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he will reward me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord; and have not acted impiously against my God. For all his judgments are before me, and his statutes have not departed from me.” Not unjustly, he says, does he exercise providence for me, but both knowing my purpose, and knowing that it is my zeal to keep all his commandments; for since he showed the great care of God that was for him, he demonstrates the justice of this, exhorting his hearers to virtue, and teaching that it is not possible for us to obtain this, unless we have acquired a genuine good will toward God; for the prophet did not wish to lay bare to all the catalog of his own achievements, but to suggest how it is possible to enjoy divine providence. 24. “And I shall be blameless with him.” And how is it possible to achieve this? “And I will keep myself from my iniquity.” Abstaining, he says, from those things which I have done wickedly, I shall be blameless for the time to come; thus the great David, being compelled to mention his own 80.981 achievements in order to show the justice of God's providence, did not endure to hide the transgression that had occurred. 25. “And the Lord will reward me according to my righteousness, and according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.” Then indeed, he says, when I become completely blameless, I shall obtain perfect goods. For the God of all oversees everything, and with respect to good actions, for he called these the cleanness of hands, and the pious purpose of the mind, he makes his recompenses. Then he teaches this same thing more clearly. 26, 27. “With the holy you will be holy; and with the innocent man you will be innocent. And with the elect you will be elect. And with the crooked you will show yourself perverse.” You adapt your recompenses to the dispositions of men, O Master. For to the holy you give things worthy of holiness; and to the innocent, and those freed from sin, what is fitting; and to the elect and perfect, what is perfect; but for those who have turned from the straight way, and travel the opposite path, you prepare them to find an end of the road that is suitable. How and in what manner? 28. “For you will save the humble people; and will bring down the eyes of the proud.” For those who either have a moderate mindset, or are humbled by circumstance, you deem worthy of salvation, and you make them illustrious; but those who raise their eyebrows, and serve pride, you compel to stoop to the earth, and to consider the lowliness of their nature. 29. “For you will light my lamp, O Lord my God, you will enlighten my darkness.” Since he often called afflictions darkness, he fittingly names their deliverance light. And of this providence, he says, I enjoy from you; since the lamp is that which received the true light; and so he calls the form of the servant; and it is mine, and from my loins it will be formed. And this he also says in another psalm; “There will I make a horn to spring forth for David; I have prepared a lamp for my Christ.” 30. “For by you I shall be delivered from a trial, and by my God I shall leap over a wall.” Every plot, and every ambush; for he calls the ambush a trial and a wall; through your grace I shall escape. 31. “My God, his way is blameless.” You rightly direct all things; and for this reason I am confident. “The oracles of the Lord are tried in the fire.” And this 80.984 I have learned from your unfailing oracles; for “tried in the fire,” as we have already said before, means proven, and free from falsehood. “He is a defender of all who hope in him.” And not I alone; but also all who have this hope in him will enjoy the same help. 32. “For who is God except our Lord, and who is God besides our God?” For there is not another God; so that one might grant the request to this one, and another to that one. 33. “The God who girds me with strength; and has set my way blameless.” Strengthened by his power, I too hasten to travel the straight path. 34. “Making my feet like a deer's; and setting me on high places.” For just as he gave to deer by nature to trample upon venomous beasts; so me

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ἀνταποδώσει μοι. Ὅτι ἐφύλαξα τὰς ὁδοὺς Κυρίου· καὶ οὐκ ἠσέβησα ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ μου. Ὅτι πάντα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ ἐνώπιόν μου, καὶ τὰ δι καιώματα αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀπέστησαν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ." Οὐκ ἄδικον, φησὶ, ποιεῖταί μου πρόνοιαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἐμὸν σκοπὸν ἐπιστάμενος, καὶ εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐμοὶ σπουδὴ πάσας αὐτοῦ φυλάττειν τὰς ἐντολάς· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλὴν ἔδειξε περὶ αὐτὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγενημένην κηδεμονίαν, δείκνυσι ταύτης τὸ δίκαιον, προτρέ πων εἰς ἀρετὴν τοὺς ἀκούοντας, καὶ διδάσκων ὡς οὐχ οἷόν τε ταύτης ἡμᾶς τυχεῖν, μὴ γνησίαν εὔνοιαν περὶ τὸν Θεὸν κτησαμένους· οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν τῶν οἰκείων κατορθωμάτων κατάλογον γυμνῶσαι πᾶσιν ὁ προφήτης ἠθέλησεν, ἀλλ' ὑποθέσθαι πῶς οἷόν τε τῆς θείας ἀπολαῦσαι προνοίας. κδʹ. "Καὶ ἔσομαι ἄμωμος μετ' αὐτοῦ." Καὶ πῶς δυνατὸν τοῦτο κατορθῶσαι; "Καὶ φυλάξομαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας μου." Ἀπεχόμενος, φησὶν, ἐκείνων ἃ κακῶς εἰργασάμην, ἄμωμος εἰς τὸν ἐπιόντα γενήσομαι χρόνον· οὕτως ὁ μέγας ∆αβὶδ τῶν οἰκείων 80.981 κατορθωμάτων μνημονεῦσαι βιασθεὶς, ἵνα δείξῃ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προμηθείας τὸ δίκαιον, οὐκ ἠνέσχετο τὴν γεγενημένην κρύψαι παρανομίαν. κεʹ. "Καὶ ἀνταποδώσει μοι Κύριος κατὰ τὴν δικαιοσύνην μου, καὶ κατὰ τὴν καθαριότητα τῶν χειρῶν μου ἐνώπιον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ." Τότε δὴ, φησὶν, ὅταν παντελῶς ἄμωμος γένωμαι, τελείων τεύξομαι τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Πάντα γὰρ ἐφορᾷ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἀγαθὰς πράξεις, ταύτας γὰρ ὠνόμασε χειρῶν καθαρότητα, καὶ τὸν εὐσεβῆ τῆς διανοίας σκοπὸν, ποιεῖται τὰς ἀντιδόσεις. Εἶτα τοῦτο αὐτὸ σαφέστερον ἐκπαιδεύει. κʹ, κζʹ. "Μετὰ ὁσίου ὁσιωθήσῃ· καὶ μετὰ ἀνδρὸς ἀθώου ἀθῶος ἔσῃ. Καὶ μετὰ ἐκλεκτοῦ ἐκλε κτὸς ἔσῃ. Καὶ μετὰ στρεβλοῦ διαστρέψεις." Πρὸς τὰς γνώμας τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁρμόττεις τὰς ἀντιδόσεις, ὦ ∆έσποτα. Τοῖς γὰρ ὁσίοις παρέχεις τὰ τῆς ὁσιό τητος ἄξια· καὶ τοῖς ἀθώοις, καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπηλλαγμένοις, τὰ πρόσφορα· καὶ τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς καὶ τελείοις, τὰ τέλεια· τοῖς δὲ τοῦ εὐθέως ἐκτρα πεῖσι, καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν ὁδεύουσι, κατάλληλον παρασκευάζεις εὑρεῖν τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ τέλος. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; κηʹ. "Ὅτι σὺ λαὸν ταπεινὸν σώσεις· καὶ ὀφθαλ μοὺς ὑπερηφάνων ταπεινώσεις." Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἢ μετρίῳ φρονήματι κεχρημένους, ἢ ἐκ περιστά σεως τεταπεινωμένους, σωτηρίας ἀξιοῖς, καὶ περιφανεῖς ἀποφαίνεις· τοὺς δὲ τὰς ὀφρῦς αἴροντας, καὶ τύφῳ δουλεύοντας, κύπτειν εἰς γῆν ἀναγκάζεις, καὶ τῆς φύσεως λογίζεσθαι τὴν εὐτέλειαν. κθʹ. "Ὅτι σὺ φωτιεῖς λύχνον μου, Κύριε, ὁ Θεός μου, φωτιεῖς τὸ σκότος μου." Ἐπειδὴ σκότος πολ λάκις τὰς θλίψεις ἐκάλεσεν, εἰκότως φῶς ὀνομά ζει τὴν τούτων ἀπαλλαγήν. Ταύτης δέ φησιν ἀπο λαύω παρὰ σοῦ τῆς προνοίας· ἐπειδὴ ὁ λύχνος ὁ τὸ ἀληθινὸν ὑποδεξάμενος φῶς· καλεῖ δὲ οὕτω τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφήν· ἐμός τέ ἐστι, καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἐμῆς ὀσφύος πλασθήσεται. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέγει ψαλμῷ· "Ἐκεῖ ἐξανατελῶ κέρας τῷ ∆αβίδ· ἡτοίμασα λύχνον τῷ Χριστῷ μου." λʹ. "Ὅτι ἐν σοὶ ῥυσθήσομαι ἀπὸ πειρατηρίου, καὶ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ μου ὑπερβήσομαι τεῖχος." Πᾶσαν ἐπιβουλὴν, καὶ πᾶσαν ἐνέδραν· πειρατήριον γὰρ καὶ τεῖχος τὴν ἐνέδραν καλεῖ· διὰ τῆς σῆς διαφεύ ξομαι χάριτος. λαʹ. "Ὁ Θεός μου, ἄμωμος ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτοῦ." ∆ι καίως ἰθύνεις τὰ σύμπαντα· καὶ τούτου χάριν θαῤῥῶ. "Τὰ λόγια Κυρίου πεπυρωμένα." Τοῦτο 80.984 δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἀψευδῶν σου λογίων μεμάθηκα· "πε πυρωμένα" γὰρ, ὡς καὶ ἤδη προειρήκαμεν, τὰ δόκιμα λέγει, καὶ ψεύδους ἀπηλλαγμένα. "Ὑπερ ασπιστής ἐστι πάντων τῶν ἐλπιζόντων ἐπ' αὐτόν." Οὐκ ἐγὼ δὲ μόνος· ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντες οἱ ταύτην εἰς αὐτὸν ἔχοντες τὴν ἐλπίδα, τῆς αὐτῆς ἀπολαύσονται βοηθείας. λβʹ. "Ὅτι τίς Θεὸς παρὲξ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, καὶ τίς Θεὸς πλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν;" Οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι Θεὸς ἕτερος· ἵνα ὁ μὲν τούτῳ, ὁ δὲ ἐκείνῳ πα ράσχῃ τὴν αἴτησιν. λγʹ. "Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ περιζωννύων με δύναμιν· καὶ ἔθετο ἄμωμον τὴν ὁδόν μου." Τῇ αὐτοῦ δυνάμει ῥωσθεὶς κἀγὼ τὴν εὐθεῖαν τρίβον ὁδεύειν ἐπεί γομαι. λδʹ. "Καταρτιζόμενος τοὺς πόδας μου ὡσεὶ ἐλά φου· καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ ἱστῶν με." Καθάπερ γὰρ τοῖς ἐλάφοις ἔδωκε κατὰ φύσιν τὰ ἰοβόλα θηρία καταπατεῖν· οὕτω με