7

I ask to obtain. Therefore, on you, Lord, I have hoped; for not trusting in myself, nor setting any other hope before my eyes than you, I prescribed for myself the things of healing.

Since therefore I have hoped, Lord, and hope does not put to shame, for this reason hear, for you are a willer of mercy, and you do not wish the death of the sinner, as much as his repentance. Because I have hoped in you, I beseech to obtain help from you, lest my enemies ever rejoice over me. For they have not yet rejoiced completely; but they will rejoice, if I should not obtain your mercy but so that my enemies might not rejoice over me, those who already and previously, when my feet were shaken, boasted greatly, I fled to you, and I say: Let me not be ashamed forever, nor let my enemies mock me. And again I say: To you, Lord, I will cry, be not silent from me, lest you ever be silent from me, and I become like those who go down into the pit. And gathering the rest of the things said by me in various ways in the other 30.101 psalms, in supplication to you, I ask to obtain present help. For even if my feet happened to be especially shaken, at which time my heart was troubled, and my strength left me, and the light of my eyes was not with me, yet I was not completely overturned, nor did I suffer such a fall as those who become apostates. Since at that very time, when my feet were shaken, my enemies boasted greatly against me, so that they might not applaud more loudly against me, I fled to you as to a harbor of salvation, who are able also to heal the incurable passions of the soul among men. For I am ready for scourges, and my pain is before me continually. For I will declare my iniquity, and I will be anxious for my sin. Having said at the beginning, Do not rebuke me in your anger, he now says: For I am ready for scourges. Therefore he declines the wrath and the anger, but says he is ready to be scourged; for he knows that whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives. Therefore he also bore nobly the scourges that came upon him through successive misfortunes after his sin, which the history of the Kingdoms contains. And my pain is before me continually. For many indeed forget their former sins, being indifferent to them, and despising them, as if no vengeance would come; but he who has the judgment seat of God continually before his eyes, and is persuaded that we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad; is always in agony, and, taking care to heal this pain in his own soul, he accuses himself through confessions to God. Therefore he says: My pain is before me continually, for I will declare my iniquity, and I will be anxious for my sin.

Such voices belong to a faithful soul and one accurately persuaded concerning the judgment of God. But my enemies live, and are stronger than I; and those who hate me unjustly are multiplied. Those who repay me evil for good slandered me, because I pursued goodness. Do not forsake me, Lord my God, do not depart from me. Attend to my help, Lord of my salvation. He remembers all his enemies, those who dragged him down into sin, and he beseeches and exhorts the Lord not to depart from him. For he saw the enemies still even now standing around him 30.104 and pressing upon him, not even being content with their former audacity against him. Therefore, being in agony lest he fall into the same things a second time, he says very watchfully: But my enemies live. For they have not died, nor having acted once have they passed away; therefore it is written: Call no man blessed before his death. They live; but they have also grown stronger, being more numerous than I.

7

τυχεῖν ἀξιῶ. ∆ιὸ Ἐπὶ σοὶ, Κύριε, ἤλπισα· οὐ γὰρ ἐμαυτῷ θαῤῥῶν, οὐδὲ ἄλλην τινὰ ἐλπίδα θέμενος πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἢ σὲ, τὰ τῆς ἰάσεως ὑπέγραφον ἐμαυτῷ.

Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἤλπισα, Κύριε, ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει, διὰ τοῦτο εἰσάκου σον, ὅτι θελητὴς ἐλέους εἶ σὺ, καὶ οὐ βούλει τὸν θά νατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς τὴν μετάνοιαν αὐτοῦ. ∆ιότι ἤλπισα ἐπὶ σὲ, ἱκετεύω τῆς παρὰ σοῦ βοηθείας ἐπιτυχεῖν, Μή ποτε ἐπιχαρῶσί μοι οἱ ἐχθροί μου. Οὔπω μὲν γὰρ παντελῶς ἐχάρησαν· ἐπιχαροῦνται δὲ, εἰ μὴ τύχοιμι τοῦ σοῦ ἐλέους ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ἐπιχα ρείησάν μοι οἱ ἐχθροί μου, οἱ ἤδη καὶ πρότερον ἐν τῷ σαλευθῆναι πόδας μου μεγαλοῤῥημονήσαντες, ἐπὶ σὲ κατέφυγον, καί φημι· Μὴ καταισχυνθείην εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, μηδὲ καταγελασάτωσάν μου οἱ ἐχθροί μου. Καὶ πάλιν φημί· Πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, κεκράξο μαι, μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, μή ποτε παρα σιωπήσῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ ὁμοιωθήσομαι τοῖς κατα βαίνουσιν εἰς λάκκον. Καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἐν τοῖς ἑτέροις 30.101 ψαλμοῖς διαφόρως μοι λελεγμένα, ἐν τῇ πρὸς σὲ ἱκετηρίᾳ συνάγων, τῆς παρούσης βοηθείας τυχεῖν ἀξιῶ. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα σαλευθῆναί μου συνέβη τοὺς πόδας, καθ' ὃν καιρὸν ἡ καρδία μου ἐταράχθη, καὶ ἐγκατέλιπέ με ἡ ἰσχύς μου, καὶ τὸ φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου οὐκ ἦν μετ' ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντη πε ριετράπην, οὐδὲ πτῶμα ἔπεσον τοιοῦτον, οἷον οἱ ἀποστάται γενόμενοι. Ἐπειδὴ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ, ἐν τῷ σαλευθῆναι τοὺς πόδας μου, ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἐμεγαλοῤῥημόνησαν οἱ ἐχθροί μου, ἵνα μὴ μει ζόνως ἐπικροτήσωσι κατ' ἐμοῦ, ἐπὶ σὲ κατέφυγον ὡς ἐπὶ λιμένα σωτηρίας, τὸν καὶ τὰ ἀνίατα παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τῆς ψυχῆς πάθη ἰάσασθαι δυνάμενον. Ὅτι ἐγὼ εἰς μάστιγας ἕτοιμος καὶ ἡ ἀλγη δών μου ἐνώπιόν μού ἐστι διαπαντός. Ὅτι τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγὼ ἀναγγελῶ καὶ μεριμνήσω ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου. Καταρχὰς εἰπὼν, Μὴ τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐλέγξῃς με, ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος φησίν· Ὅτι ἐγὼ εἰς μάστιγας ἕτοιμος. Οὐκοῦν τὴν μὲν ὀργὴν παραιτεῖται καὶ τὸν θυμὸν, ἕτοιμος δὲ μαστίζεσθαι εἶναι λέγει· οἶδε γὰρ, ὅτι Ὃν ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος παιδεύει, μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱὸν ὃν παραδέχεται. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔφερε γενναίως τὰς μάστιγας τὰς διὰ τῶν ἐπαλλήλων συμφορῶν μετὰ τὸ ἁμάρτημα συμβεβηκυίας αὐτῷ, ἃς ἡ ἱστορία τῶν Βασιλειῶν περιέχει. Καὶ ἡ ἀλγηδών μου ἐνώπιόν μού ἐστι διαπαντός. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ πολλοὶ λήθην ποιοῦνται τῶν προτέρων ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀδιαφοροῦντες ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, καὶ κατα-φρονοῦντες, ὡς μηδεμιᾶς ἐκδικήσεως γενησομένης· ὁ δὲ τὸ δικαστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν διαπαντὸς ἔχων, καὶ πεπεισμένος, ὅτι πάντες παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαστος τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος πρὸς ὃ ἔπραξεν, εἴτε ἀγαθὸν, εἴτε φαῦλον· ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ καθέστηκε πάντοτε, καὶ τὴν ἀλγηδόνα τὴν ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῇ, ταύτην ἰάσασθαι φροντίζων, αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ κατηγορεῖ διὰ τῶν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐξομολογήσεων. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἡ ἀλγηδών μου ἐνώπιόν μού ἐστι διαπαντὸς, ὅτι τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγὼ ἀναγγελῶ, καὶ μεριμνήσω ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου.

Πιστῆς δὲ ψυχῆς καὶ ἀκριβῶς πεπεισμένης περὶ τῆς κρίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ τυγχάνουσιν αἱ τοιαῦται φωναί. Οἱ δὲ ἐχθροί μου ζῶσι, καὶ κεκραταίωνται ὑπὲρ ἐμέ· καὶ ἐπλη-θύνθησαν οἱ μισοῦντές με ἀδίκως. Οἱ ἀνταποδιδόντες μοι κακὰ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν, ἐνδιέβαλλόν με, ἐπεὶ κατεδίωκον ἀγαθωσύνην. Μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς με, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, μὴ ἀποστῇς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Πρόσχες εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου, Κύριε τῆς σωτηρίας μου. Πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ μέμνηται, τῶν ἐπὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν αὐτὸν κατασυράντων, ἱκετεύει τε καὶ παρακαλεῖ μὴ ἀποστῆναι αὐτοῦ τὸν Κύριον. Ἑώρα γὰρ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἔτι καὶ νῦν περὶ αὐτὸν ἑστῶτας 30.104 καὶ ἐπικειμένους, μηδὲ τῇ προτέρᾳ κατ' αὐτοῦ τόλμῃ ἀρκουμένους. ∆ιὸ ἀγωνιῶν μὴ καὶ δεύτερον τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπέσῃ, σφόδρα ἐγρηγορότως φησίν· Οἱ δὲ ἐχθροί μου ζῶσιν. Οὐ γὰρ τεθνήκασιν, οὐδὲ ἅπαξ ἐνεργήσαντες παρῆλθον· διὸ γέγραπται· Μὴ μακαρίσῃς ἄνδρα πρὸ τελευτῆς αὐτοῦ. Ζῶσιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ κεκραταίωνται πλείους ὄντες ὑπὲρ ἐμέ.