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Therefore they will not be punished by me, as far as it concerns me. Thus we have also explained the passage from the Gospel: "Come to terms with your adversary while you are with him on the way." And since the definition of goodwill is this: "Goodwill is the willing of good things for one's neighbor for his own sake"-for often I want good things to be provided to him, so that I may receive something from him. Therefore, they want to punish me who has done them no wrong, but has even provided them with an occasion for salvation. Of such a kind, therefore, is also what was said by Jacob to Laban: "Recognize if there is anything of yours with me, and take it." I want none of your things, I am well-disposed toward you, I give you back what is yours. in return for the good things which I did for them. And I have done them good things, that they should not be appointed for punishment on my account, since I did not yield to them. Would not Susanna also have said concerning the elders: "They wanted to drag me into adultery; I was not persuaded by them; I have done them some good; as far as it concerns me, they have not sinned by making me childless"? In general, the phrase "they requited me": just as they requited me evil things for good, so also they requited my soul with childlessness. Since: what are the offspring of the soul? -right reasonings, excellent deeds. "Through fear of you we have conceived in the womb, and have been in pain, and have brought forth." 13 But when they were troubling me, I put on sackcloth. Observe: he called their wicked deeds and the reason for wanting to make him childless "to trouble," as one who spoke of sophistic vexations. They trouble me rather than harm me. Nevertheless, I was putting on sackcloth both that I might not, being forsaken, be caught by them, and for their sake, that they might cease from their audacity against me; I was putting on a certain austere life, I bore a sign of repentance, partly, that I might not be harmed by the trouble, partly, that they might not be worn down. And it is much more for the good, if they also cease. 13 And I humbled my soul with fasting. 213 Not only did I put on sackcloth, that is, austerity of life, but also "with fasting I humbled my soul," both according to the literal sense and according to the archetype, no longer feeding on any of those painful things. And the historical sense is often for assistance; for we have seen many things accomplished by fasting, such as the city of the Ninevites not falling into destruction, the nation of the Jews being saved from Haman. 13 And my prayer shall return into my own bosom. By the name of the bosom in many scriptures the ruling faculty and the mind are signified, as if it should say: "All things shall turn into the bosom of the unrighteous." It is the same as: "I have given their ways upon their own heads"; for again the heads signify the ruling faculty: "His mischief shall return upon his own head." The holy one prays for good things to be granted. And prayer is nothing other than "a request for good things from God". When one obtains the good things for which he prayed, his prayer has returned into his own bosom. It was not cast out and did not remain outside, where the voice was sent up and scattered into the air, but it brought what he had asked. And this is what it means that his prayer was not sent up in vain, but brought into the heart of the one who prayed what he asked from "him who satisfies your desire with good things." He who desires them is filled with them. "This their lewdness in the land of Egypt is in their bosom." And: "the wife in your bosom," whom you love, who is of one mind with you, who is in harmony with you. 217 "And my prayer shall return into my own bosom." He who asks for good things from God prays. When he obtains what he asks, his prayer has returned to his bosom, to his ruling faculty. And I have cited from several passages that the ruling faculty is often signified by the name of the bosom: "This their lewdness in the land of Egypt is in their bosom." And again: "All things come upon the bosom of the unrighteous." But the bosom denotes intimacy. Thus, at any rate, he also rested in the bosom of Abraham, having the same courage and patience as he, and this: "the wife in your bosom," your own, your

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ἐμοὶ οὖν οὐ κολασθήσονται, ὅσον ἧκεν εἰς ἐμέ. οὕτως ἐξηγησάμεθα καὶ τὸ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου· "ἴσθι εὐνοῶν τῷ ἀντιδίκῳ σου ἕως ὅτου εἶ μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ". καὶ ἐπειδὴ ὁ λόγος τῆς εὐνοίας οὗτός ἐστιν· "3εὔνοιά ἐστιν βούλησις ἀγαθῶν τῷ πλησίον χάριν ἐκείνου"3-πολλάκις γὰρ θέλω ἀγαθὰ αὐτῷ παρασχεθῆναι, ἵνα σχῶ τι παρ' αὐτοῦ. ἐμὲ οὖν θέλοντες κολάζειν τὸν μηδὲν αὐτοὺς ἠδικηκότα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφορμὴν αὐτοῖς σωτηρίας παρεσχηκότα. τοιοῦτο̣ν οὖν ἐστιν καὶ τὸ λεγόμενον παρὰ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ πρὸς τὸν Λαβά· "ἐπίγνωθι, εἴ τί ἐστιν τῶν σῶν παρ' ἐμοί, καὶ λάβε". ου᾿̣δὲν θέλ̣ω τῶν σω῀̣ν, εὐνοῶ σοι, ἀποδίδωμί σοι τὰ σά. ἀντὶ τῶν καλῶν ὧν ἐποίησα αὐτοῖς. πεποίηκα δὲ αὐτοῖς καλὰ μ̣ὴ κατασταθήσεσθαι αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ τιμωρηθῆναι χάριν ἐμοῦ, ἐπεὶ οὐκ εἶξα αὐτοῖς. οὐκ ἂν εἶπεν καὶ ἡ Σωσάννα περὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ὅτι· "3εἰς μοιχείαν με ἠθέλησαν κατασπάσαι· οὐκ ἐπείσθην αὐτοῖς· καλὸν αὐτοῖς τι πεποίηκα· τὸ ὅσον εἰς ἐμέ, οὐ γεγόνασιν ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀτεκνῶσαί με"3; κατὰ κοινοῦ τὸ "ἀνταπεδίδοσάν μοι"· ὥσπερ πονηρὰ ἀνταπέδωκάν μοι ἀντὶ καλῶν, οὕτω καὶ ἀτεκνίαν τῇ ψυχῇ μου ἀνταπέδωκαν. ἐπερ · τὰ γεννήματα τῆς ψυχῆς; -λογισμοὶ ὀρθοί, πράξεις ἄρισται. "ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου σου ἐν γαστρὶ ἐλάβομεν καὶ ὠδινήσαμεν καὶ ἐτέκομεν". 13 ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν τῷ αὐτοὺς παρενοχλεῖν μοι ἐνεδυόμην σάκκον. θεώρει· τὰ πονηρὰ αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ θέλειν αὐτὸν ἀτεκνῶσαι παρενοχλῆσαι ὠνόμασεν, ὡς ὁ εἰρηκὼς σοφιστικὰς ἐνοχλήσεις. παρενοχλοῦσίν μοι μᾶλλον ἢ βλάπτουσίν με. ὅμως ἐγὼ ἐνεδιδυσκόμην σάκκον καὶ ἵνα μὴ ἐνκαταλειφθεὶς ἁλῶ αὐτοῖς, καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἵνα παύσωνται τῆς θρασύτητος τῆς κατ' ἐμοῦ· ἐνεδιδυσκόμην αὐστηρὸν βίον τινά, μετανοία̣ς σημεῖον ἔφερον πῇ μέν, ἵνα μὴ βλαβῶ ἐκ τῆς παρενοχλήσεως, πῇ δέ, ἵνα ἐκεῖνοι μὴ ἐπιτρίβωνται. πολλῷ πλέον δὲ πρὸς καλοῦ, ἐὰν καὶ παύσωνται. 13 καὶ ἐταπείνουν ἐν νηστείᾳ τὴν ψυχήν μου. 213 οὐ μόνον σάκκον ἐνεδυόμην, τουτέστιν αὐστηρότητα βίου, ἀλλὰ καὶ "ἐν νηστείᾳ ἐταπείνουν τὴν ψυχήν μου", καὶ τῇ κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν καὶ τῇ κατὰ τὸ πρωτότυπον, οὐκέτι ἐκείνων τῶν ὀδυνηρῶν τι τρεφόμενος. καὶ τὸ τῆς ἱστορίας δὲ γίνεται πρὸς βοήθειαν πολλάκις· πολλὰ γὰρ εἴδομεν ἐκ νηστείας κατορθωθέντα, τὸ μὴ ὑποπεσεῖν καταστροφῇν τὴν Νινευιτῶν πόλιν, τὸ σωθῆναι τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀμάν. 13 καὶ ἡ προσευχή μου εἰς κόλπον μου ἀποστραφήσεται. τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κόλπου ἐν πολλαῖς γραφαῖς τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν καὶ ὁ νοῦς σημαίνεται, ὡς ἐὰν λέγῃ· "εἰς κόλπον στραφήσεται πάντα τοῖς ἀδίκοις". ἴσον ἐστὶν τῷ· "τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν ἔδωκα εἰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν"· πάλιν γὰρ αἱ κεφαλαὶ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν σημαίνουσιν· "ἐπιστρέψει ὁ πόνος αὐτοῦ εἰς κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ". ὁ ἅγιος εὔχεται ὑπαρχθῆναι ἀγαθά. οὐδὲν δὲ ἕτερόν ἐστιν προσευχὴ ἢ "3αἴτησις ἀγαθῶν παρὰ θεοῦ"3. ὅταν τύχῃ τις τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑπὲρ ὧν ηὔχετο, εἰς τὸν κόλπον αὐτοῦ ἀπεστράφη ἡ προσευχὴ αὐτοῦ. οὐκ ἐρίφη καὶ ἔξω ἔμεινεν, οὗ φωνὴ ἀν επέμφθη καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀέρα ἐσκεδάσθη, ἀλλ' ἤγαγεν ἃ ᾐτήσατο. καὶ τουτέστιν τὸ τὴν προσευχὴν αὐτοῦ μὴ μάτην αν ἀναπεπέμφθαι, ἀλλὰ ἠγιοχέναι εἰς τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ εὐξαμένου ἃ ᾐτήσατο "τὸν ἐνπιμπλῶντα ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν σου". ὁ ἐπιθυμῶν αὐτὰ ἐμπίμπλαται αὐτῶν. "οὗτος ὁ φαυλισμὸς ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ ἐν κόλπῳ αὐτῶν". καί· "ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ σου", ἣν στέργεις, ἡ ὁμόφρων σοι, ἡ ὁμονοοῦσά σοι. 217 "καὶ ἡ προσευχή μου εἰς κόλπον μου ἀποστραφήσεται". ὁ αἰτούμενος παρὰ θεοῦ ἀγαθὰ προσεύχεται. ὅταν τύχῃ ὧν αἰτεῖται, ἡ προσευχὴ αὐτοῦ εἰς κόλπον ἐπεστράφη, εἰς τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν αὐτοῦ. καὶ παρεθέμην ἐκ ῥητῶν πλειόνων, ὅτι τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν πολλάκις τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κόλπου σημαίνεται· "οὗτος ὁ φαυλισμὸς αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ εἰς κόλπον αὐτῶν". καὶ πάλιν· "εἰς κόλπον ἐπέρχεται πάντα τοῖς ἀδίκοις". οἰκειότητα δὲ δηλοῖ ὁ κόλπος. οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἐν τοῖς κόλποις Ἀβραὰμ ἀνεπαύετο τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτῷ ἔχων ἀνδρείαν καὶ ὑπομονήν, καὶ τό· "ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ σου", ἡ οἰκεία σου, ἡ