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he obtained salvation. And they believed his word, and they sang his praise. They were hasty, they forgot his works, they did not wait for his counsel. With Moses and Aaron, changing the song in the exodus immediately and at once, they were hasty, they forgot his works. 23.1316 And they lusted exceedingly in the desert, and they tempted God in a waterless place. And he gave them their request, he sent fullness into their souls. And they provoked Moses in the camp, and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord. When they tempted God in a waterless place, he, being untempted and unmindful of wrongs, not repaying them, gave them their request. But also when they provoked him as they went up by the Red Sea, even then he made his power known to them; but when they angered Moses and Aaron in the camp, then the earth opened, and swallowed them; for it was not right for the servants to be despised. But since there is both kindness and severity with him, he first provided them with the things of kindness; but when they did not profit from it, he accordingly pursued them with a suitable, punishing remedy: The earth opened, and swallowed Dathan, and covered over the head of Abiram. And a fire was kindled in their company, a flame burned up the sinners. So then, those with Dathan and Abiram angered Moses, saying: Has God spoken only to Moses, and not also to us? but Korah and his company angered Aaron, daring to offer strange fire, and sacrifices to God in the place of the priests; but as for those who spoke against Moses, the earth opened and swallowed Dathan with his whole family, and covered over the company of Abiram; and as for Korah and those with him who were about to offer their incense, a flame coming forth from the tabernacle burned them up. And they made a calf in Horeb, and worshiped the graven image, and they exchanged his glory for the likeness of a calf that eats grass. They forgot God their savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous things in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea. And he said he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen one stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them, and they despised the pleasant land. They did not believe his word, and they murmured in their tents, they did not listen to the voice of the Lord. And he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the desert, and to overthrow their seed among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands. And they were initiated to Baal-peor, and ate sacrifices of the dead. And they provoked him with their practices, and the plague increased among them. And Phinehas stood up and made atonement, and the destruction ceased; and it was counted to him for righteousness to generation and generation forever. The story is found in Numbers, how Phinehas took the spear and pierced the Midianite woman together with the one who fornicated with her, and the wrath against them ceased immediately with such an action. And the word shows how powerful the righteousness of one man is with God, so as to make the wrath cease, and to check the destruction against the sinners, on account of the zeal of Phinehas for God. 23.1317 And they angered him at the water of strife, and Moses was ill-treated for their sakes, because they provoked his spirit. And he spoke rashly with his lips, they did not destroy the nations that the Lord told them. And they were mingled among the nations, and learned their works, and they served their idols, and it became a stumbling block to them. And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. And they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. And the land was polluted with the blood, and was defiled with their works, and

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σωτηρίας ἔτυχεν. Καὶ ἐπίστευσαν τῷ λόγῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ᾖσαν τὴν αἴνεσιν αὐτοῦ. Ἐτάχυναν, ἐπελάθοντο τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, οὐχ ὑπέμειναν τὴν βουλὴν αὐτοῦ. Σὺν τῷ Μωϋσῇ καὶ Ἀαρὼν τὴν ᾠδὴν τὴν ἐν τῇ ἐξόδῳ παραυτίκα καὶ παραχρῆμα μεταβαλλόμενοι ἐτάχυναν, ἐπελάθοντο τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ. 23.1316 Καὶ ἐπεθύμησαν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ ἐπείρασαν τὸν Θεὸν ἐν ἀνύδρῳ. Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὸ αἴτημα αὐτῶν, ἐξαπέστειλε πλησμονὴν εἰς τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν. Καὶ παρώξυναν τὸν Μωϋσῆν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ, τὸν Ἀαρὼν, τὸν ἅγιον Κυρίου. Ὅτε μὲν τὸν Θεὸν ἐπείρασαν ἐν ἀνύδρῳ, ἀπείραστος, ὢν ἀμνησίκακος, οὐκ ἀμειψάμενος αὐτοὺς ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὸ αἴτημα αὐτῶν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτε παρεπίκραναν ἀναβαίνοντες ἐν τῇ Ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ τότε ἐγνώρισεν αὐτοῖς τὴν δυναστείαν αὐτοῦ· ὅτε δὲ παρώργισαν τὸν Μωϋσῆν καὶ τὸν Ἀαρὼν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ, τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἠνοίχθη ἡ γῆ, καὶ κατέπιεν αὐτούς· οὐκ ἔδει γὰρ καταφρονηθῆναι τοὺς θεράποντας. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπείπερ χρηστότης ἐστὶ καὶ ἀποτομία παρ' αὐτῷ, πρῶτα τὰ τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῖς παρέσχετο· ὡς δὲ οὐκ ὤναντο δι' αὐτῆς, ἀκολούθως καταλλήλῳ μετέρχεται αὐτοὺς φαρμάκῳ κολαστηρίῳ· Ἠνοίχθη ἡ γῆ, καὶ κατέπιε ∆αθὰν, καὶ ἐκάλυψεν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἀβειρών. Καὶ ἐξεκαύθη πῦρ ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ αὐτῶν, φλὸξ κατέφλεξεν ἁμαρτωλούς. Μωϋσῆν μὲν οὖν παρώργισαν οἱ περὶ ∆αθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν εἰπόντες· Μὴ Μωϋσεῖ μόνῳ λελάληκεν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐχὶ καὶ ἡμῖν; τὸν δὲ Ἀαρὼν Κορὲ καὶ ἡ συναγωγὴ αὐτοῦ πῦρ ἀλλότριον προσαγαγεῖν, καὶ θυσίας τῷ Θεῷ ἐν χώρᾳ τῶν ἱερέων τολμήσαντες, παρώργισαν· ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν καταλαλήσαντας τοῦ Μωϋσέως, τὸν ∆αθὰν παγγενεῖ ἀνοιχθεῖσα ἡ γῆ κατέπιε, καὶ ἐκάλυψεν ἐπὶ τὴν συναγωγὴν Ἀβειρών· τὸν δὲ Κορὲ καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ μέλλοντας προσφέρειν τὰ θυμιατήρια αὐτῶν φλὸξ ἀπὸ τῆς σκηνῆς προελθοῦσα κατέφλεξεν. Καὶ ἐποίησαν μόσχον ἐν Χωρὴβ, καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ γλυπτῷ, καὶ ἠλλάξαντο τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώματι μόσχου ἐσθίοντος χόρτον. Ἐπελάθοντο τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ σώζοντος αὐτοὺς, τοῦ ποιήσαντος μεγάλα ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, θαυμάσια ἐν γῇ Χὰμ, φοβερὰ ἐπὶ θαλάσσης Ἐρυθρᾶς. Καὶ εἶπε τοῦ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι αὐτοὺς, εἰ μὴ Μωϋσῆς ὁ ἐκλεκτὸς αὐτοῦ ἔστη ἐν τῇ θραύσει ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ ἀποστρέψαι τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὴ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐξουδένωσαν γῆν ἐπιθυμητήν. Οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν τῷ λόγῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐγόγγυσαν ἐν τοῖς σκηνώμασιν αὐτῶν, οὐκ εἰσήκουσαν τῆς φωνῆς Κυρίου. Καὶ ἐπῇρε τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, τοῦ καταβαλεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ τοῦ καταβαλεῖν τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ διασκορπίσαι αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς χώραις. Καὶ ἐτελέσθησαν τῷ Βεελφεγὼρ, καὶ ἔφαγον θυσίας νεκρῶν. Καὶ παρώξυναν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπληθύνθη ἐν αὐτοῖς ἡ πτῶσις. Καὶ ἔστη Φινεὲς καὶ ἐξιλάσατο, καὶ ἐκόπασεν ἡ θραῦσις· καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. Κεῖται ἐν τοῖς Ἀριθμοῖς ἡ ἱστορία, ὅπως λαβὼν ὁ Φινεὲς τὸν σειρομάστην διέπειρε τὴν Μαδιανῖτιν ἅμα τῷ σὺν αὐτῇ πεπορνευκότι, καὶ ἐκόπασε παραχρῆμα ἡ κατ' αὐτῶν ὀργὴ ἅμα τῇ τοιαύτῃ πράξει. Παρίστησι δὲ ὁ λόγος, πόσον ἰσχύει παρὰ Θεῷ ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς δικαιοσύνη, ὡς κοπάσαι τὴν ὀργὴν, καὶ ἀνακρουσθῆναι τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων θραῦσιν, διὰ τὸν Φινεὲς ὑπὲρ τοῦ Θεοῦ ζῆλον. 23.1317 Καὶ παρώργισαν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ ὕδατος ἀντιλογίας, καὶ ἐκακώθη Μωϋσῆς δι' αὐτοὺς, ὅτι παρεπίκραναν τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ διέστειλεν ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἐξωλόθρευσαν τὰ ἔθνη ἃ εἶπε Κύριος αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἐμίγησαν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἔμαθον τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐδουλεύσαντο τοῖς γλυπτοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐγενήθη αὐτοῖς εἰς σκάνδαλον. Καὶ ἔθυσαν τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτῶν τοῖς δαιμονίοις. Καὶ ἐξέχεαν αἷμα ἀθῶον, αἷμα υἱῶν αὐτῶν καὶ θυγατέρων, ὧν ἔθυσαν τοῖς γλυπτοῖς Χαναάν. Καὶ ἐφονοκτονήθη ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς αἵμασι, καὶ ἐμιάνθη ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτῶν, καὶ