he should be unashamed, he speaks to his face, not refuting, nor speaking the truth, but reproaching and insulting. For one must not tread upon those who are punished by God, but mourn and fear. Verse 4. Yes indeed, in truth I have erred, but error lodges with me; to speak a word, which one ought not. Then he says hypothetically; I grant to you, as 17.72 is supposed, that I suffer these things because of sins; ought you then to reproach me so? But error lodges with me. Even if hypothetically I had done such things, as I ought not; even if I were such a man, ought you not, seeing the scourges, the sores, the worms, the loss of possessions, to be ashamed? But you tread upon me, not pitying me, nor sympathizing with my circumstance. Verse 5. But let it be, that you magnify yourselves against me, and you leap upon me with reproach. You do not reproach me moderately, but leaping up as if treading upon and trampling me you reproach. Verse ʹ. And his stronghold he has raised against me. I am as if a stronghold under the wall of circumstance, which I cannot flee, until God judges to pull it down. Verse 7. Behold, I laugh at reproach, and I will not speak. This is that: Overcome evil with good. Of the same. Behold, at your reproach I am thought to laugh, not to speak. CHAP. 20. Verse ʹ. If his gifts ascend to heaven; and his sacrifice should touch the clouds. Of the impious man, if his gifts ascend to heaven, if he be greatly exalted, if his sacrifice should touch the clouds. Whenever the heretic prays, whenever his sacrifice ascends with lofty speech, whenever he seems to be established; then he will utterly perish. For his prayer is reckoned to him as sin, and his prayer itself is sin. Verse 7. For when he seems to be already established, then he will utterly perish. Similarly, But the enemies of the Lord, as soon as they are glorified and exalted, vanishing like smoke they vanished away. Verse 7. And those who saw him will say: Where is he? Who are those who saw him? The ecclesiastics, those who saw their errors, we will say: Where is he? Verse 8. Like a dream that has flown away, he shall not be found. Such people, dreaming, and fashioning phantoms, do not rest their mind on the truth, being in error, and they become like a dream that has flown away, which shall not be found. Verse 10. May inferiors destroy his sons. The sons and disciples of him who taught these things. Verse 10. And his hands may kindle pains. His hands, he says, that is, his deeds, will kindle punishment for him. And his hands. Of this impious and erring one, whose prayer is reckoned as sin, whose sacrifice, if it ascends to heaven, and 17.73 touches the clouds, then he utterly perishes; this one's hands will kindle pains; that is, and they will live in extreme pains. But he speaks about the sons of the lawless one. Verse 13. The gall of an asp in his belly. For he has teachings, which are not sweet, but the gall of an asp, as it were, wicked, that concerning the wine of their teaching. For their vine is from the vine of Sodom, and so on. And after a little; But the gall of an asp is in the belly of the heretic, and of him who is impious in his doctrines, which are contrary to the truth. Verse 15. Wealth unjustly gathered will be vomited up. For what other wealth is unjustly gathered than that one in their words? For it is unjustly gathered. But the good one will not allow them, having fallen, to always have this unjustly gathered wealth in themselves; for he will make them vomit it up. Verse 15. From his house an angel will drag him out. For an angel, by the working and beneficence of God, will drag him out from that which was badly built, which is a church of evildoers. For this is his house. But an angel will drag him out of his house. Verse 17. May he not see the milking of the herds. A heretic does not see the milking of the herds. And herds are certain souls pastured by the good Shepherd, who said: I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved. And he will go in and go out, and find pasture. Verse 18. Like a sour, unchewed, undrinkable thing. The words and the doctrines are sour and dense, those things have nothing sweet, which are directed against God. A sour herb, what

ἀπερυθριάσῃ, εἰς πρόσωπον λέγει ἐκείνῳ, οὐχὶ ἐλέγχων, οὐδὲ τἀληθῆ λέγων, ἀλλ' ὀνει δίζων καὶ ὑβρίζων. Τοῖς γὰρ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ τιμωρου μένοις ἐπεμβαίνειν οὐ χρὴ, ἀλλὰ θρηνεῖν καὶ φο βεῖσθαι. Στίχ. δʹ. Ναὶ δὴ ἐπ' ἀληθείας ἐγὼ ἐπλανήθην, παρ' ἐμοὶ δὲ αὐλίζεται πλάνος· λαλῆσαι ῥῆμα, ὃ οὐκ ἔδει. Εἶτά φησιν καθ' ὑπόθεσιν· Ὑμῖν δίδωμι, ὡς ὑπο 17.72 λαμβάνεται, ὅτι διὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ταῦτα πάσχω· ἆρ' οὖν ἐχρῆν ὑμᾶς οὕτω μοι ὀνειδίζειν; Παρ' ἐμοὶ δὲ αὐλίζεται πλάνος. Εἰ καὶ καθ' ὑπόθεσιν τοιαῦτα ἐπεποιήκειν, οἷα οὐκ ἔδει· εἰ καὶ τοιοῦτος ἤμην, ἆρ' οὐκ ἐχρῆν ὑμᾶς βλέποντας μάστιγας, τοὺς ἰχῶ ρας, τοὺς σκώληκας, τὴν ἀπώλειαν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων, αἰδεσθῆναι; Ἀλλὰ προσεπιβαίνετέ μοι μὴ ἐλεοῦντές με, μηδὲ συμπαθοῦντές μου τῇ περιστάσει. Στίχ. εʹ. Ἔα δὲ, ὅτι ἐπ' ἐμοὶ μεγαλύνεσθε, ἐνάλλεσθε δέ μοι ὀνείδει. Οὐ μετρίως μοι ὀνειδίζετε, ἀλλ' ἐναλλόμενοι ὡσπερεὶ ἐπιβαίνοντες καὶ καταπατοῦντές με ὀνει δίζετε. Στίχ. ʹ. Ὀχύρωμα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐπ' ἐμὲ ὕψωσεν. Οἱονεὶ ὑπὸ τεῖχος τῆς περιστάσεώς εἰμι ὀχύρωμα, ὃ οὐ δύναμαι φεύγειν, ἕως οὗ κρινεῖ ὁ Θεὸς καθελεῖν αὐτό. Στίχ. ζʹ. Ἰδοὺ γελῶ ὀνείδει, καὶ οὐ λαλήσω. Τοῦτό ἐστι τό· Νίκα ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὸ κακόν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνείδει ὑμῶν γελᾷν, οὐ λαλεῖν νομίζομαι. ΚΕΦ. Κʹ. Στίχ. ʹ. Ἐὰν ἀναβῇ εἰς οὐρανὸν αὐτοῦ τὰ δῶρα· ἡ δὲ θυσία αὐτοῦ νεφῶν ἅψηται. Τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς ἐὰν ἀναβῇ τὰ δῶρα εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἐὰν πάνυ ὑψωθῇ, ἐὰν ἡ θυσία αὐτοῦ νεφῶν ἅψηται. Ὅτ' ἂν εὔξηται ὁ αἱρετικὸς, ὅτ' ἂν ἡ θυσία αὐτοῦ ἀναβῇ τῇ ὑψηγορίᾳ, ὅτ' ἂν δοκῇ κατεστηρίχθαι· τότε εἰς τέλος ἀπολεῖται. Ἡ γὰρ εὐχὴ αὐτοῦ λο γίζεται αὐτῷ εἰς ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ἔστιν αὐτὴ ἡ εὐχὴ αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτία. Στίχ. ζʹ. Ὅταν γὰρ δοκῇ ἤδη ἐστηρίχθαι, τότε εἰς τέλος ἀπολεῖται. Ὅμοιον, Οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ἅμα τῷ δοξα σθῆναι καὶ ὑψωθῆναι, ἐκλείποντες ὡσεὶ καπνὸς ἐξέλιπον. Στίχ. ζʹ. Οἱ δὲ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν ἐροῦσι· Ποῦ ἔστιν; Τίνες οἱ ἰδόντες αὐτόν; Οἱ ἐκκλησιαστικοὶ, οἱ ἰδόντες ἐκείνων τὰ σφάλματα, ἐροῦμεν· Ποῦ ἔστιν; Στίχ. ηʹ. Ὥσπερ ἐνύπνιον ἐκπετασθὲν οὐ μὴ εὑρεθῇ. Οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι, καὶ ἀναπλάσσοντες φαντάσματα, οὐ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπερείδου σιν σφαλλόμενοι, καὶ γίνονται ὥσπερ ἐνύπνιον ἐκπετασθὲν, ὃ οὐ μὴ εὑρεθῇ. Στίχ. ιʹ. Τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ ὀλέσαισαν ἥττονες. Τοὺς υἱοὺς καὶ μαθητὰς τοῦ ταῦτα διδάξαντος. Στίχ. ιʹ. Αἱ δὲ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ πυρσεύσαισαν ὀδύνας. Αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, τουτέστιν αἱ πράξεις, ἐξά ψουσιν αὐτῷ κόλασιν. Αἱ δὲ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ. Τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς τούτου καὶ ἐσφαλμένου, οὗ ἡ προσευχὴ λογίζεται εἰς ἁμαρ τίαν, οὗ ἡ θυσία ἐὰν ἀναβῇ εἰς οὐρανὸν, καὶ νε 17.73 φῶν ἅψηται, τότε εἰς τέλος ἀπόλλυται· τούτου αἱ χεῖρες ὀδύνας πυρσεύσουσι· τουτέστι, καὶ ἐν ὀδύναις ἐσχάταις διάξουσι. Λέγει δὲ περὶ τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ πα ρανόμου. Στίχ. ιγʹ. Χολὴ ἀσπίδος ἐν γαστρὶ αὐτοῦ. Ἔχει γὰρ μαθήματα, ἃ οὐκ ἔστι γλυκέα, ἀλλὰ χολὴ ἀσπίδος, οἱονεὶ πονηρὰ, ἡ περὶ τοῦ οἴνου τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτῶν. Ἐκ γὰρ ἀμπέλου Σοδόμων ἡ ἄμπελος αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· Χολὴ δὲ ἀσπίδος ἐν γαστρὶ τοῦ ἑτεροδόξου, καὶ ἀσεβοῦντος ἐν τοῖς δόγμασι, τοῖς ἐναντίοις τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. Στίχ. ιεʹ. Πλοῦτος ἀδίκως συναγόμενος ἐξε μεθήσεται. Τίς γὰρ ἄλλος ἀδίκως πλοῦτος συνάγεται ἢ ἐκεῖ νος ὁ ἐν τοῖς λόγοις αὐτῶν; Ἀδίκως γὰρ συνάγεται. Ἀλλ' ὁ ἀγαθὸς οὐκ ἐάσει αὐτοὺς πεπτωκότας, πλοῦ τον ἀδίκως συναγόμενον ἔχειν ἀεὶ αὐτὸν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς· ποιήσει γὰρ ἐξεμέσαι. Στίχ. ιεʹ. Ἐξ οἰκίας αὐτοῦ ἐξελκύσει αὐτὸν ἄγγελος. Ἄγγελος γὰρ κατ' ἐνέργειαν καὶ εὐεργεσίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξελκύσει αὐτὸν ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς κακῶς οἰκοδο μηθείσης, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐκκλησία πονηρευομένων. Αὕτη γὰρ ἡ οἰκία αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλ' ἄγγελος ἐξελκύσει αὐτὸν ἐξ οἰκίας αὐτοῦ. Στίχ. ιζʹ. Μὴ ἴδοι ἄμελξιν νομάδων. Ἑτερόδοξος οὐ βλέπει ἄμελξιν νομάδων. Νο μάδες δὲ εἰσί τινες ψυχαὶ νεμόμεναι ὑπὸ τῷ καλῷ Ποιμένι, τῷ εἰπόντι· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα. ∆ι' ἐμοῦ ἐάν τις εἰσέλθῃ, σωθήσεται. Καὶ εἰσελεύσεται, καὶ ἐξελεύσεται, καὶ νομὴν εὑρήσει. Στίχ. ιηʹ. Ὥσπερ στρίφνος ἀμάσητος, ἀκατά ποτος. Οἱ λόγοι καὶ τὰ δόγματα στριφνὰ καὶ πυκνὰ, οὐ δὲν ἔχει γλυκὺ ἐκεῖνα, τὰ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ γινόμενα. Στρίφνος βοτάνη, τίς