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and made famous, so that the race might be compared to the sand in number, and likewise to the stars to be bright and high, and conspicuous. Then he sets the facts alongside the promises. 37. "For, O Lord," he says, "we are made small beyond all the nations, and we are lowly in all the earth today." And lest he should falsely accuse the promises, he immediately added the cause, saying: "Because of our sins." "For you, O Lord," he says, "did not falsify the promises, but we broke the covenants, and being many according to the promise, and beyond number, we were made few because of our sins." For this he hinted at by saying: "We were made small." For he did not say, "We are small, and few beyond all the nations," but, "We were made small," that is, "We became greater than number according to your promise, but having transgressed your commandments, we became few instead of many." Then he points out to God the prevailing calamity, not teaching him as one who is ignorant, but by the narration of grievous things, calling him to loving-kindness. 38. "And there is not," he says, "at this time a prince, and a prophet, and a leader." "For we have been deprived," he says, "of kingdom, prophecy, priesthood, your divine and great gifts, by which we were continually governed." "Neither whole burnt offering, nor sacrifice, nor oblation, nor incense." And showing the reason why it is impossible to sacrifice, he consequently added: "Nor a place to offer fruit before you, and to find mercy." For your law prescribed the ministry of sacrifices to one place, and it is a clear transgression to offer a sacrifice to you in another place. The Jews are not willing to hear these things, but closing their eyes, and stopping their ears, they dare to perform all things unlawfully. But these holy children, knowing the purpose of the law, said there was no place to offer fruit before him, and to find mercy; And since it is impossible, he says, to obtain this, being far from that holy city, we have found a certain manner of worship, O Lord. 39, 40. "For in a contrite soul, and a spirit of humility, offering to you our supplication, we beseech that it may be accepted. As in whole burnt offerings of rams and bulls, and as in ten thousands 81.1332 of fat lambs, so let our sacrifice be in your sight today, and be perfected after you; for there is no shame for those who trust in you." "For since," he says, "your law does not permit offering the customary sacrifices to you in every place, instead of rams, and bulls, and lambs excelling in number, we offer to you a contrite and humbled heart, and we beseech that these things may be sweeter to you than any sacrifice, since you are accustomed to free from all shame those who trust in you." And this holy man did not say these things simply thus, but having been taught by the prophet David, who in the fiftieth psalm says, that "If you had desired sacrifice, I would have given it; you will not be pleased with whole burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit, a contrite and humbled heart God will not despise." And again from the person of God: "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of praise, and pay your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of your affliction, and I will deliver you, and you will glorify me." And after a little: "A sacrifice of praise will glorify me, and there is the way, in which I will show him my salvation." Having been taught these things, this divine man besought that the contrite heart be accepted instead of any sacrifice. Then he adds: 41. "And now we follow you with our whole heart, and we fear you, and we seek your face, do not put us to shame." For the multitude of calamities has made us different from what we were, and though we were transgressors of your commandments, has prepared us to both fear and seek you with our whole heart. And here he called the face of God favor, and the restoration of freedom, and the recovery of care, enjoying which it was possible to see both the divine temple, and the

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πησάς τε καὶ ἀοιδίμους ἐποίησας, ὥστε τῇ ψάμμῳ μὲν κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν παραβάλλεσθαι τὸ γένος, τοῖς δὲ ἀστράσι παραπλησίως εἶναι λαμπρόν τε καὶ ὑψηλὸν, καὶ περιφανές. Εἶτα ἐκ παραλλήλου ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις τὰ πράγματα τίθησιν. λζʹ. "Ὅτι, ∆έσποτα, φησὶν ἐσμικρύνθημεν παρὰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καί ἐσμεν ταπεινοὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ σήμερον." Καὶ ἵνα μὴ ψευδῶς κατηγορήσῃ τῶν ὑποσχέσεων, εὐθὺς τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπήγαγε, λέγων· "∆ιὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν." Οὐ γὰρ σὺ, φησὶ, ∆έσποτα, τὰς ὑποσχέσεις ἐψεύσω, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς τὰς συνθήκας παρέβημεν, καὶ πολλοὶ ὄντες κατὰ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, καὶ ἀριθμοῦ κρείττους, διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ὀλι γώθημεν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ᾐνίξατο εἰρηκώς· "Ἐσμικρύν θημεν." Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Σμικροί ἐσμεν, καὶ ὀλίγοι παρὰ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ἀλλ', "Ἐσμικρύνθημεν," τουτ έστιν, Ἐγενόμεθα μὲν ἀριθμοῦ κρείττους κατὰ τὴν σὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, παραβάντες δέ σου τὰς ἐντολὰς ὀλίγοι ἀντὶ πολλῶν ἐγενόμεθα. Εἶτα ὑποδείκνυσι τῷ Θεῷ τὴν κατέχουσαν συμφορὰν, οὐχ ὡς ἀγνοοῦντα διδάσκων, ἀλλὰ τῇ διηγήσει τῶν λυπηρῶν εἰς φιλ ανθρωπίαν ἐκκαλούμενος. ληʹ. "Καὶ οὐκ ἔστι, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ ἄρχων, καὶ προφήτης, καὶ ἡγούμενος." Ἀπεστερή μεθα γὰρ, φησὶ, βασιλείας, προφητείας, ἱερωσύνης, τῶν θείων σου καὶ μεγάλων δωρεῶν, δι' ὧν κυβερ νώμενοι διετελοῦμεν. "Οὐδὲ ὁλοκαύτωσις, οὐδὲ θυ σία, οὐδὲ προσφορὰ, οὐδὲ θυμίαμα." Καὶ δεικνὺς τὴν αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν ἀδύνατον θῦσαι, ἀκολούθως ἐπήγα γεν· "Οὐδὲ τόπος τοῦ καρπῶσαι ἐνώπιόν σου, καὶ εὑρεῖν ἔλεον." Ὁ γὰρ σὸς νόμος τὴν τῶν θυσιῶν λειτουργίαν ἑνὶ περιέγραψε τόπῳ, καὶ παρανομία σαφὴς τὸ ἐν ἑτέρῳ τόπῳ προσενεγκεῖν σοι θυσίαν. Τούτων ἀκούειν οὐκ ἐθέλουσιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς μύσαντες, καὶ τὰ ὦτα βύσαντες, πάντα τολμῶσι παρανόμως ἐπιτελεῖν. Οἱ δὲ ἅγιοι παῖδες οὗτοι, τοῦ νόμου τὸν σκοπὸν ἐπιστάμενοι, ἔλεγον μὴ εἶναι τόπον τοῦ καρπῶσαι ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ εὑρεῖν ἔλεον· Καὶ ἐπειδὴ τούτου, φησὶ, τυχεῖν ἀδύνατον, πόῤῥω τῆς ἱερᾶς ἐκείνης πόλεως ὄντας, εὑρήκαμεν τρόπον τινὰ θεραπείας, ὦ ∆έσποτα. λθʹ, μʹ. "Ἐν ψυχῇ γὰρ συντετριμμένῃ, καὶ πνεύ ματι ταπεινώσεως προσφέροντές σοι τὴν ἱκε τείαν, προσδεχθῆναι αὐτὴν παρακαλοῦμεν. Ὡς ἐν ὁλοκαυτώμασι κριῶν καὶ ταύρων, καὶ ὡς ἐν μυριά 81.1332 σιν ἀρνῶν πιόνων, οὕτω γενέσθω ἡ θυσία ἡμῶν ἐν ώπιόν σου σήμερον, καὶ ἐκτελείσθω ὄπισθέν σου· ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν αἰσχύνη τοῖς πεποιθόσιν ἐπὶ σοί." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ σὸς νόμος ἐν παντί σοι τόπῳ προσφέρειν τὰς νενομισμένας θυσίας οὐ συγχωρεῖ, ἀντὶ κριῶν, καὶ ταύρων, καὶ ἀρνῶν τὸν ἀριθμὸν νι κώντων, συντετριμμένην σοι καὶ τεταπεινωμένην καρδίαν προσφέρομεν, καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν γενέσθαι σοι ταῦτα πάσης θυσίας ἡδίω, ἐπειδὴ εἴωθας τοὺς πε ποιθότας ἐπὶ σοὶ πάσης αἰσχύνης ἐλευθεροῦν. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὕτως εἴρηκεν ὁ ἅγιος οὗτος ἀνὴρ, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου δεδιδαγμένος ∆αβὶδ, ὃς ἐν τῷ πεντηκοστῷ λέγει ψαλμῷ, ὅτι "Εἰ ἠθέλησας θυσίαν, ἔδωκα ἄν· ὁλοκαυτώματα οὐκ εὐδοκήσεις· θυσία τῷ Θεῷ πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον, καρδίαν συντετριμμέ νην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει." Καὶ πάλιν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ· "Μὴ φάγομαι κρέα ταύρων, ἢ αἷμα τράγων πίομαι; Θῦσον τῷ Θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως, καὶ ἀπόδος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ τὰς εὐχάς σου, καὶ ἐπικάλεσαί με ἐν ἡμέρα θλίψεώς σου, καὶ ἐξελοῦμαί σε, καὶ δοξάσεις με." Καὶ μετὰ βραχέα· "Θυσία αἰνέσεως δοξάσει με, καὶ ἐκεῖ ὁδὸς, ἐν ᾗ δείξω αὐτῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου." Ταῦτα δεδι δαγμένος ὁ θεῖος οὗτος ἀνὴρ, τὴν συντετριμμένην καρδίαν ἀντὶ πάσης δεχθῆναι θυσίας ἱκέτευσεν. Εἶτα ἐπάγει· μαʹ. "Καὶ νῦν ἐξακολουθοῦμέν σοι ἐν ὅλῃ καρ δίᾳ, καὶ φοβούμεθά σε, καὶ ζητοῦμεν τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, μὴ καταισχύνῃς ἡμᾶς." Τὸ γὰρ πλῆθος τῶν συμφορῶν ἑτέρους ἡμᾶς ἀνθ' ἑτέρων εἰργάσατο, καὶ παραβάτας ὄντας τῶν σῶν ἐντολῶν, ἐν ὅλῃ σε καρ δίᾳ καὶ φοβεῖσθαι καὶ ζητεῖν παρεσκεύασε. Πρόσ ωπον δὲ Θεοῦ ἐνταῦθα τὴν εὐμένειαν ἐκάλεσε, καὶ τὴν τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀπόδοσιν, καὶ τὴν τῆς κηδεμο νίας ἀπόληψιν, ἧς ἀπολαύοντας δυνατὸν ἦν ὁρᾷν καὶ τὸν θεῖον νεὼν, καὶ τὰς