John Chrysostom, On Psalm 139

befalls an evil man who is treated well. Deliver 55.709 me, O Lord, from an evil man; not from demons. For demons are driven out by the sign of the cross, but the evil man opposes the Lord himself. Yet Paul cast out demons with a word, but he was not able to overcome the wickedness of Alexander the coppersmith; for he says, Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil; may the Lord repay him. Deliver me, O Lord, from an evil man; not from a good man. For the good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things; but the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things; and just as from a certain root, the heart, each of them brings forth shoots, the good, goodness, and the evil, wickedness. And just as of a bitter root, the branches and the leaves and the flowers and the fruit are bitter; so also of the evil man, the gait and the glance and the appearance and the hands are evil. For concerning feet, as when wisdom says: But turn away from them and pass by; for their feet run to wickedness. And concerning hands, as when the prophet says in prayer: Rescue me, O Lord, from the hand of the sinner, from the hand of the lawless and unjust one.

And concerning the evil eye, as when the Lord cries out: Is your eye evil because I am good? Deliver me, O Lord, from an evil man. Such a one weaves deceits, practices hypocrisy, forges envy in his heart. From an evil man; not from a just man. For a just man has compassion on the lives of his cattle, as it is written; but the unjust take away even those of men. A just man has compassion on the lives of his cattle, as Moses, having gone up to the mountain, gave water to the thirsty sheep of Jethro; but the unjust Pharaoh drowned the firstborn of the Hebrews in the river; and the one gave sheep water to drink; but the other killed men with water. 2. It is necessary, therefore, to flee wickedness and injustice, as much as possible; and not only to flee, but also to rescue those who are wronged from the hand of the wrongdoers, as Abraham rescued Lot, who had been taken captive, from the hand of the foreigners; as Lot himself rescued the angels from the lawlessness of the Sodomites. For even if the nature of angels is impassible, but ... (forte the audacity of the) of men was at hand. As Moses rescued the people of the Hebrews from the hand of the Egyptians; as David rescued Saul from the violence of the demon; as the angel who descended with them rescued the three children from the burning furnace; as faith rescued Daniel from the den of lions; as repentance rescued Jonah from the belly of the sea monster; as Abimelech the eunuch rescued Jeremiah from the pit of mire; as Daniel in Babylon rescued Susanna from the judgment of the lawless men; as the Lord rescued all humanity from the hand of the devil; as the apostles rescued those possessed by spirits and diseases. But the word not only legislates for men to do this, but also teaches women. For many women have rescued many from death and dangers, as Sarah rescued Abraham from the hand of Abimelech, by contriving for him to be her brother; as Rebecca rescued her son Jacob from the hand of his brother Esau, by advising him to flee; as Rachel rescued her father from idolatry, by stealing the lifeless idols; for she stole them for no other reason than to rescue her father from idolatry; as Rahab the harlot rescued the spies from the hand of the foreigners, by hiding them in the flax stalks; as Michal rescued David from the hand of Saul, by revealing the secret to him; as Abigail rescued Nabal from death, by falling before David; as the mother of Moses rescued the infant from the hand of Pharaoh by putting him into an ark; as Martha and Mary rescued their brother 55.710 Lazarus from Hades, by weeping before the Lord; as the widows rescued Tabitha from death, by prevailing upon Peter; as faith rescued the woman with the issue of blood, and fasting the Ninevites.

εὐεργετουμένῳ πονηρῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τυγχάνει. Ἐξελοῦ 55.709 με, Κύριε, ἐξ ἀνθρώπου πονηροῦ· οὐκ ἀπὸ δαιμόνων. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ δαίμονες τῷ σημείῳ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἀπελαύνον ται, ὁ δὲ πονηρὸς ἄνθρωπος αὐτῷ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀντιτάσσε ται. Ὁ μέντοι Παῦλος ῥήματι τοὺς δαίμονας ἐξεδίωκεν, Ἀλεξάνδρου δὲ τοῦ χαλκέως τὴν πονηρίαν νικῆσαι οὐκ ἴσχυσε· φησὶ γὰρ, Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ χαλκεὺς πολλὰ κα κά μοι ἐνεδείξατο· ἀποδῴη αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος. Ἐξελοῦ με, Κύριε, ἐξ ἀνθρώπου πονηροῦ· οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπου ἀγαθοῦ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ τῆς καρδίας προφέρει τὰ ἀγαθά· ὁ δέ γε πονηρὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ θησαυροῦ προ φέρει τὰ πονηρά· καὶ ὥσπερ ἀπό τινος ῥίζης, τῆς καρδίας ἕκαστος αὐτῶν προφέρει τὰ βλαστήματα, ὁ ἀγαθὸς τὴν ἀγαθότητα, καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς τὴν πονηρίαν. Καὶ ὥσπερ τῆς πικρᾶς ῥίζης καὶ οἱ κλάδοι καὶ τὰ φύλ λα καὶ τὰ ἄνθη καὶ ὁ καρπός ἐστι πικρός· οὕτω καὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ βάδισμα καὶ τὸ βλέμμα καὶ τὸ σχῆμα καὶ αἱ χεῖρες πονηραί εἰσι. Περὶ γὰρ ποδῶν, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ ἡ σοφία· Ἔκκλινον δὲ ἀπ' αὐτῶν καὶ παράλλαξον· οἱ γὰρ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐπὶ πονηρίαν τρέ χουσι. Περὶ δὲ χειρῶν, ὡς ὅταν εὐχόμενος λέγῃ ὁ προ φήτης· Ῥῦσαί με, Κύριε, ἐκ χειρὸς ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἐκ χειρὸς παρανομοῦντος καὶ ἀδικοῦντος.

Περὶ δὲ ὀφθαλμοῦ πονηροῦ, ὡς ὅταν ὁ Κύριος βοᾷ· Εἰ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ἐστὶ πονηρὸς, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἀγαθός εἰμι; Ἐξελοῦ με, Κύριε, ἐξ ἀνθρώπου πονηροῦ. Ὁ τοιοῦτος δόλους πλέκει, ὑποκρίσεις μελετᾷ, τὸν φθόνον ἐν καρδίᾳ χαλκεύει. Ἐξ ἀνθρώπου πονηροῦ· οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπου δικαίου. ∆ίκαιος μὲν γὰρ οἰκτείρει ψυχὰς κτηνῶν, καθὼς γέ γραπται· ἄδικοι δὲ καὶ τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀφαιροῦνται. ∆ίκαιος οἰκτείρει ψυχὰς κτηνῶν, ὡς ὁ Μωϋσῆς εἰς τὸ ὅρος ἀναδραμὼν τὰ πρόβατα Ἰωθὸρ διψῶντα ἐπότισεν· ὁ δὲ ἄδικος Φαραὼ τὰ πρωτότοκα τῶν Ἑβραίων εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν ἔπνιγε· καὶ ὁ μὲν δι' ὕδατος πρόβατα ἐπότιζεν· ὁ δὲ δι' ὕδατος ἀνθρώπους ἀπέκτεινε. βʹ Χρὴ οὖν φεύγειν τὴν πονηρίαν καὶ τὴν ἀδικίαν, ὡς ἡ δύναμις· μὴ μόνον δὲ φεύγειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀδικουμένους ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν ἀδικούντων ῥύεσθαι, ὡς ὁ Ἀβραὰμ ἐῤῥύσατο τὸν Λὼτ αἰχμαλωτισθέντα ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων· ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ Λὼτ τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἐῤῥύσατο ἐκ τῆς τῶν Σοδομιτῶν παρανομίας. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἡ φύσις τῶν ἀγγέλων ἀνεπίδεκτος, ἀλλ' ἠτμάτων (φορτε ἡ τόλμα τῶν) ἀνθρώπων πρόχειρος. Ὡς ὁ Μωϋσῆς τὸν τῶν Ἑβραίων λαὸν ἐῤῥύσατο ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων· ὡς ὁ ∆αυῒδ τὸν Σαοὺλ ἐῤῥύσατο ἐκ τῆς βίας τοῦ δαίμονος· ὡς τοὺς τρεῖς παῖδας ἐκ τῆς καμίνου τῆς καιομένης ὁ συγκαταβὰς αὐτοῖς ἄγγελος· ὡς τὸν ∆ανιὴλ ἐκ τοῦ λάκκου τῶν λεόντων ἡ πίστις· ὡς τὸν Ἰωνᾶν ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας τοῦ κήτους ἡ μετάνοια· ὡς τὸν Ἱερεμίαν ἐκ λάκκου βορβόρου Ἀβιμέλεχ ὁ εὐνοῦχος· ὡς ∆ανιὴλ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι ἐκ τῆς κρίσεως τῶν παρανόμων τὴν Σωσάνναν· ὡς ὁ Κύριος πᾶσαν τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ διαβόλου· ὡς οἱ ἀπόστολοι τοὺς ἐχομένους ἀπὸ πνευμάτων καὶ νόσων. Ἀλλ' οὐ μόνον ὁ λόγος ἄνδρας νομοθετεῖ τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκας διδάσκει. Πολλαὶ γὰρ γυναῖκες ἐῤῥύσαντο πολλοὺς ἐκ θανάτου καὶ κινδύνων ὡς Σάῤῥα τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἐῤῥύσατο ἐκ χειρὸς Ἀβιμέλεχ, ἀδελφὸν αὐτῆς εἶναι σοφισαμένη· ὡς Ῥεβέκκα τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς Ἰακὼβ ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἡσαῦ, τὴν φυγὴν αὐτῷ συμβουλεύουσα· ὡς Ῥαχὴλ τὸν πατέρα ἐκ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας ἐῤῥύσατο, ἄψυχα εἴδωλα κλέψασα· ἔκλεψε γὰρ οὐ δι' ἄλλο, ἢ ἵνα τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας ῥύσηται τὸν πατέρα· ὡς Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη τοὺς κατασκόπους ἐῤῥύσατο ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, εἰς τὴν λινοκαλάμην αὐτοὺς κατακρύψασα· ὡς Μελχὸλ τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἐκ χειρὸς Σαοὺλ, τὸ μυστήριον αὐτῷ ἀπαγγείλασα· ὡς Ἀβιγαῒλ τὸν Νάβαλ ἐκ θανάτου, τῷ ∆αυῒδ προσπεσοῦσα· ὡς ἡ τοῦ Μωϋσέως μήτηρ ἐκ χειρὸς Φαραὼ τὸ νήπιον εἰς θήβην ἐμβαλοῦσα· ὡς Μάρθα καὶ Μαρία τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτῶν 55.710 Λάζαρον ἐξ ᾄδου, τῷ Κυρίῳ προσκλαύσασαι· ὡς αἱ χῆραι τὴν Ταβιθὰ ἐκ θανάτου ἐῤῥύσαντο, δυσωπήσασαι Πέτρον· ὡς ἡ πίστις τὴν αἱμόῤῥουν, καὶ νηστεία τοὺς Νινευίτας.