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to turn aside in the land. They took me up as a lion ready for the hunt, and as a young lion dwelling in secret places. But instead of, "Casting me out they surrounded me," Symmachus translated thus: "Calling me blessed, they immediately surrounded me, and they set their eyes," he says, "against me to turn me aside." For they were eager to make me waver and to move me from my position and my progress according to God; imitating our adversary the devil, who as a roaring lion walks about, seeking whom he may devour. They took me up also as a lion ready for the hunt, and as a young lion dwelling in secret places. For they did not make their plot against me openly, but lay in wait secretly. Arise, O Lord, go before them and supplant them; deliver my soul from the ungodly, your sword from the enemies of your hand. O Lord, from the few of the earth separate them in their life, and their belly was filled with your hidden things. They were sated with sons, and left the rest of their substance to their babes. And may I be helped in this; but also "deliver your sword," he says, "from the hand of the enemies"; for there is fear lest the enemies, snatching your sword from my hand, in which trusting I have used it against them, and taking it from me, should use it against me. This would be the word of God, which is living and sharper than any two-edged sword, given to the soul instead of a sword for defense against enemies; which often happens, when the enemies of God, having rejected and perverted the sayings and readings from the divine Scriptures, overcome innocent souls out of them and through them. Therefore he prays that his sword be delivered from the enemies of God, and "from the few of the earth"; instead of which Aquila gave: "from the dead 23.165 from the abyss"; but Symmachus: "From the dead from those who have put on mortality." For he prays to be delivered also from those already reckoned among the dead because they are utterly deprived of the life according to God. But instead of, "separate them," Aquila translated, "their portion in life"; and Symmachus, "their portion is among the living." And he teaches through these things that the portion of the ungodly and of the often-named enemies of God, and their inheritance, and all their substance is in the present life and in this mortal existence; in which also their belly was filled with all food, and all enjoyment, and luxury. But he also says, "your hidden things"; instead of which Symmachus translated, "and of your stored-up things." For they have possessed whatever is precious in mortal existence and mortal life, of what are considered stored-up and hidden things. Indeed, they have worked gold and silver and all the metals of the earth, and they have sought out all kinds of precious and costly stones, and of all these they were filled; and they were sated with children and sons and daughters. Therefore he adds: "They were sated with sons." And not only were they themselves sated with these things, but having been filled first themselves, they have left inheritances and successions to their descendants after them. Another says: Even if it is easy for you, O Master, to consign them to death, yet I beseech you that they be scattered while living, and that their evil conspiracy be dissolved, and that they partake of the punishments laid up for them by you. For thus in the great song of Moses God himself says: "Behold, are not all these things gathered together with me, and sealed up in my treasures? In the day of vengeance I will repay, at the time when their foot shall stumble." And this too Symmachus translated thus: "Sons shall be sated, and they shall leave their remains to their babes." "I know," he says, "that you will bring your just punishment not only upon them, but also upon their sons and descendants who imitate the wickedness of their ancestors." And "they shall be sated," instead of, "they shall partake of evils to their fill." But I shall appear in righteousness before your face; I shall be satisfied when your

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ἐκκλῖναι ἐν τῇ γῇ. Ὑπέλαβόν με ὡσεὶ λέων ἕτοιμος εἰς θήραν, καὶ ὡσεὶ σκύμνος οἰκῶν ἐν ἀποκρύφοις. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Ἐκβάλλοντές με περιεκύκλωσάν με, ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσε· Μακαρίζοντές με παραχρῆμα περιεκύκλουν με, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς δὲ αὐτῶν, φησὶν, ἔθεντο κατ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ παρακλῖναί με. Παρασαλεῦσαι γάρ με καὶ ἀποκινῆσαι τῆς στάσεως καὶ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν προκοπῆς ἐσπούδαζον· μιμούμενοι τὸν ἀντίδικον ἡμῶν διάβολον, ὃς ὡς λέων ὠρυόμενος περιπατεῖ ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ. Ὑπέλαβόν με καὶ αὐτὸν ὡς λέων ἕτοιμος εἰς θήραν, καὶ ὡς σκύμνος οἰκῶν ἐν ἀποκρύφοις. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ προφανοῦς ἐποιοῦντο τὴν κατ' ἐμοῦ συσκευὴν, ἀλλὰ λαθραίως ἐνεδρεύοντες. Ἀνάστηθι, Κύριε, πρόφθασον αὐτοὺς καὶ ὑποσκέλισον αὐτούς· ῥῦσαι τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ ἀσεβοῦς, ῥομφαίαν σου ἀπὸ ἐχθρῶν τῆς χειρός σου. Κύριε, ἀπὸ ὀλίγων ἀπὸ γῆς διαμέρισον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτῶν, καὶ τῶν κεκρυμμένων σου ἐπλήσθη ἡ γαστὴρ αὐτῶν. Ἐχορτάσθησαν υἱῶν, καὶ ἀφῆκαν τὰ κατάλοιπα τοῖς νηπίοις αὐτῶν. Καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο ὠφεληθείην· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ῥομφαίαν σου, φησὶ, ῥῦσαι ἀπὸ τῆς χειρὸς τῶν ἐχθρῶν· δέος γὰρ μήποτε τὴν σὴν ῥομφαίαν, ᾗ πεποιθὼς ἐγὼ κέχρημαι κατ' αὐτῶν, τῆς ἐμῆς χειρὸς ἁρπάσαντες οἱ πολέμιοι, καὶ ἀφελόμενοί μου αὐτὴν, χρήσωνται αὐτῇ κατ' ἐμοῦ. Εἴη δ' ἂν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγος ὁ ἐνεργὴς καὶ τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον, ὁ τῇ ψυχῇ δεδομένος ἀντὶ ῥομφαίας πρὸς ἄμυναν τῶν ἐχθρῶν· ὅπερ συμβαίνει πολλάκις, ἐπειδὰν οἱ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν λέξεις καὶ τὰ ἀναγνώσματα ἀποβαλόντες καὶ ἀνατρέψαντες, ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τὰς ἀκεραίους καταπαλαίωσι ψυχάς. ∆ιὸ εὔχεται ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥυσθῆναι τὴν ῥομφαίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ ὀλίγων ἀπὸ γῆς· ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας ἐξέδωκεν· ἀπὸ τεθνηκότων 23.165 ἐκ καταδύσεως· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· Ἀπὸ νεκρῶν ἀπὸ ἐνδεδυκότων. Ῥυσθῆναι γὰρ εὔχεται καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν νεκροῖς ἤδη λελογισμένων διὰ τὸ πάμπαν ἐστερῆσθαι τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν ζωῆς. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, διαμέρισον αὐτοὺς, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας ἡρμήνευσεν, μέρος αὐτῶν ἐν ζωῇ· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ἡ μερὶς αὐτῶν ἐν ζῶσιν. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὡς τῶν μὲν ἀσεβῶν καὶ τῶν πολλάκις ὠνομασμένων ἐχθρῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ μερὶς, καὶ ὁ κλῆρος, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ περιουσία ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ ζωῇ τυγχάνει καὶ ἐν τῷ θνητῷ βίῳ· ἐν ᾧ καὶ ἐπλήσθη ἡ γαστὴρ αὐτῶν πάσης τροφῆς, καὶ πάσης ἀπολαύσεως, καὶ τρυφῆς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν κεκρυμμένων σου φησίν· ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχος ἡρμήνευσεν, καὶ τῶν ἀποθέτων. Ὅσα γάρ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ θνητῷ βίῳ καὶ τῇ θνητῇ ζωῇ τίμια, τῶν νομιζομένων ἀποθέτων καὶ ἀποκρύφων, ἐσχήκασιν. Αὐτοὶ γοῦν καὶ χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ πάντα γῆς μέταλλα περιειργάσαντο, λίθους τε παντοίους τιμίους καὶ πολυτελεῖς ἐξηρεύνησαν, καὶ τούτων ἁπάντων ἐπλήσθησαν· τέκνων δὲ καὶ υἱῶν, καὶ θυγατέρων ἐνεφορήθησαν. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγει· Ἐχορτάσθησαν υἱῶν. Καὶ οὐ μόνον γε αὐτοὶ τούτων ἐχορτάσθησαν, ἀλλ' ἐμπλησθέντες αὐτοί τε πρότεροι, κλήρους καὶ διαδοχὰς τοῖς μετ' αὐτοὺς ἐγγόνοις καταλελοίπασιν. Ἄλλος φησίν· Εἰ καὶ τῷ θανάτῳ τούτους παραπέμψαι σοὶ ῥᾴδιον, ὦ ∆έσποτα· ἀλλ' οὖν ἱκετεύω ζῶντας αὐτοὺς σκεδασθῆναι, καὶ τὴν κακὴν αὐτῶν συμφωνίαν διαλυθῆναι, καὶ τῶν ἀποκειμένων σοι τιμωριῶν μετασχεῖν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ ᾠδῇ τοῦ Μωϋσέως αὐτὸς ὁ Θεός φησιν· Οὐκ ἰδοὺ ταῦτα πάντα συνῆκται παρ' ἐμοὶ, καὶ ἐσφράγισται ἐν τοῖς θησαυροῖς μου· ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐκδικήσεως ἀνταποδώσω, ἐν καιρῷ ὅταν σφαλῇ ὁ ποῦς αὐτῶν. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἡρμήνευσε· Χορτασθήσονται υἱοὶ, καὶ ἀφήσουσι τὰ λείψανα αὐτῶν τοῖς νηπίοις αὐτῶν. Οἶδα, φησὶν, ὅτι τὴν δικαίαν σου τιμωρίαν οὐ μόνον αὐτοῖς ἐπάξεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς υἱέσι καὶ τοῖς ἐγγόνοις τῶν προγόνων πονηρίαν μιμησαμένοις. Τὸ δὲ, χορτασθήσονται, ἀντὶ τοῦ, εἰς κόρον μεθέξουσι τῶν κακῶν. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ὀφθήσομαι τῷ προσώπῳ σου· χορτασθήσομαι ἐν τῷ ὀφθῆναί μοι τὴν