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Lord. Then they will magnify the Lord always, when I am always in righteousness, when I remain without falling into evil things. 27 those who desire the peace of his servant. of me, his servant. "Let them say always, 'May the Lord be magnified'," seeing me at peace, seeing me not having fallen into disturbance or confusion or sedition or battle. We have often said that sometimes the universal is shown through the particular, and we then used this testimony, saying: "Who shall ascend to the mountain of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place? The one with innocent hands." Then it says: "This one will receive a blessing from the Lord." It does not mean a specific person, but if anyone is such, if anyone has ascended the mountain and stood on the mountain of the Lord and has innocent hands, everyone, if anyone is such, "will receive a blessing from the Lord." Similarly in the eighteenth psalm it is said: "The law of the Lord is blameless, converting souls; the testimony of the Lord is faithful." And after saying many things, it says: "For your servant also keeps them." He does not speak of himself alone, but if anyone is such a servant of God. Therefore, diminishing himself when he speaks of accomplishments, he says, "3to the servants of God"3, but when he speaks of transgressions, "3to himself"3. Some of those who draw near to God are called sons of God, and those subordinate to them are the servants; for from servants they become friends and sons. The greater ones therefore are "those who desire," those who are as sons, those who are "perfect as their Father" "in heaven is perfect"; they desire peace also for those who are inferior. Or thus, that all desire the peace of each servant. 28 And my tongue will meditate on your righteousness, all the day long your praise. It will meditate with thanksgiving. When what I have asked for is granted, my tongue meditates on your righteousness. This I continually recount, I utter it in hymns, I name it in narrative discourses. Here he says "3day"3 meaning all the time of human life, as he also says in other places: "For your sake we are killed all the day long," that is, throughout life. But he does not properly say 'praise' of God; for hymn and laudation are rather said of God, and praise of men. The laudation of God which is rightly made could also be called his praise. But "3praise of God"3 can be that which he himself gives; for he himself praises those who are worthy of it. It says: "and then each one's praise will come from God." 230 1-2 For the end; for the servant of the Lord, for David. The lawless one says in himself that he will sin. Concerning the end, it has often been said that the end is that for whose sake all other things are done, while it is for the sake of nothing, which is called the ultimate object of desire. We desire some things for the sake of something else. None of those is an end, but are productive of the end. But the end is that which is not for the sake of something else, but all other things are for its sake. Someone wants to learn grammar; he learns it thoroughly, he studies, he listens to a teacher, and none of these is an end. But the very attainment of perfect knowledge is the end. The ultimate object of desire, therefore, is perfect virtue, after which it is not possible to seek another final thing. We use laws for the sake of virtue; the giving of the laws is not an end. We obey exhortations, the teachings of one who provides moral instruction; but all these things are for the sake of something else. But perfect virtue itself, which is unsurpassable, which is established after all progress, is the end. Every servant of God pursues this end. For this reason: "for the servant of the Lord, for David." If it says "for the servant," this is not the end of this David son of Jesse alone, but of everyone who has served God. For instance, if we praise someone for grammar and say that he is able to write as he ought and to read as is fitting and to explain as befits harmony, we are not speaking about him alone, but about every grammarian. 231 Nevertheless, let us consider his servitude, so that in this way we may also see the other fellow-servants.

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κύριος. τότε διὰ παντὸς μεγαλύνουσιν τὸν κύριον, ὅταν ἐγὼ διὰ παντὸς ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ ὦ, ἐν τῷ μὴ ὑποπεσεῖν μείνω τοῖς κακοῖς. 27 οἱ θέλοντες τὴν εἰρήνην τοῦ δούλου αὐτοῦ. ἐμοῦ τοῦ δούλου αὐτοῦ. "εἰπάτωσαν διὰ παντός Μεγαλυνθείη ὁ κύριος", ὁρῶντές με εἰρηνεύοντα, ὁρῶντές με μὴ ὑποπεσόντα ταραχῇ ἢ συνχύσει ἢ στάσει ἢ μάχῃ. ἐλέγομεν πολλ̣α´̣κις, ὅτι ἐνίοτε διὰ τῶν καθέκαστα τὸ καθόλου δείκνυται, καὶ ἐχρώμεθα τότε μαρτυρίῳ τούτῳ λέγοντες· "τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τίς στήσεται ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ; ἀθῷος χερσίν". εἶτα λέγει· "οὗτος λήμψεται εὐλογίαν παρὰ κυρίου". οὔ τινα ῥητὸν λέγει, ἀλλ' εἴ τίς ἐστιν τοιοῦτος, εἴ τις ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος καὶ ἔστη ἐπ' ὄρους κυρίου καὶ ἀθῷος χερσίν, πᾶς, εἴ τίς ἐστιν τοιοῦτος, "εὐλογίαν λήμψεται παρὰ κυρίου". ὁμοίως ἐν ὀγδόῳ καὶ δεκάτῳ ψαλμῷ λέγεται· "ὁ νόμος κυρίου ἄμεμπτος, ἐπιστρέφων ψυχάς· ἡ μαρτυρία κυρίου πιστή". καὶ πολλὰ εἰρηκὼς λέγει· "καὶ γὰρ ὁ δοῦλός σου φυλάσσει αὐτά". οὐχ ἑαυτὸν μόνον λέγει, ἀλλ' εἴ τίς ἐστιν τοιοῦτος δοῦλος τοῦ θεοῦ. ἐλαττωτικὸς οὖν ὢν ἑαυτοῦ ὅταν κατορθώματα λέγῃ, "3τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ θεοῦ"3 λέγει, ὅταν δὲ παραπτώματα, "3ἑαυτῷ"3. λέγονταί τινες τῶν πλησιαζόντων θεῷ υἱοὶ θεοῦ, οἱ ὑποβεβηκότες δὲ τούτους οἱ δοῦλοι· ἐκ δούλων γὰρ γίνονται φίλοι καὶ υἱοί. οἱ μείζονες οὖν εἰσιν "οἱ θέλοντες", οἱ ὡσανεὶ υἱοί, οἱ "τέλειοι ὡς ὁ πατὴρ" αὐτῶν "ὁ οὐράνιος τέλειος"· θέλουσιν εἶναι τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων. ἢ οὕτως, ὅτι πάντες τὴν ἑκάστου δούλου εἰρήνην θέλουσιν. 28 καὶ ἡ γλῶσσά μου μελετήσει τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν τὸν ἔπαινόν σου. μελετήσει εὐχαριστητικῶς. ὅταν ὑπαρχθῇ, ἃ ᾐτησάμην, τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου μελετᾷ ἡ γλῶσσά μου. τα̣ύτην ἀεὶ διηγοῦμαι, ἐν ὕμνοις αὐτὴν προφέρω, ἐν διηγηματικοῖς λόγοις αὐτὴν ὀνομάζω. "3ἡμέραν"3 ὧδε λέγει πάντα τὸν χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης, ὡς καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις λέγει· "ἕνεκα σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν", τουτέστιν διὰ β̣ι´̣ου. ἔπαινον δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ κυρίως λέγει· μᾶλλον γὰρ ὕμνος καὶ αἶνος ἐπὶ θεοῦ λέγεται, ἐπὶ δὲ ἀνθρώπων ἔπαινος. ῥηθείη ἂν ὁ ὀρθῶς γινόμενος αἶνος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἔπαινος αὐτοῦ. δύναται δὲ "3ἔπαινος τοῦ θεοῦ"3, ὃν αὐτὸς δίδωσιν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐπαινεῖ τοὺς ἀξίους τούτου. λέγει· "καὶ τότε ὁ ἔπαινος ἑκάστῳ γενήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ". 230 1-2 εἰς τὸ τέλος· τῷ δούλῳ κυρίου τῷ ∆αυίδ. φησὶν ὁ παράνομος τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. περὶ τέλους πολλάκις ἐλέχθη, ὅτι ἐκεῖνο τέλος ἐστίν, οὗ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα χάριν γίνεται, αὐτὸ δὲ οὐδενὸς ἕνεκα, ὃ καλεῖται ἔσχατον ὀρεκτόν. ὀρεγόμεθά τινων ἄλλου ἕνεκα. οὐδὲν ἐκείνων τέλος ἐστίν, ποιητικὰ δὲ τοῦ τέλους. τέλος δέ ἐστιν, ὃ οὐκ ἄλλου χάριν γίνεται, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ πάντα τὰ ἄλλα. βούλεταί τις γραμματικὴν μαθεῖν· ἐκμανθάνει, μελετᾷ, ἀκούει διδασκάλου, καὶ οὐδὲν τούτων τέλος ἐστίν. αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ ἀνάλημψις τῆς ἐπιστήμης τῆς τελείας τὸ τέλος ἐστίν. ἐστὶν οὖν ἔσχατον ὀρεκτὸν ἡ τελεία ἀρετή, μεθ' ἣν οὐκ ἔστιν ἕτερόν τι τελεστικὸν ζητῆσαι. νόμοις χρώμεθα τῆς ἀρετῆς ἕνεκα· ἡ τῶν νόμων δόσις οὔκ ἐστιν τέλος. παραινέσεσιν πειθόμεθα, διδασκαλίαις τοῦ ἠθικὴν παίδευσιν προσάγοντος· πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἄλλου χάριν γίνεται. αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ τελεία ἀρετὴ ἡ ἀνυπέρβλητος ἡ μετὰ πᾶσαν προκοπὴν συνισταμένην τέλος ἐστίν. τοῦτο τὸ τέλος μεταδιώκει πᾶς ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ δοῦλος. δ̣ιὰ τοῦτο· "τῷ δούλῳ κυρίου τῷ ∆αυίδ". ἐὰν λέγῃ "τῷ δούλῳ", οὐ μόνου τούτου τοῦ ∆αυὶδ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ τὸ τέλος ἐστὶν τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ παντὸς τοῦ δουλεύσαντος θεῷ. ἐὰν γοῦν ἐπαινῶμέν τινα ἐπὶ γραμματικῇ καὶ λέγωμεν, ὅτι ἱκανός ἐστιν καὶ γράψαι ὡς δεῖ καὶ ἀναγνῶναι ὡς προσῆκεν καὶ ἐξηγήσασθαι ὡς ἔχει ἁρμονίας, οὐ περὶ ἐκείνου μόνου λέγομεν, ἀλλὰ περὶ παντὸς γραμματικοῦ. 231 ὅμως δὲ τὴν δουλείαν αὐτοῦ θεασώμεθα, ἵν' οὕτω καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς ὁμοδούλους ἴδωμεν.