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your glory. They indeed will suffer such punishments; but I will delight in the good things from your just providence, having received the greatest proof of your benefaction. And I, trusting in the righteousness and virtue provided to me, will be seen with confidence in your presence. And this is my hope, and this is a great inheritance; with which I will one day be filled, and I will be satisfied with every delight, when your glory is seen in the kingdom of heaven. PSALM 17. For the end, for the servant of the Lord, David, who spoke to the Lord the words of this song, 23.168 on the day the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he said. Symmachus: A victory song of the servant of the Lord, David. For it was necessary for us to know from the psalm that David dedicated the present hymn as a victory song for the victories against his foes and enemies to the one who is the cause of all victory, who also makes men victors, and for this reason is called the victory-maker; and that this hymn or song of David is called a victory song. And "For the end," either because it was spoken around the last times of his life, and after all his deeds reported in history; or because it contains prophecies of things that will be at the consummation of the age; or thirdly, because it directs the reader to the ends of the words contained in the present hymn, in which ends are the calling of the gentiles and the prophecy concerning Christ. He ordains it in this way, with Saul also being included among all. And in another way He delivered him from the hand of Saul, since "hand" is often taken to mean "action." Fittingly, therefore, the one who delivered David from all his enemies, benefiting him more greatly, also delivered him from this hand of Saul, that is, from his action, so that he would not suffer the same things as that man. I will love you, O Lord, my strength; the Lord is my firmament and my refuge, and my deliverer. My God, my helper, and I will hope in him; my defender, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper ..... And in another way he calls God strength, confessing human weakness, and that he would have had no strength without God; for Paul also said: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. But Aquila and Symmachus, instead of "firmament," translated "rock"; and the great Apostle also said: And the Rock was Christ. Building his house upon this rock, David was like the wise man who built his house upon the rock. Wherefore he also became superior to all the enemies assailing him like rain, and winds, and rivers. But he hoped not in bodyguards or an army, but in God, having him as his helper, panoply, and horn; so that he too might say: In you we will push down our enemies. The sorrows of death surrounded me, and torrents of iniquity troubled me. The sorrows of Hades encircled me, the snares of death came before me. And in my affliction I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God. He heard my voice from his holy temple, and my cry before him will enter into his ears. Through these things he teaches in what manner, both being troubled by the torrents of iniquity, and suffering the other aforementioned things, he perceived himself to be in danger and fled to the harbor of his own salvation. Wherefore 23.169 he says: In my affliction I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God. Then he teaches that by believing such things he did not miss the mark; for hope does not disappoint. Wherefore he adds: He heard my voice from his holy temple, and my cry before him will enter into his ears.
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δόξαν σου. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν τοιαύτας δώσουσι δίκας· ἐγὼ δὲ τοῖς παρὰ τῆς δικαίας προνοίας ἀγαθοῖς ἐντρυφήσω, πεῖραν μεγίστην τῆς σῆς εὐεργεσίας δεξάμενος. Ἐγὼ δὲ τῇ πορισθείσῃ μοι δικαιοσύνῃ τε καὶ ἀρετῇ θαῤῥῶν πεπαῤῥησιασμένως ὀφθήσομαι τῷ προσώπῳ σου. Καὶ αὕτη μοί ἐστιν ἐλπὶς, καὶ οὗτος μέγας κλῆρος· οὗ ποτε πληρωθήσομαι, καὶ χορτασθήσομαι πάσης τρυφῆς, ἐν τῷ ὀφθῆναι τὴν δόξαν σου ἐν τῇ τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείᾳ. ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΙΖʹ. Εἰς τὸ τέλος τῷ παιδὶ Κυρίου τῷ ∆αυῒδ, ἃ ἐλάλησε τῷ Κυρίῳ τοὺς λόγους τῆς ᾠδῆς ταύτης, 23.168 ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτὸν Κύριος ἐκ χειρὸς πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς Σαοὺλ, καὶ εἶπε. Σύμμαχος· Ἐπινίκιον τοῦ δούλου Κυρίου τοῦ ∆αυΐδ. Ἔδει γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἀναγκαίως ἀπὸ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ γνῶναι, ὅτι ἐπὶ ταῖς νίκαις ταῖς κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ πολεμίων τὸν προκείμενον ὕμνον ἐπινίκιον τῷ πάσης νίκης αἰτίῳ, τῷ καὶ νικητὰς ἀπεργαζομένῳ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο νικοποιῷ κεκλημένῳ, ἀνέθηκεν ὁ ∆αυΐδ· καὶ ὅτι ἐπινίκιος οὗτος ὁ ὕμνος ἢ ἡ ᾠδὴ εἴρηται τοῦ ∆αυΐδ. Εἰς τὸ τέλος δὲ, ἤτοι διὰ τὸ ἀμφὶ τοὺς τελευταίους τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ χρόνους, καὶ μετὰ πάσας αὐτοῦ τὰς πράξεις τὰς φερομένας ἐν τῇ ἱστορίᾳ λελέχθαι· ἢ διὰ τὸ προφητείας περιέχειν τῶν μελλόντων ἔσεσθαι ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος· ἢ τρίτον, διὰ τὸ ἐπὶ τὰ τέλη τῶν ἐμφερομένων λόγων τοῦ προκειμένου ὕμνου τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα παραπέμπειν· ἐν οἷς τέλεσιν ἡ κλῆσις τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ ἡ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προφητεία. Τοῦτον θεσπίζει τὸν τρόπον, συμπαραλαμβανομένου τοῖς πᾶσι καὶ τοῦ Σαούλ. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ αὐτὸν ἐκ χειρὸς Σαοὺλ ἐῤῥύσατο, τῆς χειρὸς πολλάκις ἀντὶ πράξεως παραλαμβανομένης. Εἰκότως οὖν ὁ ῥυσάμενος ∆αυῒδ ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ, μειζόνως αὐτὸν εὐεργετῶν, καὶ ταύτης τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ Σαοὺλ, τουτέστι τῆς πράξεως αὐτοῦ, ἐῤῥύσατο, ὡς μὴ τὰ ὅμοια παθεῖν ἐκείνῳ. Ἀγαπήσω σε, Κύριε, ἰσχύς μου· Κύριος στερέωμά μου καὶ καταφυγή μου, καὶ ῥύστης μου. Ὁ Θεός μου, βοηθός μου, καὶ ἐλπιῶ ἐπ' αὐτόν· ὑπερασπιστής μου, καὶ κέρας τῆς σωτηρίας μου, καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ μου ..... Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ ἰσχὺν καλεῖ τὸν Θεὸν, ὁμολογῶν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀσθένειαν, καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν ἂν ἴσχυσεν ἄνευ Θεοῦ· καὶ Παῦλος γὰρ ἔφη· Πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με Χριστῷ. Ἀκύλας δὲ καὶ Σύμμαχος ἀντὶ τοῦ, στερέωμα, πέτραν ἡρμήνευσαν· ἔφη δὲ καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἀπόστολος· Ἡ πέτρα δὲ ἦν ὁ Χριστός. Ἐπὶ ταύτην τὴν πέτραν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ οἰκίαν οἰκοδομῶν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ἀφωμοίωτο τῷ φρονίμῳ τῷ οἰκοδομήσαντι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν. ∆ιὸ καὶ πάντων κρείττων ἐγένετο, τῶν ὑετοῦ δίκην, πνευμάτων τε καὶ ποταμῶν προσβαλλόντων αὐτῷ πολεμίων. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐπὶ δορυφόρους ἤλπιζεν ἢ στρατὸν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ Θεὸν, βοηθὸν αὐτὸν ἔχων, πανοπλίαν καὶ κέρας· ὥστ' ἂν εἰπεῖν καὶ αὐτόν· Ἐν σοὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν κερατιοῦμεν. Περιέσχον με ὠδῖνες θανάτου καὶ χείμαῤῥοι ἀνομίας ἐξετάραξάν με. Ὠδῖνες ᾅδου περιεκύκλωσάν με, προέφθασάν με παγίδες θανάτου. Καὶ ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαί με ἐπεκαλεσάμην τὸν Κύριον, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν μου ἐκέκραξα. Ἤκουσεν ἐκ ναοῦ ἁγίου αὐτοῦ τὴν φωνήν μου, καὶ ἡ κραυγή μου ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦ. ∆ιδάσκει διὰ τούτων τίνα τρόπον, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν χειμάῤῥων τῆς ἀνομίας ταρασσόμενος, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τὰ προειρημένα πάσχων, ᾔσθετο αὑτοῦ κινδυνεύοντος, ἐπὶ τὸν λιμένα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας κατέφευγε. ∆ιό 23.169 φησιν· Ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαι ἐπεκαλεσάμην τὸν Κύριον, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν μου ἐκέκραξα. Εἶτα διδάσκει, ὡς οὐκ ἠστόχησε τοῦ σκοποῦ τοιαῦτα πιστεύσας· ἡ γὰρ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει. ∆ιὸ ἐπιφέρει· Ἤκουσεν ἐκ ναοῦ ἁγίου αὐτοῦ φωνῆς μου, καὶ ἡ κραυγή μου ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦ.