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Such things are somehow helps for the soul, such as: "rebuke, reprove, exhort." When you expose the sinner by rebuking, reprove. When you have again reproved, having made the reproof sufficient, exhort. Let helps for the soul succeed helps. But it is not for the ordinary person to know these things, but for the one who knows the healing of the soul. 16 For in you, Lord, have I hoped; you will hear, O Lord my God. Since I have hoped in you, you will hear me. I am confident that all things that can be supplied by me to him, will be supplied. For this reason, trusting in you who are greater and who know how and whom it is necessary to rebuke, I kept silent, I became as a deaf man not having rebukes in my mouth. And it should be punctuated thus: since I hoped in you, you will hear me; for being deaf and mute toward him and not having rebukes in my mouth, I was crying out to you in my mind. Thus it appears to have happened also in the Exodus in the time of Moses, when Pharaoh pursued with all his force and his army, and in a certain way the Hebrews were shut in so that they could not cross further. The army of Pharaoh and the tyrant himself pursued, the Hebrews were pursued, "the sons of Israel." And the ones were armed and carrying every full set of armor and military, cavalry, and infantry force. But the others for their part were bare, holding staffs in their hands. They were shut in and could no longer proceed further; for they could neither run far, the sea preventing them, nor turn back to the right or to the other side. To fall back again was to fall to the enemies. Therefore, 269 as if caught in some trap and within nets, the Hebrews were writhing and assailed Moses, saying: "'Was not this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt: Leave us alone, so that we may serve the Egyptians'?" And behold, we are to perish in this wilderness. The general, Moses himself, spoke encouraging words: "Take courage and stand and see the salvation from the Lord which he will work for you today; for in the manner that you have seen the Egyptians, you shall no more see them again for ever." It was necessary for the general to speak such things, not of faintheartedness to the people; for he did not even offer up the prayer openly. They thought that he himself had also despaired of salvation. But he was speaking encouraging things, while to God he was crying out in his mind. And so that God might show that it is not by chance if help comes, he says: "Why do you cry to me"? To God he was crying out in silence, but he was speaking encouraging words. But it is a great evil when some terrible thing is at hand for the general also to be in convulsions, as it were. It leads to despair. 17 For I said, "Lest my enemies should rejoice over me." I said this; for this reason I was silent and became as a deaf man and as one not having reproofs, lest when I dared these things they, having become stronger, should rejoice over me, they will mock me. For this reason the apostle also says: do not do this, "lest Satan rejoice over you because of your innocence." Therefore he rejoices over the one who is harmed. "I will exalt you, Lord, because you have taken me up and have not made my enemies glad over me." For if you had not taken me up who had not exalted you rightly nor in the way one ought, they would have rejoiced. And in other places he says: "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, because I have fallen; I will also rise again." You rejoice over my fall, but know that I will rise again. When, therefore, I stand, your joy turns to grief and your mocking songs turn to dirges. 17 And when my feet were shaken, they boasted greatly against me. If even a shaking of my feet occurs, they boast greatly against me. And he can say these things: since "my heart was troubled within me and my strength failed me and the light of my eyes is not with me," my feet were shaken, but they did not fall. But that such things happen especially to those who are repenting, it is possible to learn also from another psalm: "How good is [God] to Israel the

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βοηθήματα δέ πώς εἰσιν τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ τοιαῦτα, οἷον· "ἔλεγξον, ἐπιτίμησον, παρακάλεσον". ὅταν φανερώσῃς διὰ τοῦ ἐλέγξαι τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα, ἐπιτίμησον. ὅταν ἐπιτιμήσῃς πάλιν αὐτάρκως τὴν ἐπιτιμίαν ποιησάμενος, παρακάλεσον. βοηθήματα ψυχῆς βοηθήματα διαδεχέσθω. οὐ τοῦ τυχόντος δέ ἐστιν ταῦτα εἰδέναι, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐπισταμένου ψυχῆς ἰατρείαν. 16 ὅτι ἐπὶ σοί, κύριε, ἤλπισα· σὺ εἰσακούσῃ, κύριε ὁ θεός μου. ἐπεὶ ἤλπισα ἐπὶ σέ, σὺ εἰσάκουσόν μου. θαρρῶ ὅτι πάντα τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ ὑπαρχ̣θ̣η῀̣ν̣αι ἐκείνῳ δυνάμενα, ὑπαρχθήσεται. διὰ τοῦτο θαρρῶν σ̣οὶ τῷ μείζονι καὶ τῷ εἰδότι πῶς ἐλέγχειν καὶ τίνα δ̣εῖ, ἐσιω´̣πησα, ὡσεὶ κωφὸς γέγονα οὐκ ἔχων ἐν τῷ στόματί μο̣υ ἐλέγχους. καὶ οὕτω δὲ στικτέον· ἐπεὶ ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισα, σὺ εἰσάκουσόν μου· κωφὸς γὰρ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἄλαλος γεγονὼς καὶ οὐκ ἔχων ἐν τῷ στόματι ἐλέγχους, κατὰ διάνοιαν πρὸς σὲ ἐβόων. οὕτω φαίνεται γενόμενον καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐξόδῳ ἐπὶ τοῦ Μ̣ωυσέως, ὁπηνίκα κατεδίωξεν Φαραὼθ μετὰ πάσης αὐτοῦ τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς, καὶ τρόπον τινὰ συνεκλείσθησαν οἱ Ἑβραῖοι ὥστε περαιτέρω μὴ δύνασθαι διαβῆναι. ἐδίωκεν ἡ στρατιὰ τοῦ Φαραὼθ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τύραννος, ἐδιώκοντο οἱ Ἑβραῖοι, "οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ". καὶ οἱ μὲν ἦσαν ὡπλισμένοι καὶ παντευχίαν πᾶσαν ἐπιφερόμενοι καὶ δύναμιν στρατιωτικὴν καὶ ἱππικὴν καὶ πεζικήν. οἱ δὲ αὐτ̣ο`̣ τοῦτο γυμνοὶ ταῖς χερσὶν ἦσαν βακτηρίας κατέχοντες. συνεκλείσθησαν καὶ οὐκέτι ἠδύναντο περαιτέρω χωρη῀̣σαι· οὐδὲ γὰρ πόρρω ἠδύναντο δραμεῖν κωλυούσης τῆς θαλάσσης οὐδὲ ἐπὶ δεξιὰ ἢ ἐπὶ θάτερα ὑποστρέψαι. πάλιν ὑποπεσεῖν ἦν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς. ὥσπερ οὖν 269 ἔν τινι γαλεάγρᾳ καὶ ἐντὸς ἀρκύων ληφθέντες οἱ Ἑβραῖοι ἐσφάδαζον καὶ ηγωντο Μωσέα ὅτι· "οὐ τοῦτο ἦν τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ εἴπομέν σοι ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ· πάρες ἡμᾶς, ὅπως δουλεύσωμεν τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις"; καὶ ἰδοὺ φθαρῶμεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ταύτῃ. ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐλάλει παρακλητικοὺς λόγους αὐτὸς Μωυσῆς· "θαρσεῖτε καὶ στῆτε καὶ ὁρᾶτε τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἣν ποιήσει ὑμῖν σήμερον· ὃν τρόπον γὰρ ἑωράκατε τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, ἔτι οὐ προσθήσεσθε ἔτι ἰδεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα χρόνον". τοιαῦτα ἔδει τὸν στρατηγὸν μὴ λιποθυμίας τῷ λαῷ λέγειν· οὐδὲ γὰρ τὴν εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπειν ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ. ἐνόμιζον ἐκεῖνοι ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπέγνω̣ τὴν σωτηρίαν. ἀλλ' ἔλεγεν μὲν τὰ παραθαρσύνοντα, πρὸς τὸν θεὸν δὲ τὰ πρὸς διάνοιαν ἐβόα. καὶ ἵνα δείξῃ ὁ θεὸς ὅτι οὐ συντυχικῶς, ἐὰν γένηται βοήθεια, λέγει· "τί βοᾷς πρός με"; πρὸς μὲν θεὸν κατὰ τὸ σιωπώμενον ἐβόα, ἔλεγε δὲ παραθαρσύνοντας λόγους. μέγα δὲ κακόν ἐστιν δεινοῦ τινος ἐφεστηκότος καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν ὥσπερ σφαδάσαι. εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν ἄγει. 17 ὅτι εἶπα· μήποτε ἐπιχαρῶσίν μοι οἱ ἐχθροί μου". εἶπον τοῦτο· διὰ τοῦτο ἐσιώπησα καὶ ὡσεὶ κωφὸς γέγονα καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἔχων ἐλεγμούς, μήποτε τολμήσαντός μου ταῦτα ἐπικρατέστεροι γενόμενοι ἐπιχαρῶσίν μοι, ἐπικερτομήσουσιν κατ' ἐμοῦ. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει ὅτι· μὴ τόδε ποιεῖτε, "ἵνα μὴ ἐπιχαρῇ ὑμᾶς ὁ σατανᾶς διὰ τὴν ἀκακίαν ὑμῶν". οὐκοῦν ἐπὶ τοῦ βλαπτομένου χαίρει ἐκεῖνος. "ὑψώσω σε, κύριε, ὅτι ὑπέλαβές με καὶ οὐκ ηὔφρανας τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ἐπ' ἐμοί". εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἦς ὑπολαβών με μὴ ὀρθῶς μηδὲ ὃν δεῖ τρόπον ὑψώσαντά σε, ἐπέχαιρον ἐκεῖνοι. καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις λέγει· "μὴ ἐπίχαιρέ μοι, ἡ ἐχθρά μου, ὅτι πέπτωκα· καὶ ἀναστήσομαι". ἐπὶ τῷ πτώματί μου ἐπιχαίρεις, ἀλλ' ἴσθι ὅτι ἀναστήσομαι. ὅταν οὖν στήσω, ἡ χαρά σου εἰς πένθος μεταβάλλει καὶ αἱ ἐπικερτομοῦσαι ᾠδαὶ εἰς θρήνους τρέπονται. 17 καὶ ἐν τῷ σαλευθῆναι πόδας μου ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἐμεγαλορημόνησαν. ἐὰν κἂν κλόνος γένηται τῶν ποδῶν μου, ἐπ' ἐμὲ μεγαλορημονοῦσιν. δύναται δὲ ταῦτα λέγειν· ἐπεὶ "ἐταράχθη ἡ καρδία μου ἐντός μου καὶ ἐνκατέλειψέν με ἡ ἰσχύς μου καὶ τὸ φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου οὐκ ἔστιν μετ' ἐμοῦ", ἐκλονήθησαν οἱ πόδες μου, οὐ μέντοι ἔπεσαν. ὅτι δὲ συμβαίνει τοιαῦτα τοῖς μάλιστα μετανοοῦσιν, καὶ ἐξ ἄλλου ψαλμοῦ ἔστιν μαθεῖν· "ὡς ἀγαθὸς τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ