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were delivered up, having fallen in the war. Therefore, just as these things, not yet having happened, were spoken by foreknowledge as about to happen to those pursuing David; so also to him the Holy Spirit proclaimed the favorable outcomes, saying: ‘But the king shall rejoice in God.’ For having hoped in God, and having joined his soul to Him, as if to say, ‘My soul has clung to you,’ he will obtain the highest joy from God. And everyone who swears by these things, as one swearing a true oath, will be praised; or according to Aquila, ‘He who swears by him shall glory.’ For he who does not doubt, but even makes an oath that the king will never fall from the promised hope, as one swearing a true oath, will be praised. And these things will happen concerning the king and concerning everyone who swears by him, ‘Because the mouth of those who speak unjust things has been stopped.’ According to another interpretation, when the just man is perfected according to the progress given in virtue, the king rejoices and is glad, the Only-begotten Son of God, giving thanks to His own Father, who has bestowed such great gifts upon human nature. He who knows this king, and makes his name his oath, 23.616 would be worthy of all praise, as one who has learned that by His power the just man was perfected, and every mouth that speaks many unjust things was stopped. For even if for a certain time the mouth of the ungodly was permitted to speak unjust things and to blaspheme the just man, and God Himself, as if not defending those who were pursued for His sake; yet they will not be permitted to speak such things forever; but their ungodly mouth will be stopped, and their boasting against God-loving men will cease, when the aforementioned outcomes overtake them. TO THE END. A PSALM OF DAVID. 63. ‘Hear, O God, my prayer when I make my petition; deliver my soul from the fear of the enemy.’ The present psalm also refers to the end; in which those who have fought the good fight will receive the prizes of the high calling and the crowns of righteousness from the great Judge of the contest. Therefore the first parts of the psalm introduce enemies and evil-doers rising up against the just man; but at the end of the whole discourse it seals good hopes, saying: ‘The just man shall be glad in the Lord, and shall hope in him; and all the upright in heart shall be praised.’ It teaches that such are the ends of those who have contended for piety. Indeed, the athlete of godliness, having countless enemies and foes of his soul, not only visible, but also unseen, flees to God alone and asks for help from him, almost saying: ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ Therefore he devotes himself to prayers, calling upon God and saying: ‘Hear, O God, my prayer when I make my petition.’ But he who is not such, but disobeys the commandments of God, would not be able to use such great confidence; for with the measure we use, it will be measured back to us. Wherefore in Proverbs the wisdom of God addresses the disobedient, saying: ‘Because I called, and you did not listen, and I stretched out my words, and you did not pay attention; but you made my counsels void, and to my commands you did not attend. Therefore I also will laugh at your destruction.’ For there will be a time when you will call upon me, but I will not listen. If, therefore, we wish to be heard in what we ask of God, let us also do this, becoming obedient to the commandments of God. For then with great confidence we ourselves will be able to say to God: ‘Hear, O God, my prayer when I make my petition.’ And what did the blessed David ask? (for the words are his, as I think, spoken in the times when he was fleeing Saul and those with him;) that his soul be delivered

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παρεδόθησαν πεσόντες ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ. Ὥσπερ οὖν ταῦτα μηδέπω γενόμενα κατὰ πρόγνωσιν εἴρητο μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι τοῖς τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἐλαύνουσιν· οὕτω καὶ αὐτῷ τὰ αἴσια τέλη τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἀνεφώνει λέγον· «Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς εὐφρανθήσεται ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ.» Ἐλπίσας γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ ψυχὴν συνάψας αὐτῷ, ὡς εἰπεῖν, «Ἐκολλήθη ἡ ψυχή μου ὀπίσω σου,» τῆς ἀνωτάτω τεύξεται παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ εὐφροσύνης. Καὶ πᾶς δὲ ὁ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὀμνὺς ὡς ἂν εὐορκῶν ἐπαινεθήσεται· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, «Καυχήσεται ὁ ὀμνύων ἐν αὐτῷ.» Ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἀμφιβάλλων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅρκον τιθέμενος περὶ τοῦ μήποτε ἐκπεσεῖσθαι τὸν βασιλέα τῆς ἐπηγγελμένης ἐλπίδος, ὡσανεὶ εὐορκῶν, ἐπαινεθήσεται. Καὶ ταῦτα ἔσται περὶ τὸν βασιλέα καὶ περὶ πάντα τὸν ὀμνύντα περὶ αὐτοῦ, «Ὅτι ἐνεφράγη τὸ στόμα λαλούντων ἄδικα.» Καθ' ἑτέραν δὲ διάνοιαν τοῦ δικαίου τελειουμένου κατὰ τὰς ἀποδοθείσας ἐν ἀρετῇ προκοπὰς, χαίρει καὶ εὐφραίνεται ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Μονογενὴς Υἱὸς εὐχαριστῶν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ Πατρὶ, τῷ τὰ τηλικαῦτα χαρίσματα δεδωρημένῳ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσει. Τοῦτον δὲ τὸν βασιλέα ὁ γνοὺς, καὶ ὅρκιον αὐτοῦ ποιούμενος τοὔνομα, 23.616 παντὸς γένοιτ' ἂν ἐπαίνου ἄξιος, ὡς ἂν μεμαθηκὼς ὅτι τῇ αὐτοῦ δυνάμει καὶ ὁ δίκαιος ἐτελειώθη, καὶ πᾶν στόμα τὸ πολλὰ λαλοῦν ἄδικα ἐνεφράγη. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα καιρῷ τινι συνεχωρεῖτο τῷ τῶν ἀσεβῶν στόματι λαλεῖν ἄδικα καὶ καταβλασφημεῖν τοῦ δικαίου, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς μηδὲν ἐπαμύνοντος τοῖς δι' αὐτὸν ἐλαυνομένοις· ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τέλος τοιαῦτα λαλεῖν συγχωρηθήσονται· φραγήσεται δὲ αὐτῶν τὸ ἀσεβὲς στόμα, καὶ ἡ κατὰ τῶν θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν μεγαλαυχία παυθήσεται, ἐπειδὰν καταλάβῃ αὐτοὺς τὰ προλεχθέντα τέλη. ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΤΩ ∆ΑΥΙ∆ ΞΓʹ. «Εἰσάκουσον, ὁ Θεὸς, προσευχῆς μου ἐν τῷ δέεσθαί με, ἀπὸ φόβου ἐχθροῦ ἐξέλου τὴν ψυχήν μου.» Καὶ ὁ παρὼν ψαλμὸς εἰς τὸ τέλος ἀναπέμπει· ἐν ᾧ τὰ βραβεῖα τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως, καὶ τοὺς τῆς δικαιοσύνης στεφάνους οἱ τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν διηγωνισμένοι παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου λήψονται ἀγωνοθέτου. ∆ιὸ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ἐχθροὺς εἰσάγει καὶ πονηρευομένους ἐπανισταμένους τῷ δικαίῳ· ἐν δὲ τῷ τέλει τοῦ παντὸς λόγου χρηστὰς ἐλπίδας ἐπισφραγίζεται λέγων· «Εὐφρανθήσεται δίκαιος ἐν τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἐλπιεῖ ἐπ' αὐτόν· καὶ ἐπαινεθήσονται πάντες οἱ εὐθεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ.» Τοιαῦτα τὰ τέλη τῶν ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ἠγωνισμένων εἶναι διδάσκει. Ὁ γέ τοι τῆς θεοσεβείας ἀθλητὴς, μυρίους ἔχων ἐχθροὺς καὶ πολεμίους τῆς αὐτοῦ ψυχῆς, οὐχ ὁρατοὺς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφανεῖς, μόνῳ προσφεύγει τῷ Θεῷ καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ βοήθειαν αἰτεῖ, μονονουχὶ λέγων· «Εἰ ὁ Θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, τίς καθ' ἡμῶν;» ∆ιὸ ταῖς εὐχαῖς σχολάζει τὸν Θεὸν ἀνακαλούμενος καὶ λέγων· «Εἰσάκουσον, ὁ Θεὸς, προσευχῆς μου ἐν τῷ δέεσθαί με.» Ὁ δὲ μὴ τοιοῦτος, παρακούων δὲ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ παραγγελμάτων, οὐκ ἂν δύναιτο χρῆσθαι τῇ τοσαύτῃ παῤῥησίᾳ· ᾧ γὰρ μέτρῳ μετροῦμεν ἀντιμετρεῖται ἡμῖν. ∆ιόπερ ἐν Παροιμίαις ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία πρὸς τοὺς ἀπειθεῖς ἀποτείνεται λέγουσα· «Ἀνθ' ὧν ἐκάλουν, καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσατε, καὶ ἐξέτεινον λόγους, καὶ οὐ προσείχετε· ἀλλ' ἀκύρους ἐποιεῖτε τὰς ἐμὰς βουλὰς, ταῖς δὲ ἐμαῖς ἐντολαῖς οὐ προσείχετε. Τοιγαροῦν κἀγὼ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἀπωλείᾳ ἐπιγελάσομαι.» Ἔσται γὰρ ὅτε ἐπικαλέσεσθέ με, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ εἰσακούσομαι. Εἰ τοίνυν εἰσακούεσθαι βουλόμεθα ἐν οἷς δεόμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ αὐτοὶ τοῦτο πράττωμεν τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ παραγγέλμασι καταπειθεῖς γιγνόμενοι. Τότε γὰρ σὺν πολλῇ παῤῥησίᾳ καὶ αὐτοὶ φάναι δυνησόμεθα τῷ Θεῷ· «Εἰσάκουσον, ὁ Θεὸς, τῆς προσευχῆς μου ἐν τῷ δέεσθαί με.» Τί δὲ ἐδεῖτο ὁ μακάριος ∆αυΐδ; (αὐτοῦ γάρ εἰσιν οἱ λόγοι, ὡς οἶμαι, κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους εἰρημένοι, καθ' οὓς τὸν Σαοὺλ ἔφευγε καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ·) τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ῥυσθῆναι