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The Savior declared blessed those who philosophize according to God, and who are poor in divine discipline; who were his disciples and apostles. Blessed therefore is the one who understands the poor, such a poor and needy one; he will receive the fruit of this good and thrice-blessed understanding, which is stated next: For in an evil day the Lord will deliver him; or according to Symmachus, In a day of affliction. For if some temptation should arise, or he should ever fall into misfortune and circumstance, just as he understood the poor and needy, so also will the Lord opportunely understand him, measuring to him the same measure with which he measured. May the Lord guard him and keep him alive. But he will also guard him and make him live; or according to Symmachus: He will guard him, and he will preserve him. And he will provide a third thing for him, he will bless him on the earth; or according to Symmachus, He will be blessed on the earth. For while he is still on this earth, he will obtain blessedness from God, while the heavenly goods promised for after this await him. To these he adds: And may he not deliver him into the hands of his enemies; instead of which Symmachus says: And he will not give him up to the souls of his enemies. It should be known that some say the words 'I said, Lord, have mercy on me' were spoken from the person of David; either inserted in the middle, or defining what was said by him up to that point. For even the man of my peace, in whom I hoped, who eats my bread, has lifted his heel against me. But according to Symmachus: But also a man who was at peace with me, he says, in whom I trusted, eating my bread with me, was magnified against me following; or according to Aquila: He was magnified 23.365 against me with his heel. And Judas was a man of the Savior's peace, having himself also heard with the rest of the disciples the Savior saying: My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you. But also: In whom I hoped, he says; or according to Aquila, I trusted, or according to Symmachus, I used to trust; since he shared with him the same gifts equally as with the other apostles. And the Savior trusted in him, and had good hopes for him, because free will was also in him. For Judas was not of a nature unable to be saved; but he was able, if he had willed, to be discipled to the Son of God just like the other apostles, and to be made a good and noble disciple; and being a table companion with the Teacher, he not only ate the common bread with him, but was also deemed worthy to partake of that which nourishes the soul; about which the Savior said: I am the bread that came down from heaven, and gives life to men. This one, therefore, having been deemed worthy of so much, lifted up his heel against the Savior as if aiming a kick; wherefore it is said: He has lifted his heel against me. Instead of 'supplanting', spoken by the Seventy, the Hebrew reading contains 'heel'. Thus, therefore, Aquila, being subservient to the Hebrew, published it. Whence also the evangelist John, as a Hebrew of Hebrews, recalled that the Savior had named not 'supplanting' but 'heel'. Regarding this: You have upheld me because of my innocence; or according to Aquila and Symmachus, because of simplicity; since just as a sheep was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he does not open his mouth; and, When reviled, he did not revile in return; when suffering, he did not threaten; and demonstrating the utmost forbearance, he was silent when accused, and when false witness was borne against him he answered nothing; but he also gave his back to the scourges and his cheeks to slaps; and he did not turn away his face from the shame of spitting. Therefore he says: But you have upheld me because of my innocence, and have established me in your presence forever. To all these things, at the end, the prophetic spirit sends up a voice of thanksgiving to God, saying: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting and to everlasting; so be it, so be it; or according to Aquila, faithfully, faithfully; but according to Symmachus: Amen, amen;

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κατὰ Θεὸν φιλοσοφοῦντας, καὶ τὴν ἔνθεον ἄσκησιν πτωχεύοντας ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐμακάριζεν· οἳ ἦσαν οἱ αὐτοῦ μαθηταὶ καὶ ἀπόστολοι. Μακάριος οὖν ὁ συνιὼν ἐπὶ πτωχὸν, ἐπὶ τὸν οὕτω πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα· τῆς ἀγαθῆς ταύτης καὶ τρισμακαρίας συνέσεως καρπὸν λήψεται τὸν ἑξῆς εἰρημένον· Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ γὰρ πονηρᾷ ῥύσεται αὐτὸν ὁ Κύριος· ἣ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κακώσεως. Εἰ γὰρ γένοιτό τις πειρασμὸς, ἢ περιπέσοι ποτὲ συμφορᾷ καὶ περιστάσει, ὥσπερ αὐτὸς συνῆκεν ἐπὶ πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα, οὕτω καὶ αὐτοῦ εὐκαίρως συνήσει ὁ Κύριος, μετρῶν αὐτῷ τὸ ἴσον μέτρον ᾧ ἐμέτρησεν. Κύριος φυλάξαι αὐτὸν καὶ ζήσαι αὐτόν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ φυλάξει αὐτὸν καὶ ζῆσαι ποιήσει αὐτόν· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Φυλάξει αὐτὸν, καὶ περισώσει αὐτόν. Καὶ τρίτον δὲ αὐτῷ παρέξει, μακαρίσει αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ γῇ· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Μακαριστὸς ἔσται ἐν τῇ γῇ. Ὡς ἔτι γὰρ ἐν τῇ γῇ ταύτῃ τυγχάνει, τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακαριότητος τεύξεται, μενόντων αὐτὸν τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπηγγελμένων οὐρανίων ἀγαθῶν. Τούτοις ἐπιλέγει· Καὶ μὴ παραδῷ αὐτὸν εἰς χεῖρας ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ· ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Σύμμαχός φησι· Καὶ οὐκ ἐκδώσει αὐτὸν εἰς ψυχὰς ἐχθρῶν. Ἰστέον δὲ, ὡς τό· Ἐγὼ εἶπα, Κύριε, ἐλέησόν με, τινὲς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ ∆αυῒδ εἰρῆσθαί φασιν· ἢ παρεμβεβλημένον ἐν τῷ μέσῳ, ἢ ἕως ἐκεῖ περιγράφοντες τὰ λεγόμενα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς εἰρήνης μου, ἐφ' ὃν ἤλπισα, ὁ ἐσθίων ἄρτους μου, ἐμεγάλυνεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ πτερνισμόν. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὃς εἰρήνευέ μοι, φησὶν, ᾧ ἐπεποίθειν, συνεσθίων μοι ἄρτον ἐμὸν, κατεμεγαλύνθη μου ἀκολουθῶν· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· Κατεμεγα 23.365 λύνθη μου πτέρνᾳ. Τῆς δὲ τοῦ Σωτῆρος εἰρήνης ἦν ἄνθρωπος ὁ Ἰούδας, ἀκούσας καὶ αὐτὸς μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ Σωτῆρος λέγοντος· Εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν, εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν ἀφίημι ὑμῖν. Ἀλλὰ καί· Ἐφ' ὃν ἤλπισα, φησί· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, ἐπεποίθησα, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, ἐπεποίθειν· ἐπειδήπερ καὶ αὐτῷ ὁμοίως τοῖς λοιποῖς ἀποστόλοις τῶν ἴσων μετεδίδου χαρισμάτων. Ἐπεποίθει δὲ ἐπ' αὐτῷ ὁ Σωτὴρ, καὶ ἀγαθὰς εἶχεν ἐλπίδας ἐπ' αὐτῷ, διὰ τὸ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ αὐτεξούσιον. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν φύσεως ἀδυνάτου σώζεσθαι ὁ Ἰούδας· ἀλλ' οἷός τε ἦν, θελήσας, ὁμοίως τοῖς λοιποῖς ἀποστόλοις μαθητευθῆναι τῷ Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ καλὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς μαθητὴς ἀποτελεῖσθαι· συνέστιος δὲ ὢν τῷ ∆ιδασκάλῳ, οὐ τὸν κοινὸν ἄρτον αὐτῷ μόνον συνήσθιεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς θρεπτικοῦ μεταλαμβάνειν ἠξιοῦτο· περὶ οὗ ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτήρ· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβὰς, καὶ ζωὴν διδοὺς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Οὗτος οὖν ὁ τοσούτων ἠξιωμένος τὴν πτέρναν αὐτοῦ ὥσπερ λὰξ ἐντείνων κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπῆρε· διὸ λέλεκται· Ἐμεγάλυνεν ἐπ' ἐμὲ πτερνισμόν. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, πτερνισμὸν, παρὰ τοῖς Ἑβδομήκοντα εἰρημένον, ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ ἀνάγνωσις πτέρναν περιέχει. Οὕτως οὖν δουλεύσας τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ ὁ Ἀκύλας ἐξέδωκεν. Ὅθεν καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς Ἰωάννης, ὡς ἂν Ἑβραῖος ἐξ Ἑβραίων, τὸν Σωτῆρα, οὐ πτερνισμὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πτέρναν ὠνομακέναι ἐμνημόνευσεν. Εἰς τό· Ἐμοῦ διὰ τὴν ἀκακίαν ἀντελάβου· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν καὶ Σύμμαχον, διὰ τὴν ἁπλότητα· ἐπειδήπερ ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος ἄφωνος, οὕτως οὐκ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα· καὶ, Λοιδορούμενος οὐκ ἀντελοιδόρει· πάσχων οὐκ ἠπείλει· τὴν ἄκραν δὲ ἀνεξικακίαν ἐνδεικνύμενος ἐν τῷ κατηγορεῖσθαι ἐσιώπα, ψευδομαρτυρούμενός τε οὐδὲν ἀπεκρίνατο· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν νῶτον αὐτοῦ δέδωκεν εἰς μάστιγας καὶ τὰς σιαγόνας εἰς ῥαπίσματα· τὸ δὲ πρόσωπον οὐκ ἀπέστρεψεν ἀπὸ αἰσχύνης ἐμπτυσμάτων. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἐμοῦ δὲ διὰ τὴν ἀκακίαν ἀντελάβου, καὶ ἐβεβαίωσάς με ἐνώπιόν σου εἰς αἰῶνα. Τούτοις πᾶσιν ἐπὶ τέλει τὸ προφητικὸν πνεῦμα εὐχαριστήριον φωνὴν ἀναπέμπει τῷ Θεῷ λέγον· Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· γένοιτο, γένοιτο· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, πεπιστωμένως, πεπιστωμένως· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Ἀμὴν, ἀμήν·