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of men you will become weak"? He was not telling her the truth. Then she, thinking that he was telling the truth, bound him and did the other things and as if mocking him, said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson." See, she opened wide her mouth against him. Before, she was pleading, she was coaxing. But when she thought she had caught him in her nets, mocking him, she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson." And see that she who formerly spoke peaceful things and in her anger devised deceits, when she thought she had gained control, opened her mouth wide, boasting from then on. 21 They said, "Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it." Those who think they have subdued whom they wished are accustomed to speak thus: "3Aha, aha, what we wanted, our eyes have seen it; we no longer see you as such as you supposed yourself to be, but as we wanted. We have found you easy to capture"3. 22 You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent. The phrase "3do not be silent"3 means "3no longer be long-suffering"3; for from many words we have shown this: "I have been silent from of old, shall I also be silent forever?"; I was long-suffering, I did not proceed against the evil things being done. Shall this be so forever? Goodness again is made known of the one who threatens him who is already to be punished, so that through the threat he might rouse him and lead him to repentance. And in another psalm he says: "But to the sinner God said: Why do you declare my statutes and take up my words with your lips? But you hated instruction." Then at the end: "These things you have done, and I kept silent"—I did not proceed against them—"you thought iniquity, that I would be like you"; but long-suffering does not remain forever; for "I will reprove you and set before your face" your sins. And so the threats of God come about through great goodness. The term "3judge"3 is introduced along with the name "3righteous"3. 22 O Lord, do not depart from me. May such things not be done to me, that you should depart from me, you the helper, the protector. And God departs from the wicked, just as he draws near to those who draw near. Therefore the great apostle James writes: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." As if you were also saying to a wicked person: "3Draw near to virtue, and it will draw near to you"3. We do not then take the presence of God in terms of place, but of relation and disposition. 23 Awake, O Lord, and attend to my judgment. It is the voice of one who is confident. No one who is accused of adultery or murder or anything else says to God: "Awake and attend to my judgment"; for you know that attention to the judgment will condemn him. Therefore the voice "attend to my judgment" belongs to one speaking boldly in purity and in blamelessness, examine my case and their case, and that before you they speak against me in vain, that they are my enemies without cause. Often the word "3awake"3 signifies a rousing. Often, at least, we say: "3Rouse this person to pay attention to himself"3, and it certainly does not signify a physical shape. But if you wish, it is also said as from sleep: "Awake; why do you sleep, O Lord?" God sleeps when not wishing to proceed immediately. He does not, then, say this out of despair, but wishing to learn the cause, since your wisdom does nothing at random. Even if you are long-suffering, even if you postpone the punishment, even if you do not strike down those who unjustly attack me, tell me the cause; for thus one who has known the cause, being wise, will be even more long-suffering, will endure even more. 23 My God and my Lord, to my cause. You are both my God and my Lord, awake to my cause, judge me. He does not pray for his enemies to suffer evil things; for the prayer for the holy one who loves his enemies is that they no longer be enemies, that they no longer be such people. But this seems in a way to signify punishment. And punishment for the pleasure-lover is to be outside of pleasures, for the licentious to be far from licentiousness. He wants them to perish insofar as they are such people. And this is not for everyone to say: "my God," then, "and my Lord"; for that person truly calls the Savior Lord who does what he says to him; for he says: "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I say?" And again: "They profess to know God,

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ἀνθρώπων ἀσθενὴς γενήσῃ"; ἔλεγεν αὐτῇ οὐ τὸ ἀληθές. εἶτα ἐκείνη νομίσασα ὅτι ἠλήθευεν, ἐδέσμει αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἐποίει καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπικερτομοῦσα ἔλεγεν· "ἀλλόφυλοι ἐπὶ σέ, Σαμψώ". ἴδε, ἐπλάτυνεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὸ στόμα. πάλαι μὲν παρεκάλει, ἐστωμυλεύετο. ὅτε δὲ ἔδοξεν εἰληφέναι αὐτὸν ἐντὸς ἀρκύων, ἐπικερτομοῦσα ἔλεγεν· "ἀλλόφυλοι ἐπὶ σέ, Σανψώ". καὶ ὅρα, ὅτι ἡ πάλαι εἰρηνικὰ λαλοῦσα καὶ ἐπὶ ὀργῇ δόλους λογιζομένη ὅτε ἔδοξεν ἐνκρατὴς γενέσθαι, ἐπλάτυνεν τὸ στόμα μεγαλορημονοῦσα λοιπόν. 21 εἶπαν Εὖγε εὖγε, εἶδαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν. εἰώθασιν οἱ δοκο̣ῦντες ἐσχηκέναι ὑποχείριον ὃν ἐβούλοντο, οὕτω λαλεῖν· "3εὖγε εὖγε, ὃ ἐβουλόμεθα, ου εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν· οὐκέτι σ̣ε τοιοῦτον ὁρῶμεν, οἷος ὑπελάμβανες εἶναι, ἀλλ' ὡς ἡμεῖς ἠθέλαμεν. εὑρήκαμέν σε εὐάλωτον"3. 22 εἶδες, κύριε, μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς. τὸ "3μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς"3 τὸ "3μηκέτι μακροθυμήσῃς"3· ἐκ πολλῶν γὰρ λέξεων τοῦτο ἐδείξαμεν· "ἐσιώπησα ἀπ' αἰῶνος, μὴ καὶ ἀεὶ σιωπήσομαι"; ἐμακροθύμησα, οὐκ ἐπεξῆλθον τοῖς κακοῖς πραττομένοις. μὴ καὶ ἀεὶ τοῦτ' ἔσται. ἀγαθότης πάλιν γνωρίζεται τοῦ ἀπειλοῦντος τῷ ἤδη κολαστέῳ, ἵνα διὰ τῆς ἀπειλῆς διεγείρῃ καὶ εἰς μετάνοιαν αὐτὸν ἀγάγῃ. καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ ψαλμῷ λέγει· "τῷ δὲ ἁμαρτωλῷ εἶπεν ὁ θεός· Ἵνα τί σὺ ἐκδιηγῇ τὰ δικαιώματά μου καὶ ἀναλαμβάνεις τοὺς λόγους μου διὰ χειλέων σου; σὺ δὲ ἐμίσησας παιδείαν". εἶτα ἐπὶ τέλει· "ταῦτα ἐποίησας, καὶ ἐσίγησα"-οὐκ ἐπεξῆλθον- "ὑπέλαβες ἀνομίαν ὅτι ἔσομαί σοι ὅμοιος"· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀεὶ ἡ μακροθυμία μένει· "ἐλέγξω" γάρ "σε καὶ παραστήσω κατὰ πρόσωπον" τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου. καὶ αἱ ἀπειλαὶ οὖν τοῦ θεοῦ κατὰ ἀγαθότητα πολλὴν γίνονται. συνεισάγεται τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ "3δικαίου"3 τὸ "3κριτής"3. 22 κύριε, μὴ ἀποστῇς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. μὴ τοιαῦτά μοι πραχθείη, ὥστε σὲ ἐμοῦ ἀποστῆναι, σὲ τὸν βοηθόν, τὸν σκεπαστήν. ἀφίσταται δὲ θεὸς ἀπὸ τῶν φαύλων, ὥσπερ συνενγίζει τοῖς πλησιάζουσιν. ὁ μέγας οὖν ἀπόστολος Ἰάκωβος γράφει· "ἐγγίσατε τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐγγιεῖ ὑμῖν". ὡς εἰ ἔλεγες καὶ πρὸς φαῦλον· "3ἔνγισον τῇ ἀρετῇ, καὶ ἐγγίζει σοί"3. παράστασιν οὖν θεοῦ οὐ τόπῳ λαμβάνομεν, ἀλλὰ σχέσει καὶ διαθέσει. 23 ἐξεγέρθητι, κύριε, καὶ πρόσχες τῇ κρίσει μου. τεθαρρηκότος ἡ φωνή. οὐδεὶς ἐνκαλούμενος περὶ μοιχείας ἢ φόνου ἤ τινος ἄλλου λέγει τῷ θεῷ· "ἐξεγέρθητι καὶ πρόσχες τῇ κρίσει μου"· οἶδας γάρ, ὅτι ἡ προσοχὴ τῆς κρίσεως καταδικάσει αὐτόν. παρρησιαζομένου οὖν ἐστιν ἐπὶ καθαρότητι καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνεγκλήτῳ η῾̣ φ̣ωνή "πρόσχες τῇ κρίσει μου", ἐξέτασον τὸ κατ' ἐμὲ καὶ τὰ κατ' ἐκείνους, καὶ ὅτι ἐπὶ σοῦ λέγουσίν μοι μάτην, ὅτι δωρεὰν ἐχθραίνουσίν μοι. πολλάκις τὸ "3ἐξεγείρου"3 διέγερσιν σημαίνει. πολλάκις γοῦν λέγομεν· "3ἐξέγειρον τοῦτον εἰς τὸ προσέχειν ἑαυτῷ"3, καὶ οὐ δήπου σχῆμα σωματικὸν σημαίνει. ἐὰν δὲ καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ ὕπνου θέλῃς, εἴρηται· "ἐξεγέρθητι· ἵνα τί ὑπνοῖς, κύριε"; ὑπνοῖ θεὸς μὴ θέλων παραυτὰ ἐπεξελθεῖν. οὐκ ἀποκακῶν οὖν λέγει τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ τὴν αἰτίαν μαθεῖν θέλων, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν ὡς ἔτυχεν ἡ σοφία σου ποιεῖ. κἂν μακροθυμῇς, κἂν ὑπερτιθῇ τὴν τιμωρίαν, κἂν μὴ καταβάλλῃς τοὺς ἐπιτιθεμένους μοι ἀδίκως, εἰπέ μοι τὴν αἰτίαν· οὕτω γάρ τις γνοὺς τὴν αἰτίαν σοφὸς ἔτι μᾶλλον μακροθυμήσῃ, ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐνέγκῃ. 23 ὁ θεός μου καὶ ὁ κύριός μου, εἰς τὴν δίκην μου. σὺ καὶ θεός μου καὶ κύριός μου, ἐξεγέρθητί μου εἰς τὴν δίκην, δίκασόν με. οὐκ ἐπεύχεται κακὰ παθεῖν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἑαυτοῦ· εὐχὴ γὰρ τῷ ἁγίῳ ἐστὶν ἀγαπῶντι τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τὸ μηκέτι ἐχθροὺς ἐκείνους εἶναι, τὸ μηκέτι τοιούτους εἶναι. δοκεῖ δέ πως τοῦ229 το τιμωρίαν σημαίνειν. τιμωρία δέ ἐστιν τῷ φιληδόνῳ τὸ ἐκτὸς τῶν ἡδονῶν γενέσθαι, τῷ ἀκολάστῳ τὸ μακρὰν ἀκολασίας γεινέσθαι. ἀπολέσθαι αὐτοὺς θέλει ᾗ τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ οὐ παντός ἐστιν εἰπεῖν· "ὁ θεὸς" οὖν "καὶ ὁ κύριός μου"· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ κύριον ἀληθῶς λέγει τὸν σωτῆρα ὁ ποιῶν ἃ λέγει αὐτῷ· λέγει γάρ· "τί με λέγετε· κύριε, κύριε, καὶ οὐ ποιεῖτε ἃ λέγω"; καὶ πάλιν· "θεὸν ὁμολογοῦσιν εἰδέναι,