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he said, but makes his defense from the things that happened on that day, only saying this: Know and see today, that there is no evil in my hand nor transgression; and you are hunting my soul to take it. What sort of person would such words not break down? For he did not wish to reproach him with his good deeds, but only to persuade him that he was one of those who loved and cared for him, not of those who plotted against and made war upon him. You therefore, when you get your enemy into your hands, do not consider how you may defend yourself and send him away having washed him with countless insults, but how you may heal him, how you may lead him back to gentleness, and do not desist from doing and saying everything, until you have overcome his cruelty with your meekness. This is what David did; seeing his enemy arming himself against his own safety, and moving everything for this purpose, he not only was not enraged, but he even came to greater compassion; and the greater things he plotted, the more he wept for him, and did not desist from doing everything, until he had made him defend himself with tears and lamentations. For when he heard him say, My lord the king, Saul could not bear to hear this voice without tears, but he cried out, and uttered a bitter cry, and wailed loudly, and said: You are more righteous than I; for you have repaid me with good things, in return for the plot, in return for the slaughter, in return for those countless evils; but I have repaid you with evil things; and not even so did I become better, but after those good deeds I persisted in wickedness. And not even so did you change, but you continued keeping to your own way, and again doing good to us who were plotting against you. And you have told me today what good things you have done for me; how the Lord shut me up into your hands, and you did not kill me. What could be more blessed than David, who in a brief moment of time so transformed his enemy, and taking a soul thirsting for blood and slaughter, cast it suddenly into lamentations and wailings? I do not so much admire Moses, for bringing forth springs of water from a steep rock, as I admire this man, for bringing down springs of tears from 63.783 such eyes. For that one conquered nature, but this one overcame choice; that one struck the stone with his staff, this one struck the heart with his word, not to grieve it, but to make it pure and gentle. As much, therefore, as I praise him for his own meekness, I admire him more for the change of Saul. For it is much greater to overcome the madness of others than to master one's own passions, and to calm an inflamed heart, and to work so great a calm from so great a storm, and to fill eyes that look for murder with warm tears. And this it is, which is full of much astonishment and wonder. For if Saul had been one of the gentle and moderate men, it would not have been a very great thing to lead him back to his own virtue; but to prepare one who was like a wild beast and had drifted to the furthest point of evil, and was hastening to slaughter, in a brief moment of time to vomit out all that bitterness, what philosopher ever acclaimed for teaching would it not eclipse? For it is worthy of praise and greatest wonder not to have dipped the sword, nor to have cut off that hostile head; but to change his very will, and make it better, and bring him over to his own gentleness, what greater height of philosophy could it have? But most men not only restrain themselves from conversing with their enemies, but they cannot even bear to see their face, nor to hear their voice; but David was not so, but he both saved his enemy, and was the first to honor him by addressing him, My lord the king. And not only this, but also falling on his face, he did obeisance to him; and being honored when that one said, My son David, he again honored him more greatly by saying: Your servant, my lord the king. Who could speak of a greater forbearance than this? That one, up to the

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εἶπεν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν συμβάντων τὴν ἀπολογίαν ποιεῖται, μόνον οὕτως εἰπών· Γνῶθι καὶ ἴδε σήμερον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ χειρί μου κακία οὐδὲ ἀθέτησις· καὶ σὺ δεσμεύεις τὴν ψυχήν μου τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτήν. Τίνα οὐκ ἂν τὰ τοιαῦτα κατακλάσειε ῥήματα; ὅτι οὐχὶ ὀνειδίσαι αὐτῷ τὰς εὐεργεσίας ἐβούλετο, ἀλλὰ πεῖσαι μόνον, ὅτι τῶν φιλούντων καὶ κηδομένων, οὐχὶ τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων καὶ πολεμούντων ἐστί. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, ὅταν εἰς χεῖρας τὸν ἐχθρὸν λάβῃς τὸν σὸν, μὴ τοῦτο σκόπει ὅπως αὐτὸν ἀμυνόμενος καὶ μυρίαις πλύνων λοιδορίαις ἐκπέμψῃς, ἀλλ' ὅπως αὐτὸν θεραπεύσῃς, ὅπως αὐτὸν ἐπαναγάγῃς πρὸς ἐπιείκειαν, καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἀποστῇς πάντα ποιῶν καὶ λέγων, ἕως ἂν περιγένῃ τῇ πραότητι τῆς ἐκείνου ὠμότητος. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐποίησεν· ὁρῶν τὸν πολέμιον κατὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ σωτηρίας ὁπλιζόμενον, καὶ πάντα διὰ τοῦτο κινοῦντα, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἠγρίανεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς πλείονα ἦλθε συμπάθειαν· καὶ ὅσῳ μείζονα ἐπεβούλευσε, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ἐδάκρυε, καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἀπέστη πάντα ποιῶν, ἕως καὶ αὐτὸν ἀπολογήσασθαι παρεσκεύασε μετὰ δακρύων καὶ θρήνων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἤκουσεν εἰπόντος αὐτοῦ, Κύριέ μου βασιλεῦ, οὐκ ἤνεγκεν ἀδακρυτὶ ταύτην ἀκούειν τὴν φωνὴν ὁ Σαοὺλ, ἀλλ' ἀνῴμωξε, καὶ πικρὰν ἀφῆκε φωνὴν, καὶ μέγα ἀνωλόλυξε, καὶ εἶπεν· ∆ίκαιος σὺ ὑπὲρ ἐμέ· ὅτι σὺ μὲν ἀνταπέδωκας ἐμοὶ ἀγαθὰ, ἀντὶ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς, ἀντὶ τῆς σφαγῆς, ἀντὶ τῶν μυρίων κακῶν ἐκείνων· ἐγὼ δὲ ἀνταπέδωκά σοι κακά· καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐγενόμην βελτίων, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὰς εὐεργεσίας ἐκείνας ἐπέμεινα τῇ πονηρίᾳ. Καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτω μετεβάλου, ἀλλὰ διέμεινας τὸν σαυτοῦ τηρῶν τρόπον, καὶ πάλιν ἡμᾶς ἐπιβουλεύοντας εὐεργετῶν. Καὶ ἀπήγγειλάς μοι σήμερον, ἃ ἐποίησάς μοι ἀγαθά· ὡς ἀπέκλεισέ με Κύριος εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου, καὶ οὐκ ἀπέκτεινάς με. Τί τοῦ ∆αυῒδ γένοιτ' ἂν μακαριώτερον, ὃς ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ οὕτω τὸν ἐχθρὸν μετεῤῥύθμισε, καὶ ψυχὴν αἵματος καὶ σφαγῆς διψῶσαν λαβὼν, εἰς θρήνους ἐνέβαλεν ἀθρόον καὶ ὀλολυγμούς; Οὐχ οὕτω τὸν Μωϋσέα θαυμάζω, ὅτι ἀπὸ πέτρας ἀκροτόμου ὑδάτων πηγὰς ἐξήγαγεν, ὡς θαυμάζω τοῦτον, ὅτι ἐξ 63.783 ὀφθαλμῶν τοιούτων πηγὰς δακρύων κατήγαγεν. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ τὴν φύσιν ἐνίκησεν, οὗτος δὲ τῆς προαιρέσεως περιεγένετο· ἐκεῖνος ἐπάταξεν ἐν τῇ ῥάβδῳ τὸν λίθον, οὗτος ἔκρουσε τῷ λόγῳ τὴν καρδίαν, οὐχ ἵνα λυπήσῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα καθαρὰν ἐργάσηται καὶ προσηνῆ. Ὅσον οὖν αὐτὸν ἐπαινῶ διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν πραότητα, μειζόνως αὐτὸν θαυμάζω διὰ τὴν τοῦ Σαοὺλ μεταβολήν. Τοῦ γὰρ τῶν οἰκείων κρατῆσαι παθῶν πολὺ πλέον ἐστὶ τὸ καὶ τῆς ἑτέρων περιγενέσθαι μανίας, καὶ φλεγμαίνουσαν καταστεῖλαι καρδίαν, καὶ τοσαύτην γαλήνην ἀπὸ τοσαύτης ἐργάσασθαι ζάλης, καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς φόνον βλέποντας, δακρύων ἐμπλῆσαι θερμῶν. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὃ πολλῆς ἐκπλήξεως γέμει καὶ θαύματος. Καὶ γὰρ, εἰ μὲν τῶν ἐπιεικῶν καὶ μετρίων ἀνθρώπων ἦν ὁ Σαοὺλ, οὐ μέγα ἦν σφόδρα ἐπαναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρετήν· τὸ δὲ ἐκτεθηριωμένον καὶ πρὸς ἐσχάτην κακίαν ἐξοκείλαντα, καὶ πρὸς σφαγὴν ἐπειγόμενον, ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ παρασκευάσαι πᾶσαν τὴν πικρίαν ἐμέσαι ἐκείνην, τίνα οὐκ ἂν ἀποκρύψειε τῶν πώποτε ἐπὶ διδασκαλίᾳ φιλοσοφίας βεβοημένων; Ἐπαίνου μὲν γὰρ ἄξιον καὶ μεγίστου θαύματος καὶ τὸ μὴ βαπτίσαι τὸ ξίφος, μηδὲ ἀποτεμεῖν τὴν πολεμίαν ἐκείνην κεφαλήν· τὸ δὲ καὶ αὐτὴν αὐτοῦ μεταβαλεῖν τὴν προαίρεσιν, καὶ βελτίω ποιῆσαι, καὶ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν αὐτὸν ἐπιείκειαν μεταγαγεῖν, τίνα ἂν σχοίη λοιπὸν φιλοσοφίας ὑπερβολήν; Ἀλλ' οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐ μόνον τῆς πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὁμιλίας ἀπείργουσιν ἑαυτοὺς, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὴν ὄψιν ἰδεῖν ἀνέχονται τὴν ἐκείνων, οὐδὲ τῆς φωνῆς ἀκοῦσαι· ὁ δὲ ∆αυῒδ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἔσωσε, καὶ πρότερος ἐτίμησε προσειπὼν, Κύριέ μου βασιλεῦ. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, προσεκύνησεν αὐτόν· καὶ τιμηθεὶς ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν ἐκεῖνον, Τέκνον ∆αυῒδ, πάλιν μειζόνως ἀντετίμησεν εἰπών· ∆οῦλός σου, κύριέ μου βασιλεῦ. Τίς ἂν σχοίη μείζονα ταύτης ἀνεξικακίαν εἰπεῖν; Ἐκεῖνος μέχρι τῆς