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and the transgression alone of the command concerning Amalek to bring the utmost punishment upon him. For the fool should have understood that one drop of the divine loving-kindness overcomes all the goodness of men. But the wretched man, when God commanded to punish, took pity, and when God had condemned to death, he himself bestowed, as he thought, life; and when God had commanded to gain nothing from the spoil, he himself took the fattest of the flocks, and of the herds, and the best of all other things, and returned. And he himself, having cursed anyone who partook of food or drink, wished to kill the one who transgressed the boundary out of ignorance; but when the God of all cursed Amalek, not because of impiety towards Him, but because of ill will toward the people, he took not a small portion, but the greater part of the cursed things. And not even the example of Achan made him wise. Therefore the sin was not small, but very great. And the prophet reminded him of his words before his kingship, saying thus: "Are you not a small man in his sight, a leader from the 80.561 scepter of Benjamin, the least tribe of Israel?" Did you not say these things, he says, that "I am a Jeminite, of the smallest tribe among all the tribes of Israel?" But nevertheless the Lord anointed you as king over all Israel; and the Lord sent you on a mission. Then he says, how many commandments He had given him, and how he transgressed them by rushing upon the spoils. For the lawless mercy did not condemn him so much as greed, and covetousness, and the passion of avarice, by serving which he transgressed the commandment. But Saul used the words of Adam. For he said: "Because I listened to the voice of the people." For so he also said: "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." And when he said that he had brought the herds and the flocks for sacrifice, he heard from the prophet: "Behold, the Lord does not desire burnt offerings and sacrifices, as much as to hear His voice. For behold, hearing is better than sacrifice, and listening than the fat of rams; because sin is divination, bitterness is iniquity; and teraphim bring pain and labors. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel." But Aquila interpreted teraphim as service and a taking away in turn. And divination hints, as I think, at the foolishness of some. For it is likely that some suspected it to be a bad omen, for the one who had been victorious not to gain the spoil. And he has put teraphim for observation. For just as the ephod was dedicated to God, and through it what should be done was signified to those who asked, so through the teraphim the prophecies of idols were revealed. For in imitation of that, this was dedicated to these. And this we have shown more clearly in the book of Judges. But according to the version of Aquila, it is also possible to understand it otherwise. For, he says, fulfilling what has been commanded serves God, not offering gifts. For service rendered contrary to his will is unacceptable, and a cause of calamities. But teaching that God's decision is irrevocable, the prophet added: "The Holy One of Israel will not turn back, nor repent, for He is not as a man to 80.564 repent." From this, "I have repented" must also be understood. QUEST. 34. Why did the prophet slay Agag? As Phinehas did Zambri. For everything commanded by God is pious. QUEST. 35. Why did the prophet fear, when commanded to anoint David? Because he was not only a prophet, but also a man. For if the Master of the prophet, our Lord Jesus Christ, accepting the saving passion, showed human nature in cowardice, who is so free from passions as to be indignant with the prophet for being afraid? QUEST. 36. Some dare to blame God for teaching the prophet a lie. "For, he says, take a heifer from the herd into your hand, and you shall say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord." But this is not a lie. For he truly performed the sacrifice. Therefore it was said to him to hide the deed, but to speak of the secondary task. QUEST. 37. For what reason did the prophet the one who had been voted for

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καὶ μόνη τῆς περὶ τοῦ Ἀμαλὴκ ἐντολῆς ἡ παράβασις ἐσχά την αὐτῷ τιμωρίαν ἐπενεγκεῖν. Ἔδει γὰρ συνιδεῖν τὸν ἠλίθιον, ὡς μία σταγὼν τῆς θείας φιλανθρωπίας πᾶσαν τὴν ἀγαθότητα τῶν ἀνθρώπων νικᾷ. Ἀλλ' ὁ δείλαιος τοῦ Θεοῦ κολάσαι κελεύσαντος ᾤκτειρε, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ καταψηφισαμένου θάνατον, αὐτὸς ἀπένειμεν, ὡς ἐνόμιζε, τὴν ζωήν· καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ κελεύσαντος μηδὲν ἐκ τῆς λείας κερδᾶναι, αὐτὸς τὰ πίονα τῶν ποιμνίων, καὶ τῶν βουκολίων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων τὰ κάλ λιστα κομισάμενος ἐπανῆκε. Καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν ἀναθε ματίσας μηδένα τροφῆς μεταβαλεῖν, ἢ ποτοῦ, τὸν ἐξ ἀγνοίας παραβάντα τὸν ὅρον ἀνελεῖν ἠβουλήθη· τοῦ δὲ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ τὸν Ἀμαλὴκ ἀναθεματίσαντος, οὐ διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀσέβειαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν περὶ τὸν λαὸν δυσμένειαν, οὐ σμικρά τινα, ἀλλὰ τὰ πλεῖστα τοῦ ἀναθήματος ἔλαβε. Καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦ Ἄχαρ αὐτὸν ἐσωφρόνισε τὸ ὑπόδειγμα. Οὐ τοίνυν σμικρὸν, ἀλλὰ μέγιστον τὸ ἁμάρτημα. Ἀνέμνησε δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ προ φήτης τῶν πρὸ τῆς βασιλείας λόγων. οὕτως εἰπών· "Οὐχὶ σμικρὸς σὺ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐκ 80.561 σκήπτρου Βενιαμὶν, τῆς ἐλαχιστοτέρας φυλῆς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ;" Οὐ ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἔλεγες, ὅτι "Ἀνὴρ Ἰεμιναῖος ἐγώ εἰμι, τῆς σμικροτέρας φυλῆς παρὰ πάσας τὰς φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ;" Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔχρισέ σε Κύριος εἰς βασιλέα ἐπὶ πάντα Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἀπ έστειλέ σε Κύριος ἐν ὁδῷ. Εἶτα λέγει, ὅσας μὲν αὐτῷ δέδωκεν ἐντολὰς, ὅπως δὲ ταύτας παρέβη ὁρμήσας ἐπὶ τὰ σκῦλα. Οὐ τοσοῦτον γὰρ αὐτὸν ὁ παράνομος κατέκρινεν ἔλεος, ὅσον ἡ ἀπληστία, καὶ ἡ πλεονεξία, καὶ τῆς φιλοχρηματίας τὸ πάθος, ᾧ δουλεύσας παρέβη τὴν ἐντολήν. Ἀλλ' ὁ Σαοὺλ τοῖς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐχρήσατο ῥήμασιν. Ἔφη γάρ· "∆ιὰ τὸ ἀκοῦσαί με τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ λαοῦ." Οὕτω γὰρ κἀκεῖνος εἶπεν· "Ἡ γυνὴ, ἣν ἔδωκας μετ' ἐμοῦ, αὕτη μοι ἔδωκεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου, καὶ ἔφαγον." Καὶ ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν εἰς θυσίαν ἐνηνοχέναι τὰ βουκόλια καὶ τὰ ποίμνια, ἤκουσε παρὰ τοῦ προφήτου· "Ἰδοὺ οὐ θέλει Κύριος ὁλοκαυτώσεις καὶ θυσίας, ὡς τὸ ἀκοῦσαι τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀκοὴ ἀγαθὴ ὑπὲρ θυσίαν, καὶ ἀκρόασις ὑπὲρ στέαρ κριῶν· ὅτι οἰώνισμα ἁμαρτιά ἐστι, παραπικρασμὸς ἀδικία· καὶ θεραφὶμ ὀδύνην καὶ πόνους ἐπάγουσιν. Ἀνθ' ὧν ἐξουδένωσας τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου, ἐξουδένωσέ σε Κύριος, τοῦ μὴ βασι λεύειν ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ." Τὸ δὲ θεραφὶμ ὁ Ἀκύλας θεραπείαν καὶ ἀνθυφαίρεσιν ἡρμήνευσεν. Τὸ δὲ οἰώνισμα αἰνίττεται, ὡς οἶμαι, τὴν ἐνίων ἄνοιαν. Εἰκὸς γάρ τινας οἰωνὸν ὑποπτεῦσαι κακὸν, τὸ νενι κηκότα μὴ κερδᾶναι τὴν λείαν. Καὶ τὸ θεραφὶμ δὲ ἀντὶ τῆς ἐπιτηρήσεως τέθεικεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ ἐφοὺδ ἀνέκειτο τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἐρω τῶσιν ἐσημαίνετο τὸ πρακτέον· οὕτω διὰ τοῦ θερα φὶμ αἱ τῶν εἰδώλων ἐδηλοῦντο προῤῥήσεις. Κατὰ γὰρ μίμησιν ἐκείνου τοῦτο τούτοις ἀνέκειτο. Καὶ τοῦτο σαφέστερον ἐν τῇ τῶν Κριτῶν ἐδηλώσαμεν βί βλῳ. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ Ἀκύλα ἔκδοσιν, ἔστι καὶ ἑτέρως νοῆσαι Θεραπεύει γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν Θεὸν τὸ τὰ προστεταγμένα πληροῦν, οὐ τὸ δῶρα προσφέρειν. Ἄδεκτος γὰρ ἡ παρὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ βουλὴν γενομένη θεραπεία, καὶ πρόξενος συμφορῶν. ∆ιδάσκων δὲ ἄλυ τον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀπόφασιν ὁ προφήτης ἐπήγαγεν· "Οὐκ ἐπιστρέψει, οὐδὲ μετανοήσει ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι οὐχ ὡς ἄνθρωπός ἐστι τοῦ μετα 80.564 νοῆσαι." Ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τὸ Μεταμεμέλημαι νοη τέον. ΕΡΩΤ. Λ∆ʹ. ∆ιατί τὸν Ἀγὰγ ἔσφαξεν ὁ προφήτης; Ὡς ὁ Φινεὲς τὸν Ζαμβρί. Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ κελευόμενον εὐσεβές. ΕΡΩΤ. ΛΕʹ. ∆ιατί ἔδεισεν ὁ προφήτης, χρῖσαι τὸν ∆αβὶδ κελευσθείς; Ἐπειδὴ οὐ μόνον προφήτης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἦν. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τοῦ προφήτου ∆εσπότης, ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, τὸ σωτήριον καταδεξά μενος πάθος, τῇ δειλίᾳ τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν ἔδειξε φύσιν, τίς οὕτω παθῶν ἐλεύθερος, ὡς τῷ προφήτῃ δείσαντι νεμεσῆσαι; ΕΡΩΤ. Λ ϛʹ. Τολμῶσί τινες ἐπιμέμφεσθαι τῷ Θεῷ, ὡς ψεῦδος τὸν προφήτην διδάξαντι. "Λάβε γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν χεῖρά σου δάμαλιν βοῶν, καὶ ἐρεῖς, Θῦσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἥκω." Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐ ψεῦδος. Ἀληθῶς γὰρ ἐπετέλεσε τὴν θυσίαν. Ἐῤῥέθη τοίνυν αὐτῷ, κρύψαι μὲν τὸ ἔργον, εἰπεῖν δὲ τὸ πάρεργον. ΕΡΩΤ. ΛΖʹ. Τίνος χάριν τὸν ψηφισθέντα ὁ προφήτης