93

their faces. Such a one is judged for impiety according to human custom, as we said, as one not ashamed before the honorable and rich man nor marveling 293 at the power he possesses. 34, but to cry out and ask for a man will turn out empty for them. For those who marvel at the faces of the honorable, it will turn out empty because they have trusted not in God, but in man. 34, For they have unlawfully made use of the turning aside of the powerless. The powerless are turned aside from their own right by those unlawfully wishing to grant favors to the king and the rulers. For this reason, then, it will turn out empty for them, because for the sake of men they have overlooked what is just. 34, 21-22 For he himself is a seer of the works of men, and nothing of what they do escapes his notice, nor is there a place for those who do lawless things to be hidden. But the all-seeing eye of God beholds all things, and there is no place where the all-supervising power of God does not reach. 34, 23 Because he will no longer set it upon a man. And God does not allow the saints to place their hope in a man, but in himself, because the unjust hope in man. 34, 23-25 For the Lord watches over all, he who comprehends unsearchable things, both glorious and wonderful, of which there is no number, who knows their works. Since God is, therefore, the overseer of all, he comprehends the unsearchable things, and works glorious and wonderful and innumerable things, knowing 294 all things that are done among men. The word "comprehending" therefore applies to both, both to searching out and to accomplishing. 34, 25 and he will turn night and they shall be humbled. Instead of: he will change their prosperity into night. Or also thus: by turning the seeming righteous acts of the impious, he shows their appearance to be night; therefore he also humbles them. What he says is this: they themselves do certain things as if from righteous acts, but they are works of darkness that they accomplish, and they are humbled by God. 34, 26 But he has quenched the impious. After they have been convicted, clearly. 34, 26 But visible before him. God sees the impious not for oversight, but in order to punish them according to what is in the Psalms: but the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil, to destroy them utterly. 34, 27-28 Because they have turned away from the law of God, and have not known his judgments so as to bring upon him the cry of the needy, and he will hear the cry of the poor. He has stated the causes for which the impious are punished. And he says that the cry of the needy is brought to God, because being wronged they flee to him crying out and calling for vengeance from God. 34, 29 And he himself will provide quiet, and who will condemn? 295 But if God, being long-suffering, for a time allows the impious to be in quiet, who can condemn him whom God has not condemned? 34, 29 And he will hide his face, and who shall see him? This he says, because being unseen he pronounces judgments. 34, 29 Both against a nation and against a man together. And he punishes not only each individual, but also all men as nations, working utter destruction according to reasons which he himself knows. 34, 30 making a hypocritical man king because of the troublesomeness of the people. As it is written: And I gave them a king in the anger of my wrath. For often he allows one who appears good in form to be proclaimed king, in order that his subjects might be afflicted through him on account of their own troublesomeness and wickedness. 34, 31-32 Because to the strong one a man says: I have received, I will not take a pledge; without myself I shall see, you show me. Whatever has been said by the more ancient writers on this passage, I will set forth. Some say that he says this, that no one dares to say to a stronger person that: "you have taken my things at the wrong time and not for the sake of a pledge as if it were owed, and you have taken it against my will; show me that you have done this reasonably." But if no one dares to say these things to a powerful man, how are you so bold against God? And they say that this is the meaning, but that the saying is filled with obscurity. 296 But others have understood it thus: He who believes, he says, does not take pledges, he who hopes in God does not demand pledges from him, just as the Jews, taking pledges, used to say: "Perform a sign and we will believe you," or: "Come down from the cross;" but he who

93

πρόσωπα αὐτῶν. κρίνεται δὲ ἀσεβείας ὁ τοιοῦτος κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀκολουθίαν, ὡς ἔφημεν, ὡς μὴ αἰσχυνθεὶς τὸν ἔντιμον καὶ πλούσιον μηδὲ θαυμά 293 σας τὴν προσοῦσαν αὐτῷ δυναστείαν. 34, κενὰ δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀποβήσεται τὸ κεκραγέναι καὶ δεῖσθαι ἀνδρός. τοῖς δὲ θαυμάζουσι τὰ πρόσωπα τῶν ἐντίμων κενὰ ἀποβήσεται διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐπὶ θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἐπ' ἀνθρώπῳ πεποιθέναι. 34, ἐχρήσαντο γὰρ παρανόμως ἐκκλινομένων ἀδυνάτων. ἐκκλίνονται τοῦ ἰδίου δικαίου οἱ ἀδύνατοι ὑπὸ τῶν παρανόμως θελόντων χαρίζεσθαι τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν. διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν κενὰ ἀποβήσεται αὐτοῖς, ὅτι πρὸς χάριν ἀνθρώπων παρεῖδον τὸ δίκαιον. 34, 2122 αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁρατής ἐστιν ἔργων ἀνθρώπων, λέληθε δὲ αὐτὸν οὐδὲν ὧν πράττουσιν, οὐδὲ ἔστι τόπος τοῦ κρυβῆναι τοὺς ποιοῦντας τὰ ἄνομα. ἀλλ' ὁ πάντα ὁρῶν ὀφθαλμὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ πάντα βλέπει καὶ οὐκ ἔστι τόπος, εἰς ὃν οὐκ ἀφικνεῖται ἡ πανεποπτικὴ δύναμις τοῦ θεοῦ. 34, 23 ὅτι οὐκ ἐπ' ἄνδρα θήσει ἔτι. καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷ ὁ θεὸς τοὺς ἁγίους εἰς ἄνδρα τίθεσθαι τὴν ἐλπίδα, ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἑαυτόν, ὅτι οἱ ἄδικοι ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον ἐλπίζουσιν. 34, 2325 ὁ γὰρ κύριος πάντας ἐφορᾷ, ὁ καταλαμβάνων ἀνεξιχνίαστα, ἔνδοξά τε καὶ ἐξαίσια, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός, ὁ γνωρίζων αὐτῶν τὰ ἔργα. πανεπίσκοπος οὖν τυγχάνων ὁ θεὸς καταλαμβάνει μὲν τὰ ἀνεξιχνίαστα, ἐργάζεται δὲ ἔνδοξα καὶ ἐξαίσια καὶ ἀναρίθμητα, πάντα γνω 294 ρίζων τὰ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις πραττόμενα. τὸ καταλαμβάνων οὖν ἐφ' ἑκατέρου κεῖται, ἐπί τε τοῦ ἐξιχνιάζειν καὶ διαπράττεσθαι. 34, 25 καὶ στρέψει νύκτα καὶ ταπεινωθήσονται. ἀντὶ τοῦ· τὴν εὐπραγίαν αὐτῶν εἰς νύκτα μεταθήσει. ἢ καὶ οὕτως· τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι δικαιώματα τῶν ἀσεβῶν στρέφων δείκνυσιν εἶναι νύκτα τὴν ἄντοψιν αὐτῶν· διὸ καὶ ταπεινοῖ αὐτούς. ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· αὐτοὶ μὲν ὡς ἐκ δικαιωμάτων ποιοῦσί τινα, σκότους δέ ἐστιν ἔργα ἃ διαπράττονται, καὶ ταπεινοῦνται παρὰ θεῷ. 34, 26 ἔσβεσε δὲ ἀσεβεῖς. μετὰ τὸ ἐλεγχθῆναι αὐτοὺς δηλονότι. 34, 26 ὁρατοὶ δὲ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ. ὁρᾷ τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ὁ θεὸς οὐ κατ' ἐπισκοπήν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ αὐτοὺς τιμωρεῖσθαι κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς· πρόσωπον δὲ κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακὰ τοῦ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι. 34, 2728 ὅτι ἐξέκλιναν ἐκ νόμου θεοῦ, δικαιώματα δὲ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν τοῦ ἐπαγαγεῖν ἐπ' αὐτὸν κραυγὴν πένητος, καὶ κραυγὴν πτωχῶν εἰσακούσεται. αἰτίας εἶπεν, δι' ἃς οἱ ἀσεβεῖς κολάζονται. ἐπάγεσθαι δέ φησιν τὴν τῶν πενήτων κραυγὴν εἰς θεόν, ὅτιπερ ἀδικούμενοι εἰς αὐτὸν καταφεύγουσι βοῶντες καὶ τὴν θεόθεν ἐκδίκησιν ἐπικαλούμενοι. 34, 29 καὶ αὐτὸς ἡσυχίαν παρέξεται, καὶ τίς καταδικάσεται; 295 εἰ δὲ καὶ θεὸς ἀνεξικακῶν ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ τέως ἐᾷ τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς εἶναι, τίς δύναται καταδικάσαι, ὃν ὁ θεὸς οὐ κατεδίκασεν; 34, 29 καὶ κρύψει πρόσωπον, καὶ τίς ὄψεται αὐτόν; τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ἀφανὴς ὢν τὰς κρίσεις ἐκφέρει. 34, 29 καὶ κατὰ ἔθνους καὶ κατὰ ἀνθρώπου ὁμοῦ. τιμωρεῖται δὲ οὐ μόνον τὸν καθ' ἕκαστον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐθνηδὸν ἅπαντας, καθ' οὓς οἶδεν αὐτὸς λόγους τὰς πανωλεθρίας ἐργαζόμενος. 34, 30 βασιλεύων ἄνθρωπον ὑποκριτὴν ἀπὸ δυσκολίας λαοῦ. καθὼς γέγραπται· καὶ ἔδωκα αὐτοῖς βασιλέα ἐν ὀργῇ τοῦ θυμοῦ μου. πολλάκις γὰρ τὸν σχήματι φαινόμενον ἀγαθὸν συγχωρεῖ εἰς βασιλέα ἀναγορευθῆναι, ἐφ' ᾧ κακωθῆναι δι' αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὑπηκόους διὰ τὴν αὐτῶν δυσκολίαν καὶ κακοπραγίαν. 34, 3132 ὅτι πρὸς τὸν ἰσχυρὸν ὁ λέγων· εἴληφα, οὐκ ἐνεχυράσω· ἄνευ ἐμαυτοῦ ὄψομαι, σὺ δεῖξόν μοι. ὅσα τοῖς παλαιοτέροις εἰς τὸν τόπον εἴρηται, παραθήσομαι. οἱ μέν φασιν, ὅτι τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι μὴ τολμᾷ τις εἰπεῖν τῷ ἰσχυροτέρῳ ὅτι· ἀκαίρως εἴληφας τὰ ἐμὰ καὶ οὐκ ἐνεχύρου χάριν ὡς ἐποφειλόμενος, καὶ παρὰ γνώμην ἐμὴν εἴληφας· ἐπίδειξον, ὅτι εὐλόγως τοῦτο δέδρακας. εἰ δὲ τῷ δυνατῷ ταῦτα οὐδεὶς εἰπεῖν τολμᾷ, πῶς σὺ θρασύνῃ κατὰ θεοῦ; καί φασι μὲν ταύτην εἶναι τὴν ἔννοιαν, ἀσαφίας δὲ πεπληρῶσθαι τὸ ῥητόν. 296 ἕτεροι δὲ οὕτως ἐνόησαν· ὁ πιστεύων, φησίν, οὐ λαμβάνει ἐνέχυρα, ὁ εἰς τὸν θεὸν ἐλπίζων οὐκ ἀπαιτεῖ αὐτὸν ἐνέχυρα, καθὼς οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐνεχυράζοντες ἔφασκον· ποίησον σημεῖον καὶ πιστεύσομέν σοι, ἤ· κατάβηθι ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ· ἀλλ' ὁ