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But I, he says, know well, and I teach others, that the righteous man who receives his daily bread from God is much better than the wealth of sinners. And if you ask, learn the reason: because he who is content with little has the Lord supporting his soul and his life and his livelihood, and sufficing him beyond all wealth; but the arms of sinners do not remain strong, nor is their wealth secure; for they will be shattered very soon, becoming like green herbs and drying up like grass. The Lord knows the ways of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever. They will not be put to shame in evil times, and in the days of famine they will be satisfied, for the sinners will perish. For not only does God support the life of the order of the right, I mean of the righteous, but he also knows precisely the days that await them in the age to come, and the inheritance prepared for them, about which it was spoken above. Therefore, the short and sorrowful nature of the present life, and to be poor and destitute for the Lord's sake, will not harm them at all. For endurance is the training of their will, through which, traveling the narrow and afflicted way, they will obtain the things that were promised. But instead of 'knows,' Symmachus gave, 'The Lord foresees the days of the blameless.' And another great thing will be theirs: for in an evil time they will not be put to shame, and in days of famine they will be satisfied 23.332. An evil time is that of the wrath against the ungodly, in which some will be tried by the righteous judgment of God, but those of the right-hand order will be left with glory and honor and incorruptibility, seeking eternal life. But indeed, even in the present time, the righteous, enjoying divine nourishment, will be satisfied; but sinners will perish from famine and lack of rational nourishment. Who, having seen with his own eyes the ungodly among us, who were admired for their wealth and glory and dignities, and who ruled over great nations, suddenly fall from their high position, would not confess the truth of the oracle that said: 'But the enemies of God, as soon as they were glorified and exalted, vanished like smoke.' And smoke is a sign of a fire that has been extinguished; therefore also these, having for a time burned like fire, and then been extinguished, likewise in the example. The sinner borrows, and will not repay; but the righteous has compassion and gives. Possessing nothing, often borrowing beneficial and saving words from the righteous man, or receiving benefits from God, he does not repay the debt. For it is necessary that he who has been benefited should provide works and deeds worthy of what he has received. But he does not repay, but remains fruitless in the works of righteousness. But the righteous man, being rich in the wealth that is according to God, has compassion and provides for those in need. But also those who bless the righteous man will become his fellow heirs. For the inheritance which the word promised above to the righteous, this very inheritance it also promises to those who bless the righteous man, in accordance with the oracle spoken to Abraham: 'And I will bless those who bless you.' And the saying, 'And those who curse him will be utterly destroyed,' would be similar to what was said to Abraham: 'And those who curse you I will curse.' For just as he who throws a stone upwards throws it upon his own head, so he who strikes the righteous man with curses, because the curse cannot stand against him, will receive it back upon himself. The steps of a man are directed by the Lord. In addition to what has been said, these things also belong to the man of God: God makes his ways smooth, so that his life may flow easily, and he may worship God without hindrance, with no one tripping him up because of Him who directs his steps, and he will delight in his way, making it worthy of acceptance; so that it may be said, 'And he will delight in his way.' When

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Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ, φησὶν, εὖ οἶδα, διδάσκω δὲ καὶ ἑτέρους· ὅτι πολλῷ βελτίων ἐστὶν ὁ δίκαιος τὸν ἐφήμερον ἄρτον παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λαμβάνων τοῦ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν πλούτου. Εἰ δ' ἐρωτᾷς, τὴν αἰτίαν μάνθανε· ὅτι ὁ μὲν ὀλίγῳ ἀρκούμενος ἔχει τὸν Κύριον ὑποστηρίζοντα αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὸν βίον, ὑπὲρ πάντα τε πλοῦτον ἐπαρκοῦντα αὐτῷ· οἱ δὲ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν βραχίονες οὐ διαμένουσιν ἰσχυροὶ, οὐδὲ ὁ πλοῦτος αὐτῶν βέβαιος· συντριβήσονται γὰρ ὅσον οὐδέπω γενόμενοι ὡσεὶ λάχανα χλόης καὶ ὡσεὶ χόρτος ἀποξηραινόμενοι. Γινώσκει Κύριος τὰς ὁδοὺς τῶν ἀμώμων, καὶ ἡ κληρονομία αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἔσται. Οὐ καταισχυνθήσονται ἐν καιρῷ πονηρῷ, καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις λιμοῦ χορτασθήσονται, ὅτι οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀπολοῦνται. Ὅτι τοῦ δεξιοῦ τάγματος, λέγω δὲ τῶν δικαίων, οὐ μόνον ὑποστηρίζει ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ζωὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς περιμενούσας αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι ἡμέρας ἀκριβῶς οἶδε, τήν τε ἡτοιμασμένην αὐτοῖς κληρονομίαν, περὶ ἧς ἀνωτέρω ἐλέχθη. ∆ιὸ οὐδὲν αὐτοὺς καταβλάψει τὸ βραχὺ, καὶ λυπηρὸν τοῦ παρόντος βίου, καὶ τὸ πένεσθαι καὶ πτωχεύειν διὰ τὸν Κύριον. Γυμνάσιον γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐστι τῆς προαιρέσεως ἡ καρτερία, δι' ἧς τὴν στενὴν καὶ τεθλιμμένην ὁδεύοντες, τεύξονται τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων, Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, γινώσκει, ὁ Σύμμαχος, Προοῖδεν ὁ Κύριος τὰς ἡμέρας τῶν ἀμώμων, ἐξέδωκεν. Καὶ ἄλλο δὲ μέγα ὑπάρξει τούτοις· ἐν γὰρ καιρῷ πονηρῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσονται, καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις λιμοῦ χορτασθή 23.332 σονται. Καιρὸς δὲ πονηρός ἐστιν ὁ τῆς κατὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ὀργῆς, ἐν ᾧ οἱ μὲν τῆς δικαιοκρισίας τοῦ Θεοῦ πειρασθήσονται, οἱ δὲ τοῦ δεξιοῦ τάγματος ἀπολείψονται δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν, ζητοῦντες ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἑστῶτα καιρὸν, οἱ μὲν δίκαιοι τῆς ἐνθέου τροφῆς ἀπολαύοντες χορτασθήσονται· οἱ δὲ ἁμαρτωλοὶ λιμῷ καὶ ἐνδείᾳ λογικῆς τροφῆς ἀπολοῦνται. Τίς δὲ ὀφθαλμοῖς παραλαβὼν τοὺς καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀσεβεῖς πλούτῳ καὶ δόξῃ καὶ ἀξιώμασι θαυμασθέντας, μεγάλων τε ἐθνῶν ἄρξαντας, ἀθρόως ἐκπεσόντας τοῦ ὑψώματος, οὐκ ἂν ὁμολογήσειεν ἀληθῆ τυγχάνειν τὸ φῆσαν λόγιον· Οἱ δ' ἐχθροὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἅμα τῷ δοξασθῆναι αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐπαρθῆναι ἐκλιπόντες ὡσεὶ καπνὸς ἐξέλιπον. Καπνὸς δὲ πυρὸς σβεσθέντος σημεῖον· διὸ καὶ τούτους καιρῷ φλέξαντας πυρὸς δίκην, κἄπειτα ἀποσβεσθέντας, ὁμοίως ἐν τῷ παραδείγματι. ∆ανείζεται ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἀποτίσει· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος οἰκτείρει καὶ διδοῖ. Μηδὲν κεκτημένος, παρὰ τοῦ δικαίου πολλάκις δανειζόμενος λόγους ὠφελίμους καὶ σωτηρίους, ἢ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐεργεσίας τυγχάνων, οὐκ ἀποτίννυσι τὴν ὀφειλήν. ∆έον γὰρ ὠφεληθέντα, ἔργα καὶ πράξεις παρασχεῖν ἀξίας ὧν εἴληφεν. Ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀποτίννυσιν, μένει δὲ ἄκαρπος τῶν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἔργων. Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος, πλουτῶν ἐν τῷ κατὰ Θεὸν πλούτῳ, οἰκτείρει καὶ παρέχει τοῖς δεομένοις. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τὸν δίκαιον εὐλογοῦντες συγκληρονόμοι αὐτοῦ γενήσονται. Ἣν γὰρ ἐπηγγείλατο ἀνωτέραν τοῖς δικαίοις κληρονομίαν ὁ λόγος, ταύτην αὐτὴν καὶ τοῖς εὐλογοῦσι τὸν δίκαιον ὑπισχνεῖται, ἀκολούθως τῷ· πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ χρησμῷ φήσαντι· Καὶ εὐλογήσω τοὺς εὐλογοῦντάς σε. Τὸ δὲ, Καὶ οἱ καταρώμενοι αὐτὸν ἐξολοθρευθήσονται, ὅμοιον ἂν εἴη τῷ λελεγμένῳ πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραάμ· Καὶ τοὺς καταρωμένους σε καταράσομαι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ βάλλων λίθον εἰς ὕψος ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἑαυτοῦ βάλλει, οὕτως ὁ κατάραις βάλλων τὸν δίκαιον, διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι κατάραν ἵστασθαι κατ' αὐτοῦ, ἀντιστρέφουσαν αὐτὴν εἰς ἑαυτὸν λήψεται. Παρὰ Κυρίου τὰ διαβήματα ἀνθρώπου κατευθύνεται. Πρὸς τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ ταῦτα ὑπάρχει τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνθρώπῳ· τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐξομαλίζει ὁ Θεὸς, ὥστε εὐροεῖν αὐτοῦ τὸν βίον, καὶ ἀπαραποδίστως θεοσεβεῖν, μηδενὸς ὑποσκελίζοντος διὰ τὸν κατευθύνοντα αὐτοῦ τὰ διαβήματα, καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ θελήσει, ἀποδοχῆς ἀξίαν ποιοῦντα· ὥστε λέγεσθαι, Καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ θελήσει. Ὅταν