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of judgment, but from circumstance he received the blow; and the sin was of laziness, not of malice. But in what followed, he increased the accusation. For it was necessary to sacrifice from his own, and not the other's and only ewe lamb. Thus, as the accusation was made in the person of another, the judge delivered a just verdict; "For as the Lord lives," he said, "the man who did this is worthy of death; and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity." When the accused had pronounced the sentence against himself, then at last the prophet, casting off the mask, showed the bare face of the accused. For he said, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul, and I gave you all your master's things, and his wives into your bosom; and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah." Then he showed the immoderation of his ambition: "And if this is too little for you, I will add to you as much again." Before the incision, the therapy; before the punishment, the encouragement; "And if this is too little for you, I will add to you as much again." Then the refutation of the accusation: "And because you have despised the Lord, to do evil in his sight." You have despised my laws, you did not think I watched over the deeds of men; you reveled excessively in my good things, you kicked against me who gave them. "You struck Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon." You delivered him who was so loyal to you to the enemy, and for a little pleasure you have trampled upon two laws. Then the punishment: "And now the sword shall not depart from your house forever. Because of this, that you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite 80.629 to be your wife." The word hints that the Lord God was more angry at the marriage than at the adultery that had occurred before it. For the former was of a most vehement desire which had worked a torpor on his reason; but the latter has the consent of reason itself, which ought after the unjust murder to lament and groan, not to consent to an unlawful marriage. Then he threatens severe punishments, which showed more brilliantly the glory of the admirable king. For the blows sent by God drove out that disease and restored his former health. For the physician of souls inflicted them for this very reason. And he added to the threats that, "You did it in secret; but I will do this thing before all this people." You wished to be hidden, he says, you stitched up the murder; but I will make your sin manifest to all. When David heard these words, he was not indignant at being reproved by a poor man. For he knew the one who was speaking through him, and cried out: "I have sinned against the Lord." But immediately the prophet, accepting the confession of sin, and taking courage in God's love for mankind, added: "And the Lord has taken away your sin; you shall not die." He owed a double death; for both the adulterer and the murderer were put to death according to the law; but the confession of sin annulled the sentence of death. But like an all-wise physician, he subjected him to all kinds of corrections; for this the history also teaches. For the prophet, having said, "You shall not die," added: "Nevertheless, because by this word you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to be provoked." But Aquila interpreted this more clearly, "By provoking you have provoked the enemies of the Lord." For being stripped of divine protection, he prepared the foreigners to conquer, and to think great things against the God of all. First, however, God struck the child of adultery. But Uriah seems to have originated from the foreigners, and to have become a proselyte; for the God of all called him a Hittite; and he showed that he overlooks no one who is wronged, but even if the one who is wronged is a foreigner, and the one who does wrong is a Hebrew, he defends the former, and punishes the one who does wrong. QUES. 25. Why indeed did the... give over the newborn child to death?

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γνώμης, ἀλλ' ἐκ περιστάσεως ἐδέξατο τὴν πληγήν· καὶ ῥᾳθυμίας ἦν, οὐ κακοηθείας, ἡ ἁμαρ τία. Ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς τὴν κατηγορίαν ηὔξησεν Ἔδει γὰρ ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων θῦσαι, καὶ μὴ τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν καὶ μόνην ἀμνάδα. Οὕτω τῆς γραφῆς ἐν ἀλλοτρίῳ γεγενημένης προσώπῳ, ὁ δικαστὴς δικαίαν τὴν ψῆ φον ἐξήνεγκε· "Ζῇ γὰρ, ἔφη, Κύριος, ὅτι ἄξιος θα νάτου ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ ποιήσας τοῦτο· καὶ τὴν ἀμνάδα ἀπο τίσει τετραπλασίονα, ἀνθ' ὧν ἐποίησε τὸ πρᾶ γμα τοῦτο, καὶ ὑπὲρ οὗ οὐκ ἐφείσατο." Ἐπειδὴ ὁ κατηγορούμενος τὴν καθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἀπόφασιν ἐξενή νοχε, τότε λοιπὸν ῥίψας ὁ προφήτης τὸ προσωπεῖον, γυμνὸν ἔδειξε τοῦ κατηγορουμένου τὸ πρόσωπον. Ἔφη γὰρ, "Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· Ἐγὼἔχρισά σε εἰς βασιλέα ἐπὶ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐξειλόμην σε ἐκ χειρὸς Σαοὺλ, καὶ ἔδωκά σοι τὰ πάντα τοῦ κυ ρίου σου, καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν κόλπον σου· καὶ ἔδωκά σοι τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραὴλ καὶ Ἰούδα." Εἶτα ἐδήλωσε τῆς φιλοτιμίας τὸ ἄμετρον· "Καὶ εἰ ὀλί γα σοί ἐστι, προσθήσω καθὼς ταῦτα." Πρὸ τῆς το μῆς ἡ θεραπεία, πρὸ τῆς τιμωρίας ἡ ψυχαγωγία· "Καὶ εἰ ὀλίγα σοί ἐστι, προσθήσω καθὼς ταῦ τα." Ἔπειτα τῆς κατηγορίας ὁ ἔλεγχος· "Καὶ ὅτι ἐξουδένωσας τὸν Κύριον τοῦ ποιεῖν πονηρὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ." Κατεφρόνησάς μου τῶν νόμων, οὐκ ᾠήθης ἐφορᾷν με τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰς πράξεις· ὑπερετρύφησάς μου τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς, κατ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ δε δωκότος ἐσκίρτησας. "Τὸν Οὐρίαν τὸν Χετθαῖον ἐπάταξας ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ ἔλα βες σεαυτῷ γυναῖκα, καὶ αὐτὸν ἀπέκτεινας ἐν ῥομ φαίᾳ τῶν υἱῶν Ἀμμών." Τὸν οὕτως εὔνουν περὶ σὲ γεγενημένον τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐξέδωκας, καὶ δι' ἡδο νὴν ὀλίγην δύο πεπάτηκας νόμους. Εἶτα ἡ τιμωρία· "Καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἐξαρθήσεται ῥομφαία ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἕνεκεν τούτου οὗ ἐξουδέ νωσάς με, καὶ ἔλαβες τὴν γυναῖκα Οὐρίου τοῦ Χετ 80.629 θαίου σαυτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα." Αἰνίττεται δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὅτι πλέον ὁ ∆εσπότης Θεὸς ἐχαλέπηνεν ἐπὶ τῷ γάμῳ, ἢ τῇ πρὸ τούτου γενομένῃ μοιχείᾳ. Ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ἐπιθυμίας ἦν σφοδροτάτης κάρον ἐργασαμένης τῷ λογισμῷ· τοῦτο δὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ λογισμοῦ τὴν συγκατάθεσιν ἔχει, ὃν ἐχρῆν μετὰ τὸν ἄδικον φόνον θρηνεῖν καὶ στένειν, οὐ γάμῳ συναινεῖν παρανόμῳ. Εἶτα τὰς χαλεπὰς ἀπειλεῖ τιμωρίας, αἳ λαμπρότερον ἔδειξαν τοῦ θαυμαστοῦ βασιλέως τὸ κλέος. Αἱ γὰρ θεήλατοι πληγαὶ τὴν νόσον ἐκείνην ἐξήλασαν, καὶ τὴν προτέραν ὑγείαν ἀπέδοσαν. Τούτου γὰρ δὴ χάριν αὐ τὰς ἐπενήνοχεν ὁ τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρός. Προσέθηκε δὲ ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς, ὅτι "Σὺ μὲν ἐποίησας ἐν κρυπτῷ· ἐγὼ δὲ ποιήσω τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ἐνώπιον παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου." Λαθεῖν, φησὶν, ἐθέλησας, τὸν φόνον ἐκάττυσας· ἀλλ' ἐγώ σου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἅπασι ποιή σω κατάδηλον. Τούτων ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἀκούσας τῶν λόγων, οὐκ ἐδυσφόρησεν ὡς ὑπ' ἀνδρὸς πένητος ἐλεγχόμενος. Ἤδει γὰρ τὸν διὰ τούτου φθεγγόμενον, καὶ ἐβόησεν· "Ἡμάρτηκα τῷ Κυρίῳ." Ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ὁ προφήτης, τὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁμολογίαν δεξάμενος, καὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίᾳ θαῤῥήσας, ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ Κύριος ἀφεῖλε τὸ ἁμάρτημά σου, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃς." ∆ιπλοῦν ὤφειλε θάνατον· καὶ γὰρ ὁ μοιχὸς καὶ ὁ ἀνδροφόνος ἀνῃροῦντο κατὰ τὸν νόμον· ἀλλ' ἔλυσε τοῦ θανάτου τὴν ψῆφον ἡ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁμολογία. Παντοδαπαῖς δὲ αὐτὸν, οἷα δὴ πάνσοφος ἰατρὸς, παιδείαις ὑπέβαλε· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἱστορία διδάσκει. Εἰρηκὼς γὰρ ὁ προφήτης, "Οὐ μὴ ἀποθά νῃς," ἐπήγαγε· "Πλὴν ὅτι παροργίζων παρώργισας ἐν τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις τὸν Κύριον ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τού τῳ." Τοῦτο δὲ σαφέστερον ὁ Ἀκύλας ἡρμήνευσε, "Παροξύνων παρώξυνας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς Κυρίου." Γυμνωθεὶς γὰρ τῆς θείας κηδεμονίας, παρεσκεύασε τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους νικᾷν, καὶ μέγα φρονεῖν κατὰ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ. Πρῶτον μέντοι τὸ μοιχίδιον παιδίον ἐπάταξεν ὁ Θεός. Ὁ δὲ Οὐρίας ἔοικεν ἐκ μὲν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ὡρμῆσθαι, προσήλυτος δὲ γεγενῆσθαι· Χετθαῖον γὰρ αὐτὸν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς προσηγόρευσε· καὶ ἔδειξεν ὡς ἀδικούμενον οὐδένα περιορᾷ, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἀλλόφυλος ὁ ἀδικούμενος ᾖ, ὁ δὲ ἀδικῶν Ἑβραῖος, ἐκείνῳ μὲν ἐπαμύνει, τὸν δὲ ἀδικοῦντα κολάζει. ΕΡΩΤ. ΚΕʹ. Τί δήποτε τὸ ἀρτιγενὲς παιδίον θανάτῳ παρ έδωκεν ὁ