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barley, and flour; and beans, and lentils, and certain other things they brought to David and to the people, because they said the people were hungry and faint with thirst in the desert." 12. "Beyond all my enemies I have become a reproach, and to my neighbors exceedingly, and a fear to my acquaintances." My enemies, he says, are in good cheer, but I am a laughing-stock, and a delight to my neighbors, and a terror to my acquaintances. And teaching this more clearly, he added: "Those who see me outside, fled from me." For they are afraid to be with me, lest they fall into the hands of my enemies. 13. "I have been forgotten like a dead man from the heart, I have become like a lost vessel." They have all given up on me, he says, in the manner of a lost vessel, and a dead man dwelling in a tomb. [He showed the extremity of the forgetfulness from the dishonor of the vessel; for just as, he says, that thing when it is lost is quickly banished from the memory of those who lost it because of its cheapness, so also I have been considered by them as being nothing, nor ever having been worthy of any account.] 14. "For I have heard the slander of many who dwell round about." But these things I say not by conjecture, but having received the reproaches with my ears. And through these things he also signifies the revilings of Shimei. "When they were gathered together against me, they conspired to take my life. [15, 10.] But I have hoped in you, O Lord; I said, You are my God. In your hands are my lots." They, therefore, having gathered together, plot my death, but I know you as God and governor. For this is what he says: "In your hands are my lots," or as the others, in your hands are my times, which means, You assign as you wish to each both sorrows and joys, and you change these again according to what seems good. For he calls times, or lots, the changes of 80.1084 circumstances, wealth and poverty, slavery and mastery, peace and war, and other such things likewise. "Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me." Then he also shows the manner of the redemption. 17. "Make your face to shine upon your servant; save me in your mercy." For when your appearance comes to me, the sorrows will immediately be dispelled. 18. "Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I have called upon you; let the ungodly be put to shame, and let them be brought down to Hades." And from this we learn that there is a great difference between sin and ungodliness. Therefore the great David also implores that he himself be delivered from the shame which came to be because of his sin, but that those living in impiety be sent away to death with shame. 19. "Let the deceitful lips be made speechless, which speak iniquity against the righteous, in arrogance and contempt." Here he foretells the death of Ahithophel, who, being a friend and counselor of David, laid bare his old deceit, and moved his tongue against him who had done no wrong. And he fittingly called that counsel arrogance and contempt; since it stirred up a son against his father to slaughter. 20. "How great is the multitude of your goodness, O Lord, which you have hidden for those who fear you!" Again, here the word 'how' is not placed comparatively, but emphatically. Therefore Aquila and Symmachus translated it thus: How great is your good, which you have stored away and hidden for those who fear you! And the saying has this meaning: Of those who fear you, he says, O Master, you hide the wages and the prizes; and these are many, and great, and wonderful; but you allow them to wrestle with sweats and hardships. But yet there are times when the prizes are also laid bare, encouraging the athletes. For he added this: "You have wrought for those who hope in you, before the sons of men." Then he goes through in part the providence that is for them. 21. "You will hide them in the secret place of your presence, from the tumult of men. You will shelter them in a tabernacle from the strife of tongues." Your appearance, he says, is sufficient; for this is what he calls presence; to free them from all human tumult and storm, 80.1085 and having been taken into the midst, as it were, to cover them with a tabernacle, and to make them unseen. And of this providence he himself

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κριθὰς, καὶ ἄλευρον· καὶ κύαμον, καὶ φακὸν, καὶ ἕτερά τινα τῷ ∆αβὶδ προσήνεγκαν καὶ τῷ λαῷ, ὅτι ἔλε γον τὸν λαὸν πεινᾷν καὶ ἐκλελῦσθαι διψήσαντα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ." ιβʹ. "Παρὰ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ἐγενήθην ὄνειδος, καὶ τοῖς γείτοσί μου σφόδρα, καὶ φόβος τοῖς γνωστοῖς μου." Οἱ ἐχθροί μου, φησὶν, ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ, ἐγὼ δὲ καταγέλαστός εἰμι, καὶ τοῖς ὁμόροις ἐπίχαρ τος, καὶ τοῖς γνωρίμοις ἐπίφοβος. Καὶ σαφέστερον τοῦτο διδάσκων ἐπήγαγεν· "Οἱ θεωροῦντές με ἔξω, ἔφυγον ἀπ' ἐμοῦ." ∆εδίασι γὰρ συγγενέσθαι μοι, ἵνα μὴ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἐχθροῖς περιπέσωσιν. ιγʹ. "Ἐπελήσθην ὡσεὶ νεκρὸς ἀπὸ καρδίας, ἐγενή θην ὡσεὶ σκεῦος ἀπολωλός." Ἀπέγνωσάν με, φησὶν, ἅπαντες, δίκην σκεύους ἀπολωλότος, καὶ νε κροῦ τάφον οἰκοῦντος. [Ἔδειξε τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἐπιλησμονῆς ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ σκεύους ἀτιμίας· ὥσπερ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπολλύμενον ἐκεῖνο ταχέως τῆς τῶν ἀπολωλεκότων ἐξορίζεται μνήμης διὰ τὸ εὐτελὲς, οὕτω κἀγὼ λελόγισμαι αὐτοῖς ὡς οὐδὲν ὢν οὐδὲ γε γονώς ποτε λόγου τινὸς ἄξιος.] ιδʹ. "Ὅτι ἤκουσα ψόγον πολλῶν παροικούντων κυ κλόθεν." Ταῦτα δὲ οὐ τοπάζων λέγω, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ἀκοαῖς τὰ ὀνείδη δεξάμενος. Σημαίνει δὲ διὰ τούτων καὶ τὰς τοῦ Σεμεεὶ λοιδορίας. "Ἐν τῷ ἐπισυναχθῆναι αὐτοὺς ἅμα ἐπ' ἐμὲ τοῦ λαβεῖν τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐβουλεύσαντο. [ιεʹ, ιʹ.] Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ σὲ, Κύριε, ἤλπισα· εἶπον, Σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεός μου. Ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου οἱ κλῆροί μου." Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἀθροισθέντες τὸν ἐμὸν καττύουσι θάνατον, ἐγὼ δέ σε Θεὸν οἶδα καὶ πρύτανιν. Τοῦτο γὰρ λέγει· "Ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου οἱ κλῆροί μου," ἢ ὡς οἱ λοι ποὶ, ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου οἱ καιροί μου, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Σὺ ἀποκληροῖς ὡς ἐθέλεις ἑκάστῳ καὶ ἀθυμίας καὶ θυμηδίας, καὶ μεταβάλλεις ταῦτα πάλιν πρὸς τὸ δο κοῦν. Καιροὺς γὰρ, ἢ κλήρους, καλεῖ τὰς τῶν 80.1084 πραγμάτων μεταβολὰς, πλοῦτον καὶ πενίαν, δου λείαν καὶ δεσποτείαν, εἰρήνην καὶ πόλεμον, καὶ τἄλλα τὰ τοιαῦτα ὁμοίως. "Ῥῦσαί με ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθρῶν μου, καὶ ἐκ τῶν καταδιωκόντων με." Εἶτα δείκνυσι καὶ τὸν τῆς λυτρώσεως τρόπον. ιζʹ. "Ἐπίφανον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπὶ τὸν δοῦλόν σου· σῶσόν με ἐν τῷ ἐλέει σου." Τῆς γὰρ σῆς μοι γενομένης ἐπιφανείας, τὰ σκυθρωπὰ παραυτίκα λυ θήσεται. ιηʹ. "Κύριε, μὴ καταισχυνθείην, ὅτι ἐπεκαλεσά μην σε, αἰσχυνθείησαν ἀσεβεῖς, καὶ καταχθείησαν εἰς ᾅδου." Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὡς πολλὴν διαφορὰν ἁμαρτία πρὸς ἀσέβειαν ἔχει. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ μέγας παρακαλεῖ ∆αβὶδ, αὐτὸν μὲν τῆς διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν γεγενημένης αἰσχύνης ἀπαλλαγῆναι, τοὺς δὲ δυσσεβείᾳ συζῶντας μετ' αἰσχύνης τῷ θανάτῳ παραπεμφθῆναι. ιθʹ. "Ἄλαλα γενηθήτω τὰ χείλη τὰ δόλια, τὰ λα λοῦντα κατὰ τοῦ δικαίου ἀνομίαν, ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ καὶ ἐξουδενώσει." Τοῦ Ἀχιτόφελ ἐνταῦθα προλέγει τὸν θάνατον, ὃς φίλος ὢν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ καὶ σύμβουλος, τὸν παλαιὸν ἐγύμνωσε δόλον, καὶ κατὰ τοῦ μηδὲν ἠδικηκότος τὴν γλῶτταν ἐκίνησεν. Ὑπερηφανίαν δὲ καὶ ἐξουδένωσιν τὴν συμβουλὴν ἐκείνην εἰκότως ἐκά λεσεν· ἐπειδὴ παῖδα κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς διήγειρεν εἰς σφαγήν. κʹ. "Ὡς πολὺ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς χρηστότητός σου, Κύριε, ἧς ἔκρυψας τοῖς φοβουμένοις σε!" Πάλιν τὸ, ὡς, ἐνταῦθα οὐ παραβολικῶς, ἀλλ' ἐπιτατικῶς τέθεικε. ∆ιόπερ Ἀκύλας καὶ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἡρμή νευσαν· Τί πολὺ τὸ ἀγαθόν σου, ὃ ἔκρυψας ἀπόθετον τοῖς φοβουμένοις σε! Ταύτην δὲ τὸ ῥητὸν τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχει· Τῶν φοβουμένων σε, φησὶ, ∆έσποτα, τοὺς μὲν μισθοὺς καὶ τὰ ἔπαθλα κρύπτεις· καὶ ταῦτα πολλὰ ὄντα, καὶ μεγάλα, καὶ θαυμαστά· ἱδρῶσι δὲ καὶ ταλαιπωρίαις προσπαλαίειν ἐᾷς. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ γυμνοῖς τὰ βραβεῖα, παραθαῤ ῥύνων τοὺς ἀθλητάς. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγεν· "Ἐξ ειργάσω τοῖς ἐλπίζουσιν ἐπὶ σὲ, ἐναντίον τῶν υἱῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων." Εἶτα τὴν γινομένην αὐτῶν κατὰ μέρος διέξεισι πρόνοιαν. καʹ. "Κατακρύψεις αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ τοῦ προσώπου σου, ἀπὸ ταραχῆς ἀνθρώπων. Σκεπάσεις αὐτοὺς ἐν σκηνῇ ἀπὸ ἀντιλογίας γλωσσῶν." Ἀρκεῖ σου, φησὶν, ἡ ἐπιφάνεια· τοῦτο γὰρ καλεῖ πρόσω πον· πάσης αὐτοὺς ταραχῆς καὶ ζάλης ἀνθρωπίνης 80.1085 ἐλευθερῶσαι, καὶ ἀποληφθέντας ἐν μέσῳ καθάπερ τινὶ καλύψαι σκηνῇ, καὶ ἀφανεῖς ἀποφῆναι. Ταύτης δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς προνοίας