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to God; and they cast many curses and revilings upon him. He said that on account of those curses, and the slanders, and the sin of the mouth, they have endured this consummation.

And he calls consummation not total destruction, but their no longer being called the people of God.

For scattered throughout the world, and forced to serve the Romans, they are deprived of the Mosaic worship; they live far from their much-fabled metropolis, they have become bereft of royal care; they do not enjoy priestly oversight, they have been stripped of prophetic grace.

Therefore, "they shall not be," instead of, "no longer as a people," he says, "will they govern themselves, inhabiting only Palestine, and being called the people of God."

And he calls the various 80.1313 punishments consummations.

For they endured the greatest dangers under Gaius, the fourth Caesar; and indeed under Nero they fell into many misfortunes.

And Vespasian besieged most of the cities of Judea; and Titus, laying siege to Jerusalem, both sacked the city, and having enslaved those who escaped death, led them away as captives of war.

And after these things they fell into all sorts of other painful things; and now likewise in the cities in which they sojourn, when some pretext arises, they often suffer incurable things, being required to pay the penalty for the curse, and the falsehood, and the sin of the mouth; and through these events they learn that the Crucified One is Lord and Master of all.

For this is also what the prophet said: "And they shall know that God rules over Jacob, and to the ends of the earth."

For this indeed is the paradox, that before the cross, he was disbelieved even by the Jews themselves; but after that shameful passion, the Crucified One rules over the whole world; some worshipping willingly, while the unbelievers are forced to serve in fear.

15. "They will return at evening; and they will be hungry as a dog, and will go around the city."

For since he said: "In the wrath of consummation, and they shall not be;" so that no one might think the prophet spoke contradictorily in saying, "Scatter them in your power," he appropriately used the tautology, and says that they, like dogs wasting away with hunger and wandering about the city at night, will pass their time enjoying no spiritual food.

For an exchange of circumstances occurred.

And the Jews, who were formerly sons, because of their own wickedness, received the rank of dogs; but the Gentiles, formerly like dogs, were deemed worthy of the honor of sons.

16. "They shall be scattered to find food; and if they are not satisfied, they will even murmur."

Symmachus rendered this with the preceding. He said thus: Let them return at evening, let them make a noise like dogs going around the city, roaming, so that they may not lodge unsatisfied.

[For on this account, he says, dogs wander about at night seeking some food, so that they may not lodge unsatisfied; for to them every day is not only evening, but also night, as the cloud of unbelief lies upon them.]

But according to the Seventy, it should be understood thus: that like dogs they too, scattered throughout the world, seek spiritual food; but not finding 80.1316 it, because they do not believe in the one proclaimed by all the prophets, they make a clamor and murmur, displaying even in this their ungrateful disposition.

17. "But I will sing of your power, and in the morning I will rejoice in your mercy."

They, therefore, having dared those things, will suffer so much; but I will sing hymns to your mercy; and when your intelligible light has risen and given the dawn to the world, I will glorify your immeasurable compassion in all the churches.

"Because you have become my helper, and my refuge, in the day of my affliction.

[18] You are my helper, to you I will sing psalms; for God is my helper. My God, my mercy."

For I have always enjoyed your assistance; and through your providence I have escaped the calamities that befell me. For which reason I know you alone as God, and you as the fount of mercy and

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τῷ Θεῷ· καὶ ἀραῖς δὲ πολλαῖς αὐτὸν καὶ λοιδορίαις ἔβαλον. ∆ι' ἐκείνας ἔφη τὰς ἀρὰς, καὶ τὰς συκο φαντίας, καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ στόματος, ταύτην αὐτοὺς ὑπομεμενηκέναι τὴν συντέλειαν. Συντέλειαν δὲ οὐ τὴν πανωλεθρίαν καλεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὸ μηκέτι αὐ τοὺς λαὸν χρηματίζειν Θεοῦ. Ἐσκεδασμένοι γὰρ κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ Ῥωμαίοις δουλεύειν ἠναγκα σμένοι, τῆς νομικῆς λατρείας ἐστέρηνται· πόῤῥω τῆς πολυθρυλλήτου διάγουσι μητροπόλεως, τῆς βασιλι κῆς ἔρημοι κηδεμονίας γεγένηνται· ἱερατικῆς ἐπιμελείας οὐκ ἀπολαύουσι, τῆς προφητικῆς ἐγυ μνώθησαν χάριτος. Τὸ τοίνυν, οὐχ ὑπάρξου σιν, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Εἰς λαὸν οὐκέτι, φησὶ, καθ' ἑαυτοὺς πολιτεύσονται, μόνην οἰκοῦντες τὴν Παλαιστίνην, καὶ λαὸς Θεοῦ χρηματίζοντες. Συντελείας δὲ τὰς παν 80.1313 τοδαπὰς καλεῖ τιμωρίας. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ Γαΐου τοῦ τε τάρτου Καίσαρος κινδύνους μεγίστους ὑπέμειναν· καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἐπὶ Νέρωνος πολλαῖς περιέπεσον συμφοραῖς. Καὶ Οὐεσπασιανὸς τὰς πλείστας τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐπολιόρκησε πόλεις· καὶ Τῖτος προσεδρεύ σας τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις, καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐξεπόρ θησε, καὶ τοὺς τὸν θάνατον διαφυγόντας ἐξανδρα ποδίσας, δορυαλώτους ἀπήγαγε. Καὶ ἄλλοις δὲ παν τοδαποῖς μετὰ ταῦτα περιέπεσον ἀλγεινοῖς· καὶ νῦν δὲ ὡσαύτως ἐν αἷς παροικοῦσι πόλεσιν, ἀφορμῆς τινος γινομένης, πολλάκις τὰ ἀνήκεστα πάσχουσι, τῆς ἀρᾶς, καὶ τοῦ ψεύδους, καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ στόματος ἀπαιτούμενοι δίκας· καὶ δι' αὐτῶν μανθά νουσι τῶν πραγμάτων, ὅτι τῶν ἁπάντων ἐστὶ Κύ ριος καὶ ∆εσπότης ὁ σταυρωθείς. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἔφη· "Καὶ γνώσονται ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς δεσπόζει τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς." Τοῦτο γὰρ δὴ τὸ παράδοξον, ὅτι πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ, καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἠπιστεῖτο τῶν Ἰουδαίων· μετὰ δὲ τὸ ἐπονείδιστον ἐκεῖνο πάθος, πάσης ὁ σταυρωθεὶς δεσπόζει τῆς οἰκουμένης· τῶν μὲν ἑκόντων προσκυνούντων, τῶν δέ γε ἀπιστούντων φόβῳ δουλεύειν ἠναγκασμένων. ιεʹ. "Ἐπιστρέψουσιν εἰς ἑσπέραν· καὶ λιμώξου σιν ὡς κύων, καὶ κυκλώσουσι πόλιν." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν· "Ἐν ὀργῇ συντελείας, καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑπάρξω σιν·" ἵνα μή τις ἐναντίως εἰρηκέναι νομίσῃ τὸν προφήτην τὸ, "∆ιασκέδασον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου," εἰκότως τῇ ταυτολογίᾳ ἐχρήσατο, καί φησιν, αὐτοὺς κυνῶν δίκην λιμῷ τηκομένων, καὶ νύκτωρ τὴν πόλιν περινοστούντων, διάξειν οὐδεμιᾶς πνευ ματικῆς τροφῆς ἀπολαύοντας. Ἐναλλαγὴ γὰρ πραγ μάτων ἐγένετο. Καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν, οἱ πάλαι υἱοὶ, διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν πονηρίαν, τὴν τῶν κυνῶν ἔλαχον τάξιν· τὰ δὲ ἔθνη, πάλαι κυσὶν ἐοικότα, τῆς τῶν υἱῶν ἠξιώθησαν τιμῆς. ʹ. "Αὐτοὶ διασκορπισθήσονται τοῦ φαγεῖν· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ χορτασθῶσι, καὶ γογγύσωσιν." Τοῦτο ὁ Σύμμαχος τῷ προτέρῳ ἀποδέδωκεν. Ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· Ἀνακαμπτέτωσαν ἑσπέρας, θορυβείτωσαν ὡς κύνες περιερχόμενοι πόλιν, ῥεμβόμενοι, ἵνα μὴ ἀχόρταστοι αὐλισθῶσι. [Τούτου γὰρ, φησὶ, χάριν οἱ κύνες περινοστοῦσι νύκτωρ τροφήν τινα ζητοῦν τες, ἵνα μὴ ἀχόρταστοι αὐλισθῶσι· πᾶσα γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἡμέρα οὐ μόνον ἑσπέρα, ἀλλὰ καὶ νὺξ, τοῦ νέφους τῆς ἀπιστίας ἐπικειμένου αὐτοῖς.] Κατὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἑβδομήκοντα οὕτω νοητέον· ὅτι κυνῶν δίκην καὶ οὗτοι κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐσκεδασμένοι, τὴν πνευ ματικὴν ἐπιζητοῦσι τροφήν· οὐχ εὑρίσκοντες δὲ 80.1316 ταύτην, διὰ τὸ μὴ πιστεύειν τῷ ὑπὸ πάντων προ κεκηρυγμένῳ τῶν προφητῶν, θορυβάζουσι καὶ γογ γύζουσι, τὴν ἀχάριστον καὶ ἐν τούτῳ γνώμην ἐπιδεικνύντες. ιζʹ. "Ἐγὼ δὲ ᾄσομαι τὴν δύναμίν σου, καὶ ἀγαλλιάσομαι τὸ πρωῒ τὸ ἔλεός σου." Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἐκεῖνα τολμῶντες, τοσαῦτα πείσονται· ἐγὼ δὲ τὸν σὸν ἔλεον ἀνυμνήσω· καὶ τοῦ νοεροῦ σου φωτὸς ἀνα τείλαντος, καὶ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ δεδωκότος τὸν ὄρθρον, τὸν ἀμέτρητόν σου οἶκτον ἐν ἁπάσαις ταῖς ἐκ κλησίαις δοξάσω. "Ὅτι ἐγενήθης ἀντιλήπτωρ μου, καὶ καταφυγή μου, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεώς μου. [ιηʹ] Βοηθός μου εἶ, σοὶ ψαλῶ· ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ. Ὁ Θεός μου τὸ ἔλεός μου." Ἀπήλαυσα γὰρ τῆς σῆς ἐπικουρίας ἀεί· καὶ διὰ τὴν σὴν πρόνοιαν τὰς προσπεσούσας διέφυγον συμφοράς. Οὗ δὴ χάριν σὲ μόνον οἶδα Θεὸν, καί σε πηγὴν ἐλέους καὶ