in three years, that is, in the whole measure of time; the dishonor of a hireling, because the work of virtue was not from his disposition, but was feigned by him. And he is dishonored In all his great wealth. For as much esteem as he had here, so much reward of shame will be given after our hidden things are revealed. And he who gathers much fruitlessness with his hands has more material for the dishonor brought upon him; and he who works treasures with a false tongue pursues vanities and will come upon the snares of death. And what is left will be small and not honored. The discipline from here is a benefit for those who are organized for evil.

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πολλὰ σιωπᾷ, ὡς ἀλλοτρίοις τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μερίδος. Οὐ μὴν παντελῶς ἀποκρύπτει τὸν λόγον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτους γεύει τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας, ἵνα διὰ τῆς ἐν ὀλίγοις πείρας, πρὸς τὴν τῶν τελείων ἐπιθυμίαν ὁρμῶσιν ... Ἐπεὶ οὖν σπανιάκις λαλεῖ τοῖς Μωαβίταις, διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηται, ὅτι Τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐλάλησε Κύριος, ὁπότε καὶ ἐλάλησεν. 16.317 Καὶ νῦν λέγω· ἐν τρισὶν ἔτεσιν (ἐτῶν μισθωτοῦ) ἀτιμασθήσεται ἡ δόξα Μωὰβ ἐν παντὶ τῷ πλούτῳ τῷ πολλῷ, καὶ καταλειφθήσεται ὀλιγοστὸς καὶ οὐκ ἔντιμος. ∆ιὰ τούτων δοκεῖ μοι ὁρίζειν χρόνον κολάσεως τῇ Μωὰβ, ὃν ὠνόμασε τρία ἔτη μισθωτοῦ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν εἰς τρία μέρη ἡ πᾶσα τοῦ χρόνου διαιρεῖται φύσις, τὸ τέλειον τοῦ χρόνου παραστῆσαι βουλόμενος, τρία εἶπεν ἔτη. Ἐν οὖν τρισὶν ἔτεσιν ἐτῶν μισθωτοῦ ἀτιμασθήσεται ἡ δόξα Μωάβ. - ̔Ο μισθωτὸς καὶ ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ διαβέβληται ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος, λέγοντος· Ὁ δὲ μισθωτὸς καὶ οὐκ ὢν ποιμὴν, οὗ οὔκ ἐστι τὰ πρόβατα ἴδια, θεωρεῖ τὸν λύκον ἐρχόμενον καὶ φεύγει, ὅτι μισθωτός ἐστι, καὶ οὐ μέλει αὐτῷ περὶ τῶν προβάτων. Καὶ πάροικος δὲ καὶ μισθωτὸς τοῦ ἱερέως οὐκ ἔδεται ἅγια, κατὰ πάροικος δὲ καὶ μισθωτὸς τοῦ ἱερέως οὐκ ἔδεται ἅγια, κατὰ τὸν νόμον. Ἐξεμίσθωσεν οὖν ἑαυτὸν ὁ Μωὰβ, καὶ γέγονε μισθωτός. Οὐ γὰρ ἠγάπησε τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλὰ φαντασίᾳ μισθῶν καὶ ἐλπίδι οἰκείας ὠφελείας, οὐχὶ δὲ τῇ πρὸς τὸ γι- νόμενον διαθέσει, ἔπραττεν ὃ ἔπραττε. Τρισὶν οὖν ἔτεσιν ἀτιμασθήσεται ἐτῶν μισθωτοῦ. Ὡς οὖν ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ μισθωτὸς οὔκ ἐστι ποιμὴν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ποιῶν ἐλεημοσύνην εἰς τὸ δοξασθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀπέχει τὸν μισθὸν καὶ οὔκ ἐστιν ἐλεήμων, οὐδὲ κοινωνικός. Καὶ ὁ σώφρων διὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀρέσκειαν, οὔκ ἐστι σώφρων, οὐ τὴν ἀρετὴν διώκων, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀπ' αὐτῆς δόξαν θηρώμενος. Ἄτιμοι τοίνυν παρὰ Θεῷ οἱ πρὸς ἔνδειξίν τι ποιοῦντες. Ὥστε καὶ ὁ Μωὰβ ἐν τρισὶν ἔτεσιν ἐτιμασθήσεται, τουτέστιν ἐν παντὶ τῷ μέτρῳ τοῦ χρόνου· ἀτιμίαν δὲ μισθωτοῦ, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐκ διαθέσεως, ἀλλ' ἐπίπλαστον αὐτῷ εἶναι τὸ ἔργον τῆς ἀρετῆς. Ἀτιμάζεται δὲ Ἐν παντὶ τῷ πλούτῳ τῷ πολλῷ. Ὅσον γὰρ αὐτῷ περιῆν τῆς ἐνταῦθα ὑπολήψεως, τοσοῦτον μετὰ τὸ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι ἡμῶν τὰ κρυπτὰ, ἀποδοθήσεται τῆς αἰσχύνης ὁ μισθός. Καὶ ὁ πολλὴν συνάγων ταῖς χερσὶν ἀκαρπίαν, πλείονα ἔχει ὕλην τῆς ἐπιφερομένης αὐτῷ ἀτιμίας· καὶ ὁ ἐνεργῶν θησαυρίσματα γλώσσῃ ψευδεῖ, μάταια διώκει καὶ ἐλεύσεται ἐπὶ παγίδας θανάτου. Καὶ καταλειφθήσεται ὀλιγοστὸς καὶ οὐκ ἔντιμος. Εὐεργεσία τῶν ἐπὶ κακίᾳ συγκεκροτημένων, ἡ ἐντεῦθεν παίδευσις.