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about the matter, and being zealous with a good zeal, according to the one who said: I have been very zealous for the Lord, he prayed a prayer, and made a promise, and this he bound with an oath that he would surely be the first to build on earth a temple and a holy sanctuary for the all-sovereign God, where he would deposit and give rest to the tabernacle of testimony and the ark of the Covenant which was constructed by Moses in the wilderness by God's command. It was carried about, at any rate, here and there until the time of David, being moved from place to place, sometimes in Gilgal, sometimes in Manassehpha, sometimes in Shiloh, and at other times among foreigners, and from there to Beth-shemesh, thence to Kiriath-jearim; then to the house of Aminadab; and from there to the house of Obed-edar; from there David moved it to Zion the city. When he perceived this was happening, he conceived the idea of raising a holy house and building a temple, 23.1077 and there to establish the ark of God. And concerning this David swore to the Lord, and vowed to the God of Jacob, saying: I will not enter the tabernacle of my house, I will not go up to the couch of my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But when he had thought these things, God accepts the purpose of his piety; yet He does not permit the house to be built; for being God, He does not need a sensible house, nor one constructed of lifeless stones; but if it were indeed necessary for God to dwell on earth, from his own seed, that of David, would come forth the one who would receive His divinity, who would also build for God a worthy holy house and temple, whose throne would endure for all eternity. He was indicating, then, His Christ, who would be born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and the Church which would be established through him throughout the whole world. And that these things are so, the writing of the Books of Kingdoms teaches in this way: And it came to pass, when David sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies; that the king said to Nathan the prophet: See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God sits in the middle of the tabernacle; or, in the middle of skins, as the Hebrew word signifies. And Nathan said to the king: Go and do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you. And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: Go to my servant David, and say: Thus says the Lord: You shall not build me a house to dwell in; for I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought the children of Israel out of Egypt until this day; but I have been walking about in a lodging and in a tent in all the places I have passed through in all Israel; have I ever spoken to one tribe of Israel, which I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying: Why have you not built me a house of cedar? And now you shall say this to my servant David: Thus says the Lord Almighty: I took you from the sheepfold, from behind the sheep, to be a leader over Israel, and I was with you in all that you undertook; and I have destroyed all your enemies from before you; and I have made you a name according to the name of the great ones upon the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant him, and he will dwell by himself; and he will not be anxious any more, and the son of iniquity will not add to humble him as from the beginning, from the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. And the Lord will report to you, that you will build a house for him. And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with 23.1080 your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, who shall be from your loins, and I will prepare your kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will set up his throne forever. I will be to him a father,

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ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι, καὶ ζῆλον ἀγαθὸν ζηλώσας, κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα· Ζῆλον ἐζήλωσα τῷ Κυρίῳ, εὐχὴν ηὔξατο, καὶ ἐπαγγελίαν ἐπηγγείλατο, καὶ ταύτην ὅρκῳ κατεδήσατο ἦ μὴν τῷ παμβασιλεῖ Θεῷ πρῶτος νεὼν ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ ἱερὸν ἅγιον οἰκοδομήσειν, ἔνθα τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν τῆς ∆ιαθήκης τὴν ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον ἐκ προστάγματος Θεοῦ κατασκευασθεῖσαν ἀποθέμενος ἀναπαύσειν. Περιήγετο γοῦν ὧδε κἀκεῖσε μέχρι τῶν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ χρόνων τόπου μετακομιζομένη, ποτὲ μὲν ἐν Γαλγάλοις, ποτὲ δὲ ἐν Μανασῆφα, ποτὲ δὲ ἐν Σηλὼ, καὶ ἄλλοτε παρ' ἀλλοφύλοις, κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Βεσαμὺς, ἔνθεν εἰς Καρειαθιρείμ· εἶτα εἰς οἶκον Ἀμιναδάβ· κἀκεῖθεν εἰς οἶκον Ἀβεδδαρά· ἔνθεν εἰς Σιὼν τὴν πόλιν ὁ ∆αυῒδ μετεστήσατο. Ὃ δὴ συνιδὼν γινόμενον, διενοήθη οἶκον ἱερὸν ἐγεῖραι καὶ ναὸν οἰ 23.1077 κοδομῆσαι, ἐνταῦθά τε τὴν κιβωτὸν ἱδρῦσαι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ περὶ τούτου ὤμοσε ∆αυῒδ τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ηὔξατο τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακὼβ λέγων· 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. Ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ διανοηθέντος, τὴν μὲν προαίρεσιν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀποδέχεται ὁ Θεός· οὐ μὴν ἐπιτρέπει τὸν οἶκον γενέσθαι· μὴ γὰρ δεῖσθαι Θεὸν ὄντα οἴκου αἰσθητοῦ, μηδ' ἐξ ἀψύχων λίθων οἰκοδομῆς συστησομένου· ἀλλ' εἰ ἄρα ἐχρῆν Θεὸν οἰκεῖν ἐπὶ γῆς, ἐκ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ, τοῦ ∆αυῒδ προελεύσεσθαι τὸν ὑποδεξόμενον αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα, ὃς καὶ οἰκοδομήσει τῷ Θεῷ ἐπάξιον ἱερὸν οἶκον καὶ ναὸν ἅγιον, οὗ τὸν θρόνον εἰς τὸν σύμπαντα διαρκέσειν αἰῶνα. Ἐδήλου δὲ ἄρα τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυῒδ κατὰ σάρκα γενησόμενον, καὶ τὴν δι' αὐτοῦ καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης συστησομένην Ἐκκλησίαν. Ὅτι δὲ ταῦθ' οὕτως ἔχει, ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν γραφὴ τοῦτον διδάσκει τὸν τρόπον· Καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε ἐκάθισε ∆αυῒδ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ Κύριος κατεκληρονόμησεν αὐτὸν κύκλῳ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτῷ· καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς Ναθὰν τὸν προφήτην· Ἰδοὺ δὴ ἐγὼ κατοικῶ ἐν οἴκῳ κεδρίνῳ, καὶ ἡ κιβωτὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ κάθηται ἐν μέσῳ τῆς σκηνῆς· ἢ, ἐν μέσῳ δέῤῥεως, ὡς ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ λέξις σημαίνει. Καὶ εἶπε Ναθὰν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα· Πάντα ὅσα ἂν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου βάδιζε καὶ ποίει, ὅτι Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. Καὶ ἐγένετο τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ ἐγένετο ῥῆμα Κυρίου πρὸς Ναθὰν λέγων· Πορεύου πρὸς τὸν δοῦλον μου ∆αυῒδ, καὶ εἰπέ· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Οὐ σὺ οἰκοδομήσεις μοι οἶκον τοῦ κατοικῆσαί με· ὅτι οὐ κατῴκησα ἐν οἴκῳ ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἀνήγαγον τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης· καὶ ἤμην ἐμπεριπατῶν ἐν καταλύματι καὶ ἐν σκηνῇ ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς διῆλθον ἐν παντὶ Ἰσραήλ· εἰ λαλῶν ἐλάλησα πρὸς μίαν φυλὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ᾧ ἐνετειλάμην ποιμαίνειν τὸν λαόν μου Ἰσραὴλ λέγων· Τί οὐκ ᾠκοδομήκατέ μοι οἶκον κέδρινον; Καὶ νῦν τάδε ἐρεῖς τῷ δούλῳ μου ∆αυΐδ· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ· Ἔλαβόν σε ἐκ τῆς μάνδρας ἀπὸ ὄπισθεν τῶν προβάτων, τοῦ εἶναί σε εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἤμην μετὰ σοῦ ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς ἐπορεύου· καὶ ἐξωλόθρευσα πάντας τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ἀπὸ προσώπου σου· καὶ ἐποίησά σε ὀνομαστὸν κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα τῶν μεγάλων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Καὶ θήσομαι τόπον τῷ λαῷ μου Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ καταφυτεύσω αὐτὸν καὶ κατασκηνώσει καθ' ἑαυτόν· καὶ οὐ μεριμνήσει οὐκέτι, καὶ οὐ προσθήσει υἱὸς ἀδικίας τοῦ ταπεινῶσαι αὐτὸν καθὼς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμερῶν, ὧν ἔταξα κριτὰς ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν μου Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἀναπαύσω σε ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου. Καὶ ἀπαγγελεῖ σοι Κύριος, ὅτι οἶκον οἰκοδομήσεις αὐτῷ. Καὶ ἔσται, ἐὰν πληρωθῶσιν αἱ ἡμέραι σου, καὶ κοιμηθήσῃ μετὰ 23.1080 τῶν πατέρων σου, καὶ ἀναστήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου μετὰ σὲ, ὃ ἔσται ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ σου, καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τὴν βασιλείαν σου. Αὐτὸς οἰκοδομήσει μοι οἶκον τῷ ὀνόματί μου, καὶ ἀνορθώσω τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ ἕως εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα,