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offers supplication. 23. Renew them, as the morning dawn. Since he called the calamity darkness, he compares its change to the dawn. "Your faithfulness has been multiplied in the mornings." For when the change comes, they will attend to piety more genuinely. For my groans are many, and my heart has failed. 24. The Lord is my portion, said my soul, therefore I will wait for him. I have, he says, no other refuge, but I await your help. Then he teaches the usefulness of hope in God. 25, 26. The Lord is good to those who wait for him; the soul that seeks him shall live. It is good to wait, and to hope for the salvation of the Lord. He teaches these things and others for the comfort of the despondent. 27, 28. It is good for a man, when he bears a yoke from his youth. He will sit alone, and be silent, because he has taken a heavy yoke upon himself. This the blessed David also said: "It is good for me that you have humbled me, that I might learn your statutes;" and the phrase, "He will sit alone and be silent," teaches endurance, and to bear things that are grievous. And what follows is also in harmony: 29, 30. He will put his mouth in the dust; if perhaps there is hope of endurance. He will give his cheek to the one who strikes him, and he will be filled with reproaches. This is an evangelical law; for the Lord declared, to him who strikes the right cheek, 81.797 to turn the other also. And the phrase, "He will put his mouth in the dust," the Syrian said "in the earth"; that is, He will be silent, and will bear nobly the slanders and reproaches, as though having his mouth filled with earth. This the divine David also declared: "When the sinner stood against me, I was humbled, and became mute, and was silent from good things." Then he teaches that the Master, being a lover of mankind, does not use chastisements for a very long time, but after the chastisement he brings mercy. 33. For he has not humbled, he says, from his whole heart, nor has he cast off the sons of men. For his appearance is that of one who is angry, but his will is full of love for mankind. However, he uses chastisement for the benefit of men; for this he added: 34. To humble under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, that is, those who are bound to the earth, and do not have an elevated mind; for they live with injustice, and do not fear the one who watches over them. 37, 38. Who has so spoken, and it came to pass? The Lord has not commanded it. From the mouth of the Most High our evils and our goods will not come forth. The argument accuses those who deny providence; for these attribute what happens to fate and chance. 39. Why does a living man complain, a man concerning his own sin? For negligence, but not nature, is the cause of sin, for which reason the judge brings punishment upon those who sin. 40. Our way has been searched out, and examined. For he saw the transgression dared by us. "And let us return to the Lord." May the punishment become for us an occasion for repentance. 41. Let us take up our hearts, and look to the high one, who dwells in heaven. Having freed our thoughts, he says, from superfluous cares, let us ask for divine mercy. 42. We have sinned, and have been impious, and you have not been appeased. You have brought, he says, a just punishment. 43, 44. You have covered us in wrath, and pursued us; you have killed, and have not spared. You have covered yourself with a strengthened cloud, so that our prayer might not pass through to you. This God also says through another prophet, "Because your sins separate between you and me." And he has compared these to the cloud, which prevented the approach of the prayer. And he laments and wails exceedingly, seeing the enemies mocking, and bringing reproaches upon the people; 81.800 and he says that they hunted them, and slaughtered them, and threw them into a pit, and placed a stone upon it, and made them submerged in the water; and through all these things he has shown the excess of evils. Thus also the

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ἱκετείαν προσφέρει. κγʹ. Ἀνακαίνισον αὐτοὺς, ὡς ὄρθρον πρωϊνόν. Ἐπειδὴ σκότος τὴν συμφορὰν προσηγόρευσεν, ὄρ θρῳ παραβάλλει τὴν ταύτης μεταβολήν. "Ἐπλη θύνθη ἡ πίστις σου εἰς τὰς πρωΐας." Τῆς γὰρ μεταβολῆς γενομένης, γνησιώτερον τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ προσέξουσι. Πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσιν οἱ στεναγμοί μου, καὶ ἡ καρδία μου ἐξέλιπε. κδʹ. Μερίς μου Κύριος, εἶπεν ἡ ψυχή μου, διὰ τοῦτο ὑπομενῶ αὐτόν. Ἑτέραν, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔχω καταφυγὴν, ἀλλὰ τὴν σὴν προσμένω βοήθειαν. Εἶτα διδάσκει τῆς εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίδος τὸ χρήσιμον. κεʹ, κϛʹ. Ἀγαθὸς Κύριος τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν αὐτόν· ψυχὴ, ἣ ζητήσει αὐτὸν, ζήσεται. Ἀγα θὸν τὸ ὑπομένειν, καὶ ἐλπίζειν εἰς τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Κυρίου. Ταῦτα εἰς ψυχαγωγίαν τῶν ἀθυμούν των διδάσκει, καὶ ἕτερα. κζʹ, κηʹ. Ἀγαθὸν ἀνδρὶ, ὅταν ἄρῃ ζυγὸν ἐκ νεότητος αὑτοῦ. Καθήσεται κατὰ μόνας, καὶ σιωπήσει, ὅτι ἦρεν ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν ζυγὸν βαρύν. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη ∆αβὶδ· "Ἀγαθόν μοι, ὅτι ἐταπείνωσάς με, ὅπως ἂν μάθω τὰ δικαιώματά σου·" τὸ δὲ, "Καθήσεται κατὰ μόνας καὶ σιωπή σει," καρτερεῖν διδάσκει, καὶ ὑπομένειν τὰ λυπηρά. Συμφωνεῖ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα· κθʹ, λʹ. ∆ώσει ἐν χώματι στόμα αὑτοῦ· εἰ ἄρα ἐστὶν ὑπομονῆς ἐλπίς. ∆ώσει τῷ παίοντι αὐτὸν σιαγόνα αὑτοῦ. καὶ χορτασθήσεται ὀνει δισμῶν. Εὐαγγελικὸς οὗτος ὁ νόμος· ὁ γὰρ Κύριος διηγόρευσε, τῷ παίοντι τὴν σιαγόνα τὴν δεξιὰν, 81.797 στρέψαι καὶ τὴν ἄλλην. Τὸ δὲ, "∆ώσει ἐν χώματι στόμα αὑτοῦ," ὁ Σύρος "ἐν γῇ" εἶπε· τουτέστι, Σιγήσει, καὶ οἴσει γενναίως τὰς λοιδορίας καὶ τὰ ὀνείδη, ὥσπερ γῆς ἔχων πεπληρωμένον τὸ στόμα. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος ∆αβὶδ ἐδήλωσε· "Ἐν τῷ συστῆναι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐναντίον μου, ἐταπεινώ θην, καὶ ἐκωφώθην, καὶ ἐσίγησα ἐξ ἀγαθῶν." Εἶτα διδάσκει, ὡς οὐκ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον κέχρηται ταῖς παιδείαις ὁ ∆εσπότης, φιλάνθρωπος ὢν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὴν παιδείαν ἐπάγει τὸν ἔλεον. λγʹ Οὐ. γὰρ ἐταπείνωσε, φησὶν, ἐξ ὅλης καρ δίας αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ ἀπώσατο υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων. Ὀργιζομένου γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα, τὸ δὲ βούλημα φιλ ανθρωπίας μεστόν. Εἰς ὠφέλειαν μέντοι τῶν ἀν θρώπων κέχρηται τῇ παιδείᾳ· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπήγαγε· λδʹ. Τοῦ ταπεινῶσαι ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὑτοῦ πάντας δεσμίους γῆς, τουτέστι, τοὺς τῇ γῇ προσ δεδεμένους, καὶ μετάρσιον οὐκ ἔχοντας φρόνημα· ἀδικίᾳ γὰρ συζῶσι, καὶ τὸν ἐφορῶντα οὐ δειμαί νουσι. λζʹ, ληʹ. Τίς οὕτως εἶπε, καὶ ἐγένετο; Κύριος οὐκ ἐνετείλατο. Ἐκ στόματος Ὑψίστου οὐκ ἐξελεύσεται τὰ κακὰ καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἡμῶν. Τὴν πρόνοιαν ἀναιρούντων ὁ λόγος κατηγορεῖ· οὗτοι γὰρ εἱμαρμένῃ καὶ τύχῃ ἀνατιθέασι τὰ γιγνόμενα. λθʹ. Τί γογγύσει ἄνθρωπος ζῶν, ἀνὴρ περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὑτοῦ; Ἡ ῥᾳθυμία γὰρ, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ φύσις, πρόξενος τῆς ἁμαρτίας, οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν ὁ δικαστὴς ἐπιφέρει τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν. μʹ. Ἐξηρευνήθη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ ἠτάσθη. Εἶδε γὰρ τὴν παρ' ἡμῶν τολμηθεῖσαν παρανομίαν. "Καὶ ἐπιστρέψωμεν πρὸς Κύριον." Γένοιτο δὲ ἡμῖν πρόφασις μεταμελείας ἡ τιμωρία. μαʹ. Ἀναλάβωμεν καρδίας ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐμβλέ ψωμεν πρὸς τὸν ὑψηλὸν, τὸν κατοικοῦντα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. Τῶν περιττῶν, φησὶ, φροντίδων τοὺς λο γισμοὺς ἀπαλλάξαντες, τὸν θεῖον αἰτήσωμεν ἔλεον. μβʹ. Ἡμεῖς ἡμάρτομεν, καὶ ἠσεβήσαμεν, καὶ σὺ οὐχ ἱλάσθης. ∆ικαίαν, φησὶ, τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐπήγαγες. μγʹ, μδʹ. Ἐσκέπασας ἐν θυμῷ, καὶ κατεδίω ξας ἡμᾶς· ἀπέκτεινας, καὶ οὐκ ἐφείσω. Ἀπ εσκέπασας νεφέλην ἐστερεωμένην σεαυτῷ, ἕνεκεν τοῦ μὴ διελθεῖν πρὸς σὲ προσευχὴν ἡμῶν. Τοῦτο καὶ δι' ἑτέρου προφήτου φησὶν ὁ Θεὸς, "Ὅτι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ὑμῶν διιστῶσιν ἀναμέσον ὑμῶν καὶ ἐμοῦ." Ταύτας καὶ οὗτος τῇ νεφέλῃ ἀπείκασεν, ἣ διεκώλυσε τὴν πρόσοδον τῆς προσευχῆς. Θρηνεῖ δὲ καὶ ὀδύρεται διαφερόντως, ὁρῶν ἐπικερτομοῦντας τοὺς δυσμενεῖς, καὶ τῷ λαῷ τὰ ὀνείδη προσφέροντας· 81.800 λέγει δὲ τούτους θηρεῦσαι, καὶ κατασφάξαι, καὶ εἰς λάκκον ῥίψαι, καὶ λίθον ἐπιθεῖναι, καὶ ὑποβρύχιον ποιῆσαι τῷ ὕδατι· διὰ δὲ τούτων ἁπάντων τὴν ὑπερ βολὴν δεδήλωκε τῶν κακῶν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ