Letter 6

To Marcellinus the monk. When the necessities of life failed in Samaria, while Joram the son of Ahab was reigning, because the king of the Assyrians had marched against the city [2 Kings 6:24-25], and a donkey's head was sold for fifty shekels, and a fourth part of a measure of dove's dung for five shekels of silver, and a most pitiable death was expected, then beyond all hope so great a cheapness of price came about that a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and likewise two measures of barley for a shekel [2 Kings 7:1]; for the Lord scatters the counsels of nations and of rulers, but the counsel of the Lord remains forever [Psalm 33:10-11 (LXX 32:10-11)]. Let us not, therefore, be downcast, but let us look for abundance out of want, and relief out of affliction.

Ὅτε ἐπέλιπε τὰ ἀναγκαῖα ἐν τῇ Σαμαρίᾳ, βασιλεύοντος Ἰωρὰμ τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἀχαάβ, διὰ τὸ ἐπιστρατεῦσαι τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ ἐπράθη κεφάλη ὄνου πεντήκοντα σίκλων, καὶ τέταρτον κάδου κόπρου περιστερῶν πέντε σίκλων ἀργυρίου, προσδοκηθέντος θανάτου οἰκτίστου, τοσαύτη παρ’ ἐλπίδας γέγονεν εὐθυνία, ὡς μέτρον σεμιδάλεως πραθῆναι σίκλου, καὶ διάμετρον κριθῆς ὁμοίως σίκλου· Κύριος γὰρ διασκεδάζει βουλὰς ἐθνῶν, καὶ ἀρχόντων· ἡ δὲ βουλὴ τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μένει. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀθυμήσωμεν, ἀλλὰ προσδοκήσωμεν ἐξ ἐνδείας εὐπορίαν, καὶ ἐκ θλίψεως ἄνεσιν.