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being subjected, we have need of patience. Therefore I will wait on thy name, he says, for it is good in the sight of thy saints; or according to Symmachus, Because thy name is good before thy saints. Knowing, therefore, that it is good, and a maker of good things, not for those powerful in evil, nor for the outcasts of the living, but for the saints, I will rightly wait on thy name, being hopeful never to fall from thy mercy. Thus indeed have I hoped in him forever and for ever and ever. TO THE END, FOR MAELETH, OF UNDERSTANDING FOR DAVID. 52. The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God. They are corrupt, and are become abominable in iniquities: there is none that doeth good. The 50th contained the confession of a repentant character for the sins he committed; but the one next to it, the despair of one powerful in evil and of an atheistic character; and what sort of end succeeded this one, and what sort the former. For to the one who boasted in his own evils it was said: Therefore God shall destroy thee for ever, he shall pluck thee out, and remove thee from thy dwelling place; but from the person of the one who confessed, there followed next, But I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God, I have hoped in his mercy for ever. But the present, not being a psalm, for it is not so inscribed, nor a song, nor any such thing, contains a prophecy of the saving theophany, which many prophets and righteous men desired to see. Just as, therefore, the one at hand, concerning the fall of all men, and as if praying over a common shipwreck and saying: Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel? when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. for when, confessing and declaring his own sins through the saving theophany, he was about to obtain purification; when an atheistic character among men and one powerful in evil could not otherwise obtain healing than through the Savior alone, who is able to heal even the incurable passions of the soul. And let these things be said with regard to the sequence. But you should note that this present prophecy is already included for a second time in the book of Psalms; in the first part as the 13th, and in the second according to the present text. For the 13th is almost similar to the present one in the same words from beginning to end; beginning from: The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God; and ending at: Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel? when the Lord 23.453 bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. But brief words create the difference in both. For in the title, the 13th was said to be "To the end, for David"; but the present one has the same phrase, but adds in saying, "for Maeleth, of understanding." Aquila interpreted it, "for dancing"; Symmachus, "through a choir"; Theodotion, "for the dance," and the fifth edition likewise. And "of understanding" is necessarily set forth, since we need understanding to comprehend what is the dance signified by the title, and what is the reason why the prophecy, having been stated once in the 13th, is included here a second time. The phrase, "to the end," which is in both, would be significant of the time when the things prophesied were about to be accomplished. For since at the consummation of the age, the Salvation of God, having appeared to men on earth, established a dance formed from all the nations gathered in His Church, for hymns and doxologies of the same Father; rightly does the word urge us to the understanding of this dance. And behold the paradox: for it is entitled for the dance, or for the choir, yet it introduces no man on earth who is good, nor one that doeth good, no, not one,

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ὑποκειμένης, ὑπομονῆς ἡμῖν χρεία. ∆ιὸ ὑπομενῶ τὸ ὄνομά σου, φησὶν, ὅτι χρηστόν ἐστιν ἐναντίον τῶν ὁσίων σου· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Ὅτι ἀγαθὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἄντικρυς τῶν ὁσίων σου. Εἰδὼς οὖν, ὅτι ἀγαθόν ἐστι, καὶ ἀγαθῶν ποιητικὸν, οὐ τοῖς δυνατοῖς ἐν κακίᾳ, οὐδὲ τοῖς ἀποβλήτοις τῶν ζώντων, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ὁσίοις, εἰκότως ὑπομενῶ τὸ ὄνομά σου, εὔελπις ὢν μήποτε ἐκπεσεῖν τοῦ σοῦ ἐλέους. Οὕτω γοῦν ἤλπισα ἐπ' αὐτῷ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ, ΥΠΕΡ ΜΑΕΛΕΘ, ΣΥΝΕΣΕΩΣ ΤΩ ∆ΑΥΙ∆ ΝΒʹ Εἶπεν ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· Οὐκ ἔστι Θεός. ∆ιεφθάρησαν καὶ ἐβδελύχθησαν ἐν ἀνομίαις, οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν ἀγαθόν. Ὁ μὲν νʹ ἐξομολόγησιν τρόπου μεταγινώσκοντος ἐφ' οἷς ἥμαρτεν, περιεῖχεν· ὁ δὲ ἑξῆς αὐτῷ, ἀπόνοιαν τοῦ ἐν κακίᾳ δυνατοῦ καὶ ἀθέου τρόπου· ὁποῖόν τε τοῦτον διεδέχετο τὸ τέλος, καὶ ὁποῖον τὸν πρότερον. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ καυχησαμένῳ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ κακοῖς ἐλέγετο· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς καθελεῖ σε εἰς τέλος, ἐκτῖλαι σε καὶ μεταναστεῦσαί σε ἀπὸ σκηνώματος· ἐκ προσώπου δὲ τοῦ ἐξομολογησαμένου ἐπήγετο ἑξῆς τὸ, Ἐγὼ δὲ ὡσεὶ ἐλαία κατάκαρπος ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἤλπισα ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ὁ δὲ παρὼν οὐκ ὢν ψαλμὸς, οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἐπιγέγραπται, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ᾠδὴ, οὐδέ τι τῶν τοιούτων, προφητείαν περιέχει τῆς σωτηρίου θεοφανείας, ἣν πολλοὶ προφῆται καὶ δίκαιοι ἐπεθύμησαν ἰδεῖν. Ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ μετὰ χεῖρας ἐπὶ τῇ πάντων ἀνθρώπων διαπτώσει, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ κοινῷ ναυαγίῳ εὐχόμενος καὶ λέγων· Τίς δώσει ἐκ Σιὼν τὸ Σωτήριον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ; ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι Κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἀγαλλιάσεται Ἰακὼβ, καὶ εὐφρανθήσεται Ἰσραήλ· ὅτε γὰρ, ἐξομολογούμενος καὶ ἐξαγορεύων τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτήματα διὰ τῆς σωτηρίου θεοφανείας, καθάρσεως ἔμελλε τεύξεσθαι· ὅτε ἄθεος ἐν ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἐν κακίᾳ δυνατὸς τρόπος οὐδ' ἄλλως οἷός τε ἦν ἢ διὰ μόνου τοῦ Σωτῆρος θεραπείας τυχεῖν, τοῦ καὶ τὰ ἀνίατα τῆς ψυχῆς πάθη ἰάσασθαι δυναμένου. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τὴν ἀκολουθίαν εἰρήσθω. Σημειώσῃ δὲ, ὅτι δεύτερον ἤδη ἡ προκειμένη προφητεία ἔγκειται τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν Ψαλμῶν· ἐν μὲν τῷ πρώτῳ μέρει κατὰ τὸν ιγʹ, ἐν δὲ τῷ δευτέρῳ κατὰ τὰ προκείμενα. Σχεδὸν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ῥήμασιν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς μέχρι τέλους καὶ ὁ ιγʹ ὁμοίως ἔχει τῷ παρόντι· ἀρχόμενος μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ· Εἶπεν ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· Οὐκ ἔστι Θεός· τελευτῶν δὲ εἰς τό· Τίς δώσει ἐκ Σιὼν τὸ Σωτήριον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ; ἐν τῷ 23.453 ἐπιστρέψαι Κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἀγαλλιάσεται Ἰακὼβ, καὶ εὐφρανθήσεται Ἰσραήλ. Βραχεῖαι δὲ λέξεις τὴν ἐν ἀμφοτέροις διαφορὰν ἐργάζονται. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ προγραφῇ ὁ μὲν ιγʹ εἰς τὸ τέλος τῷ ∆αυῒδ ἐλέγετο· ὁ δὲ παρὼν ἔχει μὲν τὴν αὐτὴν ῥῆσιν, πλεονάζει δὲ ἐν τῷ λέγειν, ὑπὲρ Μαελὲθ, συνέσεως. Ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, ἐπὶ χορείᾳ, ἡρμήνευσεν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, διὰ χοροῦ· ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων, ὑπὲρ τῆς χορείας, καὶ ἡ πεμπτὴ ἔκδοσις ὡσαύτως. Ἀναγκαίως δὲ πρόκειται τὸ, συνέσεως· ἐπειδήπερ συνέσεως ἡμῖν δεῖ πρὸς τὸ νοῆσαι τίς ἐστιν ἡ χορεία ἡ διὰ τῆς προγραφῆς δηλουμένη, καὶ τίς ὁ λόγος, καθ' ὃν ἅπαξ προλεχθείσης τῆς προφητείας κατὰ τὸν ιγʹ δεύτερον ἐνταῦθα παρείληπται. Τὸ δὲ, εἰς τέλος, ἐν ἀμφοτέροις κείμενον, σημαντικὸν ἂν εἴη τοῦ χρόνου καθ' ὃν ἤμελλεν ἀποτελεῖσθαι τὰ προφητευόμενα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν συντέλειαν τοῦ αἰῶνος, τὸ Σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπιφανὲν τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνθρώποις, χορείαν συνεστήσατο τὴν ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ αὐτοῦ συγκροτουμένην, εἰς ὕμνους καὶ δοξολογίας τοῦ αὐτοῦ Πατρός· εἰκότως ἐπὶ σύνεσιν ἡμᾶς ταύτης τῆς χορείας ὁ λόγος παρορμᾷ. Καὶ ὅρα τὸ παράδοξον· προγράφει μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῆς χορείας, ἢ ὑπὲρ τοῦ χοροῦ, εἰσάγει δὲ οὐδένα ἐπὶ γῆς ἄνθρωπον ἀγαθὸν, οὐδὲ ποιοῦντα χρηστότητα ἕως ἑνὸς,