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someone hastening to perform works of repentance for his sin. 384 Ps 37,20a While I am anxious for my sin, those who are hostile to me because I have repented live according to their evil life, being strong and mighty beyond me because I have grown weak according to this life. 385 Ps 37,22 Even if they cast me off as a loathsome corpse, yet you shelter me under your mighty hand; for in your presence the enemies are powerless and weak. 386 Ps 37,23 Since I am surrounded by enemies, both wicked men and unseen powers, and I need help, I ask for help from nowhere else than from you, Lord; for you happen to be the God of my salvation, and the God of salvation is the cause of it.

387 Ps 38,1 King David, having brought the ark of God to Jerusalem, appointed certain sacred men as singers for this ministry and order, so that they might sing the hymns of God. One of these, then, was Jeduthun, as something of this sort is related in the catalogue and enumeration of the aforementioned odes in Chronicles. Therefore, he himself composed and sang the present psalm for David, or having received it as composed by David, he recited it. And in the present psalm, the person reciting is one who is being led from repentance to virtue. 388 Ps 38,2ab Since the beginning of almost every sin comes through speech, he who proposes to guard his ways in deeds makes a pact with himself, so that he might not sin with his tongue. For if sinlessness in speech were kept by him, purity from sins in action would follow; For by your words, he says, you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned; and Truly I say to you: for every idle word you will give an account on the day of judgment. 389 Ps 38,2c.3 With the article, the sinner here also is called the devil or the wicked angel present with man. When, then, someone says to himself to guard his ways so as not to sin in tongue and sets a guard on his mouth, at that time the sinner, setting himself in opposition before the penitent, reminds him of his former deeds, bringing them forth for reproach or wishing to tickle him through the reminder, so that he may drag down into the former sin the one who has departed from it. So, he says, when the sinner stood before me, I was deaf to his words and was silent from the good things I had begun to say; for I had begun to speak about sinlessness; or, having understood from good doctrines that one must not answer provoking words, I was silent, saying nothing to them, so that, while he was saying the aforementioned things, the pain which I had from perception when I was freed from my sins might not be renewed and restored, having been pained again at the things he reproached me with, speaking of my deeds. 390 Ps 38,4ab From the words of the sinner who stood before me, my heart grew hot, being set on fire. But since I uttered nothing from such thoughts within me, the heat was preserved and In my meditation a fire will be kindled. He who meditates on divine things not languidly but diligently and fervently will say the present verse, with a fire being kindled from such meditation, consuming the pre-existing evil disposition. 391 Ps 38,4c To the sinner he says: I was deafened and humbled and was silent; but to God: I spoke with my tongue. He who brings forth words from genuine desire and thought speaks with his own tongue, while he who speaks deceitfully speaks with a foreign tongue. And further, since we also have a tongue in the inner man, this is properly our tongue, according to which it is possible to speak from disposition. 392 Ps 38,5 Since having begun to live the human life I also expect its end, but this is unknown to me, you make known to me the end

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ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἑαυτοῦ τινα σπεύδοντα κατορθοῦν μετανοίας εργα. 384 Ps 37,20a ̓Εμοῦ μεριμνοῦντος ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου, οἱ διὰ τὸ μετανενοηκέναι με ἐχθραίνοντές μοι ζῶσιν κατὰ τὴν φαύλην ζωήν, ἰσχύοντες καὶ κραταιοὶ οντες ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ τῷ ἐμὲ ἠσθενηκέναι κατὰ ταύτην τὴν ζωήν. 385 Ps 37,22 Εἰ κἀκεῖνοι ἀπέρριψάν με ὡς νεκρὸν ἐβδελυγμένον, ἀλλὰ σὺ σκέπε με ὑπὸ τὴν κραταιάν σου χεῖρα· σοῦ γὰρ παρόντος ἀνίσχυροι καὶ ἀσθενεῖς οἱ ἐχθροί. 386 Ps 37,23 ̓Επεὶ ἐχθρῶν περιεστηκότων ἀνθρώπων τε πονηρῶν καὶ ἀοράτων δυνάμεων βοηθείας δέομαι, οὐκ αλλοθεν βοήθειαν ἀπαιτῶ η παρὰ σοῦ, κύριε· σὺ γὰρ καὶ θεὸς τῆς σωτηρίας μου τυγχάνεις, σωτηρίας δὲ θεὸς ὁ ταύτης αιτιος.

387 Ps 38,1 ̔Ο βασιλεὺς ∆αυὶδ τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγαγὼν εἰς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ

ὑμνῳδούς τινας ανδρας ἱεροὺς εταξεν ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς λειτουργίας τε καὶ τάξεως, ωστε τοὺς υμνους τοῦ θεοῦ ᾳδειν. εις ουν ην τούτων καὶ ὁ ̓Ιδιθούμ, ὡς ἐν τῷ καταλόγῳ καὶ τῇ ἐξαριθμήσει τῶν προειρημένων ᾠδῶν ἐν ταῖς Παραλειπομέναις φέρεταί τι τοιοῦτον. τὸν ουν προκείμενον ψαλμὸν αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ποιήσας ῃσεν, η ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ γενόμενον αὐτὸν παραλαβὼν ἀπήγγειλεν. Εστιν δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ ψαλμῷ ἐκ μετανοίας εἰς ἀρετὴν εἰσαγόμενον πρόσωπον τὸ ἀπαγγέλλον. 388 Ps 38,2ab ̓Επεὶ σχεδὸν πάσης ἁμαρτίας ἀρχὴ διὰ λόγου γίνεται, ὁ φυλάξαι προθέμενος τὰς διὰ τῶν πράξεων ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν συνθήκας τίθεται, οπως μὴ ἁμάρτῃ τῇ γλώττῃ. εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἀναμάρτητον περὶ τὸν λόγον αὐτῷ τηρηθείη, ἀκολουθήσει τὸ καθαρεῦσαι ἀπὸ τῶν κατ' ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτημάτων· ̓Εκ γὰρ τῶν λόγων σου, φησίν, δικαιωθήσῃ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων σου καταδικασθήσῃ· καὶ ̓Αμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν· περὶ παντὸς ἀργοῦ ῥήματος δώσετε λόγον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως. 389 Ps 38,2c.3 Μετὰ τοῦ αρθρου ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς καὶ ἐνταῦθα διάβολος η καὶ ὁ παρὼν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ πονηρὸς αγγελος λέγεται. Οτ' αν ουν τις πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ειπῃ τὰς ὁδοὺς φυλάξαι ἑαυτοῦ τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτεῖν ἐν γλώσσῃ καὶ θῆται φυλακὴν τῷ στόματι ἑαυτοῦ, τὸ τηνικαῦτα συνιστάμενος ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς ἀντιπαρατεταγμένως ἐναντίον τοῦ μετανοοῦντος ὑπομιμνήσκει τὰ πρότερα, ἐπ' ὀνειδισμῷ εἰς μέσον αὐτὰ φέρων η γαργαλίσαι διὰ τῆς ὑπομνήσεως θέλων, οπως κατασπάσῃ εἰς τὴν προτέραν ἁμαρτίαν τὸν ἀποστάντα αὐτῆς. ουτω γοῦν, φησίν, συστάντος τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ καὶ ἐνώπιόν μου, κωφωθεὶς πρὸς τοὺς λόγους ἐσίγησα ἀφ' ων ἠρξάμην λέγειν ἀγαθῶν· ἀρξάμενος γὰρ ημην περὶ ἀναμαρτησίας λέγειν· η ἐξ ἀγαθῶν δογμάτων διειληφὼς οτι οὐ δεῖ ἀποκρίνεσθαι πρὸς ἐρεθίζοντας λόγους, ἐσίγησα μηδὲν πρὸς αὐτοὺς φθεγξάμενος, οπως, ἐκείνου λέγοντος τὰ προειρημένα, μὴ τὸ αλγημα, ο ἐξ αἰσθήσεως εσχον οτε τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπηλλατόμην, ἀνανεούμενον καὶ ἀνακαινιζόμενον γεγένηται, ἀλγήσας πάλιν ἐφ' οις ὠνείδισε λέγων τὰ πεπραγμένα μοι. 390 Ps 38,4ab ̓Εκ τῶν λόγων τοῦ συστάντος κατενώπιόν μου ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἐθερμάνθη διαπυρωθεῖσα ἡ καρδία μου. ἐπεὶ δὲ μηδὲν ἐφθεγξάμην ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων λογισμῶν ἐντός μου, ἡ θέρμανσις ἐφυλάχθη καὶ ̓Εν τῇ μελέτῃ μου ἐκκαυθήσεται πῦρ. ὁ μὴ ἐκλύτως ἀλλὰ σπουδαίως καὶ διαπύρως μελετῶν τὰ θεῖα ἐρεῖ τὸν προκείμενον στίχον, ἐξαπτομένου πυρὸς ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης μελέτης διεσθίοντος τὴν προϋπάρχουσαν μοχθηρὰν εξιν. 391 Ps 38,4c Πρὸς μὲν τὸν ἁμαρτωλόν φησιν· ̓Εκωφώθην καὶ ἐταπεινώθην καὶ ἐσίγησα· πρὸς δὲ τὸν θεόν· ̓Ελάλησα ἐν γλώσσῃ μου. ὁ ἀπὸ γνησίου πόθου καὶ φρονήματος προφέρων λόγους ἐν γλώσσῃ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ λαλεῖ, τοῦ δολερῶς φθεγγομένου γλώσσῃ ἀλλοτρίᾳ λαλοῦντος. καὶ ετι ἐπεὶ εχομεν καὶ ἐν τῷ εσω ἀνθρώπῳ γλῶσσαν, κυρίως ἡμῶν αυτη γλῶσσά ἐστιν, καθ' ην ἀπὸ διαθέσεως εστιν λαλεῖν. 392 Ps 38,5 ̓Επεὶ ἀρξάμενος τοῦ ζῆν κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ζωὴν καὶ τέλος αὐτῆς προσδοκῶ, αδηλον δέ μοι τοῦτο, σύ μοι γνώρισον τὸ πέρας