2618. The descendants of Jacob were such that they exercised cruelty on the nations and derived their highest enjoyment from that, so they were extremely cruel, and for no other purpose than to take revenge, as they claimed, under the pretext of holiness, when yet this purpose was never in them, but only that passion- which shows plainly from the things told about them when they became worse idolaters. Then when it only entered their mind that a people was their enemy for some reason or other, they at once thought it permissible to exercise every cruelty against them, their women, wives, children, as was clearly the case with David against Nabal [1 Sam. 25], who was nevertheless from among his brothers. So in other cases, they had besides this no other reaction than to make raids, pillaging everything, killing all that was living among the people.
2618. Such were the posterity of Jacob that they exercised cruelty on the Gentiles, and hence derived their highest pleasantness; therefore they were most cruel, and for no other end than to exercise vengeance, as they said, and under the color of holy things, when such an end they had never in view, but only a cupidity of such a nature as may be plainly apparent from those things which are narrated of them when they became worse idolaters. As soon as it but entered their minds that [any people] was their enemy, whatever the cause, they supposed themselves permitted to exercise every cruelty upon them, their women, wives, [and] infants, as also appears from David's [enmity] against Nabal, who nevertheless was of their brethren; it [was] so in the rest. Besides which they had no other [pursuit] than the making of forays [excursiones] and carrying away everything, killing every living thing amongst men.
2618. Tales erant posteri Jacobi, quod crudelitatem exercerent in gentes, et inde summam suam jucunditatem haberent, sic crudelissimi, nec ob alium finem, quam ut exercerent 1
vindictas, ut ajebant, et praetexebant sancta, cum talis finis nusquam fuerat apud eos, sed modo cupiditas talis, sicut manifeste constare potest ex iis quae de iis narrantur 2
, cum ii pejores idololatrae essent. Tum modo in animum eorum venit, quod hostis esset eorum, ex quacunque causa, illico putabant sibi licere omnem crudelitatem exercere in eos, eorum faeminas, uxores, infantes, sicut constat quoque de Davide contra Nabalem [I Sam. XXV], qui tamen erat ex fratribus eorum, ita in caeteris: praeter quod non aliud habebant, quam quod excursiones facerent, et omnia diriperent, necando omne quod vivum esset apud homines.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has exercererent
2. The Manuscript has narantur