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he might kill, wounding him with his fiery darts; for these are productive of death, dragging down from the life with virtue the one struck by the darts. It is possible to punctuate it also this way: He sits in ambush with the rich; after which, having punctuated, we add "In secret places to kill the innocent." For "In secret places," creating an ambiguity, is punctuated in two ways, which we have already done before by punctuating "He sits in ambush with the rich in secret places," later reading it thus: "He sits in ambush with the rich in secret places to kill the innocent." But even if he lies in wait for the aforementioned rich, sitting with them in order to seize and kill an innocent man, yet it must be noted that he can wound none of the wise according to God who are clothed in the full armor of God; whence he has his eyes on the poor man, being persuaded that he has him as capturable, being the same one as the poor man who is set on fire by the arrogance of the wicked. He lies in wait in a secret place like a fierce lion in his den to seize the poor man through deceitful words (and sometimes also through actions), whom he will also drag after seizing him in his net in order to devour him. For he is a fierce beast, or rather, this very thing, a lion. Often, at any rate, lying in wait, while speaking ostensibly about stewardship, he conceals the discourse about avarice. As also when speaking about temperance he suggests a way of licentiousness, thus he deceived Eve in paradise through the transgression of the commandment, suggesting equality with God, and Judas through avarice. The word "to bow down" indicates that, having turned his eye downward, he fell; for how does he not have his gaze downward who rejects providence by saying "God has forgotten," and what follows? 69 Ps 9,35-37a Being able to humble immediately the arrogant man who oppresses those who are troubled by his insolence, for what useful purpose, being able to help them, did you allow them to be afflicted for a time, by which happening you were known not only as understanding the labor upon him and through him? But this has happened so that those who were benefited through the temporary affliction might willingly give themselves over into your hands, henceforth having a desire to be disciplined and ruled by you. To you therefore is the poor man left; you will manage the things concerning his salvation, that you might make him rich by providing good things from heaven. Thus also he himself helps the orphan, presiding over and raising him to the rank of a son. In these matters one must understand the orphan as one who once had the devil as a father on account of wickedness, but now has cast him off by way of repentance. Symbols of these adopted orphans for the purpose of having help from God are Abraham, who left his father's house in order to follow God when called, and the sons of Zebedee, who left their father at the urging of Jesus who said, "Follow me." And who would the sinner and wicked one, spoken of with the article, be, but the devil? His arm is broken by the Lord, and his sin, being sought, is not found, having its existence in its performance and having received an end. For evil is not some substance but a quality, and thus will be established the end over all things for whose sake all other things came to be; but he himself is for the sake of nothing, so that of his kingdom there is no end. For it is not possible for the same one to be under two lords and kings. When sin lorded over and reigned over the one doing it, God was not lord nor king of the sinner. But since the sin that reigned over the one performing it was sought and not found, the Lord reigns for ever and for ever and ever. 70 Ps 9,37b The good heart has been called the land of God. From this land nations perish, whenever every evil thought and wicked reasoning is cast out; for the evil thoughts and reasonings are nations perishing by the beneficence of God. But if one wishes it to signify the land of the meek (for this too is the Lord's), nations perish from this land. For every sinner is not permitted to ascend into it; for only the saints will inherit it.

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ἀποκτείνῃ, τρώσας αὐτὸν τοῖς πεπυρωμένοις αὐτοῦ βέλεσι· θανάτου γὰρ ποιητικὰ ταῦτα κατασπῶντος ἀπὸ τῆς σὺν ἀρετῇ ζωῆς τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν βελῶν βαλλόμενον. Στίξαι δυνατὸν καὶ ουτως· ̓Εγκάθηται ἐν ἐνέδρᾳ μετὰ πλουσίων· μεθ' ο στίξαντες ἐπιφέρομεν ̓Εν ἀποκρύφοις ἀποκτεῖναι ἀθῷον. τὸ γὰρ ̓Εν ἀποκρύφοις ἀμφιβολίαν ποιοῦν ἑκατέρως διαστέλλεται, οπερ ηδη πεποιήκαμεν πρότερον στίξαντες ̓Εγκάθηται ἐν ἐνέδρᾳ μετὰ πλουσίων ἐν ἀποκρύφοις, υστερον ουτως ἀναγνόντες· ̓Εγκάθηται ἐν ἐνέδρᾳ μετὰ πλουσίων ἐν ἀποκρύφοις ἀποκτεῖναι ἀθῷον. πλὴν εἰ καὶ ̓Ενεδρεύει πλουσίοις τοῖς προειρημένοις συγκαθήμενος ἐπὶ τῷ ἑλεῖν καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι ἀθῷον, ἀλλά γε ἐπιστατέον ὡς οὐδένα τῶν κατὰ θεὸν σοφῶν τρῶσαι δύναται ἐνδεδυμένον τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ θεοῦ· οθεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς εἰς τὸν πένητα εχει πειθόμενος αὐτὸν εχειν ἁλωτόν, τὸν αὐτὸν οντα τῷ ἐμπυριζομένῳ πτωχῷ ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς ὑπερηφανίᾳ. ̓Ενεδρεύει ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ οια αγριος λέων ἐν τῇ μάνδρᾳ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἁρπάσαι πτωχὸν διὰ λόγων ἀπατηλῶν (εστιν δ' οτε καὶ διὰ πράξεων), ον καὶ ἑλκύσει μετὰ τὸ ἁρπάσαι ἐν τῇ παγίδι αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ καταφαγεῖν. θὴρ γὰρ αγριός ἐστιν, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο λέων. πολλάκις γοῦν ἐνεδρεύων, περὶ οἰκονομίας δῆθεν ὁμιλῶν, ἐγκρύπτει τὸν περὶ φιλαργυρίας λόγον. ὡς αυ περὶ σωφροσύνης φθεγγόμενος τρόπον ἀκολασίας ὑποβάλλει, ουτως τὴν Ευαν ἠπάτησεν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τῆς ἐντολῆς ἰσοθείαν ὑποβαλὼν καὶ τὸν ̓Ιουδὰν διὰ φιλαργυρίας. Τὸ κύψαι κείμενον δηλοῖ, ὡς κάτω στρέψας τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν επεσεν· πῶς γὰρ οὐ κάτω τὴν βλέψιν εχει ὁ ἀθετῶν πρόνοιαν διὰ τοῦ λέγειν ̓Επιλέλησται ὁ θεός, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς; 69 Ps 9,35-37a ∆υνάμενος παραχρῆμα ταπεινώσει τὸν ὑπερήφανον καταδυναστεύοντα τοὺς ταραττομένους ἐπὶ τῇ θρασύτητι αὐτοῦ, διὰ τί χρήσιμον, βοηθῆσαι αὐτοῖς δυνάμενος, ειασας αὐτοὺς χρόνον τινὰ θλιβῆναι ἐφ' ῳ γινομένῳ ἐγνώσθης οὐ μόνον καὶ τὸν ἐπ' αὐτῷ καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ πόνον κατανοῶν; γέγονε δὲ τοῦτο, ιν' οἱ ὠφεληθέντες διὰ τῆς προσκαίρου κακώσεως ἑκουσίως ἑαυτοὺς παραδῶσιν εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου, πόθον λοιπὸν εχοντες παιδεύεσθαι καὶ αρχεσθαι ὑπὸ σοῦ. Σοὶ ουν ἐγκαταλείπεται ὁ πτωχός· σὺ τὰ περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτοῦ οἰκονομήσεις, ινα πλούσιον αὐτὸν ποιήσῃς ἀγαθὰ οὐρανόθεν παρασχών. ουτω καὶ ὀρφανῷ αὐτὸς βοηθεῖ, προϊστάμενος καὶ ἀνατρέφων αὐτὸν εἰς υἱοῦ τάξιν. ὀρφανὸν ἐν τούτοις ἐκλαβεῖν δεῖ τόν ποτε εχοντα πατέρα τὸν διάβολον διὰ κακίαν, νῦν δὲ αὐτὸν ἀποβαλόντα μετανοίας τρόπῳ. σύμβολα τούτων τῶν προσληφθέντων ὀρφανῶν ἐπὶ τῷ βοήθειαν εχειν ὑπὸ θεοῦ ὁ ̓Αβραὰμ καταλιπὼν τὸν οικον τοῦ πατρὸς ινα θεῷ ἀκολουθήσῃ κεκλημένος, καὶ οἱ Ζεβεδαίου υἱοὶ ἀφέντες τὸν πατέρα προτροπῇ τοῦ εἰπόντος ̓Ιησοῦ ̓Ακολουθεῖτέ μοι. ̔Αμαρτωλὸς δὲ τίς αν ειη καὶ πονηρὸς μετὰ τοῦ αρθρου εἰρημένος η ὁ διάβολος; τούτου ὁ βραχίων ὑπὸ κυρίου συντρίβεται, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία αὐτοῦ ζητουμένη οὐχ εὑρίσκεται, εχουσα ἐν τῷ ἐπιτελεῖσθαι τὸ ειναι τέλος λαβοῦσα. οὐ γὰρ οὐσία τίς ἐστιν τὸ κακὸν ἀλλὰ ποιότης, καὶ ουτως ἐνστήσεται τὸ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν τέλος ου χάριν τὰ αλλα πάντα γέγονεν· αὐτὸς δὲ οὐδενὸς ενεκά ἐστιν, ὡς τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ μὴ ειναι τέλος. οὐ γὰρ οιόν τε τὸν αὐτὸν ὑπὸ δύο κυρίους καὶ βασιλεῖς ειναι. οτε ἐκυρίευεν καὶ ἐβασίλευεν ἡ ἁμαρτία τοῦ αὐτὴν ποιοῦντος, ὁ θεὸς οὐ κύριος οὐ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἁμαρτάνοντος ην. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ζητηθεῖσα ἡ ἁμαρτία ἡ βασιλεύουσα τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος αὐτὴν οὐχ ηὑρέθη, Κύριος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα βασιλεύει καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. 70 Ps 9,37b Γῆ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ἀγαθὴ καρδία ειρηται. ἐκ ταύτης τῆς γῆς εθνη ἀπόλλυνται, οτ' αν ἐκβληθῇ πᾶν ἐνθύμημα φαῦλον καὶ λογισμὸς πονηρός· εθνη γὰρ τὰ φαῦλα ἐνθυμήματα καὶ λογισμοὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ θεοῦ ἀπολλύμενα. εἰ δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν πραέων γῆν δηλοῦσθαί τις βούλεται (κυρίου γὰρ καὶ αὐτή), ἀπόλλυνται ἐκ τῆς γῆς ταύτης εθνη. πᾶς γὰρ ὁ ἁμαρτάνων οὐκ ἐπιτρεπόμενος εἰς αὐτὴν ἀναβῆναι· μόνοι γὰρ αγιοι κληρονομήσουσιν αὐτήν.