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such a version; for the account is not about many, but about David alone; for to him, it says, I also swore, since he was my servant and my elect. For it was not enough simply to make a covenant with him, as I made with Noah, and after this with Abraham, and again after him with the sons of Israel in the desert through Moses; for with them it was without an oath; but with my elect and my attendant and servant David I made it with the taking of an oath; for I swore to him that I must prepare his seed forever and build his throne, and not for one generation, but for generation and generation. But concerning God's swearing, the holy Apostle in the letter to the Hebrews says: “That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong encouragement.” For for the sake of greater assurance an oath was also taken by God. But by whom the oath was sworn, he teaches, going on to say: “Once I have sworn by my Holy One.” Where you will also take note, who then this was, the Holy One of God, by whom he swears as by an only-begotten Son, so that the things of the promise might be established in every way. Indeed, then, the demons also confessed the Holy One in the Gospels, when, not bearing his divine power which was punitive and expulsive for them, they cried out saying: “Ha! What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? We know who you are, the Holy One of God.” By him, therefore, God, swearing as a father by an only-begotten and beloved son, made the promise to David; Which indeed he also teaches, saying: “Once I have sworn by my Holy One, if I should lie to David.” But seeking within myself the reason why God made the promise concerning his seed to no other of the saints, but to David alone by an oath, 23.1076 I think I have found it, having understood that David himself also used an oath before God's promise to him. And the divine Spirit teaches that he had sworn in the 131st, saying: “Remember, Lord, David, and all his meekness; how he swore to the Lord, he vowed to the God of Jacob: If I shall enter into the tabernacle of my house, if I shall go up to the bed of my couch; if I shall give sleep to my eyes, and slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.” To David, having vowed and promised such things, and having sworn upon such things, God, giving him an equal recompense in return, swears back and he too promises back, giving one for one, and repaying oath with oath. Wherefore in the 131st itself, in which it is said that David swore, the testimony of the Holy Spirit is joined next, saying something like this: “The Lord swore truth to David, and he will not break his word to him. Of the fruit of your womb I will set upon your throne.” Therefore David swore first, then God, rewarding him, made an oath in return to him; and first David, moved by a pious reasoning, promised something to God; then again God, as if giving him grace for grace in return, also promised back in accordance with the words of our Savior, through which he says: “With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. A good measure, shaken, pressed down, overflowing, they will give into your lap.” With the measure, therefore, that David also measured, making a fitting promise with an oath on a good and god-fearing reasoning, it was measured back to him, and rewards are given to him, the promises with the oath of God. But what David's promise with an oath means, it is time to consider. Seeing the nations throughout the whole world enslaved to the demonic and polytheistic error, and everywhere on earth temples and precincts and shrines erected to the wicked demons, in cities and countries and villages, and on mountains and hills the wicked and opposing power being honored among all men; but of God the maker and creator of all things no memory being made among any; stung in the soul

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τοιαύτη ἔκδοσις· οὐδὲ γὰρ περὶ πολλῶν ἐστιν ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ περὶ μόνου τοῦ ∆αυΐδ· αὐτῷ γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ὤμοσα, ἅτε δούλῳ μου ὄντι καὶ ἐπιλέκτῳ μου. Οὐ γὰρ ἤρκει ἁπλῶς διαθέσθαι αὐτῷ διαθήκην, ὥσπερ διεθέμην τῷ Νῶε, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ πάλιν μετ' ἐκεῖνον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου διὰ Μωσέως· ἐκείνοις γὰρ δίχα ὁρκωμοσίας· τῷ δ' ἐπιλέκτῳ μου καὶ τῷ ἐμῷ θεράποντι καὶ δούλῳ ∆αυῒδ διεθέμην μετὰ ὅρκου παραλήψεως· ὤμοσα γὰρ αὐτῷ περὶ τοῦ δεῖν τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἑτοιμάσειν καὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ οἰκοδομήσειν, καὶ οὐκ εἰς μίαν γενεὰν, ἀλλ' εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ ὀμνύναι τὸν Θεὸν, ὁ ἱερὸς Ἀπόστολος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους φησίν·Ἵνα διὰ δύο πραγμάτων ἀμεταθέτων, ἐν οἷς ἀδύνατον ψεύσασθαι τὸν Θεὸν, ἰσχυρὰν παράκλησιν ἔχωμεν. Κατ' ἐπίτασιν γὰρ μείζονος διαβεβαιώσεως καὶ ὅρκος παρείληπται τῷ Θεῷ. Κατὰ τίνος δὲ ὁ ὅρκος ἑξῆς προϊὼν διδάσκει λέγων· Ἅπαξ ὤμοσα ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ μου. Ἔνθα καὶ ἐπιστήσεις, τίς ποτε ἄρα οὗτος ἦν ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καθ' οὗ ὄμνυσιν ὡς κατὰ Υἱοῦ μονογενοῦς, εἰς τὸ ἐξ ἅπαντος τὰ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας κρατυνθῆναι. Τὸν μὲν οὖν ἅγιον ὡμολόγουν καὶ οἱ δαίμονες ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις, ὅτε μὴ φέροντες αὐτοῦ τὴν ἔνθεον δύναμιν κολαστικὴν οὖσαν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀπελαστικὴν, ἐβόων λέγοντες· Ἔα, τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοὶ, Ἰησοῦ Ναζαρῆνε; Οἴδαμέν σε τίς εἶ, ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Κατὰ τούτου τοίνυν ὀμνὺς ὁ Θεὸς, οἷα πατὴρ κατὰ μονογενοῦς καὶ ἀγαπητοῦ υἱοῦ, τῷ ∆αυῒδ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἐποιεῖτο· Ὃ δὴ καὶ διδάσκει λέγων· Ἅπαξ ὤμοσα ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ μου, εἰ τῷ ∆αυῒδ ψεύσομαι. Ζητῶν δὲ παρ' ἐμαυτῷ τὴν αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν οὐδενὶ μὲν ἄλλῳ τῶν ἁγίων, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ ∆αυῒδ δι' ὅρκου 23.1076 πεποίηται τὴν περὶ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ ἐπαγγελίαν ὁ Θεὸς, δοκῶ μοι ταύτην εὑρηκέναι, καταλαβὼν καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν ∆αυῒδ ὅρκῳ κεχρημένον πρὸ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπαγγελίας τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὀμωμοκέναι δὲ αὐτὸν διδάσκει τὸ θεῖον Πνεῦμα ἐν ρλαʹ λέγον· Μνήσθητι, Κύριε, τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ πάσης τῆς πραΰτητος αὐτοῦ· ὡς ὤμοσε τῷ Κυρίῳ, ηὔξατο τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ· Εἰ εἰσελεύσομαι εἰς σκήνωμα οἴκου μου, εἰ ἀναβήσομαι ἐπὶ κλίνης στρωμνῆς μου· εἰ δώσω ὕπνον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου, καὶ τοῖς βλεφάροις μου νυσταγμὸν, ἕως οὗ εὕρω τόπον τῷ Κυρίῳ, σκήνωμα τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ. Τοιαῦτα εὐξαμένῳ καὶ ἐπαγγειλαμένῳ τῷ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοιούτοις ὀμωμοκότι, τὴν ἴσην ἀμοιβὴν ἀντιδιδοὺς ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῷ, ἀντομνύει καὶ αὐτὸς, καὶ ἀντεπαγγέλλεται ἓν ἀνθ' ἑνὸς διδοὺς, καὶ ὅρκῳ τὸν ὅρκον ἀμειβόμενος. ∆ιόπερ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ρλαʹ, ἐν ᾧ λέγεται ὀμωμοκέναι ὁ ∆αυῒδ, συνῆπται ἑξῆς ἡ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μαρτυρία, ὧδέ πη λέγουσα· Ὤμοσε Κύριος τῷ ∆αυῒδ ἀλήθειαν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσει αὐτόν. Ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου σου. Οὐκοῦν πρῶτος ὤμοσεν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, εἶτα ἀμειβόμενος αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀντωμοσίαν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐποιήσατο· καὶ πρῶτος ὁ ∆αυῒδ, εὐσεβεῖ λογισμῷ κινηθεὶς, ἐπηγγείλατό τι τῷ Θεῷ· εἶτα πάλιν ὁ Θεὸς, ὥσπερ ἀντιδιδοὺς αὐτῷ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀντεπηγγείλατο ταῖς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀκολούθως φωναῖς, δι' ὧν φησιν· Ὧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε, ἀντιμετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν. Μέτρον καλὸν, σεσαλευμένον, πεπιεσμένον, ὑπερεκχυνόμενον, δώσουσιν εἰς τὸν κόλπον ὑμῶν. Ὧ μέτρῳ τοίνυν καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐμέτρησεν, ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ καὶ θεοσεβεῖ λογισμῷ πρέπουσαν ἐπαγγελίαν μεθ' ὅρκου ποιησάμενος, ἀντεμετρήθη αὐτῷ, καὶ δίδονται αὐτῷ ἀμοιβαὶ, αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι μεθ' ὁρκωμοσίας Θεοῦ. Τί δὲ βούλεται ἡ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ μεθ' ὅρκου ἐπαγγελία, θεωρῆσαι καιρός. Ὁρῶν τὰ καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης ἔθνη τῇ δαιμονικῇ καὶ πολυθέῳ πλάνῃ δεδουλωμένα, καὶ πανταχοῦ γῆς ναοὺς καὶ τεμένη καὶ ἱερὰ τοῖς πονηροῖς δαίμοσιν ἀνεγηγερμένα, ἔν τε πόλεσι καὶ χώραις καὶ κώμαις, ἐν ὄρεσί τε καὶ βουνοῖς τὴν πονηρὰν καὶ ἀντικειμένην δύναμιν παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις τιμωμένην· Θεοῦ δὲ τοῦ πάντων ποιητοῦ τε καὶ δημιουργοῦ μηδαμοῦ μνήμην παρά τισι γιγνομένην· δηχθεὶς τὴν ψυχὴν