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The nation of Sheba is at the ends of the earth. The third book of Kingdoms also recounts these things about the same nation: «And the queen of Sheba heard the name of Solomon, and came to test him with riddles. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great force. And camels carrying spices and very much gold and precious stone.» The country and the nation were called Sheba from their forefather Sheba, who is recorded as having been the son of Cush. So the writing of Moses says: «And the sons of Cush, Sheba and Havilah, and Sabtah.» And Cush is interpreted as «the Ethiopian.» Therefore, the nation of Sheba seems to be of Ethiopian descent. And a second Sheba is also mentioned, about whom the Scripture says: «And the sons of Raamah, Sheba and Dedan.» Rightly, therefore, is it written in the psalm according to the others: «The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.» Nevertheless, the prophecy signifies through these that the kingdoms in the eastern region and those towards the setting of the sun will bring gifts to the one prophesied, the nations under the kingdoms being signified in this way. And perhaps kings also means the angels presiding over the nations, consecrated to God and offering to him as gifts the Churches of the nations which they lead? For which reason, it next prophesies that all the kings will worship him. For it says not only that they will bring him the aforementioned gifts, but also that they will worship 23.809 him. This, indeed, Moses also taught in the great ode, speaking somehow thus about Christ: «Rejoice, O heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him.» These kings, then, the unseen and invisible rulers of the nations, having worshipped their own Lord, offered the souls under them to him as gifts. Wherefore, this is joined next to these words: «All the nations will serve him.» And this would be in agreement with the word that said: «The Lord said to me: You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.» Which indeed one must be persuaded will be fulfilled, when the fullness of the nations has come in, and especially at the second theophany of our Savior. Then, at least, all the kings will worship him, and all the nations will serve him. «And this will be the end of all things, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when he abolishes every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he puts all enemies under his feet, the last enemy to be abolished is death.» «Because he delivered the poor from the powerful, and the needy who had no helper.» Instead of: «Because he delivered the poor from the powerful,» Symmachus has: «Because he will rescue the wailing needy.» For it prophesies these things not as having already happened, but as being about to happen. See how many times it mentions the poor, first saying: «To judge your people with righteousness, and the poor with judgment;» second, «He will judge the poor of the people, and he will save the sons of the needy;» and now again: «Because he delivered the poor from the powerful and the needy who had no helper;» and again: «He will spare the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy.» I think that by all these things he calls poor and needy the apostles and disciples of our Savior, who, having chosen poverty for his sake, achieved the philosophy that drives to the height of virtue; for which reason Isaiah prophesied beforehand about them, saying: «He has sent me to preach good news to the poor.» And the Savior himself, speaking to them, said: «Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, «All the nations will serve him, because he delivered the poor from the powerful, and the needy who had no helper.» For the word «because,» found in all the interpreters and in the Hebrew scripture itself, is causal, teaching how all the nations were going to serve the Savior. For this, he says, will happen, «since he will deliver the poor from the powerful;» as if

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ἐν τοῖς πέρασι τῆς γῆς τὸ Σαβὰ ἔθνος τυγχάνει. Ἱστορεῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ τρίτη τῶν Βασιλειῶν περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔθνους ταῦτα· «Καὶ βασίλισσα Σαβὰ ἤκουσε τὸ ὄνομα Σολομῶντος, καὶ ἦλθε πειράσαι αὐτὸν ἐν αἰνίγμασι. Καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐν δυνάμει βαρείᾳ σφόδρα. Καὶ κάμηλοι αἴρουσαι ἡδύσματα καὶ χρυσὸν πολὺν σφόδρα καὶ λίθον τίμιον.» Κέκλητο δὲ ἡ χώρα καὶ τὸ ἔθνος Σαβὰ ἀπὸ προπάτορος τοῦ Σαβὰ, ὃς ἀναγέγραπται υἱὸς γεγονὼς τοῦ Χοῦς. Λέγει δ' οὖν ἡ Μωϋσέως γραφή· «Υἱοὶ δὲ Χοῦς, Σαβὰ καὶ Εὑίλα, καὶ Σαβάθα.» Χοῦς δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται «ὁ Αἰθίοψ.» Γένος οὖν Αἰθιοπικὸν ἔοικεν εἶναι τὸ Σαβὰ ἔθνος. Καὶ δεύτερον δὲ εἴρηται Σαβὰ, περὶ οὗ φησιν ἡ Γραφή· «Υἱοὶ δὲ Ῥεγμὰς, Σαβὰ καὶ ∆αδάν.» Εἰκότως τοίνυν ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ γέγραπται κατὰ τοὺς λοιπούς· «Βασιλεῖς Σαβὰ καὶ Σαβὰ δῶρα προσάξουσι.» Πλὴν ἀλλὰ σημαίνει ἡ προφητεία διὰ τούτων τὰς κατὰ τὸ ἀνατολικὸν κλίμα βασιλείας καὶ τὰς πρὸς δυσμὰς ἡλίου δῶρα τῷ θεσπιζομένῳ προσοίσειν, οὕτω πως σημαινομένων τῶν ὑπὸ τὰς βασιλείας ἐθνῶν. Μήποτε δὲ καὶ βασιλεῖς οἱ τῶν ἐθνῶν προεστῶτες ἄγγελοι δηλοῦνται ἱερωμένοι τῷ Θεῷ καὶ δῶρα προσάγοντες αὐτῷ τὰς Ἐκκλησίας ὧν καθηγοῦνται ἐθνῶν; ∆ι' ὃ ἑξῆς προσκυνήσειν αὐτῷ πάντας τοὺς βασιλεῖς θεσπίζει. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον προσοίσειν αὐτῷ τὰ προλεχθέντα δῶρά φησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσκυνήσειν 23.809 αὐτῷ. Ὃ δὴ καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἐν μεγάλῃ ᾠδῇ ἐδίδασκεν ὡδί πη περὶ Χριστοῦ λέγων· «Εὐφράνθητε, οὐρανοὶ, ἅμα αὐτῷ, καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι Θεοῦ.» Οὗτοι δῆτα οἱ βασιλεῖς, ἀφανεῖς καὶ ἀόρατοι τῶν ἐθνῶν ἄρχοντες, προσκυνήσαντες τὸν ἑαυτῶν Κύριον, τὰς ὑπ' αὐτοῖς ψυχὰς δῶρα προσῆγον αὐτῷ. ∆ιόπερ τούτοις ἑξῆς συνῆπται τό· «Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη δουλεύσουσιν αὐτῷ.» Σύμφωνον δ' ἂν εἴη τοῦτο τῷ φήσαντι λόγῳ· «Κύριος εἶπε πρὸς μέ· Υἱός μου εἶ σύ· ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε. Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς.» Ὃ δὴ καὶ πεπεῖσθαι χρὴ πληρωθήσεσθαι, ὅτ' ἂν τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ, καὶ μάλιστα κατὰ τὴν δευτέραν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοφάνειαν. Τότε γοῦν πάντες οἱ βασιλεῖς προσκυνήσουσιν αὐτῷ, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη δουλεύσουσιν αὐτῷ. «Καὶ τοῦτο ἔσται τὸ πάντων τέλος, ὅτ' ἂν παραδιδῷ τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ, ὅτ' ἂν καταργήσῃ πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν καὶ πᾶσαν ἐξουσίαν καὶ δύναμιν. ∆εῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν, ἄχρι οὗ θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ πόδας αὐτοῦ, ἔσχατος ἐχθρὸς καταργεῖται ὁ θάνατος.» «Ὅτι ἐῤῥύσατο πτωχὸν ἐκ δυνάστου, καὶ πένητα ᾧ οὐχ ὑπῆρχε βοηθός.» Ἀντὶ τοῦ· «Ὅτι ἐῤῥύσατο πτωχὸν ἐκ δυνάστου,» ὁ Σύμμαχος· «Ὅτι ἐξελεῖται πένητα οἰμώζοντα.» Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἤδη γεγενημένα, ἀλλ' ὡς μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι ταῦτα θεσπίζει. Ὅρα δὲ ὁσάκις τοῦ πτωχοῦ μνημονεύει, πρῶτον εἰπών· «Κρίνειν τὸν λαόν σου ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ τοὺς πτωχοὺς ἐν κρίσει·» δεύτερον, «Κρινεῖ τοὺς πτωχοὺς τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ σώσει τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν πενήτων·» καὶ νῦν πάλιν· «Ὅτι ἐῤῥύσατο πτωχὸν ἐκ δυνάστου καὶ πένητα ᾧ οὐχ ὑπῆρχε βοηθός·» καὶ αὖθις· «Φείσεται πτωχοῦ καὶ πένητος, καὶ ψυχὰς πενήτων σώσει.» Οἶμαι δὲ διὰ τούτων ἁπάντων πτωχοὺς καὶ πένητας καλεῖν τοὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, οἳ, τὴν δι' αὐτὸν πτωχείαν α᾿̣ε̣̣̣φ̣τε̣, τὴν εἰς ἄκρον ἀρετῆς ἐλαύνουσαν κατώρθουν φιλοσοφίαν· δι' ὃ περὶ αὐτῶν Ἡσαΐας μὲν προανεφώνει λέγων· «Εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με.» Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Σωτὴρ, αὐτοῖς προσομιλῶν, ἔλεγε· «Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Πάντα» οὖν «τὰ ἔθνη δουλεύσουσιν αὐτῷ, ὅτι ἐῤῥύσατο πτωχὸν ἐκ δυνάστου, καὶ πένητα ᾧ οὐχ ὑπῆρχε βοηθός.» Τὸ γὰρ, «ὅτι,» παρὰ πᾶσι τοῖς ἑρμηνευταῖς καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ Ἑβραϊκῇ γραφῇ κείμενον, αἰτιολογικὸν τυγχάνει, διδάσκον ὅπως πάντα τὰ ἔθνη δουλεύσειν ἤμελλε τῷ Σωτῆρι. Τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶ, γενήσεται, «ἐπειδὴ ῥύσεται πτωχὸν ἐκ δυνάστου·» ὡς εἰ