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Each of the pious, having fallen into misfortune, would say, and Joseph, having fled slavery and adultery and slander, and Daniel, having been prevented from praying, and those three youths, having been forced to worship the image, and the victorious martyrs, having endured all kinds of punishments. And with good reason did the blessed David say these things, when he was driven out by Saul, and forced to live with foreign and hostile men. For he would have shared in their impiety, if he had not carried with him the study of the divine laws; for which reason he adds: For ever I will not forget your justifications, for in them you have given me life. Blessed is he who sends up this voice in truth to God, and lives by His justifications in this world. For the sinner cannot say, For ever I will not forget your justifications, while transgressing the commandments of God; for having learned by experience, the prophet says that your justifications produce life, and I will keep their memory unquenchable. I am yours, save me, for I have sought out your justifications. The phrase, I am yours, is understood in various ways; for I am your slave, your servant, your son by grace. If anyone, therefore, is confident in keeping the commandments of God, he says: I am yours, save me. Why? Because I have sought out your commandments. For those who do the works of the adversary do not seek out the commandments, and they cannot say: I am yours, save me. Therefore, not all of us can use this voice. For the slave of sin lies, calling himself God's. For by whatever one is overcome, to this he is enslaved. If, therefore, having been freed from that, we choose the divine laws, we can use this voice. Sinners have waited for me to destroy me; I have understood your testimonies. For, Waited, Symmachus and Theodotion have said, Expected. They, therefore, hoped to deliver me to death; but I, attending to your testimonies, reaped life from them. In many ways those living in sins rise up against the just, not expecting the judgment and recompense, nor an equivalent penalty for their wickedness, holding the present things as certain, gathering wealth from injustice, squandering what belongs to others; but the just seek out the testimonies of God, and whatever may happen to them, they do not turn aside from his commandments. I have seen an end of all perfection; your commandment is exceedingly broad. And Symmachus thus: I have seen an end of all establishment; your commandment is exceedingly spacious. All human things, he says, both wealth and abundance and power, leaderships and generalships, tyrannies and kingdoms, have an end, and a swift end; but your commandment is broad and indestructible, and for those who keep it, it provides endless and eternal wealth and the good things that admit no change. For the sinners themselves, being rich and rejoicing in this life, and passing their time in prosperity and power, consider the present things to be the end of good things; but the prophet not so, but sings: I have seen an end of all perfection; the commandment of God is exceedingly broad, 55.694 and it abides forever, and it has the recompense of eternal good things. How I have loved your law, O Lord! It is my meditation all the day. Not everyone who fulfills the divine law, fulfills it by loving it; but some out of dread and fear of punishment, others hunting for glory from men; but the genuine lovers of virtue hasten to fulfill the divine commands by their disposition towards good things. Let us attend, therefore, brothers, to what is said. It commands us to meditate on the divine law and the commandments of God all the day; and we do not listen to the divine reading for two or three hours, through which our life is set right. For there are some who, like a deaf asp, stop their ears, and withdraw, not wanting to hear the divine words and

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ἕκαστος εἴποι ἂν τῶν εὐσεβῶν περιπε σὼν συμφορᾷ, καὶ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ δουλείαν καὶ μοιχείαν καὶ συκοφαντίαν φυγὼν, καὶ ὁ ∆ανιὴλ εὔξασθαι κωλυθεὶς, καὶ οἱ τρεῖς ἐκεῖνοι παῖδες προσκυνῆσαι καταναγκαζό μενοι τὴν εἰκόνα, καὶ οἱ νικηφόροι μάρτυρες παντοδαπῆς τιμωρίας ὑπομείναντες εἴδη. Εἰκότως δὲ ταῦτα ἔφη ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ, ἐξελαθεὶς μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ, ἀλλο φύλοις δὲ καὶ δυσμενέσιν ἀνθρώποις συνδιάγειν ἀναγκα ζόμενος. Ἐκοινώνησε γὰρ ἂν τῆς ἀσεβείας, εἰ μὴ τῶν θείων νόμων συμπεριέφερε τὴν μελέτην· διὸ καὶ ἐπιφέ ρει· Εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα οὐ μὴ ἐπιλάθωμαι τῶν δικαιωμά των σου, ὅτι ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔζησάς με. Μακάριος οὗτος, ὃς τὴν φωνὴν ταύτην ἐν ἀληθείᾳ ἀναπέμπει πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασιν αὐτοῦ βιοῖ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ. Ὁ γὰρ ἁμαρτωλὸς οὐ δύναται εἰπεῖν, Εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα οὐ μὴ ἐπιλάθωμαι τῶν δικαιωμάτων σου, παραβαίνων τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ· τῇ γὰρ πείρᾳ μαθὼν ὁ προ φήτης λέγει, ὅτι ζωὴν τὰ σὰ δικαιώματα φύει, καὶ ἄσβε στον τούτων διατηρήσω τὴν μνήμην. Σός εἰμι ἐγὼ, σῶσόν με, ὅτι τὰ δικαιώματά σου ἐξεζήτησα. Εἰς διάφορα προσυπακούεται τὸ, Σός εἰμι· σὸς γάρ εἰμι δοῦλος, σὸς θεράπων, σὸς κατὰ χάριν υἱός. Εἴ τις οὖν θαῤῥεῖ φυλάττειν τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ, αὐτὸς λέγει· Σός εἰμι ἐγὼ, σῶσόν με. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι τὰς ἐντολάς σου ἐξεζήτησα. Οἱ γὰρ τὰ τοῦ ἐναντίου ἔργα ποιοῦντες, οὐκ ἐκζητοῦσι τὰς ἐντολὰς, καὶ οὐ δύνανται εἰπεῖν· Σός εἰμι ἐγὼ, σῶσόν με. Οὐ πάντες τοίνυν ταύτῃ κεχρῆσθαι δυνάμεθα τῇ φωνῇ. Ψεύδεται γὰρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ δοῦλος, τοῦ Θεοῦ ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάζων. Ὧ γάρ τις ἥττηται, τούτῳ καὶ δεδούλωται. Ἐὰν τοίνυν ἐκείνης ἀπαλλαγέντες, τοὺς θείους προελώμεθα νόμους, ταύτῃ κεχρῆσθαι δυνά μεθα τῇ φωνῇ. Ἐμὲ ὑπέμειναν ἁμαρτωλοὶ, τοῦ ἀπολέσαι με· τὰ μαρτύριά σου συνῆκα. Τὸ, Ὑπέμειναν, Προσεδόκησαν ὁ Σύμμαχος καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων εἰρήκασιν. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἤλπισαν παραδοῦναί με θανάτῳ· ἐγὼ δὲ τοῖς σοῖς προσέχων μαρτυρίοις, τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἐκαρπω σάμην ζωήν. Πολλαχῶς δὲ οἱ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ζῶντες, κατ επανίστανται τῶν δικαίων, μὴ προσδοκῶντες τὴν κρίσιν καὶ ἀνταπόδοσιν, μηδὲ ἰσόῤῥοπον δίκην τῆς κακίας αὐ τῶν, ἔχοντες βέβαια τὰ παρόντα, ἐξ ἀδικίας συνάγοντες πλοῦτον, ἐξ ἀλλοτρίων κατασπαταλῶντες· οἱ δὲ δίκαιοι τὰ μαρτύρια τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκζητοῦσι, καὶ εἴ τι ἂν γένηται εἰς αὐτοὺς, οὐ παρεκτρέπονται ἐκ τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ. Πάσης συντελείας εἶδον πέρας· πλατεῖα ἡ ἐντολή σου σφό δρα. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτω· Πάσης κατασκευῆς εἶδον πέρας· εὐρύχωρος ἡ ἐντολή σου σφόδρα. Πάντα, φησὶ, τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, καὶ πλοῦτος καὶ περιουσία καὶ δυναστεία, ἡγεμονίαι καὶ στρατηγίαι, τυραννίδες καὶ βασιλεῖαι, τέλος ἔχουσι, καὶ τέλος ταχύ· ἡ δὲ σὴ ἐντολὴ πλατεῖά ἐστι καὶ ἀνώλεθρος, καὶ τοῖς φυλάττουσιν αὐτὴν προξενεῖ τὸν ἀπέραντον καὶ αἰώνιον πλοῦτον καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰ μηδεμίαν μεταβολὴν δεχόμενα. Αὐτοὶ μὲν γὰρ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ πλουτοῦντες καὶ εὐφραινόμενοι ἐν τῷδε. τῷ βίῳ, καὶ ἐν εὐημερίᾳ παρερχόμενοι καὶ δυναστείᾳ, τέλος λογίζονται εἶναι τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὰ παρόντα· ὁ δὲ προφήτης οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ ψάλλει· Πάσης συντελείας εἶδον πέρας· ἡ ἐντολὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ πλατεῖά ἐστι σφόδρα, 55.694 καὶ διαμένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ τὴν ἀντίδοσιν ἔχει τῶν αἰωνιζόντων ἀγαθῶν. Ὡς ἠγάπησα τὸν νόμον σου, Κύριε! Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μελέτη μού ἐστιν. Οὐ πᾶς ὁ τὸν θεῖον νόμον πληρῶν, ἀγαπῶν τοῦτον πληροῖ· ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν δέει καὶ φόβῳ τῆς τιμωρίας, οἱ δὲ δόξαν τὴν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων θη ρώμενοι· οἱ δὲ γνήσιοι τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐρασταὶ τῇ περὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ διαθέσει πληροῦν ἐπείγονται τὰ θεῖα προστάγματα. Προσέχωμεν οὖν, ἀδελφοὶ, τοῖς λεγομένοις. Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μελετᾷν προστάσσει ἡμῖν τὸν θεῖον νόμον καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ ἡμεῖς δύο ὥρας ἢ τρεῖς οὐκ ἀκροώμεθα θείας ἀναγνώσεως, δι' ἧς ὁ βίος ἡμῶν κατορθοῦται. Εἰσὶ γάρ τινες, οἳ δίκην ἀσπίδος κωφῆς κλείουσι τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν, καὶ ὑποχωροῦσι, μὴ ἀκοῦσαι θέλοντες θείων λόγων καὶ