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and arise to my help. "Draw out the sword, and shut up the way against those who persecute me." Having mentioned war, he has necessarily also added the types of weapons, terrifying with the image of the full armor those who live in wickedness. For God did not use so many weapons when punishing the unjust; but a word is sufficient for him for the final punishment. "Say to my soul: I am your salvation." Your word is sufficient for my salvation. For since the prophet mentioned weapons, he fittingly taught that God does not need such instruments, but by word alone He both punishes them and benefits these. 4. "Let them be ashamed and confounded who seek my soul; let them be turned back and brought to confusion who plot evil against me." May they fail, he says, in what they contrive, and may shame be for them the fruit of their wickedness. 5. "Let them be as chaff before the wind, and the angel of the Lord afflicting them." This he also placed in the first psalm: "Not so the wicked, not so; but rather as the chaff, which the wind casts from the face of the earth." 6. "Let their way be darkness and a slippery place, and the angel of the Lord persecuting them." Turn them to flight, entrusting the pursuit to the unseen angels. Thus we find also the Assyrians were destroyed by an angel, and the destroyer slew the firstborn of the Egyptians. And darkness and a slippery place he calls the downfall. For both those who stumble and those who endure the slip, fall down. And showing the justice of the prayer, he adds: 80.1112 7. "For without cause they have hidden for me the destruction of their snare; in vain they have reproached my soul." For, he says, they have used unjust plots against me. But for "reproached," Symmachus has said "dug a pit." And it hints at the destruction prepared in secret. 8. Let a snare which he does not know come upon him, and let the net which he hid catch him; and into that very snare let him fall." In what they prepare, he says, may they be caught, and in their own nets may they fall; may they endure an unexpected hunt, for this he said, "a snare which he does not know." 9, 10. "But my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall be delighted in his salvation. All my bones shall say: Lord, Lord, who is like you?" And I will reap both delight and gladness from your good things, Master, and through all my members I will cry out that you alone are God. For, "Who is like you?" indicates this, that You alone are God, having power over all things. "Delivering the poor from the hand of those stronger than him, and the poor and needy from those who plunder him." For you do not allow the poorer to be besieged by the more powerful; but you both restrain them, and defend these. 11. "Unjust witnesses rising up against me, they questioned me about things I knew not." I endured slander, he says, being accused of things I had not even considered. For since Saul, struck by envy, suspected he would seize the kingship, and for this reason he continually made war; the slanderers, finding opportunity, did not cease from weaving slanders against him. These he names false witnesses. Of these was Doeg, of these were the Ziphites, and many others besides these. 12. "They rendered me evil for good, and childlessness to my soul." For I indeed killed Goliath who was being insolent and behaving arrogantly against all the people, and I often fought against the foreigners, and with spiritual lyre-playing I freed him from demonic madness; but he does not cease making war on me, wishing to deliver me to death and oblivion. For he called oblivion childlessness, as memory is preserved through children. Wherefore also the God of all 80.1113 says through Isaiah the prophet: "Let not the eunuch say, I am a dry tree; for thus says the Lord to the eunuchs who choose the things that I please, I will give them in my house, within my wall a marvelous place, and a good name, better than sons and daughters." 13. "But I, when they troubled me, put on sackcloth, and humbled myself with

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καὶ ἀνά στηθι εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου. Ἔκχεον ῥομφαίαν, καὶ σύγκλεισον ἐξεναντίας τῶν καταδιωκόντων με." Πολέμου μνημονεύσας, ἀναγκαίως καὶ τῶν ὅπλων τὰ εἴδη προστέθεικε, τῷ σχήματι τῆς πανοπλίας ἐκδειματῶν τοὺς πονηρίᾳ συζῶντας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοσούτοις ὅπλοις ἐκέχρητο ὁ Θεὸς κολάζων τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας· ἀρκεῖ δὲ αὐτῷ λόγος εἰς τιμωρίαν ἐσχάτην. "Εἶπον τῇ ψυχῇ μου· Σωτηρία σού εἰμι ἐγώ." Ἀρκεῖ μοι ὁ σὸς λόγος εἰς σωτηρίαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὅπλων ὁ προφήτης ἐμνημόνευσεν, εἰκότως ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς οὐ χρῄζει τοιούτων ὑπουρ γῶν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ λόγῳ μόνῳ κἀκείνους κολά ζει, καὶ τούτους εὐεργετεῖ. δʹ. "Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν, καὶ ἐντραπήτωσαν οἱ ζη τοῦντες τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἀποστραφήτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, καὶ καταισχυνθήτωσαν οἱ λογιζόμενοί μοι κακά." ∆ιαμάρτωσι, φησὶν, ὧν τυρεύουσι, καὶ γένηται αὐτοῖς αἰσχύνη τῆς πονηρίας ἐπι καρπία. εʹ. "Γενηθήτωσαν ὡσεὶ χνοῦς κατὰ πρόσωπον ἀνέμου, καὶ ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἐκθλίβων αὐτούς." Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ ψαλμῷ τέθεικεν· "Οὐχ οὕτως οἱ ἀσεβεῖς, οὐχ οὕτως· ἀλλ' ἢ ὡσεὶ χνοῦς, ὃν ἐκρίπτει ὁ ἄνεμος ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς." ʹ. "Γενηθήτω ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτῶν σκότος, καὶ ὀλί σθημα, καὶ ἄγγελος Κυρίου καταδιώκων αὐτούς." Τρέψον αὐτοὺς εἰς φυγὴν, τοῖς ἀοράτοις ἀγγέλοις ἐπιτρέπων τὴν δίωξιν. Οὕτως εὑρίσκομεν καὶ τοὺς Ἀσσυρίους ὑπ' ἀγγέλου ἀναιρεθέντας, καὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τὰ πρωτότοκα ὁ ὀλοθρευτὴς διέφθειρε. Σκότος δὲ καὶ ὀλίσθημα τὴν κατάπτωσιν λέγει. Οἵ τε γὰρ προσπταίοντες, καὶ οἱ τὸν ὄλισθον ὑπο μένοντες, καταπίπτουσιν. Καὶ δεικνὺς τῆς εὐχῆς τὸ δίκαιον, ἐπάγει· 80.1112 ζʹ. "Ὅτι δωρεὰν ἔκρυψάν μοι διαφθορὰν παγί δος αὑτῶν· μάτην ὠνείδισαν τὴν ψυχήν μου." Ἀδίκοις γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπιβουλαῖς κέχρηνται κατ' ἐμοῦ. Τὸ δὲ ὠνείδισαν, ὑπώρυξαν ὁ Σύμμαχος εἴρηκεν. Αἰνίττεται δὲ τὸν κρύβδην κατασκευαζό μενον ὄλεθρον. ηʹ. Ἐλθέτω αὐτῷ παγὶς ἣν οὐ γινώσκει καὶ ἡ θήρα ἢν ἔκρυψε συλλαβέτω αὐτόν· καὶ ἐν τῇ παγίδι πεσεῖται ἐν αὐτῇ." Οἷς κατασκευάζουσι, φησὶ, περιπέσοιεν, καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις δικτύοις ἐμ πέσοιεν· ἀπροσδόκητον ὑπομείναιεν θήραν τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπε, "παγὶς ἢν οὐ γινώσκει." θʹ, ιʹ. "Ἡ δὲ ψυχή μου ἀγαλλιάσεται ἐπὶ τῷ Κυ ρίῳ· τερφθήσεται ἐπὶ τῷ σωτηρίῳ αὐτοῦ. Πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ἐροῦσι· Κύριε, Κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι;" Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ θυμηδίαν καὶ εὐφροσύνην ἐπὶ τοῖς σοῖς ἀγαθοῖς καρπώσομαι, ∆έσποτα, καὶ διὰ πάντων μου τῶν μορίων μόνον σε εἶναι βοήσω Θεόν. Τὸ γὰρ, "Τίς ὅμοιός σοι;" τοῦτο δηλοῖ, ὅτι Μόνος ὑπάρ χεις Θεὸς, κατὰ πάντων ἔχων τὸ κράτος. "Ῥυό μενος πτωχὸν ἐκ χειρὸς στερεωτέρων αὐτοῦ, καὶ πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα ἀπὸ τῶν διαρπαζόντων αὐτόν." Οὐκ ἐᾷς γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν δυνατωτέρων πολιορκεῖσθαι τοὺς πενεστέρους· ἀλλὰ κἀκείνους ἄγχεις, καὶ τού τοις ἐπαμύνεις. ιαʹ. "Ἀναστάντες μοι μάρτυρες ἄδικοι, ἃ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον, ἠρώτων με." Συκοφαντίαν, φησὶν, ὑπ έμεινα, ἃ μηδὲ ἐλογισάμην, κατηγορούμενος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ φθόνου βαλλόμενος ὁ Σαοὺλ, τυραννή σειν αὐτὸν ὑπώπτευε, καὶ τούτου χάριν πολεμῶν διετέλει· χώραν λαβόντες οἱ βασκαίνοντες, τὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ συκοφαντίας οὐκ ἔληγον ῥάπτοντες. Τούτους μάρτυρας ὀνομάζει ψευδεῖς. Ἐκ τούτων ἦν ὁ ∆ωὴκ, ἐκ τούτων οἱ Ζιφαῖοι, καὶ ἕτεροι πρὸς τούτοις πολλοί. ιβʹ. "Ἀνταπεδίδουν μοι πονηρὰ ἀντὶ τῶν ἀγα θῶν, καὶ ἀτεκνίαν τῇ ψυχῇ μου." Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ τὸν Γολιὰθ ἀνεῖλον θρασυνόμενον, καὶ κατὰ παντὸς νεανιευόμενον τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ ἀλλοφύλους κατηγωνισάμην πολλάκις, καὶ τοῖς πνευματικοῖς κρούμασι τῆς δαιμονικῆς αὐτὸν ἠλευθέρουν μα νίας· αὐτὸς δέ μοι πολεμῶν οὐ παύεται, θανάτῳ παραδοῦναι καὶ λήθῃ βουλόμενος. Ἀτεκνίαν γὰρ τὴν λήθην ὠνόμασεν, ὡς διὰ τῶν παίδων φυλατ τομένης τῆς μνήμης. ∆ιὸ δὲ καὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς 80.1113 διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου φησί· "Μὴ λεγέτω ὁ εὐνοῦχος, ὅτι Ἐγώ εἰμι ξύλον ξηρόν· ὅτι τάδε λέγει Κύριος τοῖς εὐνούχοις τοῖς ἐκλεγομένοις· Ἃ ἐγὼ θέλω, δώσω αὐτοῖς ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου, ἐν τῷ τείχει μου τόπον θαυμαστὸν, καὶ ὄνομα ἀγαθὸν, κρεῖττον υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρων." ιγʹ. "Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν τῷ αὐτοὺς παρενοχλεῖν μοι ἐνεδυόμην σάκκον, καὶ ἐταπείνουν ἐν