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shall the sword devour?" Joab yielded to these words; and giving a signal with the trumpet, he stopped the pursuit. QUESTION XI. Since the law forbids a woman who has left her husband and joined another to return to her former husband, how did the blessed David endure to take back Michal, who had been married to another? The law commanded that a woman divorced by her husband and joined to another should not return to her former husband. For God has made this clear also through Jeremiah the prophet. For he spoke thus: "If a man puts away his wife, and she goes and becomes another man's, shall she ever return to him again? Shall not that woman be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many shepherds, and you have returned to me, says the Lord." But King David had not divorced Michal; but her father unlawfully took her from her 80.605 spouse and had given her to another. Therefore, the union with that man was by force, not a marriage. For the divine Apostle also said this: "So then if, while her husband lives, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress." And she was joined to another against her will. Therefore, David did not transgress the law, but the one who joined her to another did. For a union that has come about unlawfully is not a marriage; but David, pardoning the violence of her father, took back his wife. QUESTION XII. For what reason did Joab kill Abner? He had the slaying of Asahel as a pretext; but the true reason was envy. For he knew that he would be deemed worthy of that generalship, by bringing all of Israel to the king. The love of power, therefore, armed him for the bloody murder; but the king, most excellent in all things, both mourned for the one unjustly slain, and subjected the one who had unjustly slain him to many and various curses. "For I," he said, "and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord, from now and forever. The blood of Abner son of Ner be upon the head of Joab, and upon all his house; and may there not fail from the house of Joab one who has an issue of seed, or a leper, or one who holds a staff, or one who falls on the sword, or one who lacks bread." Now one with an issue of seed and a leper is unclean according to the law, and separated from the common life. And those whose body is maimed use a staff. Whence Aquila called such a one blind. Therefore, he cursed his lineage with every kind of bodily infirmity, extreme poverty, and slaughter by the sword; and indeed, upon his death, he ordered him to be killed. QUESTION XIII. What is: "Shall Abner die as Nabal died?" That man, he says, as he was harsh, and unjust, and ungrateful, was very justly subjected to a blow from God. But Abner was both fair in counsel and brave in wars. For he added this: "Your hands were not bound, nor your feet in fetters; you have fallen before a son of iniquity." You were not defeated in battle, he says, and bound as a captive of the spear; but a pretense of friendship brought the blow upon you. Therefore, the 80.608 king, grieving, mourned; and the mourning increased the goodwill of the people. QUESTION XIV. Why, after the unjust slaughter, did he not kill Joab? He himself has made it clear in his words: "For these men," he says, "the sons of Zeruiah, are too hard for me." Whence he delivered them to God: "May the Lord repay the doer of evil according to his wickedness." For where it was easy for him to use his just anger, he showed no mercy. For instance, those who had murdered Mephibosheth, and brought his head, he had their extremities cut off and crucified them, even though they thought they were bringing him the whole kingdom of Israel by the slaughter of the one who had ruled them. But he killed them in this way; and he gave the head of his enemy an honorable burial. QUESTION XV. For what reason was David anointed a third time, He was indeed deemed worthy of the royal anointing by Samuel; but the history calls the elections by the people "anointings". For first the tribe of Judah elected him. And seven years later the other tribes also accepted him as king. And the history has made this clear: "And they anoint David to be king over all Israel." Then it added: "Thirty

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καταφάγεται ἡ ῥομφαία;" Τούτοις εἶξε τοῖς λόγοις ὁ Ἰωάβ· καὶ τῇ σάλπιγγι σημάνας, τὴν δίωξιν ἔπαυσεν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΙΑʹ. Τοῦ νόμου διαγορεύοντος, τὴν ἀφισταμένην τοῦ ἀνδρὸς γυναῖκα, καὶ ἑτέρῳ συναπτομένην, μὴ ἐπανιέναι πρὸς τὸν πρότερον ἄνδρα, πῶς ὁ μακάριος ∆αβὶδ ἠνέσχετο τὴν Μελχὸλ πάλιν λαβεῖν γημαμένην ἑτέρῳ; Ὁ νόμος ἐκέλευσε τὴν παρὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀπολυ θεῖσαν, καὶ συναφθεῖσαν ἑτέρῳ, μὴ ἀναστρέφειν πρὸς τὸν πρότερον ἄνδρα. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ διὰ Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου δεδήλωκεν ὁ Θεός. Ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· "Ἐὰν ἀπολύσῃ ἀνὴρ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ πορευθῇ, καὶ γένηται ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ, μὴ ἀνακάμπτουσα ἀνακάμψει πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔτι; οὐ μιαινομένη μιανθή σεται ἡ γυνὴ ἐκείνη; Σὺ δὲ ἐξεπόρνευσας εἰς ποι μένας πολλοὺς, καὶ ἀνέκαμπτες πρός με, λέγει Κύ ριος." Ἀλλ' ὁ βασιλεὺς ∆αβὶδ οὐκ ἀπολελύκει τὴν Μελχόλ· ὁ δὲ ἐκείνης πατὴρ παρανόμως αὐτὴν τοῦ 80.605 ὁμοζύγου ἀποστήσας, ἐδεδώκει ἑτέρῳ. Βία τοίνυν, οὐ γάμος ἦν ἡ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον συνάφεια. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἔφη· "Ἄρα οὖν ζῶντος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς μοιχαλὶς χρηματίζει, ἐὰν γένηται ἀνδρὶ ἑτέρῳ." Ἄκουσα δὲ αὕτη συνήφθη ἑτέρῳ. Οὐ τοί νυν ∆αβὶδ παρέβη τὸν νόμον, ἀλλ' ὁ ταύτην ἑτέρῳ συνάψας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ γάμος ὁ παρανόμως γεγενη μένος· τῇ δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς βίᾳ συγγνοὺς ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἀνέλαβε τὴν γυναῖκα. ΕΡΩΤ. ΙΒʹ. Τίνος ἕνεκα τὸν Ἀβεννὴρ ἀνεῖλεν ὁ Ἰωάβ; Πρόφασιν μὲν ἔσχε τοῦ Ἀσαὴλ τὴν σφαγήν· ἀληθῆ δὲ αἰτίαν, τὸν φθόνον. Ἤδει γὰρ ὡς τῆς στρατηγίας ἐκείνης ἀξιωθήσεται, πάντα τῷ βασι λεῖ προσάγων τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Ἡ φιλαρχία τοίνυν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν μιαιφονίαν καθώπλισεν· ὁ δὲ τὰ πάντα ἄριστος βασιλεὺς, καὶ τὸν ἀδίκως ἀνῃρημένον ἐθρήνησε, καὶ τὸν ἀδίκως ἀνῃρηκότα πολλαῖς ὑπ έβαλε καὶ παντοδαπαῖς ἀραῖς. "Ἀθῷος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγὼ, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία μου ἀπὸ Κυρίου, ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν, καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος. Αἷμα Ἀβεννὴρ υἱοῦ Νὴρ ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν Ἰωὰβ, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ· καὶ μὴ ἐκλίπῃ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου Ἰωὰβ γονοῤῥυής, καὶ λε πρὸς, καὶ κρατῶν σκυτάλην, καὶ πίπτων ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ, καὶ ἐλαττούμενος ἄρτων." Γονοῤῥυὴς δὲ καὶ λεπρὸς κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἀκάθαρτος, καὶ τῆς κοινῆς πολι τείας κεχωρισμένος. Σκυτάλῃ δὲ χρῶνται οἱ σῶμα πεπηρωμένοι. Ὅθεν ὁ Ἀκύλας τυφλὸν τὸν τοιοῦτον ὠνόμασεν. Ἐπηράσατο τοίνυν τῷ ἐκείνου γένει, παντοδαπὴν ἀσθένειαν σώματος, πενίαν ἐσχάτην, τὴν διὰ ξίφους σφαγήν· καὶ μέντοι καὶ τελευτῶν αὐτὸν ἀναιρεθῆναι προσέταξεν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΙΓʹ. Τί ἐστιν· "Εἰ κατὰ θάνατον Νάβαλ ἀποθανεῖται Ἀβεννήρ;" Ἐκεῖνος, φησὶν, ὡς ἀπηνὴς, καὶ ἄδικος, καὶ ἀχά ριστος, μάλα δικαίως ὑπεβλήθη θεηλάτῳ πληγῇ. Ὁ δὲ Ἀβεννὴρ, καὶ ἐν συμβουλαῖς ἴσος, καὶ ἐν πολέ μοις ἀνδρεῖος. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγεν· "Αἱ χεῖρές σου οὐκ ἐδέθησαν, οὐδὲ οἱ πόδες σου ἐν πέδαις· ἐνώπιον υἱοῦ ἀδικίας ἔπεσας." Οὐ παραταττόμενος, φησὶν, ἡττήθης, καὶ ὡς δορυάλωτος ἐπεδήθης· ἀλλ' ὑπό κρισίς σοι φιλίας ἐπήνεγκε τὴν πληγήν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν 80.608 βασιλεὺς ἀλγήσας ἐθρήνησεν· ὁ δὲ θρῆνος τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν εὔνοιαν ηὔξησεν. ΕΡΩΤ. Ι∆ʹ. Τί δήποτε μετὰ τὴν ἄδικον σφαγὴν οὐκ ἀνεῖλε τὸν Ἰωάβ; Αὐτὸς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις δεδήλωκεν· "Οὗτοι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ υἱοὶ Σαρουΐα σκληρότεροί μου εἰσίν." Ὅθεν αὐτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ παραδέδωκεν· "Ἀνταποδῷ Κύριος τῷ ποιοῦντι πονηρὰ κατὰ τὴν κακίαν αὐτοῦ." Ἔνθα γὰρ αὐτῷ ῥᾴδιον χρήσασθαι τῷ δι καίῳ θυμῷ, οὐδεμίαν ποιεῖται φειδώ. Αὐτίκα γοῦν τοὺς τὸν Μεμφιβοσθὲ πεφονευκότας, καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου κομίσαντας κεφαλὴν, ἀκροτηριάσας ἐσταύρωσε, καί τοι νενομικότας πᾶσαν αὐτῷ προσάγειν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν βασιλείαν τῇ τοῦ βασιλεύσαντος ἐκείνων σφαγῇ. Ἀλλ' ἐκείνους μὲν οὕτως ἀνεῖλε· τὴν δὲ τοῦ δυσμε νοῦς κεφαλὴν ἐντίμως ταφῇ παρέδωκεν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΙΕʹ. Τίνος χάριν ὁ ∆αβὶδ τρίτον ἐχρίσθη, Τῆς μὲν βασιλικῆς χρίσεως διὰ τοῦ Σαμουὴλ ἠξιώθη· τὰς δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ χειροτονίας χρίσεις ἡ ἱστο ρία καλεῖ. Προτέρα μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐχειροτόνησεν ἡ Ἰούδα φυλή. Ἑπτὰ δὲ ἔτεσιν ὕστερον καὶ ἄλλαι φυλαὶ κατεδέξαντο βασιλέα. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡ ἱστο ρία δεδήλωκε· "Καὶ χρίουσι τὸν ∆αβὶδ εἰς βασιλέα ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν Ἰσραήλ." Εἶτα ἐπήγαγε· "Τριά κοντα