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providing, so that the seed of the righteous man, that is, those born according to his teaching, never seeks bread. Therefore, he works out his whole life's condition to be exact and approved, known to all; and thus all the day he shows mercy, being generous, and lends, either divine teachings to his hearers or to God according to "He that has mercy on the poor lends to God," in order to gain salvific interest so that their seed also may be blessed with every spiritual blessing. 368 Ps 36,30 The righteous man, having achieved every moral virtue, came to contemplation, wherefore also his word, tropologically called a mouth, meditates on nothing other than the wisdom in contemplation. For this you will take the saying, "The discourse of a godly man is always with wisdom, but a fool changes as the moon." And the tongue of the righteous man does not speak unexaminedly nor at random. For having judged and examined the difference between what should be said and what should not be said, some things he will say, and for others he will be silent. Such is the meaning of "The lips of the wise are bound with perception," by speaking and being silent with perception; he has used perception as a bond for his lips. 369 Ps 36,31 The law which we have by nature in our heart, according to which we distinguish what is to be done and what is not to be done, is of none other than God who has made us according to His own image. Doubtless whenever we keep our thoughts unperverted, abstaining from worse things, we lay claim to better things. Using this law as a guide of the way, we pass without stumbling to the end for which we are hastening. But it is possible for the evangelical law to be signified through the present saying. 370 Ps 36,34 To the righteous man, whom the sinner watches, seeking to kill him, it is said: "Wait on the Lord." Even if you have many who murderously pursue you, receive salvation from God. But wait on him and keep his way, observing his commandments. For to you thus disposed will follow being exalted, so as to inherit the land already often mentioned. But it must be noted that it says the land of the gospel lies somewhere on high; for one is not exalted to inherit the land at one's feet, but the one established somewhere above. For in Isaiah too it is said, "The Lord will bring you up to the good things of the land." And consider at what height this land happens to be, since God brings one up to it and exalts one, so that one may inherit it, because it is not possible for anyone to come to it by himself. Then indeed, as from a height, you will see the destruction of sinners, being delivered over to punishment. 371 Ps 36,36 Having passed over, he says, in thought to the future life, I no longer found the wicked man, so that I sought his place and did not find it. But it is said that the wicked are not found after this, not that their substance disappears, but the quality by which they are such, and concerning their place in the order not being found has been demonstrated before. But if these things should be said about Satan, since he is called the ruler of this world (and this world is passing away), someone seeking the place of this ruler in the age to come will not find it. And if sin is also a place for the devil, according to "Give no place to the devil," with wickedness disappearing, the place of the wicked man was not found. But if you should wish to understand it also according to the letter 372 Ps 36,37-40 But if you should wish to understand it also according to the letter, one might state the difference between guilelessness and uprightness as such: if guilelessness is the inaction of evils, uprightness would be the state according to which we perform all things without passion; but if he should call guilelessness the right ordering of character, uprightness would be the unbending contemplation of the dogmas of the truth. In either case, he commands to keep guilelessness and see uprightness, because there is a remnant for the future life for the peaceful man, the hope that does not put to shame, the wicked being utterly destroyed together and at the same time at the time of judgment. But the salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord, who defends them in time of trouble. In harmony with this is "Our salvation in time of trouble." And it will be theirs both to receive help from the Lord and to be delivered from enemies, but also to be rescued from

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παρέχοντα, ὡς μὴ ζητῆσαί ποτε αρτους τὸ τοῦ δικαίου σπέρμα τουτέστιν τοὺς κατὰ διδασκαλίαν γεγενημένους. ολην γοῦν τὴν ζωὴν ἑαυτοῦ κατάστασιν ουσαν ἀκριβῆ τε καὶ δεδοκιμασμένην ἐγνωσμένην πᾶσιν ἐργάζεται· καὶ ουτως ολην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐλεεῖ κοινωνικὸς ων, καὶ δανείζει ητοι μαθήματα θεῖα τοῖς ἀκροωμένοις η θεῷ κατὰ τὸ ̓Ελεῶν πτωχὸν θεῷ δανείζει, ἐπὶ τῷ κερδῆσαι τόκους σωτηριώδεις ωστε καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν εὐλογημένον ειναι πάσῃ εὐλογίᾳ πνευματικῇ. 368 Ps 36,30 ̔Ο δίκαιος πᾶσαν τὴν ἠθικὴν κατορθώσας ἀρετὴν ηλθεν ἐπὶ θεωρίαν διὸ καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ τροπικῶς στόμα καλούμενος οὐκ αλλο τι η τὴν ἐν τῷ θεωρεῖν σοφίαν μελετᾷ. εἰς τοῦτο παραλήψῃ τὸ ∆ιήγησις εὐσεβοῦς διὰ παντὸς σοφία, ὁ δὲ αφρων ὡς σελήνη ἀλλοιοῦται. καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα δὲ τοῦ δικαίου οὐκ ἀνεξετάστως οὐδ' ὡς ετυχεν φθέγγεται. κρίνας γὰρ καὶ ἐξετάσας διαφορὰν λεκτέων καὶ οὐ λεκτέων· τὰ μὲν ἐρεῖ, τὰ δὲ ἡσυχάσει. τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν τὸ Χείλη σοφῶν δέδεται αἰσθήσει, τῷ ᾐσθημένως καὶ λέγειν καὶ σιωπᾶν· αἰσθήσει δεσμῷ τῶν χειλέων κέχρηται. 369 Ps 36,31 Ον κατὰ φύσιν εχομεν νόμον ἐν καρδίᾳ καθ' ον διακρίνομεν τὸ ποιητέον καὶ οὐ ποιητέον, οὐκ αλλου ἐστὶν η τοῦ πεποιηκότος ἡμᾶς κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ εἰκόνα θεοῦ. ἀμέλει οτ' αν σῴζωμεν ἀδιαστρόφους τὰς ἐννοίας τῶν χειρόνων ἀπεχόμενοι, τῶν κρειττόνων ἀντιποιούμεθα. τούτῳ τῷ νόμῳ ἡγεμόνι τῆς ὁδοῦ χρώμενοι ανευ ὑποσκελισμοῦ διαβαίνομεν ἐφ' ο ἐπειγόμεθα τέρμα. ∆υνατὸν δὲ τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν νόμον δηλοῦσθαι διὰ τῆς παρούσης λέξεως. 370 Ps 36,34 Τῷ δικαίῳ ῳ κατανοεῖ ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ζητῶν αὐτὸν θανατῶσαι λέγεται· ̔Υπόμεινον τὸν κύριον. εἰ καὶ πολλοὺς εχεις τοὺς φονῶντας κατὰ σοῦ, ἐκ θεοῦ δέχου τὴν σωτηρίαν. ̔Υπόμεινον δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ φύλαξον τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ, τηρῶν τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ. ουτω γὰρ διατεθέντι σοι ἀκολουθήσει τὸ ὑψωθῆναι, ωστε κατακληρονομῆσαι τὴν πολλάκις ηδη εἰρημένην γῆν. Σημειωτέον δὲ οτι ἐν υψει που κεῖσθαι τὴν τῆς εὐαγγελίας λέγει γῆν· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ τὴν ἐν ποσὶν κληρονομῆσαι γῆν ὑψοῦταί τις ἀλλὰ τὴν ανω που ἱδρυμένην. καὶ ἐν ̔Ησαίᾳ γοῦν ̓Αναβιβάσει σε κύριος ἐπὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς ειρηται. καὶ ἐν οιῳ δὲ υψει τυγχάνει αὐτὴ ἡ γῆ, σκόπει, ὡς θεοῦ ἀναβιβάζοντος ἐπ' αὐτὴν καὶ ὑψοῦντος, ωστε αὐτὴν κληρονομῆσαι τῷ μὴ οιόν τε ειναί τινα ἑαυτῷ ἐπ' αὐτὴν γενέσθαι. τότε δέ, ωσπερ ἀφ' υψους τὸν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐπόψει ολεθρον, παραδιδομένους κολάσει. 371 Ps 36,36 Παρελθών, φησίν, τῇ διανοίᾳ ἐπὶ τὸν μέλλοντα βίον οὐκ εθ' ευρον τὸν ἀσεβῆ, ὡς ζητῆσαι τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ εὑρεῖν. ειρηται δὲ μὴ εὑρίσκεσθαι τοὺς φαύλους μετὰ ταῦτα, οὐ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῶν ἀφανιζομένης ἀλλὰ τῆς ποιότητος καθ' ην εἰσιν τοιοῦτοι, καὶ περὶ τοῦ μὴ εὑρίσκεσθαι τὸν ἐν τάξει τόπον αὐτῶν προαποδέδεικται. εἰ δὲ περὶ τοῦ σατανᾶ ταῦτα λέγοιτο, ἐπεὶ αρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ειρηται (παρέρχεται δὲ ουτος ὁ κόσμος), ζητήσας τις ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι τὸν τόπον τούτου τοῦ αρχοντος οὐχ εὑρήσει. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία τόπος ἐστὶν τοῦ διαβόλου κατὰ τὸ Μὴ δίδοτε τόπον τῷ διαβόλῳ, τῆς κακίας ἀφανιζομένης οὐχ εὑρέθη ὁ τόπος τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς. εἰ δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν λέξιν βουληθείης νοῆσαι 372 Ps 36,37-40 Εἰ δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν λέξιν βουληθείης νοῆσαι, διαφορὰν ἀκακίας καὶ εὐθύτητος ειποι αν τις τοιαύτην· εἰ μὲν ἀκακίᾳ ῃ ἡ τῶν κακῶν ἀπραξία, εὐθύτης ειη ἡ εξις καθ' ην ἀπαθῶς πάντα ἐνεργοῦμεν· εἰ δὲ ἀκακίαν λέγοι τὴν τοῦ ηθους κατόρθωσιν, εὐθύτης ειη ἡ ἀκαμπὴς τῶν δογμάτων τῆς ἀληθείας θεωρία. ἑκατέρως προστάσσει φυλάσσειν ἀκακίαν καὶ ἰδεῖν εὐθύτητα τῷ ειναι ἐγκατάλειμμα εἰς τὸν μέλλοντα βίον τῷ εἰρηνικῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τὴν οὐ καταισχύνουσαν ἐλπίδα, τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἐξολοθρευμένων ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ αμα κατὰ τὸν τῆς κρίσεως καιρόν. Σωτηρία δὲ τῶν δικαίων γίνεται παρὰ κυρίου ὑπερασπίζοντος αὐτῶν ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως. τούτῳ συνῳδὸν τὸ ̔Η σωτηρία ἡμῶν ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως. ὑπάρξει δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ τὸ βοηθείας παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου τυχεῖν καὶ τὸ ῥυσθῆναι ἐκ πολεμίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐξαιρεθῆναι ἐκ