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it is said: And the life was the light of men. And those who have partaken of these things will have as their end the sight of the light. Extend your mercy to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright in heart. For those who do not know him, mercy will be temporary; but for those who know you, Savior, extend your mercy and your righteousness; in which, judging according to worth, you will repay some according to their works, and to others you will confirm your promises. But instead of, And your righteousness to the upright in heart, Symmachus has rendered, And your alms to the simple of heart. Let not the foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of sinners shake me. There have the workers of iniquity fallen. They were cast out and shall not be able to stand. Nor may I acquire the hand and deeds of sinners; for these things are accustomed to shake and move from their standing with you, O God, those who will be cast out into outer darkness. But instead of: There they fell, Symmachus rendered, where the workers of injustice fall. For may I not be, he says, there, where those who are shaken fall, and falling are cast out, and being cast out will no longer be able to return. Consequently 23.324 he said these things, after describing what the end will be of those who have hoped in the shelter of God, repeating the memory of the lawless one from the beginning, who said to himself to sin, and of those like him. OF DAVID 36. Do not be provoked by evildoers, nor be zealous for those who commit iniquity. For since in that one he introduced the lawless man urging himself to sins, and described the life of such a man and the end of his destruction; consequently in the present one he advises to flee the ways of the lawless, and not to be zealous for their similar deeds. But since to be provoked is different from to be zealous, you will say that to irritate and to arouse to jealousy, this is to be provoked. Whence Aquila interpreted: Do not contend with evildoers; and Symmachus: Do not strive with malefactors. And you will understand what was said also from this: They have provoked me with what is no God, they have angered me with their idols; and I will provoke them with what is no nation; with a foolish nation I will anger them. Thus also the Apostle writing to the Corinthians said: Or do we provoke the Lord? Are we stronger than he? But to be zealous is the desire for oneself also to have what one thinks one's neighbor has, which is good. And to be zealous is neutral; for often zeal is that about which he himself says: They are zealous for you, but not well, but they wish to shut you out. Envy, then, could never be good; for it is grief at a neighbor's well-being; but zeal is when it becomes good, as we have shown. Here the word according to Aquila advises not to contend with evildoers, according to Symmachus, not to strive with malefactors, according to the fifth edition, not to be irritated by evildoers; but according to the Septuagint: Do not be provoked, he says, nor be irritated seeing others doing evil; nor let prosperous evil ones arouse you to also wish to fare well like them. For they, being prosperous and living luxuriously, provoke you; but you, do not be provoked nor angered; but neither be zealous for those who commit iniquity, nor call them blessed, and think them to be in good things; nor pray for yourself to do likewise as them. For like grass they will quickly be withered. Then he teaches the reason, saying that their end is such as that of grass; which having flourished for a little while, is quickly withered. For all flesh is grass, and all its glory as the flower of grass. The grass withered, and the flower fell. But also like green herbs

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λέγεται· Καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Οἱ δὲ τούτων μεταλαβόντες τέλος ἕξουσι τοῦ φωτὸς τὴν θέαν. Παράτεινον τὸ ἔλεός σου τοῖς γινώσκουσί σε, καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου τοῖς εὐθέσι τῇ καρδίᾳ. Τοῖς μὴ γινώσκουσιν αὐτὸν πρόσκαιρον ἔσται τὸ ἔλεος· τοῖς δὲ γινώσκουσί σε, Σῶτερ, παράτεινον τὸ ἔλεός σου καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου· ἐν ᾗ κατ' ἀξίαν κρίνων τοῖς μὲν ἀποδώσεις κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν, τοῖς δὲ πιστώσεις τὰς σὰς ἐπαγγελίας. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου τοῖς εὐθέσι τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὁ Σύμμαχος, Καὶ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην σου τοῖς ἁπλοῖς τὴν καρδίαν, ἐξέδωκε. Μὴ ἐλθέτω μοι ποῦς ὑπερηφανίας, καὶ χεὶρ ἁμαρτωλῶν μὴ σαλεύσαι με. Ἐκεῖ ἔπεσον οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν. Ἐξώσθησαν καὶ οὐ μὴ δυνήσονται στῆναι. Μηδὲ κτησαίμην χεῖρα καὶ πράξεις ἁμαρτωλῶν· ταῦτα γὰρ σαλεύειν εἴωθε καὶ μετακινεῖν τῆς παρὰ σοὶ τῷ Θεῷ στάσεως τοὺς εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον ἐξωσθησομένους. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· Ἐκεῖ ἔπεσον, ὁ Σύμμαχος, ὅπου πίπτουσιν οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀδικίαν, ἐξέδωκε. Μὴ γὰρ γενοίμην, φησὶν, ἐκεῖ, ἔνθα οἱ σαλευθέντες πίπτουσι, καὶ πεσόντες ἐξωθοῦνται, καὶ ἐξωσθέντες οὐκέτι ἐπανελθεῖν δυνήσονται. Ἀκολούθως 23.324 δὲ αὐτὰ ἔφη, μετὰ τὸ ὑπογράψαι ὁποῖον ἔσται τὸ τέλος τῶν ἐν τῇ σκέπῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἠλπικότων ἐπαναλαμβάνων τὴν μνήμην τοῦ κατ' ἀρχὰς παρανόμου, ὃς ἔφασκεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν, καὶ τῶν ἐκείνῳ παραπλησίων. ΤΟΥ ∆ΑΥΙ∆ Λʹ. Μὴ παραζήλου ἐν πονηρευομένοις, μηδὲ ζήλου τοὺς ποιοῦντας τὴν ἀνομίαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν ἐκείνῳ εἰσῆγε τὸν παράνομον παρορμῶντα ἑαυτὸν εἰς ἁμαρτίας, τόν τε βίον ὑπέγραφε τοῦ τοιούτου καὶ τὸ τέλος τῆς καταστροφῆς αὐτοῦ· ἀκολούθως ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος παραινεῖ φεύγειν τοὺς τῶν παρανόμων τρόπους, μηδὲ τὰς ὁμοίους αὐτῶν πράξεις ζηλοῦν. Ἐπεὶ δ' ἕτερόν ἐστι τοῦ ζηλοῦν τὸ παραζηλοῦν, ἐρεῖς, ὅτι τὸ ἐρεθίζειν καὶ εἰς ζηλοτυπίαν ἐγείρειν, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ παραζηλοῦν. Ὅθεν ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας ἡρμήνευσεν· Μὴ διαμάχου ἐν πονηρευομένοις· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· Μὴ φιλονείκει κακούργοις. Νοήσεις δὲ τὸ εἰρημένον καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ· Αὐτοὶ παρεζήλωσάν με ἐπ' οὐ Θεῷ, παρώργισάν με ἐν τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν· κἀγὼ παραζηλώσω αὐτοὺς ἐπ' οὐκ ἔθνει· ἐπ' ἔθνει ἀσυνέτῳ παροργιῶ αὐτούς. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος γράφων Κορινθίοις ἔλεγεν· Ἢ παραζηλοῦμεν τὸν Κύριον; Μὴ ἰσχυρότεροι αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν; Τὸ δὲ ζηλοῦν τοῦ βούλεσθαι καὶ ἑαυτῷ ὑπάρχειν ὃ νομίζει τῷ πέλας παρεῖναι, ἀγαθόν. Καὶ ἔστι τὸ ζηλοῦν μέσον· πολλάκις γὰρ ὁ ζῆλος περὶ οὗ ὁ αὐτός φησιν· Ζηλοῦσιν ὑμᾶς οὐ καλῶς, ἀλλ' ἐκκλεῖσαι ὑμᾶς θέλουσιν. Φθόνος μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἂν γένοιτό ποτε ἀγαθός· λύπη γάρ ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ πέλας εὐπραγίᾳ· ζῆλος δέ ἐστιν ὅτε γίνεται ἀγαθὸς καθὼς ἀποδεδώκαμεν. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ λόγος κατὰ μὲν τὸν Ἀκύλαν μὴ διαμάχεσθαι ἐν πονηρευομένοις παραινεῖ, κατὰ δὲ Σύμμαχον, μὴ φιλονεικεῖν ἐν κακούργοις, κατὰ δὲ τὴν πέμπτην ἔκδοσιν, μὴ ἐρεθίζεσθαι ἐν πονηρευομένοις· κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα· Μὴ παροξύνου, φησὶ, μηδὲ ἐρεθίζου ὁρῶν ἑτέρους πονηρευομένους· μηδέ σε ἐγειρέτωσαν εὐθηνούμενοι κακοὶ ἐπὶ τὸ καὶ ἐθέλειν ὁμοίως αὐτοῖς εὐπραγεῖν. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ εὐθηνούμενοι καὶ τρυφῶντες παραζηλοῦσί σε· σὺ δὲ μὴ παραζήλου μηδὲ παροξύνου· ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ζήλου τοὺς ποιοῦντας ἀνομίαν, μηδὲ μακάριζε αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς εἶναι νόμιζε· μηδ' εὔχου καὶ σαυτὸν ὁμοίως αὐτοῖς πράττειν. Ὅτι ὡσεὶ χόρτος ταχὺ ἀποξηρανθήσονται. Εἶτα τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκει, λέγων, ὅτι τὸ τέλος αὐτῶν τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὁποῖον τὸ τοῦ χόρτου· ὃς πρὸς ὀλίγον ἀνθήσας, ταχὺ ἀποξηραίνεται. Πᾶσα γὰρ σὰρξ χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα αὐτῆς ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου. Ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡσεὶ λάχανα χλόης