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to say the most necessary things. However, we do not say that these things happened to the divine David alone, but indeed to many others; or rather, it is done even to this day to saints who are being tempted. For unexpected circumstances often arise, so that the rebellions of one’s own household are more unbearable than the war from enemies, whom we also say are tropically called bones, And if these things are common to all, the manner of prayer would be common to all. For it is fitting for everyone who is tempted and weary, and who longs to receive gentleness from God. Because my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds became foul and festered. Through these words, the text teaches us not to hide our own evils, nor to hold our sins like some bruise and decay in the depths of the soul. All day long I went about mourning, for my soul was filled with the mockeries of mockers. And you will understand it thus, having noted in the title that it is for a memorial, it is fittingly offered up, and he recounts what had happened to him long ago. And he teaches through what happened to him, having fallen into the slip of sin, for which reason he makes his full confession. For I have come to all these things, he says, because at a certain time My heart was troubled, and my strength failed me, and the light of my eyes, even it was not with me. For at the time of the sin his intellect endured no small disturbance, being confused and darkened by the one who works sin, so that he even fell into folly and committed foolish acts. And then his strength also failed him; for he was no longer able to say, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” having been conquered by passion and weakened. And something else, he says, difficult has happened to me; For the light of my eyes (and this was the prophetic spirit, which illuminates the vision of his soul) even it was not with me, having left me and departed; since wisdom will not enter a soul that plots evil; nor dwell in a body that is in debt to sins; for the holy Spirit of instruction will flee from deceit, and will rise up from foolish thoughts. But also his former friends and his neighbors, who had been with him the whole time, left him and stood afar off, no longer able to be with him, but lamenting from a distance as for the misfortune of their own friend. And who were these but those who rejoiced at his former good deeds, namely good angels and ministers of God, who are accustomed to rejoice with men at their salvation? When these were far from me, certain others, who work sin, coming near me, did violence to me and mocked my soul. For these, long thirsting for my blood, and praying for a long time to see my fall, as if seizing the opportunity, when they saw my strength leaving me, and the light 23.345 of my eyes departing from me, and my friends and neighbors having gone far away, immediately leaping upon me, they did violence to my soul; and as malicious men they spoke vanities to me, inwardly suggesting vain thoughts to my soul; but also with guile charming and deceiving me, they lured me as with good things, dragging me down into sin. But I was like a deaf man who does not hear, and like a mute man who does not open his mouth. And I became like a man who does not hear, and who has no rebukes in his mouth. Since to these, he says, I had nothing to say, being filled with shame; for I had no word for a defense, nor could I address the enemies at all, having been once conquered by them; not trusting in myself, nor placing any other hope before my eyes but you, I prescribed for myself the means of healing. Since, therefore, I have hoped in you, O Lord, and hope does not put to shame; for this reason you will hear me, because you are a willer of mercy, and you do not desire death

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χρειωδεστάτους μάλιστα λέγειν. Πλὴν οὐχὶ μόνῳ ταῦτα συμβῆναί φαμεν τῷ θεσπεσίῳ ∆αυῒδ, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ πλείστοις ἑτέροις· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ εἰς δεῦρο πράττεται πειραζομένων ἁγίων. Ἀδόκητοι γὰρ περιστάσεις ἀναφύονται πολλάκις, ὥστε δυσφορητότερον εἶναι τοῦ παρ' ἐχθρῶν πολέμου τὰς τῶν οἰκείων ἐπαναστάσεις, οὓς καὶ ὀστᾶ φαμεν ὠνομάσθαι τροπικῶς, Εἰ δὲ ἅπασι ταῦτα κοινὰ, κοινὸς ἂν εἴη πάντων τῆς προσευχῆς ὁ τρόπος. Παντὶ γὰρ ἁρμόζει πειραζομένῳ καὶ κάμνοντι, γλιχομένῳ τε τυχεῖν ἡμερότητος τῆς παρὰ Θεοῦ. Ὅτι αἱ ἀνομίαι μου ὑπερῇραν τὴν κεφαλήν μου, ὡσεὶ φορτίον βαρὺ ἐβαρύνθησαν ἐπ' ἐμέ. Προσώζεσαν καὶ ἐσάπησαν οἱ μώλωπές μου. ∆ιὰ τούτων διδάσκει ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος, μὴ κρύπτειν τὰ ἑαυτῶν κακὰ, μηδ' ὥσπερ τινὰ μελανίαν καὶ σῆψιν κατὰ βάθους τῆς ψυχῆς συνέχειν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν σκυθρωπάζων ἐπορευόμην, ὅτι ἡ ψυχή μου ἐνεπλήσθη ἐμπαιγμῶν ἐμπαιζόντων. Νοήσεις δὲ καὶ οὕτως, προεπισημηνάμενος ἐν τῇ προγραφῇ, ὡς ἄρα εἴη εἰς ἀνάμνησιν, εἰκότως ἀναπεμπάζεται, καὶ τὰ πάλαι αὐτῷ συμβεβηκότα ἐπαναλαμβάνει. ∆ιδάσκει τε ἐν οἷς γέγονε, τῷ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὀλίσθῳ περιπεσὼν, οὗ χάριν καὶ τὴν πᾶσαν ποιεῖται ἐξομολόγησιν. Εἰς ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα ἐλήλυθα, φησὶν, ἐπειδήπερ καιρῷ τινι Ἡ καρδία μου ἐταράχθη, καὶ ἐγκατέλειπέ με ἡ ἰσχύς μου, καὶ τὸ φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου, καὶ αὐτὸ οὐκ ἦν μετ' ἐμοῦ. Κατὰ γὰρ τὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας καιρὸν οὐ μικρὰν ὑπέμεινεν αὐτοῦ ταραχὴν τὸ διανοητικὸν, συγχυθὲν καὶ σκοτωθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐνεργοῦντος, ὡς καὶ εἰς ἀφροσύνην πεσεῖν καὶ πράττειν ἀφροσύνης ἔργα. Τότε δὲ καὶ ἐγκατέλειπεν αὐτὸν ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ· οὐκέτι γὰρ οἷός τε ἦν λέγειν· Πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με, νικηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους καὶ ἐξατονήσας. Καὶ ἄλλο δέ τι, φησὶ, χαλεπὸν περὶ ἐμὲ γέγονε· Τὸ γὰρ φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου (τοῦτο δὲ ἦν τὸ προφητικὸν πνεῦμα, τὸ φωτίζον αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ὅρασιν) καὶ αὐτὸ οὐκ ἦν μετ' ἐμοῦ, καταλεῖψάν με καὶ ἀναχωρῆσαν· ἐπεὶ εἰς κακότεχνον ψυχὴν οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία· οὐδὲ κατοικήσει ἐν σώματι κατάχρεῳ ἁμαρτίαις· ἅγιον γὰρ Πνεῦμα παιδείας φεύξεται δόλον, καὶ ἀπαναστήσεται ἀπὸ λογισμῶν ἀσυνέτων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ πρότερον αὐτοῦ φίλοι καὶ πλησίον αὐτοῦ, οἱ τὸν σύμπαντα χρόνον αὐτῷ συνόντες, ἐάσαντες αὐτὸν μακρόθεν ἔστησαν, οὐκέτ' αὐτῷ συνεῖναι δυνάμενοι, πόῤῥωθεν δὲ ἀποκλᾳόμενοι ὡς οἰκείου φίλου συμφοράν. Τίνες δ' ἦσαν οὗτοι ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ ἐπὶ τοῖς προτέροις ἀγαθοῖς αὐτοῦ χαίροντες, ἄγγελοι δηλαδὴ ἀγαθοὶ καὶ λειτουργοὶ Θεοῦ, τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων συγχαίρειν εἰωθότες σωτηρίᾳ; Ὧν μακράν μου γενομένων, ἄλλοι τινὲς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐνεργοῦντες, πλησίον μου γενόμενοι, ἐξεβιάζοντο καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς κατέπαιζον. Πάλαι γὰρ οὗτοι διψῶντες τοῦ ἐμοῦ αἵματος, καὶ ἐκ μακρῶν χρόνων εὐχόμενοι θεάσασθαί μου τὴν πτῶσιν, ὡσανεὶ καιροῦ λαβόμενοι, ὅτε εἶδον καταλείπουσάν με τὴν ἰσχὺν, καὶ τὸ φῶς 23.345 τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου ἀναχωρῆσάν μου, τούς τε φίλους καὶ τοὺς πλησίον μακρὰν γενομένους, παραχρῆμα ἐπιπηδήσαντες ἐξεβιάζοντο τὴν ψυχήν μου· καὶ ὡς ἂν ἐθελόκακοι ἐλάλησάν μοι ματαιότητας, ἔνδον ὑποβάλλοντές μου εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν ματαίους λογισμούς· ἀλλὰ καὶ σὺν δόλῳ θέλγοντες καὶ ἀπατῶντες, ὡς ἐπὶ ἀγαθοῖς ἐδελέαζον καθέλκοντές με εἰς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ἐγὼ δὲ ὡσεὶ κωφὸς οὐκ ἤκουον, καὶ ὡσεὶ ἄλαλος οὐκ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐγενόμην ὡσεὶ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἀκούων, καὶ οὐκ ἔχων ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ ἐλεγμούς. Ἐπεὶ τούτοις, φησὶν, οὐδὲν εἶχον λέγειν αἰσχύνης πεπληρωμένος· οὐδὲν γάρ μοι λόγος ἦν πρὸς ἀπολογίαν, οὐδ' εἶχόν τινα τοῖς ἐχθροῖς προσφθέγγεσθαι ἅπαξ ὑπ' αὐτῶν νενικημένος· οὐκ ἐμαυτῷ θαῤῥῶν, οὐδ' ἄλλην τινὰ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν θέμενος ἐλπίδα ἢ σὲ, τὰ τῆς ἰάσεως ὑπέγραφον ἐμαυτῷ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐπὶ σὲ ἤλπισα, Κύριε, ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει· διὰ τοῦτο εἰσακούσῃ, ὅτι θελητὴς ἐλέους εἶ, καὶ οὐ θέλεις τὸν θάνατον