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they will quickly fall away; nor are they worthy to be compared to cultivated vegetables. Why then is it worthwhile to envy those who, having blossomed for a short time, tomorrow are cast into the oven, as the Savior taught? Hope in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the land, and you shall be fed on its wealth. Delight in the Lord, 23.325 and may he grant you all the requests of your heart. Having turned away from the envy of the wicked through the first words, he immediately sets forth side-by-side the straight and royal road, showing which one we must walk. Therefore he says: Look up, O man, looking to the ruler of all, and placing him as your hope; be of good courage, as one established on a great anchor. And let the things of your mind hold this hope; but in your actions work and do good, as if casting seeds for yourself for a good harvest of fruits. Having acquired these two things, no longer be anxious about anything. Dwell in the land without anxiety, and live this temporary life, as if in a tent, standing for a little while. For you shall be fed like a good flock, pastured by a good shepherd. For if there is any true wealth of the soul among men, that which is in divine doctrines and in the lessons of the divine readings, you will enjoy these, so as to say: The Lord is my shepherd, and I shall want nothing. For you will lack nothing, being shepherded in the wealth of the good shepherd, which has been given to men who are still being shepherded on earth. Instead of, And you shall be fed on its wealth, Symmachus has rendered it, And feed continually; and Aquila, And pasture on faith. Then, just as he described the end of those who do evil and those who commit iniquity, so also for you who hope in the Lord and do good, he enumerates how many good things there will be. For first, you will be fed on the true wealth of the good shepherd; second, you will delight in the Lord; and third, he will give you the requests of your heart. But he whose soul's senses have been purified will be able to delight in the Lord, so as to be able to eat the living bread and his life-giving flesh, and to drink his saving blood. Being nourished and fattened by these, enjoying the divine intoxication: Delight in the Lord, and he will give you the requests of your heart. For from this point on he will delight, having willed to give himself to him. But ask him also for the things to come, which you expect to receive. For he who has given the present things will abundantly grant also those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man. Instead of, Be subject to the Lord, and supplicate him, Aquila says: Be silent to the Lord, and wait expectantly for him; and Symmachus: Be still before the Lord, and supplicate him. For it is fitting for one who does the things foretold and hopes in the things that have been said, to be still for the time being in the present, and with silence to expect the things that have been promised. Do not be zealous against him who prospers in his way, against the man who does unlawful things. Cease from anger and forsake wrath, do not be zealous so as to do evil. Because evildoers shall be utterly destroyed, but those who wait for the Lord, they shall inherit the land. He necessarily repeats the saying. For since you have known, he says, what sort of wealth has been stored up for you, do not be zealous against the man who is thought 23.328 to prosper in the present life while doing unlawful things; for do not be provoked, nor call such a one blessed, knowing precisely that wrath awaits him on the day of wrath and of the righteous judgment of God. Therefore do not be angry, nor be wrathful against the ungodly one who is thought to prosper, nor be zealous of him so as to wish to do similar evil things; for know well and be precisely convinced, that the end of evildoers is destruction. For the evildoers shall be utterly destroyed, but only the long-suffering and those who wait for the Lord, they shall inherit the land. For if there is a good land

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ταχὺ ἀποπεσοῦνται· οὐδὲ γεωργουμένοις λαχάνοις ἄξιοί εἰσι παραβάλλεσθαι. Τί οὖν ἄξιον ζηλοῦν τούτους, οἳ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἀνθήσαντες, αὔριον εἰς κλίβανον βάλλονται, ὡς ἐδίδαξεν ὁ Σωτήρ; Ἔλπισον ἐπὶ Κύριον, καὶ ποίει χρηστότητα, καὶ κατασκήνου τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιμανθήσῃ ἐπὶ τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτῆς. Κατατρύφησον τοῦ Κυ 23.325 ρίου, καὶ δῴη σοι πάντα τὰ αἰτήματα τῆς καρδίας σου. Ἀποστρέψας τοῦ ζήλου τῶν πονηρῶν διὰ τῶν πρώτων, εὐθὺς ἐκ παραλλήλου τὴν ὀρθὴν καὶ βασιλικὴν ὁδὸν τίθησι, δεικνὺς ὁποίαν χρὴ βαδίζειν. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἄνω βλέπε, ὦ οὗτος, ἀφορῶν εἰς τὸν τῶν ὅλων κυβερνήτην, καὶ αὐτὸν σεαυτοῦ ἐλπίδα θέμενος· θάρσει ὡς ἐπὶ μεγάλην ἄγκυραν ἡδρασμένος. Καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς διανοίας σου ταύτην ἐχέτω τὴν ἐλπίδα· ταῖς δὲ πράξεσιν ἐργάζου καὶ ποίει χρηστότητα, ὡσανεὶ σπόρους σαυτῷ βαλλόμενος ἐπ' ἀγαθῇ καρπῶν συγκομιδῇ. Ταῦτα δὲ τὰ δύο κτησάμενος, μηκέτι περί τινος ἀγωνία. Κατασκήνου τὴν γῆν ἀμερίμνως, καὶ τὴν πρόσκαιρον ταυτηνὶ ζωὴν, ὥσπερ ἐν σκηνῇ, πρὸς ὀλίγον ἑστὼς δίαγε. Ποιμανθήσῃ γὰρ δίκην θρέμματος ἀγαθοῦ ὑπὸ ποιμένι καλῷ ποιμαινόμενος. Εἰ γάρ τίς ἐστιν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἀληθινὸς ψυχῆς πλοῦτος, ὁ ἐν θείοις δόγμασι καὶ τοῖς τῶν θείων ἀναγνωσμάτων μαθήμασι, τούτων ἀπολαύσεις, ὥστε λέγειν· Κύριος ποιμαίνει με, καὶ οὐδέν με ὑστερήσει. Οὐδὲν γάρ σε ὑστερήσει ποιμαινόμενον ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ τοῦ καλοῦ ποιμένος, τῷ δεδωρημένῳ τοῖς ἔτι ἐπὶ γῆς ποιμαινομένοις ἀνθρώποις. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Καὶ ποιμανθήσῃ ἐπὶ τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτῆς, ὁ Σύμμαχος, Καὶ ποιμαίνου διηνεκῶς, ἐξέδωκεν· ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, Καὶ νέμου πίστιν. Εἶθ' ὥσπερ τῶν πονηρευομένων καὶ τῶν ποιούντων τὴν ἀνομίαν ὑπέγραψε τὸ τέλος, οὕτως καὶ σοὶ τῷ ἐλπίζοντι ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον καὶ ποιοῦντι χρηστότητα ὁπόσα ὑπάρξει ἀγαθὰ καταριθμεῖται. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ποιμανθήσῃ ἐπὶ τῷ πλούτῳ τῷ ἀληθινῷ τοῦ καλοῦ ποιμένος· δεύτερον, κατατρυφήσεις τοῦ Κυρίου· καὶ τρίτον, δώσει σοι τὰ αἰτήματα τῆς καρδίας σου. Κατατρυφᾷν δὲ τοῦ Κυρίου δυνήσεται ὁ τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ αἰσθητήρια κεκαθαρισμένος, ὡς δύνασθαι ἐσθίειν τὸν ζῶντα ἄρτον καὶ τὰς ζωοποιοὺς αὐτοῦ σάρκας, πίνειν τε τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ αἷμα. Τούτοις τρεφόμενος καὶ πιαινόμενος, τῆς ἐνθέου μέθης ἀπολαύων· Κατατρύφησον τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ δώσει σοι τὰ αἰτήματα τῆς καρδίας σου. Ἤδη μὲν γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν κατατρυφήσει, ἐθελήσας σε αὐτὸν ἐπιδοῦναι αὐτῷ. Αἴτει δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα, ὧν προσδοκᾷς τὴν λῆψιν. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ παρόντα δεδωκὼς ἀφθόνως δωρήσεται καὶ ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν, οὐδὲ οὖς ἤκουσεν, οὐδ' ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Ὑποτάγηθι τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἱκέτευσον αὐτὸν, ὁ Ἀκύλας φησί· Σίγησον τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἀποκαραδόκει αὐτόν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· Ἡσύχαζε τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἱκέτευε αὐτῷ. Τὰ γὰρ προλεχθέντα πράττοντα, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἐλπίζοντα, ἡσυχάζειν προσήκει τέως ἐν τῷ παρόντι, καὶ μετὰ σιωπῆς προσδοκᾷν τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα. Μὴ παραζήλου ἐν τῷ κατευοδουμένῳ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ αὐτοῦ, ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ ποιοῦντι παρανομίας. Παῦσαι ἀπὸ ὀργῆς καὶ ἐγκατάλειπε θυμὸν, μὴ παραζήλου ὥστε πονηρεύεσθαι. Ὅτι οἱ πονηρευόμενοι ἐξολοθρευθήσονται, οἱ δὲ ὑπομένοντες τὸν Κύριον, αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσι γῆν. Ἐπαναλαμβάνει τὸν λόγον ἀναγκαίως. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἔγνως, φησὶν, ὁποῖός σοι πλοῦτος τεταμίευται, μὴ παραζήλου ἐν τῷ νομιζομένῳ 23.328 κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον κατευοδοῦσθαι ἀνθρώπῳ ποιοῦντι παρανομίας· μὴ γὰρ παροξύνου, μηδὲ μακάριζε τὸν τοιοῦτον, ἀκριβῶς εἰδὼς, ὅτι μένει αὐτὸν ὀργὴ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς καὶ δικαιοκρισίας τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιὸ σὺ μὴ ὀργίζου, μηδὲ θυμοῦ κατὰ τοῦ νομιζομένου εὐθηνεῖν ἀσεβοῦς, μηδὲ ζήλου αὐτὸν ὡς καὶ θέλειν τὰ ὅμοια αὐτῷ πονηρεύεσθαι· εὖ γὰρ ἴσθι καὶ πέπεισο ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι τὸ τέλος τῶν πονηρευομένων ὀλέθριον τυγχάνει. Οἱ γὰρ πονηρευόμενοι ἐξολοθρευθήσονται, μόνοι δὲ οἱ μακρόθυμοι καὶ ὑπομένοντες τὸν Κύριον, αὐτοὶ κληρονομήσουσι τὴν γῆν. Εἴ τις γάρ ἐστι γῆ ἀγαθὴ