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and he will be to me a son. And if his iniquity comes, I will correct him with a rod of men, and with the stripes of the sons of men. But my mercy I will not take away from him, as I took it away from those whom I took away from before my face. And his house shall be made sure and his kingdom forever before me; and his throne shall be set up forever according to all these words, and according to all this vision. Thus spoke Nathan to David. I have set forth all these things, wishing to show that, when David first promised to build a house for the ark of God, God, accepting his piety, promised in return to raise up his seed, and through him to build a house for himself; and that when David first swore that he would do nothing else before finding a place for God, God in turn swore back through the promise, condescending more humanly in his speech; since countless other things are spoken anthropomorphically about God in the divine Scripture according to a certain intelligible contemplation. These things having been thus demonstrated, it is now time to consider also the text in the psalm. What then does the promise of God mean? It foretells these two things: first, to keep the seed of David forever; second, to build his throne for generation and generation. Then, since these things were not to be established perceptibly on earth, nor in a kingdom according to man, he next refers the results of the promises to the heavens. For which reason, just as he said above, "Your truth will be prepared in heaven," so also now after the promise of God he adds: "The heavens will confess your wonders, O Lord." For the men on earth, he says, will not be able to comprehend what meaning your promises have, O Lord, nor what the results of the prophetic words happen to be; but the heavens themselves, that is, and the divine powers in heaven; wherefore it is fitting for the heavens to declare and to interpret your wonders contained in the promises. Just as, again, it was for none other to understand and declare your truth, which was glorified in the promises to David, but only for the heavens and the angels in the heavens; for these will confess both your truth and your wonders in the assembly of the saints. For if ever there should be such a Church on earth as to be called an assembly of saints, among them the heavens, whether divine powers or heavenly men, will confess your wonders and your truth, which is contained in the aforementioned promises. But if there is also in the heavens themselves a Church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, that Church might be more properly and more truly said to be an assembly of saints, in which the heavens will declare the truth of the promises of God and the wonders laid up in them. And what were the wonders 23.1081 but that David was called the chosen of God, and that from him a seed should be born to possess an eternal throne, and that God should make an eternal covenant with him, or that a pact should be made with him? for thus Aquila and Symmachus translated it, saying "pact" instead of "covenant." It was a wonder also for God to swear to a man and to say to him: "I will prepare your seed forever," according to Symmachus; "And I will build your throne for every generation," according to the same. But the greatest wonder of all was this, that God, in promising such things, sealed them with an oath; and the most wonderful thing of all, that after the divine oath the words of God seemed not to have reached their fulfillment, but rather the opposite of the sworn promise came to pass. For he adds next, declaring that things contrary to the promises of God had happened; because of which the Prophet is especially astonished and marvels; for he next despairs, saying: Where are the mercies

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καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱόν. Καὶ ἐὰν ἔλθῃ ἀδικία αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐλέγξω αὐτὸν ἐν ῥάβδῳ ἀνδρῶν, καὶ ἐν ἁφαῖς υἱῶν ἀνθρώπων. Τὸ δὲ ἔλεός μου οὐκ ἀποστήσω ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, καθὼς ἀπέστησα ἀφ' ὧν ἀπέστησα ἐκ προσώπου μου. Καὶ πιστωθήσεται ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ ἕως αἰῶνος ἐνώπιόν μου· καὶ ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ ἔσται ἀνωρθωμένος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ πάντας τοὺς λόγους τούτους, καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ὅρασιν ταύτην. Οὕτως ἐλάλησε Ναθὰν πρὸς τὸν ∆αυΐδ. Ταῦτα δὴ πάντα παρεθέμην, παραστῆσαι βουλόμενος, ὡς, πρώτου ἐπηγγειλαμένου τοῦ ∆αυῒδ οἶκον κατασκευάζειν τῇ κιβωτῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀποδεξάμενος αὐτὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας ὁ Θεὸς, ἀντεπαγγέλλεται τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἀναστήσειν, καὶ διὰ τούτου κατασκευάζειν ἑαυτῷ οἶκον· καὶ ὡς τοῦ ∆αυῒδ πρώτου ὀμωμοκότος μὴ πρότερον ἄλλοτι ποιήσειν τοῦ τόπον εὑρεῖν τῷ Θεῷ, ἀμοιβαίως καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἀντόμνυσι διὰ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἀνθρωπινώτερον συγκαταβαίνων τῷ λόγῳ· ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἄλλα μυρία ἐν τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ ἀνθρωποπαθῶς περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέλεκται κατά τινα νοουμένην θεωρίαν. Ὧν οὕτως ἀποδεδειγμένων, καιρὸς ἤδη καὶ τὴν ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ λέξιν ἐπιθεωρῆσαι. Τί τοίνυν βούλεται ἡ ἐπαγγελία τοῦ Θεοῦ; ∆ύο ταῦτα προαγορεύει· πρῶτον μὲν τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος φυλάξειν· δεύτερον δὲ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ οἰκοδομήσειν εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν. Εἶτ' ἐπειδήπερ ἤμελλε ταῦτα μὴ ἐπὶ γῆς αἰσθητῶς συνίστασθαι, μηδὲ ἐν τῇ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον βασιλείᾳ, εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἑξῆς ἀναπέμπει τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν τὰ ἀποτελέσματα. ∆ι' ὃ ὥσπερ ἀνωτέρω ἔφησεν· Ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἑτοιμασθήσεται ἡ ἀλήθειά σου, οὕτω καὶ νῦν μετὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιφέρει τό· Ἐξομολογήσονται οἱ οὐρανοὶ τὰ θαυμάσιά σου, Κύριε. Οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἐπὶ γῆς ἄνθρωποι, φησὶ, δυνήσονται συνιέναι, ὁποῖον νοῦν ἔχουσιν, ὦ Κύριε, αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι, οὐδ' ὁποῖα τὰ ἀποτελέσματα τῶν προφητικῶν τυγχάνει λόγων· ἀλλ' οἱ οὐρανοὶ αὐτοὶ δηλαδὴ, καὶ αἱ κατ' οὐρανὸν θεῖαι δυνάμεις· διόπερ τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἁρμόζει τὰ θαυμάσιά σου τὰ ἐμφερόμενα ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις διηγεῖσθαι καὶ διερμηνεύειν. Ὥσπερ πάλιν τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου, τὴν ἐν ταῖς πρὸς τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἐπαγγελίαις δεδοξασμένην, οὐκ ἄλλων ἦν νοεῖν καὶ διηγεῖσθαι ἀλλ' ἢ μόνων τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀγγέλων· οὗτοι γὰρ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου καὶ τὰ θαυμάσιά σου ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἁγίων ἐξομολογήσονται. Εἰ γάρ ποτε γένοιτο Ἐκκλησία τις τοιαύτη ἐπὶ γῆς, ὡς ἁγίων Ἐκκλησίαν αὐτὴν χρηματίζειν, παρὰ τούτοις οἱ οὐρανοὶ, εἴτε δυνάμεις θεῖαι, εἴτε καὶ οὐράνιοι ἄνδρες, τὰ θαυμάσιά σου καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου, τὴν ἐμφερομένην ἐν ταῖς προκειμέναις ἐπαγγελίαις, ἐξομολογήσονται. Εἰ δέ ἐστι καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς οὐρανοῖς Ἐκκλησία τις πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς, κυριώτερον καὶ ἀληθέστερον λεχθείη ἂν ἐκείνη Ἐκκλησία ἁγίων εἶναι Ἐκκλησία, ἐν ᾗ οἱ οὐρανοὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια τὰ ἐν αὐταῖς ἀποκείμενα διηγήσονται. Θαυμάσια δὲ τίνα ἦν 23.1081 ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ ἐκλεκτὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ χρηματίσαι τὸν ∆αυῒδ, καὶ τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι σπέρμα θρόνον αἰώνιον καθέξον, καὶ τὸ διαθήκην αἰώνιον διατίθεσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν Θεὸν, ἢ συνθήκην πρὸς αὐτὸν γενέσθαι; οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Ἀκύλας καὶ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσαν, συνθήκην ἀντὶ διαθήκης εἰρηκότες. Θαυμάσιον ἦν καὶ τὸ ὀμνύναι τὸν Θεὸν ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ τὸ φάσκειν πρὸς τὸν αὐτόν· Ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος ἑτοιμάσω τὸ σπέρμα σου, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Καὶ οἰκοδομήσω εἰς ἑκάστην γενεὰν τὸν θρόνον σου, κατὰ τὸν αὐτόν. Τὸ δὲ μεῖζον ἁπάντων θαῦμα τοῦτο ἦν, τὸ τοιαῦτα ἐπαγγελλόμενον τὸν Θεὸν ὅρκῳ ταῦτα ἐπισφραγίσασθαι· καὶ τὸ πάντων θαυμασιώτερον τὸ μετὰ τὸν θεῖον ὅρκον δοκεῖν μὴ τέλος εἰληφέναι τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγους, τἀναντία δὲ τῇ ὁρκωμοσίᾳ συμβῆναι. Ἐπιφέρει γοῦν ἑξῆς, ἐναντία ταῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελίαις δηλῶν συμβεβηκέναι· δι' ἃ καὶ μάλιστα ἐκπλήττεται καὶ θαυμάζει ὁ Προφήτης· ἀποδυσπετεῖ γοῦν ἑξῆς λέγων· Ποῦ ἐστι τὰ ἐλέη