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the life without sorrow, and the thrice-desired, he urges on to the contests. 14, 15. "Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it." First he turns away from wickedness, and then he commands to pursue the forms of virtue; and first he exhorts the tongue, as a member apt to slip, to be pure from all deceit and evil; and with the tongue he joins the lips, as also cooperating with its movements. Secondly, he forbids the practice of wickedness; for he says, "Turn away from evil." Then he legislates for good action; for he says, "Do good." And what is the chief of good things? "Seek peace, and pursue it." For the peaceful man, embracing peace toward all, neither secretly steals what belongs to his neighbor 80.1108; he does not dare commit murder, he does not plot against marriages, he does not speak evil, he does not do evil; he does good, he provides for, he shares, he defends, he shares dangers, he struggles alongside; for such is sincere love, and genuine friendship. Then again he shows the fruit of these things. 10. "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer." For those who do these things, he says, are watched over by the Lord God, and when they ask for good things, they obtain their requests. Then from the contrary he strengthens what has been said. 17. "But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to destroy their remembrance from the earth." He sees, he says, also those who dare to do the contrary, and he passes the sentence of utter destruction against them. 18, 19. "The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them, and delivered them out of all their tribulations. The Lord is near to the contrite of heart, and will save the humble in spirit." The Lord, he says, is present with the righteous, and he gladly receives their prayers; and he especially cares for those who are of a moderate mind; for these he has called contrite of heart. And this he says also in another psalm: "A contrite and humbled heart, O God, you will not despise." 20, 21. "Many are the tribulations of the righteous, and the Lord will deliver them out of them all. The Lord keeps all their bones; not one of them shall be broken." For he allows them to descend into the gymnasium of tribulations; but he assists them, and makes them superior to the calamities that befall them, strengthening their thoughts, and making them steadfast; for he called their thoughts bones; for just as the rest of the body is supported by the bones, as by solid foundations, so through thoughts the soul bears the fruit of salvation. 22, 23. "The death of sinners is evil; and those who hate the righteous will transgress. The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants, and all those who hope in him will not transgress." Therefore, the lovers of virtue will enjoy so many good things. But those who live with wickedness will receive an end suitable to their life, and the end of a wicked life will be wicked. But those who have chosen the service of God, and have acquired hope in him, will obtain salvation from him; since indeed they did not endure to transgress at all against the laws established by him.

80.1109 INTERPRETATION OF THE 34TH PSALM. "A Psalm of David." And likewise the blessed

David spoke this psalm, being persecuted by Saul; and he also remembers the wickedness of Doeg. For he informed Saul about Ahimelech the priest, and became the cause of that great slaughter; and he also remembers the Ziphites, and the others, who informed on David to Saul, as the words themselves will teach. 1. "Judge, O Lord, those who wrong me; fight against those who fight against me." The order of what is said is good, and befitting the prayer of a righteous man. For he asked first that the God of all judge, and then that he bring on the sentence of punishment. 2, 3. "Take hold of shield and buckler,

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τὴν ζωὴν τὴν ἄλυπον, καὶ τὴν τριπόθητον, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀγῶνας προ τρέπει. ιδʹ, ιεʹ. "Παῦσον τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ χείλη σου τοῦ μὴ λαλῆσαι δόλον. Ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν· ζήτησον εἰρήνην, καὶ δίωξον αὐτήν." Πρότερον ἀποτρέπει κακίας, εἶθ' οὕτω τὰ εἴδη τῆς ἀρετῆς μετιέναι κελεύει· καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τὴν γλῶτταν, ὡς εὐόλισθον μόριον, καθαρεύειν παντὸς δόλου καὶ πονηρίας παρεγγυᾷ· τῇ γλώττῃ δὲ τὰ χείλη συνάπτει, ὡς καὶ αὐτὰ συνερ γοῦντα τοῖς ἐκείνης κινήμασι. ∆εύτερον τῆς κακίας ἀπαγορεύει τὴν πρᾶξιν· "Ἔκκλινον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ κακοῦ." Εἶτα τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἐνέργειαν νομοθετεῖ· "Ποίησον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀγαθόν." Τί δὲ τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν ἀγαθῶν; "Ζήτησον εἰρήνην, καὶ δίωξον αὐτήν." Ὁ γὰρ εἰρηνικὸς εἰρήνην πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀσπαζόμενος, οὔτε κρύβδην τὰ τοῦ πέλας 80.1108 ὑφαιρεῖται· οὐ μιαιφονίας κατατολμᾷ, οὐ γάμοις ἐπιβουλεύει, οὐ λέγει κακῶς, οὐ πράττει κακῶς· εὐεργετεῖ, προμηθεῖται, μεταδίδωσι, συνηγορεῖ, συγκινδυνεύει, συναγωνίζεται· τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ εἰλι κρινὴς ἀγάπη, καὶ γνησία φιλία. Εἶτα πάλιν δεί κνυσι τὸν τούτων καρπόν. ιʹ. "Ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους, καὶ ὦτα αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν." Ἐποπτεύονται γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ ταῦτα δρῶντες ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆εσπότου Θεοῦ, καὶ αἰτοῦντες ἀγαθὰ τυγχάνουσι τῶν αἰτήσεων. Ἔπειτα ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐναντίου τὰ εἰρημένα κρατύνει. ιζʹ. "Πρόσωπον δὲ Κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακὰ, τοῦ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι ἐκ γῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν." Ὁρᾷ δὲ, φησὶ, καὶ τοὺς τἀναντία τολμῶντας, καὶ τῆς πανωλεθρίας κατ' αὐτῶν ἐκφέρει τὴν ψῆφον. ιηʹ, ιθʹ. "Ἐκέκραξαν οἱ δίκαιοι, καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἰσήκουσεν αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτῶν ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτούς. Ἐγγὺς Κύριος τοῖς συντετριμ μένοις τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ τοὺς ταπεινοὺς τῷ πνεύ ματι σώσει." Πάρεστι, φησὶ, τοῖς δικαίοις ὁ ∆εσπό της, καὶ τὰς τούτων ἀσμένως δέχεται προσευχάς· διαφερόντως δὲ κήδεται τῶν μετρίῳ φρονήματι κεχρημένων· τούτους γὰρ τῇ καρδίᾳ συντετριμ μένους ἐκάλεσε. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέγει ψαλμῷ· "Καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπει νωμένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει." κʹ, καʹ. "Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος, Φυλάσσει Κύριος πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτῶν, ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ συν τριβήσεται." Συγχωρεῖ μὲν γὰρ αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ τῶν θλίψεων κατιέναι γυμνάσιον· ἐπαρκεῖ δὲ, καὶ κρείτ τους ἀποφαίνει τῶν προσπιπτουσῶν συμφορῶν, κρα τύνων αὐτῶν τοὺς λογισμοὺς, καὶ στεγανοὺς ἐργαζόμενος· ὀστᾶ γὰρ τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀπεκά λεσε· καθάπερ γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν ὀστῶν, ὡς στερε μνίων, τὸ λοιπὸν φέρεται σῶμα, οὕτω διὰ τῶν λογισμῶν ἡ ψυχὴ τὴν σωτηρίαν καρποῦται. κβʹ, κγʹ. "Θάνατος ἁμαρτωλῶν πονηρός· καὶ οἱ μισοῦντες τὸν δίκαιον πλημμελήσουσιν. Λυτρώ σεται Κύριος ψυχὰς δούλων αὑτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ πλημ μελήσουσι πάντες οἱ ἐλπίζοντες ἐπ' αὐτόν." Οἱ μὲν οὖν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐρασταὶ τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσουσιν. Οἱ δὲ πονηρίᾳ συζῶντες προσφυᾶ δέ ξονται τὴν τελευτὴν τῇ ζωῇ, καὶ πονηρᾶς βιοτῆς πονηρὸν ἔσται τὸ τέλος. Οἱ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν θερα πείαν ἑλόμενοι, καὶ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίδα κτησάμενοι, τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ τεύξονται σωτηρίας· ἅτε δὴ πλημ μελῆσαι παντελῶς εἰς τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τεθέντας οὐκ ἀνασχόμενοι νόμους.

80.1109 ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ Λ∆ʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. "Ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αβίδ." Καὶ τοῦτον ὡσαύτως τὸν ψαλμὸν εἴρηκεν ὁ μακάριος

∆αβὶδ, ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ διωκόμενος· μέμνηται δὲ καὶ τῆς τοῦ ∆ωὴκ πονη ρίας. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐμήνυσε τῷ Σαοὺλ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἀβιμέλεχ τὸν ἱερέα, καὶ πρόξενος τῆς πολλῆς ἐκείνης μιαιφονίας ἐγένετο· μέμνηται δὲ καὶ τῶν Ζιφαίων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, οἳ τῷ Σαοὺλ τὸν ∆αβὶδ κατεμήνυον, ὡς αὐτὰ διδάξει τὰ ῥήματα. αʹ. "∆ίκασον, Κύριε, τοὺς ἀδικοῦντάς με· πολέ μησον τοὺς πολεμοῦντάς με." Καλὴ τῶν εἰρημένων ἡ τάξις, καὶ τῇ τοῦ δικαίου πρέπουσα εὐχῇ. Ἤτησε γὰρ πρότερον δικάσαι τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν, εἶθ' οὕτως ἐπαγαγεῖν τῆς τιμωρίας τὴν ψῆφον. βʹ, γʹ. "Ἐπιλαβοῦ ὅπλου, καὶ θυρεοῦ,