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to him; By what authority do you do these things, and who gave you this authority? Because of the misery of the poor and the groaning of the needy, now I will arise, says the Lord. I will set him in safety; I will speak boldly in it. Or also thus; The poor on my account and the needy in spirit always groan, being humbled, attending to my word, and preserving an unwavering faith; for whose sake I will arise, and in a manner befitting my resurrection, I will establish salvation for all men; in which I will speak boldly as in a great achievement. The oracles of the Lord are pure oracles, silver refined by fire, tested for the earth, purified sevenfold. But silver, when fired many times, is unmixed with other matter; so pure from falsehood are the oracles of the Lord. You, O Lord, will guard us and will preserve us from this generation and for ever. When you guard your poor, and when you wall us around together with the coming generation, which is called eternal, the lawless then, being outside of your grace that will be poured out upon all men, will walk about in a circle, becoming spectators of those who are saved, and this will be when the humble of men are exalted. The ungodly walk in a circle; according to your height you have greatly cared for the sons of men, Since the circle is contrary to the straight line in respect to crookedness and straightness, and the ungodly walk in a circle, the godly therefore walk in a straight line. FOR THE END, A PSALM OF DAVID 12. Because of the end that is with God, he strove manfully in all things before the end; and the end is the fruit of labors, procuring eternal life and the kingdom of heaven. To the end, therefore, he sent up the song to God; but at the beginning, as one still striving, he utters the first cries: How long, O Lord? Will you forget me to the end? How long will you turn your face from me? But God forgets those who forget him through sin; and he turns his face away from those who do something shameful, judging them to be unworthy of his oversight; wherefore, being pricked by his conscience and fearing the judgment of God, he adds: 23.144 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrows in my heart day and night? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Look upon me, hear me, O Lord my God. Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death; lest my enemy say: I have prevailed against him. But the enemy is exalted against the sinner who is humbled by sin; and the contrary for the one who acts righteously. As one not wishing to be heard without reward, he puts first, "look upon me," asking him to see his good deeds. Or also, that God does not hear, unless one is righteous. But the face of God is full of light, being a power providing for beneficence; one who partakes of which will be enlightened, as one enjoying the rays of the sun. But when it is turned away, the soul, no longer being enlightened, is darkened, the inner eyes, which are the reasonings of the mind, effecting nothing. But as the soul persists in sin, and darkness prevails yet more, because the face of God also remains turned away, what follows is, as it were, an incurable transgression of wickedness, and one who has sinned unto death could not be said to be watchful. FOR THE END, A PSALM OF DAVID 13. Since these things spoken prophetically were to happen at the consummation of the ages, it is inscribed, "For the end;" but "psalm" is not said, because it accuses all men. The fool has said in his heart: There is no God. They are corrupt and

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αὐτῷ· Ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖς, καὶ τίς σοι ἔδωκε τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην; Ἕνεκε τῆς ταλαιπωρίας τῶν πτωχῶν καὶ τοῦ στεναγμοῦ τῶν πενήτων νῦν ἀναστήσομαι, λέγει Κύριος. Θήσομαι ἐν σωτηρίῳ, παῤῥησιάσομαι ἐν αὐτῷ. Ἢ καὶ οὕτως· Οἱ πτωχοὶ δι' ἐμὲ καὶ πένητες γεγονότες τῷ πνεύματι στένουσιν ἀεὶ ταπεινούμενοι προσέχοντές μου τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ πίστιν ἀκλινῆ διασώζοντες· ὧν ἕνεκεν ἀναστήσομαι, καὶ κατὰ τὸ πρέπον τῇ ἐμῇ ἀναστάσει σωτήριον στήσομαι πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις· ἐφ' ᾧπερ ὡς μεγάλῳ παῤῥησιάσομαι κατορθώματι. Τὰ λόγια Κυρίου λόγια ἁγνὰ, ἀργύριον πεπυρωμένον, δοκίμιον τῇ γῇ, κεκαθαρισμένον ἑπταπλασίως. Ὁ δὲ ἄργυρος πολλάκις πυρούμενος ἀμιγὴς ἑτέρας ὕλης ἐστίν· οὕτω καθαρὰ ψεύδους τοῦ Κυρίου τὰ λόγια. Σὺ, Κύριε, φυλάξεις ἡμᾶς καὶ διατηρήσεις ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἐπειδὰν φυλάξῃς τοὺς σοὺς πτωχοὺς, καὶ ἐπειδὰν ἡμᾶς περιτειχίσῃς ἅμα τῇ ἐρχομένῃ γενεᾷ, τῇ καλουμένῃ αἰωνίᾳ, οἱ παράνομοι τότε, ἐκτὸς γενόμενοι τῆς εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους χυθησομένης σου χάριτος, κύκλῳ περιπατήσουσι, θεωροὶ γενησόμενοι τῶν σωζομένων καὶ τοῦτο ἔσται ὅταν ὑψωθῶσιν οἱ εὐτελεῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Κύκλῳ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς περιπατοῦσι, κατὰ τὸ ὕψος σου ἐπολυώρησας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, Ἐπειδὴ ὁ κύκλος τῇ εὐθείᾳ ἐναντίος ἐστὶ κατὰ τὴν σκολιότητα καὶ εὐθύτητα, οἱ δὲ ἀσεβεῖς κύκλῳ περιπατοῦσιν, οἱ εὐσεβεῖς ἄρα εὐθεῖαν περιπατοῦσιν. ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΤΩ ∆ΑΥΙ∆ ΙΒʹ. ∆ιὰ τὸ τέλος τὸ παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ πάντα πρὸ τοῦ τέλους ἀνδρικῶς ἠγωνίζετο· τὸ δὲ τέλος ὁ τῶν πόνων ἐστὶ καρπὸς, ζωὴν αἰώνιον καὶ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν προξενῶν. Εἰς μὲν οὖν τὸ τέλος ἀνέπεμψε τὴν ᾠδὴν τῷ Θεῷ· κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν, ὡς ἀγωνιζόμενος ἔτι, τὰς πρώτας προφέρει φωνάς· Ἕως πότε, Κύριε, ἐπιλήσῃ μου εἰς τέλος; ἕως πότε ἀποστρέψεις τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ; Λήθην δὲ Θεὸς ποιεῖται τῶν ἐπιλανθανομένων αὐτοῦ διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· ἀποστρέφει καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον ἀπὸ τῶν αἰσχρόν τι πραττόντων, ἀναξίους εἶναι κρίνας τῆς ἐποπτείας αὐτοῦ· διόπερ ὑπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος νυττόμενος καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δεδιὼς κρίσιν ἐπάγει· 23.144 Ἕως τίνος θήσομαι βουλὰς ἐν ψυχῇ μου, ὀδύνας ἐν καρδίᾳ μου ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός; Ἕως πότε ὑψωθήσεται ὁ ἐχθρός μου ἐπ' ἐμέ; Ἐπίβλεψον, εἰσάκουσόν μου, Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου. Φώτισον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, μήποτε ὑπνώσω εἰς θάνατον· μήποτε εἴποι ὁ ἐχθρός μου· Ἴσχυσα πρὸς αὐτόν. Ὑψοῦται δὲ κατὰ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνοντος ὁ ἐχθρὸς ταπεινουμένου τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· καὶ τοὐναντίον δικαιοπραγοῦντος. Ὡς μηδὲ βουλόμενος ἀμισθεὶ εἰσακουσθῆναι, προτάττει τὸ, ἐπίβλεψον, παρακαλῶν ἰδεῖν αὐτοῦ τὰ κατορθώματα. Ἢ καὶ ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ εἰσακούοντος, εἰ μή τις δίκαιος ᾖ. Πρόσωπον δὲ Θεοῦ φωτὸς γέμει, δύναμις οὖσα πρὸς εὐεργεσίαν προνοουμένη· οὗ τις μετέχων φωτισθήσεται, καθάπερ ἡλιακῶν ἀπολαύων αὐγῶν. Ἀποστραφέντος δὲ, μηκέτι φωτιζομένη σκοτοῦται ψυχὴ, μηδὲν ἐνεργούντων τῶν ἔνδον ὀφθαλμῶν, οἵτινες διανοίας εἰσὶ λογισμοί. Ἐπιμενούσης δὲ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, καὶ τοῦ σκότους ἐπὶ πλέον ἐπικρατοῦντος, τῷ καὶ μένειν ἀπεστραμμένον τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἑξῆς οἱονεί πως γίνεται κακίας ἀθεράπευτα πλημμελούσης, καὶ μήτι γρηγοροῦσα λέγοιτ' ἂν εἰς θάνατον ἡμαρτηκέναι. ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΤΩ ∆ΑΥΙ∆ ΙΓʹ. Ἐπεὶ ταῦτα προφητικῶς εἰρημένα ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων ἤμελλε γίνεσθαι, προγέγραπται τὸ, εἰς τὸ τέλος· ψαλμὸς δὲ οὐκ εἴρηται διὰ τὸ κατηγορεῖν πάντων ἀνθρώπων. Εἶπεν ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· Οὐκ ἔστι Θεός. ∆ιεφθάρησαν καὶ