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36, 7 He will not take away his eyes from the righteous. Similar to what is in the Psalms: The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. 36, 7 and with kings upon the throne, he will set them for victory, and they will be exalted. According to the most obvious sense, at some times God deems the righteous worthy of such honor even among men, so that they sit with kings and he grants them victory over their enemies and raises them on high. But according to a deeper meaning, the poor and righteous according to God will be enthroned with the great in virtue with the King of heaven, having conquered the spiritual enemies and been exalted. 36, 8-9 And those who are bound in fetters shall be held fast in the cord of poverty, and he will declare to them their works and their transgressions, for they have grown mighty. 308 But having made the unjust prisoners and bound them with poverty, through their misfortunes he brings them to remembrance of their own works and transgressions, which they did through their own strength. 36, 10 But he will hearken to the righteous. This is connected to what was said above, so that it is thus: He will not take away his eyes from the righteous, but he will hearken to the righteous. 36, 10 and he said that they should turn from iniquity. But caring, he says, also for the unjust, God afflicts them with bonds and poverty, so that having come to an awareness of their sins they might turn from iniquity. 36, 11 If they listen and serve, they will complete their days in good things and their years in prosperity. He calls God's instruction which leads to repentance through works like a certain audible admonition, bringing to awareness those who are being disciplined. If therefore, he says, having heard this soul-profiting lesson, they serve God, they will live in prosperity and an abundance of good things. 32, 12 But he does not save the impious, because they did not wish to know the Lord and because when they were admonished, they were disobedient. But God does not save the impious, not becoming 309 the cause of their destruction himself, but because they themselves became the cause of this for themselves, neither wishing to know God through innate and natural reason, nor willing to become obedient to God’s instruction and admonition that leads to repentance. 36, 13 And the hypocrites in heart will store up wrath. But the hypocrites in heart, wearing the appearance of piety, but being ravenous wolves within, appoint and determine divine wrath for themselves. 36, 13 They will not cry out, because he has bound them. But these hypocrites do not look up to God and turn back, because hypocrisy has bound them. 36, 14-15 Therefore may their soul perish in youth, and their life be wounded by angels, because they afflicted the weak and powerless. For this reason, he says, they also die prematurely, being wounded by the death-bringing angels; or they also die along with their youthful desires, to be tormented by the punishing angels. And the reason is: because of the afflictions and injustices they worked against their inferiors. 36, 15 But he will set forth the judgment of the meek. And God will determine the judgment of the meek; for this is what 310 "he will set forth" signifies, instead of: he will not overlook them being wronged. And by "meek" you will understand either those who are righteous by choice, or also all who are wronged and keep quiet because of weakness. 36, 16 and has deceived you from the mouth of an enemy. Having placed "but he will set forth the judgment of the meek" in the middle, he added it concerning the person of the hypocrites, that hypocrites are punished as those who deceive men through the mouth of their own enemy, uttering one thing with their tongue, but having other things in their mind. And having stated the general case as for a specific person, he said: "he has deceived you," instead of: "since hypocrites are accustomed to deceive." 36, 16 an abyss, a flood beneath it. If the discourse is about the hypocrites, they are like, he says, abysses, deliberating deeply and insidiously; and just as a flood of waters conceals the reefs beneath it and brings hidden danger to sailors, so too their mind, being overshadowed by the pretense of hypocrisy, causes those who trust in it to be shipwrecked. But if concerning the

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36, 7 οὐκ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ δικαίου ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ. ὅμοιον ἐν Ψαλμοῖς ὅτι· ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ὦτα αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν. 36, 7 καὶ μετὰ βασιλέων εἰς θρόνον, καθιεῖ αὐτοὺς εἰς νῖκος καὶ ὑψωθήσονται. κατὰ μὲν τὸ πρόχειρον ἐσθότε τοὺς δικαίους ὁ θεὸς τοσαύτης ἀξιοῖ καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τιμῆς, ὡς καὶ συγκαθίζειν αὐτοὺς βασιλεῦσι καὶ νῖκος αὐτοῖς χαρίζεσθαι κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ εἰς ὕψος ἐπαίρειν. κατὰ δὲ βαθυτέραν διάνοιαν οἱ κατὰ θεὸν πτωχοὶ καὶ δίκαιοι μετὰ τῶν κατ' ἀρετὴν μεγάλων σύνθρονοι τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἔσονται νικήσαντες τοὺς νοητοὺς ἐχθροὺς καὶ ὑψωθέντες. 36, 89 καὶ οἱ πεπεδημένοι ἐν χειροπέδαις συσχεθήσονται ἐν σχοινίῳ πενίας, καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ αὐτοῖς τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἰσχύσουσιν. 308 τοὺς δὲ ἀδίκους δεσμώτας ἐργασάμενος καὶ καταδήσας πενίᾳ διὰ τῶν συμφορῶν εἰς ἀνάμνησιν ἄγει τῶν οἰκείων ἔργων καὶ παραπτωμάτων, ἅπερ ἔπραξαν διὰ τῆς ἰδίας ἰσχύος. 36, 10 ἀλλὰ τοῦ δικαίου εἰσακούσεται. τοῦτο τῷ ἀνωτέρω εἰρημένῳ συνῆπται, ἵνα ᾖ οὕτως· οὐκ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ δικαίου ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ δικαίου εἰσακούσεται. 36, 10 καὶ εἶπεν, ὅτι ἀποστραφήσονται ἐξ ἀδικίας. κηδόμενος δέ, φησίν, καὶ τῶν ἀδίκων ὁ θεὸς δεσμοῖς αὐτοὺς καὶ πενίᾳ πιέζει, ὡς ἂν εἰς συναίσθησιν ἐλθόντες τῶν ἡμαρτημένων ἀποστρέψωσιν ἐκ τῆς ἀδικίας. 36, 11 ἐὰν ἀκούσωσι καὶ δουλεύσωσιν, συντελέσουσι τὰς ἡμέρας αὐτῶν ἐν ἀγαθοῖς καὶ τὰ ἔτη αὐτῶν ἐν εὐπραγίαις. τὴν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπιστρεπτικὴν παιδείαν τοῦ θεοῦ λέγει ὥσπερ τινὰ νουθεσίαν ἀκουστὴν εἰς συναίσθησιν ἄγουσαν τοὺς παιδευομένους. ἐὰν οὖν, φησίν, ἀκούσαντες τοῦ ψυχωφελοῦς τούτου μαθήματος δουλεύσωσι θεῷ, ἐν εὐπραγίᾳ καὶ ἀγαθῶν ἀφθονίᾳ βιοτεύσουσιν. 32, 12 ἀσεβεῖς δὲ οὐ διασῴζει παρὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι αὐτοὺς εἰδέναι τὸν κύριον καὶ διότι νουθετούμενοι ἀνήκοοι ἦσαν. τοὺς δὲ ἀσεβεῖς οὐ διασῴζει θεὸς οὐκ αὐτὸς αὐτοῖς τῆς ἀπωλείας 309 αἴτιος γενόμενος, ἀλλ' ἐπειδήπερ αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοῖς τούτου κατέστησαν αἴτιοι μήτε τῷ ἐμφύτῳ καὶ φυσικῷ λόγῳ τὸν θεὸν ἐπιγνῶναι θελήσαντες, μήτε τῇ ἐπιστρεπτικῇ παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ κατήκοοι γενέσθαι θεοῦ βουληθέντες. 36, 13 καὶ ὑποκριταὶ καρδίας τάξουσι θυμόν. οἱ δὲ τὰς καρδίας ὑποκριταὶ σχῆμα μὲν εὐσεβείας περικείμενοι, ἔσωθεν δὲ ὄντες λύκοι ἅρπαγες αὐτοὶ ἑαυτῶν κατατάσσουσι καὶ καθορίζουσι τὴν θείαν ὀργήν. 36, 13 οὐ βοήσονται, ὅτι ἔδησεν αὐτούς. οὗτοι δὲ οἱ ὑποκριταὶ οὐκ ἀναβλέπουσι πρὸς θεὸν καὶ ἐπιστρέφουσιν, ἐπειδὴ κατέδησεν αὐτοὺς ἡ ὑπόκρισις. 36, 1415 ἀποθάνοι τοίνυν ἐν νεότητι ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῶν, ἡ δὲ ζωὴ αὐτῶν τιτρωσκομένη ὑπὸ ἀγγέλων, ἀνθ' ὧν ἔθλιψαν ἀσθενῆ καὶ ἀδύνατον. διὰ τοῦτο, φησίν, καὶ ἄωροι ἀποθνῄσκουσιν ὑπὸ τῶν θανατηφόρων ἀγγέλων τιτρωσκόμενοι· ἢ καὶ συναποθνῄσκουσι ταῖς νεωτερικαῖς ἐπιθυμίαις ὑπὸ τῶν τιμωρῶν ἀγγέλων αἰκισθησόμενοι. ἡ δὲ αἰτία· δι' ἃς εἰργάσαντο κατὰ τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων θλίψεις καὶ ἀδικίας. 36, 15 κρίμα δὲ πραέων ἐκθήσει. τῶν δὲ πραέων τὸ κρίμα ὁρίσει ὁ θεός· τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὸ 310 ἐκθήσει, ἀντὶ τοῦ· οὐ περιόψεται αὐτοὺς ἀδικουμένους. πραεῖς δὲ ἢ τοὺς κατὰ προαίρεσιν δικαίους νοήσεις, ἢ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀδικουμένους καὶ δι' ἀσθένειαν ἡσυχίαν ἄγοντας. 36, 16 καὶ ἠπάτησέ σε ἐκ στόματος ἐχθροῦ. διὰ μέσου τεθηκὼς τὸ κρίμα δὲ πραέων ἐκθήσει ὡς πρὸς τὸ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν πρόσωπον ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι τιμωροῦνται οἱ ὑποκριταὶ ὡς ἀπατῶντες τοὺς ἀνθρώπους διὰ τοῦ ἑαυτῶν ἐχθροῦ στόματος ἕτερα μὲν διὰ γλώσσης προφέροντες, ἕτερα δὲ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἔχοντες. τὸ δὲ κοινὸν ὡς ἐπὶ ἰδικοῦ προσώπου τεθηκὼς εἶπεν· ἠπάτησέ σε, ἀντὶ τοῦ· ἐπειδὴ πεφύκασιν ἀπατᾶν οἱ ὑποκριταί. 36, 16 ἄβυσσος, κατάχυσις ὑποκάτω αὐτῆς. εἰ μὲν περὶ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν ὁ λόγος, ἐοίκασιν, φησίν, ἀβύσσοις βαθέως καὶ ἐγκαθέτως βουλευόμενοι· καὶ ὥσπερ ἡ τῶν ὑδάτων κατάχυσις ὑποκάτω ἑαυτῆς τὰς ὑφάλους ἐπικρύπτει πέτρας καὶ λανθάνοντα τοῖς πλέουσι φέρει τὸν κίνδυνον, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ τούτων γνώμη τῷ προσχήματι τῆς ὑποκρίσεως ἐπισκιαζομένη ναυαγεῖν παρασκευάζει τοὺς αὐτῇ καταπιστεύοντας. εἰ δὲ περὶ τῆς