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He makes his discourse on her behalf, and beginning, just like these advocates, the orators in the courts, he says on whose behalf he makes the defense, that is, For her that inherits. And what does she that inherits ask? Let us hear. Give ear to my words, O Lord. She calls the bridegroom Lord; for this is the work of a well-disposed bride. For if this happens among those of the same substance, and the wife calls her husband lord; much more so in the case of the Church and of Christ, where He is also Lord by nature. Thus she calls Him Lord not only as a bridegroom, but also as a Master, and she draws Him to her supplication. For since an inheritance is set before her, 55.64 and this inheritance comes to pass if she should accomplish what has been commanded; she exhorts and beseeches Him to become her ally, so that she may achieve the things set before her, and not fall from the inheritance. Therefore she also says: Give ear to my words, O Lord; and she says this with confidence, since she asks for such things as He Himself wishes to give; for if anyone asks for such things as are unworthy of the giver, he cannot ask for this grace. When one prays against enemies, when against those who have caused grief, these are not the words of a man, but of the devil. For if swearing is from the devil—for What is more than these is from the evil one—it is clear that praying against enemies is also. If, therefore, you say, Give ear to my words, utter those things which are the words of a gentle and loving man, and having nothing of the devil in them. 3. Understand my cry. Here by cry he means not the tone of the voice, but the disposition of the mind. Since even to Moses when he was silent He said: Why do you cry to me? He did not say, Why do you pray to me? but, Why do you cry to me? because he approached Him with a vehement disposition. So that you may learn that here too he does not mean the cry, but the disposition of the mind, and the intense earnestness, he did not say, Hear my cry, but what? Understand, that is, comprehend. For even if he uses human words, yet even in the human words he shows what is well represented. Attend to the voice of my supplication. Again he speaks of the inward voice. Thus also did Hannah cry out. And he did not simply say, Attend to the voice of my prayer, but, Of my supplication. For one who prays must be clothed in the manner and mind of a suppliant. For a suppliant does not take up the words of an accuser; but one who prays against an enemy is more an accuser than a suppliant. Do you see how he presented the prayer, since he was making it worthy of being heard? So we too, when we pray and wish to be heard, let us first establish it so that it is a prayer, and not become an accusation, and according to His laws, let us thus introduce it. My king and my God. That which the Prophet says continually, or rather that which was special to Abraham, as Paul says: For which cause God is not ashamed to be called their God; this she has conceived and accomplished through her longing. For she did not say simply, The king, but, My king and my God, showing her own love. Then she also gives the reasons why she deems it worthy to be heard. And what are these? For to you I will pray, O Lord. Who, he says, does not pray to God? Many seem to pray to God, but they do this for the display of men. But not she; but she stretched up to God Himself, having left all human things behind. In the morning you shall hear my voice. Do you see the earnestness, and the contrite soul? From the beginnings of the day, she says, I make this my work. Let those hear who come to prayer then after countless other works. But not 55.65 she; but from the beginnings of the day she gave the first-fruits to God. For, he says, one must come before the sun to give you thanks, and encounter you before the dawning of the light. But you, in the case of a king, would not tolerate a lesser person prostrating himself before you; but now

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ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον, καὶ ἀρχόμενος, καθάπερ οἱ συνήγοροι οὗτοι οἱ ῥήτορες, οἱ ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις, λέγει ὑπὲρ τίνος ποιεῖται τὴν δικαιολογίαν, ὅτι Ὑπὲρ τῆς κληρονομούσης. Καὶ τί αἰτεῖ ἡ κληρονομοῦσα, ἀκούσωμεν. Τὰ ῥήματά μου ἐνώτισαι, Κύριε. Τὸν νυμφίον Κύριον καλεῖ· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο νύμφης εὐγνώμονος ἔργον. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ὁμοουσίων τοῦτο συμβαίνει, καὶ κύριον τὸν ἄνδρα καλεῖ ἡ γυνή· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅπου καὶ φύσει Κύριός ἐστιν. Οὕτω γοῦν αὐτὸν οὐχ ὡς νυμφίον καλεῖ Κύριον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς ∆εσπότην, καὶ ἐπισπᾶται αὐτὸν πρὸς τὴν δέησιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κληρονομία αὐτῇ πρό 55.64 κειται, ἡ κληρονομία δὲ αὕτη, εἰ κατορθώσειε τὰ ἐπιταχθέντα, εἰς ἔργον ἐκβαίνει· παρακαλεῖ καὶ δεῖται σύμμαχον αὐτῇ γενέσθαι, ὥστε ἀνύσαι τὰ προκείμενα, καὶ μὴ ἐκπεσεῖν τοῦ κλήρου. ∆ιὸ καί φησι· Τὰ ῥήματά μου ἐνώτισαι, Κύριε· καὶ μετὰ παῤῥησίας λέγει τοῦτο, ἐπειδὴ τοιαῦτα αἰτεῖ, ἅπερ καὶ αὐτὸς διδόναι βούλεται· ὡς ἐάν τις τοιαῦτα αἰτῇ ἀνάξια τοῦ παρέχοντος, οὐ δύναται ταύτην αἰτεῖν τὴν χάριν. Ὅταν κατ' ἐχθρῶν εὔχηται, ὅταν κατὰ τῶν λελυπηκότων, ταῦτα οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλὰ διαβόλου τὰ ῥήματα. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ ὀμνύναι ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστὶ καὶ γὰρ Τὸ περιττὸν τούτων ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ τὸ κατ' ἐχθρῶν εὔχεσθαι. Ἐὰν τοίνυν λέγῃς, Τὰ ῥήματά μου ἐνώτισαι, ἐκεῖνα φθέγγου, ἃ ἀνθρώπου ῥήματά ἐστιν ἡμέρου καὶ φιλανθρώπου, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔχοντος διαβολικόν. γʹ. Σύνες τῇ κραυγῇ μου. Κραυγὴν ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὸν τόνον φησὶ τῆς φωνῆς, ἀλλὰ τῆς διανοίας τὴν διάθεσιν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τῷ Μωϋσεῖ σιγῶντι ἔλεγε· Τί βοᾷς πρός με; Οὐκ εἶπε, Τί εὔχῃ πρός με; ἀλλὰ, Τί βοᾷς πρός με; ἐπειδὴ μετὰ σφοδρᾶς διαθέσεως αὐτῷ προσῄει. Ἵνα· γοῦν μάθῃς ὅτι καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὐ τὴν κραυγὴν λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὴν διάθεσιν τῆς διανοίας, καὶ τὴν σπουδὴν τὴν συντεταμένην, οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἄκουσον τῆς κραυγῆς μου, ἀλλὰ τί; Σύνες, τουτέστι, κατάμαθε. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἀνθρωπίνοις κέχρηται ῥήμασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις τὸ εὖ παριστάμενον δηλοῖ. Πρόσχες τῇ φωνῇ τῆς δεήσεώς μου. Πάλιν τὴν ἔνδον λέγει φωνήν. Οὕτω καὶ Ἄννα ἐβόα. Καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπε, Πρόσχες τῇ φωνῇ τῆς εὐχῆς μου, ἀλλὰ, Τῆς δεήσεώς μου. Τὸν γὰρ εὐχόμενον ἱκέτου δεῖ περικεῖσθαι σχῆμα καὶ γνώμην. Ὁ γὰρ ἱκέτης οὐ κατηγόρου ῥήματα ἀναλαμβάνει· ὁ δὲ ἐχθροῦ κατευχόμενος, κατήγορος μᾶλλόν ἐστιν, ἢ ἱκέτης. Εἶδες πῶς παρέστησε τὴν εὐχὴν, ἐπειδὴ ἀξίαν αὐτὴν ἐποιεῖτο τοῦ ἀκουσθῆναι; Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅταν εὐχώμεθα καὶ βουλώμεθα ἀκούεσθαι, πρῶτον αὐτὴν καθιστῶμεν, ἵνα ᾖ εὐχὴ, καὶ μὴ κατηγορία γένηται, καὶ κατὰ τοὺς νόμους τοὺς ἐκείνου, οὕτως αὐτὴν εἰσάγωμεν. Ὁ βασιλεύς μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου. Ὅπερ ὁ Προφήτης συνεχῶς λέγει, μᾶλλον δὲ ὅπερ ἐξαίρετον τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἦν, καθὼς ὁ Παῦλός φησι· ∆ι' ἣν αἰτίαν οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται ὁ Θεὸς Θεὸς καλεῖσθαι αὐτῶν· τοῦτο αὕτη διείληφε, καὶ τῷ πόθῳ κατώρθωσεν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, Ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἀλλ', Ὁ βασιλεύς μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου, τὸν ἔρωτα ἐνδεικνυμένη τὸν αὐτῆς. Εἶτα καὶ τὰς αἰτίας τίθησι, δι' ἃς ἀξιοῖ αὐτὴν ἀκουσθῆναι. Ποῖαι δέ εἰσιν αὗται; Ὅτι πρὸς σὲ προσεύξομαι, Κύριε. Τίς, φησὶν, οὐχὶ τῷ Θεῷ προσεύχεται; Πολλοὶ δοκοῦσι μὲν τῷ Θεῷ προσεύχεσθαι· πρὸς δὲ ἀνθρώπων ἐπίδειξιν τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ αὕτη· ἀλλὰ πρὸς Θεὸν αὐτὸν ἀνετείνετο, τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πάντα ἀφεῖσα. Τὸ πρωῒ εἰσακούσῃ τῆς φωνῆς μου. Ὁρᾷς σπουδὴν, καὶ κατανενυγμένην ψυχήν; Ἐκ προοιμίων τῆς ἡμέρας, φησὶ, τοῦτο ἔργον ποιοῦμαι. Ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ μετὰ μυρία ἔργα τότε ἐπὶ τὴν εὐχὴν ἐρχόμενοι. Ἀλλ' οὐχ 55.65 αὕτη· ἀλλ' ἐκ προοιμίων τῆς ἡμέρας τὰς ἀπαρχὰς ἐδίδου τῷ Θεῷ. ∆εῖ γὰρ, φησὶ, φθάνειν τὸν ἥλιον ἐπ' εὐχαριστίαν σου, καὶ πρὸ ἀνατολῆς φωτὸς ἐντυγχάνειν σοι. Σὺ δὲ ἐπὶ μὲν βασιλέως οὐκ ἂν ἀνάσχοιο τὸν ἐλάττονα πρὸ σοῦ προλαβόντα προσκυνῆσαι· νυνὶ δὲ