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enlightening the vision of his soul), and it was not with me, having left me and departed, For wisdom will not enter into a deceitful soul, nor dwell in a body that is in debt to sin. For the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee deceit, and will depart from foolish thoughts. Therefore, the Holy Spirit, having departed from him, left him desolate after his heart was troubled, and his strength failed. For then also the light of his eyes left him desolate. But also his former friends, and his neighbors, who were always with him, leaving him, Stood afar off, no longer wishing to be with him, lamenting from afar, as it seems, the misfortune of a friend. And who were they, but those who rejoiced in his former good things, that is, the good angels and ministers of God, who are accustomed to rejoice with the salvation of men? since, over a repenting sinner, there is joy in the heavens; And the angel of the Lord will encamp round about them that fear him. And so all these friends of David, at the time of his sin withdrew, turning away; yet they did not entirely abandon him, but standing afar off they lamented; which he himself also teaches, saying: My friends and my neighbors drew near before me, and stood. And my kinsmen stood afar off. When they had gone far from me, certain others who work sin, coming near me, used violence, and mocked my soul. Wherefore he adds, saying: They that sought my soul used violence; and they that sought evils for me spoke vain things, and meditated deceits all the day long.

For these, long thirsting for my blood, and for a long time praying to see my fall, as if seizing an opportunity, when they saw that my strength had left me, and the light of my eyes had departed from me, and my friends and my neighbors had become distant from me; immediately leaping upon me, they used violence against my soul, and as if malevolent, They spoke vanities, inwardly suggesting vain words to my soul; but also with deceit charming and deceiving, they baited me as if for good things, drawing me down into sin. Wherefore he adds: And they meditated deceits all the day long. 30.100 But I, as a deaf man, did not hear, and as a mute man that does not open his mouth; and I became as a man that does not hear, and has no reproofs in his mouth. Since those who sought my soul found it, then having found it they mocked it, and they advanced, jeering at my evils; then they spoke vanities and deceits all the day long. At this, I, being destitute of my own friends, had nothing to say, being filled with shame; wherefore, as a deaf man, I did not hear; but I who was once most eloquent, and made wise by the present wisdom, have become as a deaf man who does not hear, and as a mute man who does not open his mouth. For I had no word for a defense; nor could I say anything to my enemies, having been once vanquished by them; but I was As a man that does not hear, and has no reproofs in his mouth. For I myself was reproved, but I did not reprove, nor did I have boldness, being covered with shame. For in you, O Lord, I have hoped, you will hear, O Lord my God. For I said, lest my enemies should rejoice over me; and when my feet were moved, they spoke great things against me. These are the things that have happened to me. Wherefore I have become as a deaf man who does not hear, and as a mute man who does not open his mouth, and as a man who has no reproofs; wherefore I said nothing to my enemies, as one vanquished by them. Yet for this reason I did not despair of myself; but I gathered myself together again, having leaped away from sin as from death, and healing my own wound with the medicines of confession. And the bruises that stank on me from my foolishness, of healing

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φωτίζον αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ὅρασιν), καὶ αὐτὸ οὐκ ἦν μετ' ἐμοῦ, καταλεῖψάν με καὶ ἀναχωρῆσαν, Ἐπεὶ εἰς κακότεχνον ψυχὴν οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία, οὐδὲ κατοικήσει ἐν σώματι κατάχρεῳ ἁμαρτίας. Ἅγιον γὰρ Πνεῦμα παιδείας φεύξεται δόλον, καὶ ἀπαναστήσεται ἀπὸ λογισμῶν ἀσυνέτων. Ἀναχωρῆσαν τοίνυν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἔρημον αὐτὸν κατέλιπεν μετὰ τὸ ταραχθῆ ναι αὐτοῦ τὴν καρδίαν, καὶ ἐξατονῆσαι αὐτοῦ τὴν ἰσχύν. Τότε γὰρ καὶ τὸ φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ ἔρημον αὐτὸν εἴασεν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ πρότερον αὐτοῦ φίλοι, καὶ οἱ πλησίον αὐτοῦ, οἱ τὸν πάντα χρόνον αὐτῷ συνόντες, ἐάσαντες αὐτὸν, Μακρόθεν ἔστησαν, οὐκέτι αὐτῷ συνεῖναι βουλόμενοι, πόῤῥωθεν ἀπο κλαιόμενοι, ὡς ἔοικε, φίλου συμφοράν. Τίνες δὲ ἦσαν, ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ ἐπὶ τοῖς προτέροις αὐτοῦ ἀγαθοῖς χαίροντες, ἄγγελοι δηλαδὴ ἀγαθοὶ καὶ λειτουργοὶ Θεοῦ, τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων συγχαίρειν εἰωθότες σωτη ρίᾳ; εἴ γε, ἐπὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι, ἐν τοῖς οὐρα νοῖς χαρὰ γίνεται· Καὶ παρεμβαλεῖ ἄγγελος Κυρίου κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτόν. Καὶ οὗτοι οὖν πάν τες οἱ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ φίλοι, κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ καιρὸν ἀνεχώρουν ἀποστρεφόμενοι· οὐ μὴν πάντη αὐτὸν κατελίμπανον, μακρὰν δὲ ἑστῶτες ἐπέστενον· ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸ διδάσκει, λέγων· Οἱ φίλοι μου καὶ οἱ πλησίον μου ἐξ ἐναντίας μου ἤγγισαν, καὶ ἔστησαν. Καὶ οἱ ἔγγιστά μου, ἀπὸ μακρόθεν ἔστη σαν. Ὧν μακράν μου γενομένων, ἄλλοι τινὲς οἱ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐνεργοῦντες πλησίον μου γενόμενοι, ἐξ εβιάζοντο, καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς κατέπαιζον. ∆ιὸ ἐπάγει, λέγων· Ἐξεβιάζοντο οἱ ζητοῦντες τὴν ψυχήν μου· καὶ οἱ ζητοῦντες τὰ κακά μοι ἐλάλησαν ματαιότητας, καὶ δολιότητας ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐμελέτησαν.

Πάλαι γὰρ οὗτοι διψῶντες τοῦ ἐμοῦ αἵματος, καὶ ἐκ μακρῶν χρόνων εὐχόμενοι θεάσασθαί μου τὴν πτῶσιν, ὡσανεὶ καιροῦ λαβόμενοι, ὅτε εἶδον καταλείψασάν με τὴν ἰσχύν μου, καὶ τὸ φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου ἀναχωρῆσάν μου, τούς τε φίλους μου καὶ τοὺς πλησίον μου μακράν μου γενομένους· πα ραχρῆμα ἐπιπηδήσαντες ἐξεβιάζοντο τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ὡς ἂν ἐθελόκακοι, Ἐλάλησαν ματαιότητας, ἔνδον ὑποβάλλοντές μου τῇ ψυχῇ ματαίους λόγους· ἀλλὰ καὶ σὺν δόλῳ θέλγοντες καὶ ἀπατῶντες, ὡς ἐπὶ ἀγαθοῖς ἐδελέαζον, καθέλκοντές με εἰς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. ∆ιὸ ἐπάγει· Καὶ δολιότητας ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐμελέτησαν. 30.100 Ἐγὼ δὲ ὡσεὶ κωφὸς οὐκ ἤκουον, καὶ ὡσεὶ ἄλαλος οὐκ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐγενό μην ὡσεὶ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἀκούων, καὶ οὐκ ἔχων ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ ἐλεγμούς. Ἐπειδὴ οἱ ζητοῦν τες τὴν ψυχήν μου, εὗρον αὐτὴν, εἶθ' εὑρόντες κατ έπαιζον, ἐπέβησαν δὲ ἐπιτωθάζοντες τοῖς ἐμοῖς κακοῖς· εἶτα ἐλάλουν ματαιότητας καὶ δολιότητας ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν. Ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐγὼ ἔρημος γεγονὼς τῶν ἐμαυ τοῦ φίλων, οὐδὲν εἶχον λέγειν, αἰσχύνης πεπληρω μένος· διὸ ὡσεὶ κωφὸς οὐκ ἤκουον· ἀλλ' ὁ πάλαι λογιώτατος, καὶ τῇ παρούσῃ σοφίᾳ σεσοφισμένος γέγονα ὡσεὶ κωφὸς οὐκ ἀκούων, καὶ ὡς ἄλαλος οὐκ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. Οὐδεὶς γάρ μοι λόγος ἦν πρὸς ἀπολογίαν· οὐδ' εἶχόν τινα τοῖς ἐχθροῖς προσφθέγγεσθαι, ἅπαξ ὑπ' αὐτῶν νενικημένος· ἀλλ' ἤμην Ὡς ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἀκούων, καὶ οὐκ ἔχων ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ ἐλεγμούς. Ἠλεγχόμην γὰρ αὐ τὸς, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἤλεγχον, οὐδὲ εἶχον παῤῥησίαν, αἰσχύνῃ κεκαλυμμένος. Ὅτι ἐπὶ σοὶ, Κύριε, ἤλπισα, σὺ εἰσακούσῃ, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου. Ὅτι εἶπον, μήποτε ἐπιχαρῶσί μοι οἱ ἐχθροί μου· καὶ ἐν τῷ σα λευθῆναι πόδας μου, ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἐμεγαλοῤῥημόνησαν. Τὰ δὴ συμβεβηκότα μοι ταῦτα. ∆ιὸ γέγονα ὡσεὶ κωφὸς οὐκ ἀκούων, καὶ ὡς ἄλαλος οὐκ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὡσεὶ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἔχων ἐλεγμούς· διὸ οὐδὲν πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἔλεγον, ὡς ἂν ὑπ' αὐ τῶν νενικημένος. Οὐ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο ἀπέγνων ἐμαυ τοῦ· συνῆγον δὲ πάλιν ἐμαυτὸν, τῆς μὲν ἁμαρτίας ὡς θανάτου ἀποπηδήσας, τοῖς δὲ τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως φαρμάκοις τὸ ἐμαυτοῦ ἕλκος ἰώμενος. Καὶ τοὺς προσοζέσαντάς μοι μώλωπας ἀπὸ τῆς ἀφροσύνης μου, θεραπείας