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they received; but you have a name befitting the deed. For he very aptly joined the works with the divine name: "There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, and there is nothing like your works." For they are completely lifeless, not even able to defend themselves; but your magnificence overcomes the tongues of men. 9. "All the nations you have made will come, and will worship before you, O Lord." We have learned that this in no way happened in the time of the blessed David; but in the time of Hezekiah it is likely that some, struck by the destruction of the Assyrians, ran to God. But the time after the incarnation of our God and Savior showed the truth of the prophecy; for after the saving passion, the divine choir of the apostles was sent into all the world. For the Master said to them: "Go and make disciples of all nations." And they made disciples as they were commanded; and having scattered the cloud of ignorance, they prepared [the believers] to see the Sun of righteousness, and to worship the God who saved them. This is what the following also teaches. "And they will glorify your name. [10.] Because you are great; and you who do wonders, you alone are God." And they will offer the hymn to you, having learned that you alone are God; for the magnificence of your wonders will provide them with this knowledge. [And see how he put it more clearly through the following by saying:] 11. "Guide me, O Lord, in your way; and I will walk in your truth." Having prophesied to the nations the coming release from error, he himself also beseeches 80.1560 to enjoy this guidance, and to make his journey in the way of truth. [And see what he says through the following.] "Let my heart rejoice, to fear your name." He who possesses reverence for God embraces the life according to the law; and such a life is the mother of gladness. Therefore, the Prophet rightly beseeched that his own heart rejoice in the divine fear. For thus he also says elsewhere: "Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice." And again: "I remembered God, and I was gladdened." 12, 13. "I will confess to you, O Lord, my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. Because your mercy is great upon me." I know, he says, that you will grant the request, and you will loose the sorrows, and you will prepare me to offer the hymn of thanksgiving for the loving-kindness that has come to me. "And you have delivered my soul from the lowest hades." Through these things he indicated the greatness of the dangers; for the divine David often endured such things, both being warred against by Saul, and being pursued by Absalom. And the attack of the Assyrians was also a manifest destruction. For this reason he called such dangers ultimate death, and lowest hades. [But also that the creator of all, that is, God the Word, incarnate of a Virgin and having taken up the cross and death, descended into the lower parts of the earth, so that he might not only raise those held by corruption from the ages, but also fill them with immortality. Then he says:] 14. "O God, the lawless have risen up against me; and an assembly of the mighty have sought my soul." Both the enemies of David lived with lawlessness, and the Assyrians were workers of impiety and wickedness. [For joining them both together, he called them a mighty assembly in relation to the prevailing situation at that time.] And these and those had power cooperating with their wicked intention; and from this a double fear arose for those being wronged. Therefore they flee to God, and ask for help from there. "And they did not set you before them." They did not take your providence into consideration. 15, 16. "And you, O Lord, my God, are compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, and full of mercy, and true. Look upon me and have mercy on me." Since you are a fount of loving-kindness, and you pour out the streams of compassion and mercy, and truth is also with you, and you judge those who live 80.1561 with wickedness; impart some drops of your goodness, and show me to be stronger than those who war against me.

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ἔλαβον· σὺ δὲ συμβαί νουσαν ἔχεις προσηγορίαν τῷ πράγματι. Μάλα γὰρ προσφυῶς τὰ ἔργα τῇ θείᾳ προσηγορίᾳ συνέζευ ξεν· "Οὐκ ἔστιν ὅμοιός σοι ἐν θεοῖς, Κύριε, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι κατὰ τὰ ἔργα σου." Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄψυχοι παντελῶς εἰσιν, οὐδὲ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἐπαμῦναι δυνά μενοι· ἡ δὲ σὴ μεγαλοπρέπεια τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων γλώττας νικᾷ. θʹ. "Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὅσα ἐποίησας ἥξουσι, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιόν σου, Κύριε." Τοῦτο δὲ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αβὶδ οὐδαμῶς γεγενῆσθαι μεμαθήκαμεν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Ἐζεκίου εἰκός τινας τὴν τῶν Ἀσσυρίων καταπλαγέντας ἀναίρεσιν τῷ Θεῷ προσ δραμεῖν. Τὴν δὲ τῆς προφητείας ἀλήθειαν ἔδει ξεν ὁ μετὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καιρός· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος ἀπ εστάλη μὲν εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ὁ θεῖος τῶν ἀποστόλων χορός. Ἔφη γὰρ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ ∆ε σπότης· "Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη." Ἐμαθήτευσαν δὲ ὡς προσετάχθησαν· καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀγνοίας ἀποσκεδάσαντες νέφος, ἰδεῖν παρεσκεύασαν [τοὺς πιστεύοντας] τῆς δικαιοσύνης τὸν Ἥλιον, καὶ τὸν σεσωκότα προσκυνῆσαι Θεόν. Τοῦτο καὶ τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα διδάσκει. "Καὶ δοξάσουσι τὸ ὄνομά σου. [ιʹ.] Ὅτι μέγας εἶ σύ· καὶ ποιῶν θαυμάσια σὺ, ὁ Θεὸς μόνος." Προσοίσουσι δέ σοι τὸν ὕμνον, σὲ μόνον μεμαθη κότες εἶναι Θεόν· ἡ γὰρ τῶν σῶν θαυμάτων με γαλουργία ταύτην αὐτοῖς παρέξει τὴν γνῶσιν. [Καὶ ὅρα πῶς σαφέστερον αὐτὸ διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ἔθηκεν ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν·] ιαʹ. "Ὁδήγησόν με, Κύριε, ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ σου· καὶ πορεύσομαι ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ σου." Προθεσπίσας τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὴν ἐσομένην τῆς πλάνης ἀπαλλαγὴν, ἱκε 80.1560 τεύει καὶ αὐτὸς ταύτης ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς ποδηγίας, καὶ ἐν τῇ τῆς ἀληθείας ὁδῷ τὴν πορείαν ποιήσασθαι. [Καὶ ὅρα τί φησι διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς.] "Εὐφρανθήτω ἡ καρδία μου, τοῦ φοβεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομά σου." Ὁ τὴν περὶ Θεὸν εὐλάβειαν κεκτημένος τὴν ἔννομον ἀσπά ζεται πολιτείαν· μήτηρ δὲ εὐφροσύνης ἡ τοιαύτη ζωή. Εἰκότως τοίνυν ὁ Προφήτης τῷ φόβῳ τῷ θείῳ τὴν οἰκείαν εὐφρανθῆναι καρδίαν ἱκέτευσεν. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· "Εὐφρανθήτω καρδία ζη τούντων τὸν Κύριον." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐμνήσθην τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ηὐφράνθην." ιβʹ, ιγʹ. "Ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι, Κύριε, ὁ Θεός μου ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ μου, καὶ δοξάσω τὸ ὄνομά σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ὅτι τὸ ἔλεός σου μέγα ἐπ' ἐμέ." Οἶδα, φησὶν, ὡς παρέξεις τὴν αἴτησιν, καὶ λύσεις τὰ σκυθρωπὰ, καὶ παρασκευάσεις με τὴν χαριστήριον ὑμνῳδίαν ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς ἐμὲ γεγενημένης φιλανθρω πίας προσενεγκεῖν. "Καὶ ἐῤῥύσω τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐξ ᾅδου κατωτάτου." Τὸ μέγεθος τῶν κινδύνων διὰ τούτων ἐδήλωσε· καὶ γὰρ ὁ θεῖος ∆αβὶδ τοιούτους πολλάκις ὑπέμεινε, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαοὺλ πολεμούμε νος, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀβεσαλὼμ διωκόμενος. Καὶ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων δὲ ἡ προσβολὴ προῦπτος ἦν ὄλεθρος. Οὗ δὴ χάριν θάνατον ἔσχατον, καὶ ᾅδην κατώτατον, τοὺς τοιούτους κινδύνους ὠνόμασεν. [Ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ὁ τοῦ παντὸς δημιουργὸς, τουτέστιν ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος σαρκωθεὶς ἐκ Παρθένου καὶ σταυρὸν καὶ θάνατον ἑλό μενος εἰς τὰ κατώτερα μέρη τῆς γῆς κατέβη, ἵνα τοὺς ἀπ' αἰώνων κρατηθέντας ὑπὸ τῆς φθορᾶς μὴ μόνον ἐγείρῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀθανασίας ἐμπλήσῃ. Εἶτά φησι·] ιδʹ. "Ὁ Θεὸς, παράνομοι ἐπανέστησαν ἐπ' ἐμέ· καὶ συναγωγὴ κραταιῶν ἐζήτησαν τὴν ψυχήν μου." Καὶ οἱ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ πολέμιοι παρανομίᾳ συνέζων, καὶ οἱ Ἀσσύριοι δυσσεβείας ἦσαν καὶ πονηρίας ἐργάται. [Τοὺς γὰρ ἀμφοτέρους συνάψας συναγωγὴν κρα ταιὰν πρὸς τὴν τότε κρατοῦσαν κατάστασιν ὠνό μασεν.] Καὶ οὗτοι μέντοι κἀκεῖνοι δύναμιν εἶχον τῇ πονηρᾷ γνώμῃ συμπράττουσαν· διπλοῦν δὲ ἐν τεῦθεν τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις τὸ δέος ἐφύετο. ∆ιὸ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καταφεύγουσι, καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν αἰτοῦσιν ἐπικου ρίαν. "Καὶ οὐ προέθεντό σε ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν." Τὴν σὴν πρόνοιαν οὐκ ἔλαβον εἰς διάνοιαν. ιεʹ, ιʹ. "Καὶ σὺ, Κύριε, ὁ Θεός μου οἰκτίρ μων καὶ ἐλεήμων, μακρόθυμος, καὶ πολυέλεος, καὶ ἀληθινός. Ἐπίβλεψον ἐπ' ἐμὲ καὶ ἐλέησόν με." Ἐπειδὴ φιλανθρωπίας ὑπάρχεις πηγὴ, καὶ οἴ κτου, καὶ ἐλέους προχέεις τὰ νάματα, πρόσεστι δέ σοι καὶ ἀλήθεια, καὶ κρίνεις τοὺς πονηρίᾳ συ 80.1561 ζῶντας· τῶν τῆς ἀγαθότητος μετάδος ψεκάδων, καὶ κρείττονα δεῖξον τῶν πολεμούντων.