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they speak blasphemies about me, but you know my righteousness. as Susanna also said: "you know that they bear false witness against me". 11 I have not hidden your truth in my heart. The one who knows the righteousness of God does not hide the truth that is yoked with it in his heart. Truth is called the yokefellow of righteousness when it says: "Truth has sprung out of the earth, and righteousness has looked down from heaven". He calls the savior righteousness having looked down from heaven; for he says: "He bowed the heaven and came down". "He sprung out" "of the earth" when his sojourn came to an end. But it can also be taken this way: when from the earth, from that good and noble soul that heard 288 the word and bore fruit, it springs forth. Righteousness, therefore, looks down from heaven. And in another psalm he says: "Mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other". Those who read the histories find that wars and disturbances arise from injustices. But truth has the mercy of God; for if God does not have mercy, one cannot know the truth, how great and of what kind it is. Therefore, "mercy and truth have met together". It is also possible for mercy, as one who loves his neighbor as himself is merciful to his neighbor and he himself demands equal mercy from him; for then the truth is made manifest. Therefore, just as righteousness leads to peace, so also mercy leads to truth. But both are one and the same. If, therefore, one is ashamed of Jesus and his words, he is ashamed of his truth. 11 and I have spoken of my salvation. The confession of the truth is my salvation. And if he calls Christ the truth, he again calls him salvation, and I have spoken my salvation and I have manifested your truth. Being the salvation, the Christ whom I manifest, I speak. 11 I have not hidden your mercy and your truth from a great congregation. We have said that mercy is yoked with truth. He calls a "great congregation" the one that has believed from the nations, the one assembled from all the nations. And the wise one says this, and Jesus according to the man. 12 But you, O Lord, do not remove your compassions far from me. By your compassions I have come to speak blamelessly and as I ought. Do not remove them, therefore, that I may remain as such. "Let your compassions speedily prevent us, O Lord, for we have become very poor". If the compassions are removed, poverty comes. He from whom they were not removed is kept rich; rich in having received the truth and mercy. 12 Your mercy and your truth have continually helped me. As you had compassion on me, your mercy and your truth helped me. "Do not remove", therefore, "your compassions", so that your truth and its yokefellow mercy may thus remain helping me. 13 For evils have encompassed me, of which there is no number. For this reason, "do not remove your compassions from me", because many evils have encompassed me that cannot be numbered, that is, because of their multitude—if the painful things are meant, because of their multitude they have no number. But if the other evils, the practical ones about which it is said: "A fool does evil in jest," they are not in any account or number; for they are not of the things that exist, they are inventions of men, they are transgressions of divine laws. Take, therefore, the twofold meaning of evils. 13 my iniquities have taken hold of me, and I was not able to see. But it is also possible to take it this way: "for evils have encompassed me" that cannot be numbered—as has just been said, in two ways—for this reason: "for my iniquities have taken hold of me". But it must be read from another beginning, connecting the "for evils have encompassed me" with: "But you, O Lord, do not remove your compassions from me", "for evils have encompassed me, of which there is no number". Therefore, let it precede both: "Your mercy and your truth have continually helped me". Here then he says this: he calls iniquities those things that are productive of states and that suggest

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βλάσφημα περὶ ἐμοῦ λέγουσιν, ἀλλὰ σὺ ἐπίστασαι τὴν δικαιοσύνην μου. ὡς καὶ ἡ Σωσ̣α´̣ννα εἶπεν· "σὺ ἐπίστασαι ὅτι ψευδῆ μου καταμαρτυροῦσιν". 11 οὐκ ἔκρυψα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου. ὁ γνοὺς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην οὐ κρύπτει τὴν σύνζυγον αὐτῇ ἀλήθειαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ. σύνζυγος τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ ἡ ἀλήθεια ὀνομάζεται ὅταν λέγῃ· "ἀλήθεια ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἀνέτειλεν, καὶ δικαιοσύνη ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ διέκυψεν". τὸν σωτῆρα λέγει δικαιοσύνην ἐκ τοῦ οὐραν̣οῦ διακεκ̣υφυῖαν· λέγει γάρ· "ἔκλινεν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ κατέβη". "ἀνέτειλεν" δὲ "ἐκ τῆς γῆς" λαβούσης τέλος τῆς ἐπιδημίας. δύναται δὲ καὶ οὕτω λαβεῖν· ὅταν ἐκ τῆς γῆς, τῆς ψυ χῆς ἐκείνης τῆς ἀγαθῆς καὶ καλῆς ἀνατείλῃ τῆς ἀκουσάσης 288 τὸν λόγον κα̣ὶ καρποφορησάσης. διακύπτει οὖν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἡ δικαιοσύνη. καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ ψαλμῷ λέγει· "ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια συνήντησαν, δικαιοσύνην καὶ εἰρήνην κατεφίλησαν". οἱ ἀναγιγνώσκοντες τὰς ἱστορίας εὑρίσκουσιν, ὅτι ἀπὸ ἀδικημάτων οἱ πόλεμοι καὶ ταραχαὶ ἐνίστανται. ἡ δὲ ἀλήθεια ἔχει ἔλεον θεοῦ· εἰ μὴ ἐλεήσῃ γὰρ θεός, οὐ δ̣ύναταί τις γνῶναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὅση καὶ οἵα ἐστίν. διὰ τοῦτο οὖν "ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθειαν συνήντησαν". δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τ̣ὸ ἔλεος, οἷον ὁ τὸν πλησίον ἀγαπῶν ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἐλεήμων ἐστὶν τοῦ πλησίον καὶ αὐτὸς τὸν ἴσον ἔλεον παρ' αὐτοῦ ἀπα̣ιτῶν· καὶ γὰρ ἡ ἀλήθεια φανεροῦται. ὥσπερ οὖν ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡγεῖται τῆς εἰρήνης, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἔλεος τῆς ἀληθείας. πλὴν ἀμφότερα ἓν καὶ ταὐτόν ἐστιν. ἐὰν οὖν ἐπαισχυνθῇ τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ τοὺς λόγους αὐτοῦ, τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῦ ἐπαισχύνεται. 11 καὶ τὸ σωτήριόν μου εἶπα. ἡ ὁμολογία τῆς ἀληθείας σωτήριόν μού ἐστιν. ε̣ἰ δ̣ὲ κ̣αὶ τὸν Χριστὸν λέγει τὴν ἀλήθειαν, αὐτὸν πάλιν λέγει τὸ σωτήριον, καὶ τὸ σωτήριόν μου ἐλάλησα καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου ἐφανέρωσα. τὸ σωτήριον ὄντα τὸν Χριστὸν ὃν φανερῶ, λαλῶ. 11 οὐκ ἔκρυψα τὸ ἔλεός σου καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου ἀ πὸ συναγωγῆς πολλῆς. εἴπομεν ὅτι συνέζευκται τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὸ ἔλεος. "συναγωγὴν" δὲ "πολλὴν" λέγει τὴν ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν πιστεύσασαν, τὴν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν συνκροτηθεῖσαν. καὶ ὁ σοφὸς τοῦτο λ̣έγει καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. 12 σὺ δέ, κύριε, μὴ μακρύνῃς τοὺς οἰκτιρμούς σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. οἰκτιρμοῖς τοῖς σοῖς εἰς τὸ ἀμέμπτως καὶ ὡς δεῖ λέγειν ἐλήλυθα. μὴ μακρύνῃς οὖν αὐτούς, ἵν' ἐπιμείνω̣ τοιου῀̣τος. "ταχὺ προκαταλαβέτωσαν ἡμᾶς οἱ οἰκτιρμοί σου, κύριε, ὅτι ἐπτωχεύσαμεν σφόδρα". ἐὰν μακρυνθῶσιν οἱ οἰκτιρμοί, γίνεται πτωχεία. φυλάττεται ἐκεῖνος, ἀφ' οὗ οὐκ ἐμακρύνθησαν, πλούσιος· πλούσιος δὲ ἐν τῷ ε̣ἰληφέναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν̣ καὶ τὸ ἔλεος. 12 τὸ ἔλεός σου καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου διὰ παντὸς ἀντελάβοντό μου. οἰκτίροντός σου ἐμὲ ἀντελάβοντό μου τὸ ἔλεός σου καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου. "μὴ μακρύνῃς" οὐ῀̣ν̣ "τοὺς οἰκτιρμούς σου", ἵνα μείνῃ οὕτως α᾿̣ν̣τιλαμβανομένη ἡ ἀλήθειά σου καὶ τὸ σύνζυγον αὐτῇ ἔλεος. 13 ὅτι περιέσχον με κακά, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός. διὰ τοῦτο "μὴ μακρύνῃς τοὺς οἰκτιρμούς σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ", ὅτι κακὰ πολλὰ περιέσχον με οὐχ ὑποβαλλόμενα ἀριθμῷ ἤτοι διὰ τὸ πλῆθος-ἐὰν τὰ ἐπίπονα σημαίνηται, διὰ τὸ πλῆθος οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἀριθμόν. ἐὰν δὲ τὰ ἄλλα κακά, τὰ πρακτὰ περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "ἐν γέλωτι ἄφρων πράττει κακά", οὔκ εἰσιν ἐν λόγῳ τινὶ ἢ ἀριθμῷ· οὐ γὰρ τῶν ὄντων εἰσίν, ἐπινοήματά εἰσιν ἀνθρώπων, π̣αραβάσεις̣ εἰσὶν θείων νόμων. τὸ διττὸν οὖν τῶν κακῶν λάμβανε σημαινόμενον. 13 κατέλαβόν με αἱ ἀνομίαι μου, καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθην τοῦ βλέπειν. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ οὕτω λαβεῖν· "ὅτι περιέσχον με κακὰ" οὐχ ὑποπίπτοντα ἀριθμῷ-ὡς εἴρηται νῦν, δύο τρόπους-, διὰ τοῦτο· "αἱ γὰρ ἀνομίαι μου κατέλαβόν με". ἀπὸ ἄλλης δὲ ἀρχῆς αὐτὸ ἀναγνωστέον, συναπτομένου τοῦ· "ὅτι περιέςχον με κακά"· "σὺ δέ, κύριε, μὴ μακρύνῃς τοὺς οἰκτιρμούς σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ", "ὅτι περιέσχον με κακά, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός". ἀμφοτέρων οὖν ἡγείσθω· "τὸ ἔλεός σου καὶ ἡ ἀλήθειά σου διὰ παντὸς ἀντελάβοντό μου". ὧδε οὖν τοῦτο λέγει· ἀνομίας λέγει τὰς ἑ´̣ξε̣ων ε᾿̣νε̣ργητικ̣ὰς καὶ ὑποβαλλούσας