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he described his alliance? What did he do, you ask? He fled for refuge to the God in heaven, the one who is present everywhere. He did not draw bows, nor prepare a quiver, like that man, nor did he draw up in battle array in the dead of night; but leaving all these things, he fortified everyone with hope in God, and he set him against them, who needs none of these things, not times, not places, not weapons, not money, but accomplishes all things with a nod. Have you seen an alliance both invincible and easy, and ready? His eyes look upon the poor man, his eyelids examine the sons of men. The Lord examines the just and the impious, but he who loves iniquity, hates his own soul. Another, His eyelids test. Another, The Lord is a just examiner. Another, He tests the just and the impious, and his soul has hated the one who loves unjust things. Another, He who loves iniquity, hates his own soul. Have you seen a prepared ally, a ready helper, present everywhere, seeing all things, beholding all things, having this as his chief work, even if there is no one to entreat him, to provide, to care, to hinder wrongdoers, to help the wronged, to give to some the rewards for their right actions, and to others to set punishments for their sins? Therefore he is ignorant of nothing; for his eyes look upon the inhabited world. But not only does he know, but he also wishes to set them right. Wherefore also another, declaring this very thing, said, Just. For if he is just, he will not endure simply to overlook these things happening. He turns away from the wicked, he praises the just. Then what he said in the previous psalm, showing that wickedness itself is sufficient to destroy them, this he also declared here and added: But he who loves iniquity, hates his own soul. For wickedness is an enemy to the soul, hostile and destructive, so that even before punishment the wicked man pays the penalty. Have you seen how he shows the adversaries to be easily captured from all sides, when one has such an ally, and they are caught by their own weapons, by which they fortify themselves, being consumed by these, and 55.143 harming themselves? have you seen the ease of the alliance? For it is not necessary to go somewhere, and to run, nor to spend money, since God is present everywhere, and sees all things. He will rain upon sinners snares, fire, and brimstone, and a tempestuous wind: this is the portion of their cup. For the Lord is just, and has loved righteousness; his face has seen uprightness. Another, He will rain coals upon the lawless. Another, Their face will see uprightness, that is, of the just, or of God himself. Having spoken of the penalty from wickedness, since many despise this, he then shakes the mind of the wicked by the blow borne from above, using the word emphatically, and proceeding through fearful names. For he says fire, and brimstone, and a tempestuous wind, and coals are rained on them from above, wishing by the metaphor of the words to represent the inescapable nature of the punishment, the abundance of the chastisement, the ease of the blow, the consuming nature. 3. What is, The portion of their cup? This is their lot, he says, this their possession, in this they will pass their time, in these they will be consumed. Then also the cause: that he who oversees all things will not endure for these things to pass by unpunished. Which also another prophet says: Your eye is pure, so as not to see evil things, and you will not be able to look upon troubles; this also this man represents, saying: For the Lord is just, and has loved righteousness. This is especially characteristic of God, to approve just things, rectitude; and he would not endure to the end things that happen otherwise. For this very reason, beginning the psalm, he said: In the Lord I have put my trust: how will you say to my soul: Flee to the mountains like a sparrow? For those who trust in worldly things, are no better than a sparrow

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συμμαχίαν αὐτοῦ διηγήσατο; Τί ἐποίησεν, ἐρωτᾷς; Ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν κατέφυγε τὸν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, τὸν πανταχοῦ παρόντα. Οὐ τόξα ἔτεινεν, οὐδὲ φαρέτραν ἡτοίμαζε, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος, οὐδὲ ἐν σκοτομήνῃ παρετάξατο· ἀλλὰ πάντα ταῦτα ἀφεὶς, τὴν εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἐλπίδα πᾶσιν ἐπετείχισε, καὶ τοῦτον αὐτοῖς ἀντέστησε τὸν οὐδενὸς τούτων δεόμενον, οὐ καιρῶν, οὐ τόπων, οὐχ ὅπλων, οὐ χρημάτων, ἀλλὰ νεύματι πάντα ἀνύοντα. Εἶδες συμμαχίαν ἄμαχόν τε καὶ εὔκολον, καὶ ῥᾳδίαν; Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν πένητα ἐπιβλέπουσι, τὰ βλέφαρα αὐτοῦ ἐξετάζει τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Κύριος ἐξετάζει τὸν δίκαιον καὶ τὸν ἀσεβῆ, ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν τὴν ἀδικίαν, μισεῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν. Ἄλλος, Τὰ βλέφαρα αὐτοῦ δοκιμάζει. Ἄλλος, Κύριος δίκαιος ἐξεταστής. Ἄλλος, ∆ίκαιον δοκιμάζει καὶ ἀσεβῆ, καὶ ἀγαπῶντα ἄδικα ἐμίσησεν ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ. Ἄλλος, Ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἀδικίαν, μισεῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν. Εἶδες σύμμαχον παρεσκευασμένον, βοηθὸν εὐτρεπισμένον, πανταχοῦ παρόντα, πάντα ὁρῶντα, πάντα βλέποντα, τοῦτο ἔργον ἔχοντα μάλιστα, κἂν μηδεὶς ὁ παρακαλῶν ᾖ, προνοεῖν, κήδεσθαι, κωλύειν ἀδικοῦντας, βοηθεῖν ἀδικουμένοις, τοῖς μὲν ἀποδιδόναι τὰς ἀμοιβὰς τῶν κατορθωμάτων, τοῖς δὲ τιθέναι τὰς τιμωρίας τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων; Οὐδὲν οὖν ἀγνοεῖ· οἱ γὰρ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπιβλέπουσι τὴν οἰκουμένην. Οὐκ ἐπίσταται δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ βούλεται αὐτὰ διορθοῦν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἕτερος τοῦτο αὐτὸ δηλῶν εἶπε, ∆ίκαιος. Εἰ γὰρ δίκαιος, οὐκ ἀνέξεται ταῦτα ἁπλῶς περιορᾷν γινόμενα. Ἀποστρέφεται τοὺς πονηροὺς, ἐπαινεῖ τοὺς δικαίους. Εἶτα ὅπερ ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ ψαλμῷ ἔλεγε, δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ κακία ἱκανὴ αὐτοὺς ἀναλῶσαι, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα δηλῶν ἐπήγαγεν· Ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν τὴν ἀδικίαν, μισεῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν. Πολέμιον γὰρ τῇ ψυχῇ πονηρία, ἐχθρὸν καὶ ὀλέθριον, ὥστε καὶ πρὸ τῆς κολάσεως δίκην δίδωσιν ὁ πονηρός. Εἶδες πῶς εὐαλώτους πάντοθεν δείκνυσι τοὺς ἐναντιουμένους, ὅταν καὶ τοιοῦτον ἔχῃ σύμμαχον, καὶ ἐκεῖνοι ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων ὅπλων ἁλίσκωνται, δι' ὧν φράττονται, διὰ τούτων δαπανώμενοι, καὶ ἑαυ 55.143 τοὺς βλάπτοντες; εἶδες τῆς συμμαχίας τὴν εὐκολίαν; Οὐ γὰρ δεῖ βαδίσαι που, καὶ δραμεῖν, οὐδὲ χρήματα ἀναλῶσαι, τοῦ Θεοῦ πανταχοῦ παρόντος, καὶ πάντα ὁρῶντος. Ἐπιβρέξει ἐπὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς παγίδας, πῦρ, καὶ θεῖον, καὶ πνεῦμα καταιγίδος, ἡ μερὶς τοῦ ποτηρίου αὐτῶν. Ὅτι δίκαιος Κύριος, καὶ δικαιοσύνας ἠγάπησεν, εὐθύτητας εἶδε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ. Ἄλλος, Ὕσει ἐπὶ παρανόμους ἄνθρακας. Ἄλλος, Εὐθύτητας ὄψεται τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν, τουτέστι, τῶν δικαίων, ἢ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰπὼν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας δίκην, ἐπειδὴ ταύτης πολλοὶ καταφρονοῦσι, λοιπὸν κατασείει τὴν τῶν πονηρῶν διάνοιαν ἀπὸ τῆς ἄνωθεν φερομένης πληγῆς, ἐμφαντικῶς τῷ λόγῳ χρώμενος, καὶ διὰ φοβερῶν ὀνομάτων προϊών. Πῦρ γὰρ, καὶ θεῖον, καὶ πνεῦμα καταιγίδος, καὶ ἄνθρακας αὐτοῖς ἄνωθεν λέγει ὕεσθαι, τῇ μεταφορᾷ τῶν λέξεων τὸ ἄφυκτον τῆς τιμωρίας, τὸ δαψιλὲς τῆς κολάσεως, τὸ εὔκολον τῆς πληγῆς, τὸ δαπανητικὸν παραστῆσαι βουλόμενος. γʹ. Τί ἐστιν, Ἡ μερὶς τοῦ ποτηρίου αὐτῶν; Τοῦτο αὐτοῖς κλῆρος, φησὶ, τοῦτο κτῆμα, τούτῳ ἐνδιατρίψουσιν, ἐν τούτοις δαπανηθήσονται. Εἶτα καὶ ἡ αἰτία· ὅτι ὁ πάντα ἐφορῶν οὐκ ἀνέξεται ταῦτα ἀτιμωρητὶ παραδραμεῖν. Ὅπερ καὶ ἕτερος προφήτης φησί· Καθαρὸς ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου, τοῦ μὴ ὁρᾷν πονηρὰ, καὶ ἐπιβλέπειν ἐπὶ πόνους οὐ δυνήσῃ· τοῦτο καὶ οὗτος παρίστησι λέγων· Ὅτι δίκαιος Κύριος, καὶ δικαιοσύνας ἠγάπησε. Τοῦτο τοῦ Θεοῦ μάλιστα ἐξαίρετον, ἀποδέξασθαι τὰ δίκαια, τὴν ὀρθότητα· καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἀνάσχοιτο εἰς τέλος τῶν ἑτέρως γινομένων. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ἀρχόμενος τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ἔλεγεν· Ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ πέποιθα· πῶς ἐρεῖτε τῇ ψυχῇ μου· Μεταναστεύου ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη ὡς στρουθίον; Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς πεποιθότες, οὐδὲν ἄμεινον τοῦ στρουθίου