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So when Ahab numbered them, he found two hundred and thirty. Through these the almighty Lord scattered the army of thirty-two kings. And to him, who had won a decisive victory, he foretells the attack of the Syrians, which would take place the next year. "For the Syrians will say," he says, "The God of Israel is a God of mountains, and not a God of valleys;" that is, he has his power in the mountains, but is defeated in the plains. For since they supposed their own gods to be of such a nature, they thought also that the true creator of all things was a partial God. But he showed his own strength both to his own people and to foreigners. For 80.737 when the battle took place in a plain, Israel struck down one hundred and twenty thousand of the enemy. And so that both they and these might learn that the blow was from God, when those who escaped fled to the city of Aphek, the wall fell and buried twenty-seven thousand.

Q. 64. Why do the prophets, using parables, utter divine prophecies? So that those who hear these words, being ignorant that they are casting a vote against themselves, may vote justly. For we see sin one way in ourselves, and another way in others. Nathan did this also. For he did not immediately bring the rebuke to David; but first he recounted the misfortune of the poor man; then, seeing the just verdict, he laid bare the face of the accusation. The prophet did this here also. For having covered his face and eyebrows with a bandage, he approached Ahab. Then he explained how in the war a captive was delivered to him, with the one who delivered him ordering him to guard him, and threatening that if he escaped he would be punished with death. "But while I," he says, "was observing the battle line, he found an opportunity and escaped." When Ahab heard this, he called him a murderer. "For behold," he says, "you, a judge under me, have committed murder;" "for you released an enemy, so that he might commit many murders again." Then finally the prophet, removing the bandage, showed who he was, and brought the divine decision: "Thus says the Lord: Because you have let go out of your hand a man devoted to destruction, behold, your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people."

Q. 65. And why was he punished for philanthropy? Because it is necessary to mix justice with philanthropy. But this man, having used cruelty against the prophets, and having wished to destroy them all utterly, and having killed all those who were captured, showed gentleness toward the enemy of Israel. That he sinned very greatly through the weakness of his mind, the following testifies. "For," it says, "the king of Israel went away vexed and weeping." For he had experience of the divine prophecies; for he had won twice according to the divine oracles; he feared the threat that was brought against him; but immediately he returned again to his own impiety. 80.740

Q. 66. How should we understand: "Strike me in the word of the Lord?" "It is not I," he says, "who commands you, but the Spirit in me." Therefore, on the one who refused, he brought destruction by means of the lion. But another, being commanded to do this, faithfully obeyed, and having struck, he shattered, that is, he wounded.

Q. 67. How should we understand: "As you are, so am I; and as your people, so also my people?" Jehoshaphat, being asked to share in the battle, promised to do this. "I will do the same things as you," he says; "as you are drawn up for battle, I am drawn up; and as your people, so also mine will fight." Nevertheless, he showed his piety; for he thought it necessary to inquire first of the God of all things; "For," he says, "he said to Ahab, 'Let us inquire now of the Lord.'" But when the other gathered the prophets of Baal, Jehoshaphat in turn detested them, and piously sought a divine prophet; "For," he says, "is there not a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord through him?" And when the other said that there was one, and he was called Micaiah, but that he hated him because he did not prophesy pleasant things, Jehoshaphat reverently replied, "Let not the king say so." But in these things he is praiseworthy. But his piety was marred by friendship and kinship; for this

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Ἀριθμήσας γοῦν αὐτοὺς Ἀχαὰβ τριάκοντα καὶ διακοσίους εὗρε. ∆ιὰ τού των ὁ παντοδύναμος Κύριος τριάκοντα καὶ δύο βασι λέων διέλυσε στρατιάν. Τούτῳ δὲ κατακράτος νενικηκότι προμηνύει τῶν Σύρων τὴν ἔφοδον, τὴν ἐσομένην εἰς νέωτα. "Ἐροῦσι γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ Σύροι· Θεὸς ὀρέων ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ οὐ Θεὸς κοιλάδων·" τουτέστιν, ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν ἔχει τὴν δύναμιν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς πεδίοις ἡττᾶται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοιούτους εἶναι τοὺς οἰκείους θεοὺς ὑπελάμβανον, ᾠήθησαν καὶ τὸν ἀληθινὸν τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸν μερικὸν εἶναι Θεόν. Ἀλλ' ἔδειξε καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις, καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις, τὴν ἰδίαν ἰσχύν. Τῆς γὰρ 80.737 συμπλοκῆς ἐν πεδίῳ γεγενημένης, δυοκαίδεκα μυ ριάδας τῶν ἀντιπάλων ὁ Ἰσραὴλ κατηκόντισεν. Ἵνα δὲ κἀκεῖνοι καὶ οὗτοι μάθωσιν, ὡς θεήλατος ἡ πληγὴ, τῶν διαφυγόντων εἰς τὴν Ἀφηκὰ πόλιν κα ταπεφευγότων καταπεσὸν τὸ τεῖχος ἑπτὰ καὶ εἴκοσι χιλιάδας κατέχωσεν. ΕΡΩΤ. Ξ∆ʹ. ∆ιατί παραβολαῖς οἱ προφῆται κεχρημένοι τὰς θείας προῤῥήσεις προφέρουσιν; Ἵνα ἀγνοοῦντες οἱ τῶνδε τῶν λόγων ἀκούοντες, ὡς καθ' ἑαυτῶν τὴν ψῆφον ἐκφέρουσι, δικαίως ψη φίσωνται. Ἄλλως γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἄλλως ἐν ἄλλοις τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ὁρῶμεν. Ταῦτα καὶ Νάθαν πεποίηκεν. Οὐ γὰρ εὐθὺς τῷ ∆αβὶδ τὸν ἔλεγχον προσενήνοχεν· ἀλλὰ πρότερον τοῦ πένητος τὴν συμ φορὰν διηγήσατο· εἶτα δικαίαν τὴν ψῆφον ἰδὼν, τὸ τῆς κατηγορίας ἐγύμνωσε πρόσωπον. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα πεποίηκεν ὁ προφήτης. Τελαμῶνι γὰρ τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ τὰς ὀφρῦς συγκαλύψας, τῷ Ἀχαὰβ προσελήλυθεν. Εἶτα ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ δορυάλωτος αὐτῷ παρεδόθη, φυλάξαι τοῦτον τοῦ παραδεδωκότος κελεύσαντος, καὶ προσαπειλήσαντος, ὡς εἰ φύγοι θανάτῳ ζημιωθήσεται. Ἐμοῦ δὲ, φησὶ, τὴν παράταξιν θεωμένου, πέφευγε χώραν λαβών. Τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ Ἀχαὰβ, ἀνδροφόνον αὐτὸν ἀπεκάλεσεν. "Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶ, δικαστὴς σὺ παρ' ἐμοὶ ἐφόνευσας·" πολέμιον γὰρ ἀπέλυσας, ἵνα πολλοὺς ἐκεῖνος πάλιν ἐργάσηται φόνους. Τότε λοιπὸν ὁ προφήτης τελαμῶνα λύσας, ἔδειξεν ὅστις ἐστί· καὶ προσήνεγκε τὴν θείαν ἀπόφασιν· "Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· ∆ιότι ἐξαπέστειλας ἄνδρα ὀλέθριον ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου, ἰδοὺ ἡ ψυχή σου ἀντὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ λαός σου ἀντὶ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ." ΕΡΩΤ. ΞΕʹ. Καὶ διατί φιλανθρωπίας ἀπῃτήθη δίκας; Ὅτι χρὴ τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ συγκιρνᾷν τὸ δίκαιον. Οὗτος δὲ ὠμότητι χρησάμενος κατὰ τῶν προφητῶν, καὶ πάντας ἄρδην βουληθεὶς διαφθεῖραι, καὶ τοὺς ἁλόντας ἀνελὼν ἅπαντας, περὶ τὸν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ πο λέμιον τὸ ἥμερον ἔδειξεν. Ὅτι δὲ πλεῖστα ἐξήμαρτε διὰ τὴν εὐκολίαν τῆς γνώμης, τὰ ἑξῆς μαρτυρεῖ. "Ἀπῆλθε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰσραὴλ συνεχόμενος καὶ κλαίων." Πεῖραν γὰρ τῶν θείων ἔχων προῤῥήσεων· δὶς γὰρ ἐνίκησε κατὰ τοὺς θείους χρησμούς· τὴν προσενεχθεῖσαν ἔδεισεν ἀπειλήν· ἀλλ' εὐθὺς πάλιν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανῆλθεν ἀσέ βειαν. 80.740 ΕΡΩΤ. Ξʹ. Πῶς νοητέον· "Πάταξόν με ἐν λόγῳ Κυρίου;" Οὐκ ἐγώ σοι, φησὶν, ἐπιτάσσω, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐν ἐμοὶ Πνεῦμα. ∆ιὸ δὴ τῷ ἀντειπόντι τὸν διὰ τοῦ λέοντος ἐπήνεγκεν ὄλεθρον. Ἄλλος δὲ τοῦτο δρᾶσαι κελευ σθεὶς πιστῶς ὑπήκουσε, καὶ πατάξας συνέτριψε, τουτέστιν ἐτραυμάτισεν. ΕΡΩΤ. ΞΖʹ. Πῶς νοητέον· "Καθὼς σὺ, οὕτω κἀγώ· καὶ καθὼς ὁ λαός σου, οὕτως καὶ ὁ λαός μου;" Παρακληθεὶς ὁ Ἰωσαφὰτ κοινωνῆσαι τῆς παρα τάξεως τοῦτο δράσειν ὑπέσχετο. Τὰ αὐτά σοι, φησὶ, δράσω· ὡς παρατάττῃ παρατάττομαι· καὶ ὡς ὁ λαός σου, καὶ ὁ ἐμὸς πολεμήσει. Ἔδειξε δ' ὅμως αὑτοῦ τὴν εὐσέβειαν· πυθέσθαι γὰρ πρότερον τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἀναγκαῖον ὑπέλαβεν· "Εἶπε γὰρ, φησὶ, πρὸς Ἀχαάβ· Ἐρωτήσωμεν δὴ τὸν Κύριον." Ἐκείνου δὲ τοὺς προφήτας τοῦ Βαὰλ ἀθροίσαντος, πάλιν ὁ Ἰωσαφὰτ ἐκείνους μὲν ἐβδελύξατο, θεῖον δὲ προφήτην εὐσεβῶς ἐπεζήτησεν· "Οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ, φησὶν, ὧδε προφήτης Κυρίου, καὶ ἐπερωτήσομεν τὸν Κύριον δι' αὐτοῦ;" Ἐκείνου δὲ εἰρηκότος εἶναι μὲν, καὶ Μιχαίαν κεκλῆσθαι· ἐχθραίνειν δὲ αὐτῷ, ὡς οὐ τὰ θυμήρη χρησμολογοῦντα, ὁ Ἰωσαφὰτ εὐλαβῶς ἀπεκρίνατο· "Μὴ λεγέτω οὕτως ὁ βασιλεύς." Ἀλλ' ἐν τούτοις μὲν ἀξιέπαινος. Ἐλωβήσατο δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἡ φιλία καὶ ἡ συγγένεια· τοῦτο γὰρ