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shouting out nonsense, those who whisper through slander, those of false speech, those who murmur shouts in the hippodromes. For one ought not to utter anything else than the oracles of God. For this reason he also adds, saying: For all your commandments are righteousness. Let your hand be to save me, for I have chosen your commandments. As for "I have chosen," Symmachus said "I have selected," while Aquila and Theodotion said "I have picked out." And he calls "hand" the divine energy, by which he implores to obtain divine salvation. For this is the hand of God. For those who choose the commandments of God in every way also receive salvation from him. I have longed for your sal- 55.707 vation, O Lord, and your law is my meditation. I long, he says, to obtain salvation from you, having your law as my constant meditation. And what salvation? That which came to be, when the one of the holy Trinity, Christ our God, became man. For then we were saved from the possession of the enemy, and we learned to meditate on the evangelical commandments. My soul shall live, and shall praise you; and your judgments shall help me. Here he speaks of the divine life that comes from the praise of God; and he asks that the judgments of God follow him for help. But I know that I will not miss the hope, but will obtain true life from you, and I will praise you, the giver of good things. I have gone astray like a lost sheep. It was fitting for the prophet to say this after his sin, and for the whole nature of men. Seek your servant; for I have not forgotten your commandments. When Adam had fallen out of paradise through the transgression, sin passed to all, as the Apostle said, and like lost sheep they wandered on the mountains and the cliffs and the ravines of sin, where there was no visitation of God, serving demons and idols. But the good shepherd came, who lays down his life for the sheep, to seek and to save that which was lost; and having sought what was wandering, he found it, and called it back, and carried it on his shoulders, and mingled it with his own flock. For he made peace between the things on earth and the things in heaven in his presence in the flesh. Therefore also shepherds with angels at his birth were glorifying, saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace. For I have not forgotten your commandments. For even if he transgressed some, yet he did not receive complete forgetfulness of them. But while the prophet offered this prayer, the whole nature of men has obtained salvation. And as was said above, 55.708 the good shepherd ran to the wandering sheep, and having sought, he found it, and taking it on his shoulders he brought it back, and rejoiced over it more than over the ninety-nine that had not gone astray; the word declaring this, that as often as we do not for-get his commandments, God seeks us, calling us back to himself. Let us consider the beginning and the end of the psalm. For he says in the preface: Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord; and at its end: Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commandments. Those therefore who walk in the law of the Lord certainly do not forget his commandments; and those who do not forget the commandments, walk in the law of the Lord. And we, having made a summary interpretation of the psalm, exhort those who read it, not to be satisfied with what has been written, nor to think that these things pertain only to the prophet, but for each one to take the appropriate benefit from them, and to prepare a protective remedy for his own passions. And these, brothers, are the commentaries and the teachings of the fathers, from which we also, having drawn, have imparted to you with due cheerfulness, so that the commandments of God may advance among you. For this is the mark of a Christian, that according to our sincere faith our actions may also be good. In which the Lord God will strengthen you,

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φλυα ρίας ἀναφωνοῦντες, οἱ διὰ λοιδορίας ψιθυρίζοντες, οἱ ψευ δηγορίας, οἱ κραυγὰς ἐν ἱπποδρομίαις θρυλλοῦντες. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἕτερόν τι χρὴ φθέγγεσθαι, ἢ τὰ λόγια τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τούτου ἕνεκεν καὶ ἐπιφέρει λέγων· Ὅτι πᾶσαι αἱ ἐντολαί σου δικαιοσύνη. Γενέσθω ἡ χείρ σου τοῦ σῶσαί με, ὅτι τὰς ἐντολάς σου ᾑρετισάμην. Τὸ Ἡρετισάμην, ὁ μὲν Σύμμαχος, Εἱλόμην, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας καὶ ὁ Θεοδοτίων, Ἐξελεξάμην, εἰρήκασι. Χεῖρα δὲ καλεῖ τὴν θείαν ἐνέργειαν, ὑφ' ἧς ἀντιβολεῖ τῆς θείας σωτηρίας τυχεῖν. Τοῦτο γὰρ χεὶρ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οἱ γὰρ ἐκλεγόμενοι τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ πάντως καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ σωτηρίαν κομίζονται. Ἐπεπόθησα τὸ σω 55.707 τήριόν σου, Κύριε, καὶ ὁ νόμος σου μελέτη μου ἐστίν. Ἱμείρομαι, φησὶ, παρὰ σοῦ σωτηρίας τυχεῖν, τὸν σὸν νόμον μελέτην ἔχων ἐνδελεχῆ. Ποῖον δὲ σωτήριον; Ὃ γέγονεν, ἐνανθρωπήσαντος τοῦ ἑνὸς τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος, Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Τότε γὰρ ἐσώθημεν ἐκ τῆς κατοχῆς τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, καὶ ἐμάθομεν μελετᾷν τὰ εὐαγγε λικὰ προστάγματα. Ζήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ αἰνέσει σε· κατὰ τὰ κρίματά σου βοήθησαί μοι. Ζωὴν ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἔνθεον λέγει τὴν αἰνέσει τοῦ Θεοῦ γινομένην· αἰτεῖ δὲ συνέπεσθαι αὐτῷ εἰς βοήθειαν τὰ κρίματα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οἶδα δὲ ὡς οὐχ ἁμαρτήσομαι τῆς ἐλπίδος, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀληθοῦς ζωῆς παρὰ σοῦ τεύξομαι, καὶ αἰνέσω σε τὸν δοτῆρα τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Ἐπλανήθην ὡς πρόβατον ἀπ ολωλός. Τοῦτο καὶ τῷ προφήτῃ λέγειν μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρ τίαν ἥρμοττε, καὶ πάσῃ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσει. Ζή τησον τὸν δοῦλόν σου· ὅτι τὰς ἐντολάς σου οὐκ ἐπελαθόμην. Ἐκπεπτωκότος τοῦ Ἀδὰμ διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τοῦ παραδείσου, εἰς πάντας διῆλθε τὸ ἁμάρτημα, ὡς ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἔφη, καὶ ὡς πρόβατον ἀπολωλὸς ἐπλα νήθησαν ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη καὶ τοὺς κρημνοὺς καὶ τὰς φάραγ γας τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὅπου οὐκ ἦν ἐπισκοπὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ, λατρεύοντες δαίμοσι καὶ εἰδώλοις. Ἀλλ' ἦλθεν ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς, ὁ τιθεὶς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων, τοῦ ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός· καὶ ζητήσας πλα νώμενον, εὗρε, καὶ τοῦτο ἀνεκαλέσατο, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων ἐβάστασε, καὶ συγκατέμιξεν αὐτὸ τῇ ἰδίᾳ ποίμνῃ. Εἰρηνοποίησε γὰρ τὰ ἐπίγεια τοῖς οὐρανίοις ἐν τῇ ἐν σάρκῳ αὐτοῦ παρουσίᾳ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ποιμένες μετ' ἀγγέλων ἐν τῇ γεννήσει αὐτοῦ ἐδόξαζον λέγοντες· ∆όξα ἐν ὑψί στοις Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη. Ὅτι τὰς ἐντολάς σου οὐκ ἐπελαθόμην. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ παρέβη τινὰς, ἀλλὰ λήθην τούτων οὐκ ἐδέξατο παντελῆ. Ἀλλὰ ταύτην μὲν ὁ προφήτης προσενήνοχε τὴν εὐχὴν, τετύχηκε δὲ ἅπασα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις τῆς σωτηρίας. Ὡς δὲ ἀνωτέρω 55.708 εἴρηται, ἔδραμεν ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς ἐπὶ τὸ πλανώμενον πρόβατον, καὶ ζητήσας εὗρε, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων λαβὼν ἐπανήγαγε, καὶ εὐφράνθη ἐπ' αὐτῷ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα τοῖς μὴ πεπλανημένοις· τοῦτο δηλοῦντος τοῦ λόγου, ὁσάκις τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐπι-λανθανόμεθα, ζητεῖ ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνακαλούμενος. Σκοπήσωμεν δὲ τὴν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ἀρχὴν καὶ τὸ τέλος. Λέγει γὰρ ἐν προοιμίοις· Μακάριοι οἱ ἄμωμοι ἐν ὁδῷ, οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου· καὶ ἐν τῷ τέλει τούτου· Ζήτησον τὸν δοῦλόν σου, ὅτι τὰς ἐντολάς σου οὐκ ἐπελαθόμην. Οἱ οὖν πορευόμενοι ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου, πάντως τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐπιλανθάνονται· καὶ οἱ μὴ ἐπιλανθανόμενοι τὰς ἐντολὰς, πορεύονται ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τὴν ἑρμηνείαν ἐν κεφαλαίῳ ποιησάμενοι παρακαλοῦμεν τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας, μὴ ἀρκεσθῆναι τοῖς γεγραμμένοις, μηδὲ νομίσαι μόνῳ ταῦτα τῷ προφήτῃ προσήκειν, ἀλλ' ἕκαστον τὴν πρόσφορον ἐκ τούτων ὠφέλειαν λαβεῖν, καὶ φάρμακον ἀλεξητήριον τοῖς οἰκείοις κατασκευάσαι παθήμασι. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν, ἀδελφοὶ, τῶν πατέρων τὰ ὑπομνήματα καὶ τὰ διδάγματα, ἐξ ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀρυσάμενοι μετεδώκαμεν ὑμῖν μετὰ τῆς δεούσης ἐπιφροσύνης, ὅπως αἱ ἐντολαὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ προκόπτωσιν εἰς ὑμᾶς. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι Χριστιανοῦ ἴδιον, ἵνα κατὰ τὴν εἰλικρινῆ ἡμῶν πίστιν καὶ αἱ πράξεις ἀγαθαὶ ὦσιν. Ἐν αἷς στηρίξει ὑμᾶς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς,