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comes upon us, we seek to find you as a helper. then you appear, you help and say: "While you are still speaking I will say: behold, I am here". 290 17 And let them say always: may the Lord be magnified. Since having found you, giving thanks "let them say always: may the Lord be magnified," they might have those things for which they ought to sing hymns and rejoice. Let them say always can also mean this: may ingratitude never exist in them. 17 those who love your salvation. the salvation of the just, or the one who becomes for them the cause of future salvation. "Let them say always: May the Lord be magnified." Loving your salvation, they also magnify God in it always. 18 But I am poor and needy; the Lord will take thought for me. For this reason I beseech that your help be granted to me and that you be pleased to deliver me, because "I am poor and needy." I cannot defend myself, I cannot place myself outside of the things that beset me, unless you help. "I am poor," therefore, "and needy." And the difference between these terms has been stated at another time. 18 You are my helper and my defender; my God, do not delay. Since I have called upon you as helper and as defender holding out your shield on my behalf—and this is the truth; for "his truth will surround you as a shield"—, "do not delay," lest the contest become for me beyond my strength. When you know it is the right time to assent and to help and to deliver, let this be done; for as much as pertains to my own power and nature, I am too weak to help myself, to place myself outside of the evils that beset me.

290 1-2 To the end; a psalm of David. Blessed is he who understands concerning the poor and needy. And many take this psalm as from the person of the Savior because there are found here sayings taken in the Gospel as having been spoken by the Savior and things done and observed concerning the Savior. "Blessed," he says, "is he who understands concerning the poor and needy." And many have interpreted this morally as follows: different are the needy and the poor; and one who shares with them ought to share in proportion; for then he acts with understanding. One must not feed everyone who lacks food. There is one who lacks food because he previously lived wastefully—he devoted himself to drunkenness, all that he had he squandered indecently and wickedly—, but another either through long illness or through having many children. One must therefore provide to each with understanding. If, therefore, someone does not have enough to give to all, to those to whom he ought to give, he ought to do this with understanding, but if he is able, being merciful also to the others according to the Father in heaven, who makes his sun rise not only on the good, but also on the evil who makes his sun rise not only on the good, but also on the evil. When, however, he is not able to suffice for all, let him do this with understanding. This can also be taken as concerning the Savior; for "for our sake he became poor," and for the sake of no other. "He became poor for our sake," that he might free us from poverty, that he might deliver us from need. "Him who knew no sin," he says, "he made to be sin for us"—this is his poverty—, "that we might become the righteousness of God in him." He was delivered ... ... ... he was not held. Even if he became sin, it was not that he might remain sin, but that he might free those ... ... ...p... ... "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor." And the paradox is this: "though he was rich," he is poor, and this poverty makes us rich or is the cause of our riches. He is not poor in an absolute sense, but in relation to his wealth. 2 In an evil day the Lord will deliver him. He delivered Jesus "in an evil day," when surrounding him they said: "Crucify, crucify him; we have no king but Caesar." And he was delivered also from the evil day, because having become sin

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ἐπέλθῃ, ζητοῦμέν σε εὑρεῖν βοηθόν. τότε̣ δε`̣ φαινόμενος βοηθεῖς κ̣αὶ λέγεις· "ἔτι σοῦ λαλοῦντος ἐρῶ· ἰδοὺ πάρειμι". 290 17 καὶ εἰπάτωσαν διὰ παντός· μεγαλυνθήτω ὁ κύριος. ἐπεὶ εὑρόντες σε εὐχαριστοῦντες "εἰπάτωσαν διὰ παντός· μεγαλυνθήτω ὁ κύριος", ἔχοιεν ἐκεῖνα τὰ δι' ἃ ὑμνεῖν ὀφείλουσιν καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθαι. εἰπάτωσαν διὰ παντός δύναται δὲ καὶ τοῦτο· μὴ ὑπάρξοι ποτὲ αὐτοῖς ἀχ̣αριστία. 17 οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸ σωτήριόν σου. τὴν δικαίου σωτηρίαν ἢ τὸν αἴτιον αὐτοῖς γινόμενον σωτηρίαν μέλλουσαν. "διὰ παντὸς Μεγαλυνθήτω ὁ κύριος, λεγέτωσαν". ἀγαπῶντες τὸ σωτήριόν σου καὶ μεγαλύνουσιν διὰ παντὸς ἐπ' αὐτῷ τὸν θεόν. 18 ἐγὼ δὲ πτωχὸς καὶ πένης εἰμί· κύριος φροντιεῖ μου. διὰ τοῦτο παρακαλῶ ὑπαρχθῆναί μοι τὴν σὴν βοήθειαν κ̣αὶ εὐδοκῆσαί σ̣ε τοῦ ῥύσασθαί με, ὅτι "πτωχὸς καὶ πένης εἰμί". οὐ δύναμαι ἐμαυτῷ ἐπαμύνειν, οὐ δύναμαι ἔξωθεν ἐμαυτὸν τῶν ἐπικειμένων ποιῆσαι, εἰ μὴ σὺ βοηθήσῃς. "πτωχὸς" οὖν "εἰμι καὶ πένης". διαφορὰ δὲ τούτων καὶ ἄλλοτε εἴρηται. 18 βοηθός μου καὶ ὑπερασπιστής εἶ μου σὺ εἶ· ὁ θεός μου, μὴ χρονίσῃς. ἐπεὶ σὲ βοηθὸν ἐπεκαλεσάμην καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴν προβάλλ̣οντα ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ τὴν ἀσπίδα σου-α̣ὑ´̣τη δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια· "ὅπλῳ" γὰρ "κυκλώσει σε ἡ ἀλήθεια αὐτοῦ"-, "μὴ χρονίσῃς", μὴ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ὁ ἀγών μοι γένηται. ὅτ̣ε οἶδας καίριον εἶναι ἐπινεῦσαι καὶ βοηθῆσαι καὶ ῥύσασθαι, τοῦτο γενέσθω· ὁ´̣σον γὰρ ἧκεν ε̣ἰς τὴν ἐμὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὴν φύσιν, ἀσθενής εἰμι ἐμαυτῷ βοηθῆσαι, ἔξω ἐμαυτὸν ποιῆσαι τῶν ἐπικειμένων κακῶν.

290 1-2 Εἰς τὸ τέλος· ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αυίδ. μακάριος ὁ συνίων ἐπὶ πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα. καὶ τοῦτον τὸν ψαλμὸν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐκλα̣μβάνουσιν πολλοὶ διὰ τ̣ὸ κ̣εῖσθαι ὧδε ῥητὰ λημφθέντα ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος εἰρημμένα καὶ περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος πραχθέντα καὶ θεωρηθέντα. "μακάριος", φησίν, "ὁ συνίων ἐπὶ πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα". καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἦθος ἐξηγ̣ήσαντο πολλοὶ τοιαῦτα ὅτι· διάφοροί εἰσιν οἱ πενόμενοι καὶ οἱ πτωχοί· καὶ ὁ τούτοις κοινωνῶν ὀφείλει κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τὴν κοινωνία̣ν π̣οιεῖν· τότε γὰρ συνετῶς ποιεῖ. οὐ πάντα ἀποροῦντα τροφῆς δεῖ τρέφειν. οὐκ ἔστιν δὲ ἀπορῶν τροφῆς διὰ τὸ ἀσώτως πρότερον ἐζηκέναι-μέθαις ἐσχόλασεν, πάντα ἃ εἶχεν ἀσέμνως καὶ φαυ´̣λως κατεδαπάνησεν-, ἄλλος δὲ ἢ διὰ νόσον μακρὰν ἢ διὰ πολυπαιδίαν. δεῖ οὖν μετὰ συνέσεως παρέχειν ἑκάστῳ. εἴ τις οὖν μὴ ἔχει πᾶσιν διδόναι, ἐκείνοις̣ οἷς ὀφείλει δοῦναι, μετὰ συνέσεως ὀφείλει τοῦτο ποιεῖν, εἰ δὲ δύναται, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις οἰκτίρμων γινόμενος κατὰ τὸν ἐν τ̣οῖς οὐρανοῖς πατέρα, ἀνατέλλων οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ ἀγαθοὺς τὸν ἥλιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ πονηρούς ἀνατέλλων οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ ἀγαθοὺς τὸν ἥλιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ πονηρούς. ὅταν μέντοι μὴ οἷός τε πᾶσιν ἐπαρκεῖν, μετὰ συνέσεως̣ ποιείτω το̣ῦτο. δύναται καὶ π̣ε̣ρ̣ὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος τοῦτο ληφθῆναι· "δι' ἡμᾶς" γὰρ "ἐπτώχευσεν", καὶ οὐκ ἄλλου χάριν. "ἐπτω´̣χευσεν δι' ἡμα῀̣ς", ἵν̣α ἀπὸ πτωχείας ἡμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃ, ἵνα ἀπὸ πενί ας ἡμᾶς ἀποστήσῃ. "τὸν μὴ γνόντα", φησίν, "ἁμαρτίαν̣ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν"-ἥδε ἡ πτωχεία αὐτοῦ-, "ἵν' ἡμεῖς γενώμεθα δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ". ἐρύσθη ····· ····· ····· · οὐκ̣ ἐκρατήθη. εἰ καὶ γέγονεν ἁμαρτία, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἵνα μείνῃ ἁμαρτία, ἀλλ' ἵν' ἐλευθερώσῃ τοὺς ····· ····· ····π····· ··· "γιγνώσκετε τὴν χάριν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι πλούσιος ὢν δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσεν". καὶ τό γε παράδοξον· "πλούσιος ὢν" π̣τωχός ἐστιν, καὶ ἡ πτωχεία αὕτη ἡμᾶς πλουσίους κατασκευάζει ἢ ποιητικὴ πλουσίων ἐστίν. οὐ καθάπαξ ἐστὶν πτωχός, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτοῦ. 2 ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πονηρᾷ ῥύσεται αὐτὸν κύριος. ἐρύσατο τὸν Ἰησοῦν "ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πονη̣ρᾳ῀̣", ὅτε περιστοιχ̣ίζοντ̣ες αὐτὸν ἔλεγον· "σταύρου, σταύρου αὐτόν· οὐκ ἔχομεν βασιλέα εἰ μὴ Καίσαρα". ἐρύσθη δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τη῀̣ς η῾̣μέρ̣ας τῆς πονηρᾶς, ὅτι γενόμενος ἁμαρτία