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commanded. Who is the man that fears the Lord? He will give him a law in the way that he has chosen. His soul shall lodge in good things, and his seed shall inherit the earth. Let everyone, he says, who fears the Lord hear, and what awaits him as he travels the one way he might choose. For now he will suffer hardship, as is likely, being trained in the contests of piety; but there will be a time when his soul will lodge in good things; and what good things, but those about which it is said: What eye has not seen, and the rest? 23.229 And indeed the seed, which he sowed in the earth during the time he lived on earth, will inherit many, becoming a cause of salvation for many. And what would you call seed but the teaching and the words and the writings, or the men born to him and discipled according to God? through whom, even after his rest in good things, countless people will obtain the inheritance from God, having received good seeds and been helped to divine fruitfulness. The Lord is the strength of those who fear him, and his covenant is to make it known to them. Aquila rendered it, the secret of the Lord; Symmachus, the company of the Lord; Theodotion and the fifth edition, the mystery of the Lord. For from this the aforementioned man who fears the Lord attained to such blessedness, from the company of the Lord, and his secret, and his mystery having become known to him, and the mysteries contained in his Covenant, that is, in the divine Scripture. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Look upon me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and poor. The troubles of my heart are multiplied; bring me out of my necessities. Not on account of his achievements as if salvation were owed to him; for I know that, having done all things in my power, I still need your mercy. Therefore look upon me, and have mercy on me. For I am conscious of myself as poor and helpless and not sufficient for salvation. And it is a characteristic of all who love God to afflict themselves in tribulations, in necessities, in distresses, and persecutions; but they are not ignorant of the end of these things; therefore they beseech God to attain it, saying: Bring me out of my necessities; so that having passed through the necessities of life, the calamities and the circumstances, they might one day be able to say: We went through fire and water, and you brought us out to a place of refreshment. See my humiliation and my labor, and forgive all my sins. See my enemies, for they have multiplied, and they have hated me with an unjust hatred. Guard my soul and deliver me; let me not be put to shame, for I have hoped in you. The things from my side are striven for, but I ask to receive the things from your side. I, therefore, discipline myself, and as if exacting a penalty for what I have previously transgressed, I punish myself, humbling myself in toils and pains; but you, O God, like some judge of a contest, observing my struggle and my labors, grant the forgiveness of sins, and pardon whatever I have ever committed in sins. But also, seeing my enemies, how many they are that conspired against me, and how they hated me with an unjust hatred, be a guard of my soul, 23.232 and deliver me from the plot of my enemies. And having done so much and prayed for so much, I ask not to be put to shame. For having placed you as my hope, I know precisely and am persuaded that hope does not put to shame. The innocent and the upright clung to me, because I waited for you. Redeem, O God, Israel from all his afflictions. And this, in addition to my other achievements, was a great thing for me, and dear to you, God; for to many I became an example of endurance, of a devout life, of repentance, and confession; therefore innocent and upright men joined me, clinging to me and asking to live with me, for no other reason than that I persevered with endurance, and

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παρηγγελμένα. Τίς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον; νομοθετήσει αὐτῷ ἐν ὁδῷ, ᾗ ᾑρετίσατο. Ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς αὐλισθήσεται, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ κληρονομήσει γῆν. Ἀκουέτω, φησὶ, πᾶς ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον, μίαν τε ὁδὸν ἣν ἂν ἕλοιτο διαπορευόμενος, τί αὐτὸν περιμένει. Νῦν μὲν κακοπαθήσει, οἷα εἰκὸς, ἐγγυμναζόμενος τοῖς τῆς θεοσεβείας ἄθλοις· ἔσται δὲ καιρὸς ὁπηνίκα ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς αὐλισθήσεται· ποίοις δὲ ἀγαθοῖς ἢ περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς; 23.229 Τό γε μὲν σπέρμα, ὅπερ κατεβάλετο ἐν τῇ γῇ καθ' ὃν ἐπολιτεύετο ἐπὶ γῆς χρόνον, πολλοὺς κληρονομήσει, σωτηρίας αἴτιον γινόμενον πολλοῖς. Σπέρμα δὲ τί ἂν εἴποις ἢ τὴν διδασκαλίαν καὶ τοὺς λόγους καὶ τὰ συγγράμματα, ἢ τοὺς κατὰ Θεὸν αὐτῷ γεννηθέντας καὶ μαθητευθέντας ἄνδρας; δι' ὧν καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἀνάπαυσιν αὐτοῦ μυρίοι τῆς παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ κληρονομίας τεύξονται, ἅτε ἀγαθῶν σπερμάτων τυχόντες καὶ ὠφελημένοι τὴν ἔνθεον καρποφορίαν. Κραταίωμα Κύριος τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν, καὶ ἡ ∆ιαθήκη αὐτοῦ τοῦ δηλῶσαι αὐτοῖς. Ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, ἀπόῤῥητον Κυρίου ἐξέδωκεν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ὁμιλία Κυρίου· ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων καὶ ἡ πέμπτη ἔκδοσις, μυστήριον Κυρίου. Ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ εἰς τοσαύτην ἤλασε μακαριότητα ὁ ἀνωτέρω προλεχθεὶς φοβούμενος Κύριον ἐκ τοῦ ὁμιλίαν τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ ἀπόῤῥητον αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ μυστήριον αὐτοῦ γνωστὸν αὐτῷ γεγονέναι, καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ ∆ιαθήκῃ αὐτοῦ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐν τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, περιεχόμενα μυστήρια. Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου διὰ παντὸς πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐκσπάσει ἐκ παγίδος τοὺς πόδας μου. Ἐπίβλεψον ἐπ' ἐμὲ καὶ ἐλέησόν με, ὅτι μονογενὴς καὶ πτωχός εἰμι ἐγώ. Αἱ θλίψεις τῆς καρδίας μου ἐπληθύνθησαν, ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν μου ἐξάγαγέ με. Οὐ διὰ τὰ κατορθώματα ὥσπερ ὀφειλομένην τὴν σωτηρίαν αὐτῷ· οἶδα γὰρ, ὅτι, πάντα ποιήσας τὰ παρ' ἐμαυτοῦ, ἔτι τοῦ σοῦ ἐλέους δέομαι. ∆ιὸ ἐπίβλεψον ἐπ' ἐμὲ, καὶ ἐλέησόν με. Σύνοιδα γὰρ ἐμαυτῷ πτωχῷ καὶ ἀβοηθήτῳ καὶ μὴ ἐπαρκοῦντι πρὸς σωτηρίαν. Ἴδιόν τέ ἐστι πάντων τῶν θεοφιλῶν τὸ ἑαυτοὺς κακοῦν ἐν θλίψεσιν, ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν στενοχωρίαις, καὶ διωγμοῖς· ἀλλ' οὐ καὶ ἀγνοοῦσι τὸ τούτων τέλος· διὸ τυχεῖν αὐτοῦ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἱκετεύουσι λέγοντες· Ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν μου ἐξάγαγέ με· ὡς ἂν διελθόντες τὰς τοῦ βίου ἀνάγκας, τὰς δὲ συμφορὰς καὶ τὰς περιστάσεις, εἰπεῖν ποτε δυνηθεῖεν· ∆ιήλθομεν διὰ πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος, καὶ ἐξήγαγες ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀναψυχήν. Ἴδε τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου καὶ τὸν κόπον μου, καὶ ἄφες πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου. Ἴδε τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου, ὅτι ἐπληθύνθησαν, καὶ μῖσος ἄδικον ἐμίσησάν με. Φύλαξον τὴν ψυχήν μου καὶ ῥῦσαί με· μὴ καταισχυνθείην, ὅτι ἤλπισα ἐπὶ σέ. Τὰ μὲν παρ' ἐμοῦ σπουδάζεται, τὰ δὲ παρὰ σοῦ τυχεῖν ἀξιῶ. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ἐμαυτὸν κολάζω, καὶ ὥσπερ δίκην εἰσπραττόμενος ὧν πρότερον ἐπλημμέλησα, ἐμαυτὸν τιμωροῦμαι, ταπεινῶν ἐμαυτὸν ἐν κόποις καὶ πόνοις· σὺ δὲ, ὁ Θεὸς, οἷά τις ἀγωνοθέτης, τὸν ἐμὸν ἀγῶνα θεωρῶν καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς καμάτους, δίδου τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, καὶ συγχώρει ὅσα πώποτε διεπραξάμην ἐν ἁμαρτίαις. Ἀλλὰ καὶ θεασάμενος τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὁπόσοι ὄντες ἐπεβούλευον, καὶ ὡς μῖσος ἄδικον ἐμίσησάν με, φύλαξ γενοῦ τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς, 23.232 καὶ ῥῦσαί με τῆς τῶν πολεμίων ἐπιβουλῆς. Τοσαῦτα δὲ πράξας καὶ τοσαῦτα δεηθεὶς, μὴ καταισχυνθῆναι ἀξιῶ. Σὲ γὰρ ἐλπίδα ἐμαυτοῦ θέμενος, ἀκριβῶς οἶδα καὶ πέπεισμαι, ὅτι ἡ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει. Ἄκακοι καὶ εὐθεῖς ἐκολλῶντό μοι, ὅτι ὑπέμεινά σε. Λύτρωσαι, ὁ Θεὸς, τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τοῦτό μοι πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις κατορθώμασι μέγα ὑπῆρξε, καὶ σοὶ τῷ Θεῷ φίλον· πολλοῖς γὰρ ἐγινόμην ὑπογραμμὸς καρτερίας, βίου τε σεμνοῦ καὶ μετανοίας καὶ ἐξομολογήσεως· διὸ ἄκακοι ἄνδρες καὶ εὐθεῖς συνήπτοντό μοι κολλώμενοι, καὶ συμβιοῦν ἀξιοῦντες, δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ ὅτι ὑπέμενον καρτερῶν, καὶ