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The word, extending the prophecy before this to the rulers of the Jewish nation, whom he called “dumb dogs” and “blind watchmen” and “lawless sons and the seed of adulterers and a harlot,” and having prophesied suitable things to the people under them through the preceding words, offers exhortation and comfort to those among them who are devout and possess the fear of God and repent for what they have sinned, whom the present text calls brokenhearted and fainthearted. For there were among them, even if few and able to be counted, nevertheless men dedicated to God; not only the prophets, but also others, followers of them, being disciples of the prophets and attending to their teachings. And those lamenting the destruction of the multitude spent their lives in humility and affliction, “being destitute, afflicted, mistreated, wandering in deserts and mountains and in caves and in the holes of the earth,” and again there were others lamenting their own evils, both humbling themselves and chastising their own life, for which they had sinned. Therefore the present word calls them brokenhearted and fainthearted or, according to Symmachus, crushed and humble in spirit. And it introduces the God over all things, who is beyond all things, the Most High and dwelling in the high places for eternity, the Holy One, who rests among the saints, speaking to the humble and fainthearted; for although he is indeed Most High and has his dwelling in high places, yet he does not overlook the humble, but also “gives them grace” and having raised them from humility, makes them exalted. Therefore it is said: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” “and he who humbles himself will be exalted”; Thus indeed, “having exalted the humble,” he will also dwell in them; for being Most High, he dwells in the high places for eternity. Indeed he speaks to the humble, so that he might exalt them to the point of also dwelling in them, so also being holy himself he chooses the saints among men in order to rest in them; therefore it is said: Holy, resting among the saints. But also being longsuffering himself, considering human weakness, to those who are exhausted in this mortal life for the sake of piety and who are fainthearted in their afflictions, he gives longsuffering so that they may endure their afflictions vigorously and steadfastly. And in addition to this, God himself being “life” and having in himself “a fountain of life,” provides to the brokenhearted the eternal and immortal life from himself, since “a sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, and a broken and humbled heart God will not despise.” Therefore God, the provider of so many good things, addressing the humble and fainthearted with these words, says that he will rest in them. I will not take vengeance on you forever; for I will not by any means take vengeance for the sins you have ever committed, but also, as you are men, you are in need of some brief vengeance, and if it happened to you also to suffer along with the sins of the people, so that you too were led away with the multitude and handed over to avenging justice because of others' sins. Nevertheless, you ought to know this, that eternal wrath will overtake all the others, the truly impious and sinful of the people, but I will not take vengeance on you forever, nor will I be angry with you always; for I care for my spirit, which, having come forth from me, has dwelt in you; since I am also the maker of every breath that is able to “praise” me, according to the verse: “Let every breath praise the Lord.” And in the creation of the world, too, when God “breathed the breath of life, man became a living soul.” Accordingly it has now also been said: I made every breath. And Job also teaches this, saying: “The Spirit of the Lord is what made me, and the breath of the Almighty is what teaches me.” Reasonably, therefore, to those who have kept this which is from me

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τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, οὓς «κύνας ἐνεοὺς» καὶ «σκοποὺς τυφλοὺς» ὠνόμαζε καὶ «υἱοὺς ἀνόμους καὶ σπέρμα μοιχῶν καὶ πόρνης», ἀποτεινόμενος ὁ λόγος τὴν πρὸ τούτου προφητείαν, πρός τε τὸν ὑπὸ τούτοις λαὸν τὰ κατάλληλα θεσπίσας διὰ τῶν προκειμένων πρὸς τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς εὐλαβεῖς καὶ φόβον θεοῦ κεκτημένους καὶ μετανοοῦντας, ἐφ' οἷς ἥμαρτον, οὓς ἡ παροῦσα λέξις συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν καὶ ὀλιγοψύχους ὀνομάζει, παράκλησιν καὶ παραμυθίαν προσάγει. ἦσαν γὰρ ἐν αὐτοῖς, εἰ καὶ βραχεῖς καὶ ἀριθμῷ ληπτοί, πλὴν ὅμως ἦσαν ἄνδρες ἀνακείμενοι τῷ θεῷ· οὐχ οἱ προφῆται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτεροι τούτων ζηλωταὶ μαθητευόμενοι τοῖς προφήταις καὶ ταῖς διδασκαλίαις αὐτῶν προσανέχοντες. οἱ δὲ ἀποκλαόμενοι τὴν τοῦ πλήθους ἀπώλειαν ἐν ταπεινώσει καὶ κακώσει διῆγον τὸν βίον «ὑστερούμενοι, θλιβόμενοι, κακουχούμενοι, ἐν ἐρημίαις πλανώμενοι καὶ ὄρεσι καὶ σπηλαίοις καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς», καὶ ἄλλοι πάλιν ἦσαν ἀποκλαόμενοι τὰ ἑαυτῶν κακὰ ταπεινοῦντές τε ἑαυτοὺς καὶ κολάζοντες τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔτυχον ἡμαρτηκότες. διὸ συντετριμμένους αὐτοὺς τὴν καρδίαν καὶ ὀλιγοψύχους ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον τεθλασμένους καὶ ταπεινοὺς πνεύματι ὁ παρὼν ὀνομάζει λόγος. εἰσάγει δὲ τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸν τὸν ἐπέκεινα τῶν ὅλων τὸν ὕψιστον καὶ ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κατοικοῦντα τὸν αἰῶνα, τὸν ἅγιον, τὸν ἐν ἁγίοις ἀναπαυόμενον λέγοντα πρὸς τοὺς ταπεινοὺς καὶ ὀλιγοψύχους· εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα ὕψιστός ἐστιν αὐτὸς καὶ τὸ κατοικητήριον ἐν ὑψηλοῖς ἔχει, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐχ ὑπερορᾷ τοὺς ταπεινούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ «δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς χάριν» καὶ τῆς ταπεινώσεως αὐτοὺς ἐγείρας ὑψηλοὺς ἀπεργάζεται. διὸ λέλεκται· «ὁ θεὸς ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται, ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσι χάριν», «καὶ ὁ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται»· οὕτω γοῦν «ὑψώσας τοὺς ταπεινοὺς» καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς οἰκήσει· ὕψιστος γὰρ ὢν ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κατοικεῖ τὸν αἰῶνα. τοῖς γοῦν ταπεινοῖς διαλέγεται, ὅπως αὐτοὺς ὑψώσῃ πρὸς τὸ καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς οἰκῆσαι, οὕτω καὶ ἅγιος ὢν αὐτὸς τοὺς ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἁγίους ἐκλέγεται πρὸς τὸ ἀναπαύεσθαι ἐν αὐτοῖς· διὸ λέλεκται· Ἅγιος ἐν ἁγίοις ἀναπαυόμενος. ἀλλὰ καὶ μακρόθυμος ὢν αὐτὸς τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης στοχαζόμενος ἀσθενείας τοῖς ἐν τῷ θνητῷ βίῳ καταπονουμένοις δι' εὐσέβειαν καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς θλίψεσιν ὀλιγοψυχοῦσι δίδωσι μακροθυμίαν πρὸς τὸ εὐτόνως καὶ καρτερῶς τὰς δι' αὐτῶν θλίψεις ὑπομένειν. καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις «ζωὴ» ὢν αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἔχων παρ' ἑαυτῷ «πηγὴν ζωῆς» τοῖς συντετριμμένοις τὴν καρδίαν, ἐπειδὴ «θυσία τῷ θεῷ πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον, καὶ καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει», τῆς ἐξ αὐτοῦ ζωῆς αἰωνίου καὶ ἀθανάτου παρέχει αὐτὸς οὖν ὁ τῶν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν χορηγὸς θεὸς τοῖς ταπεινοῖς καὶ ὀλιγοψύχοις· τάδε προσφωνῶν λέγει ἀναπαύσασθαι ἐν αὐτοῖς. Οὐκ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐκδικήσω ὑμᾶς· οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἅπαντος ἐκδίκησιν λήψομαι τῶν πώποτε ὑμῖν ἡμαρτημένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωποι, βραχείας τινὸς ἐκδικήσεως δὲ δέησθε καὶ εἰ συναπολαῦσαι ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ὑμῖν συνέβη, ὥστε καὶ ὑμᾶς συναπαχθῆναι τῷ πλήθει καὶ τῇ τιμωρῷ δίκῃ παραδοθῆναι διὰ τὰς ἑτέρων ἁμαρτίας. ὅμως οὖν τοῦτο γινώσκειν ὀφείλετε, ὅτι τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους πάντας τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ἀληθῶς καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς τοῦ λαοῦ αἰωνία ὀργὴ παραλήψεται, ὑμᾶς δὲ οὐκ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐκδικήσω οὐδὲ διὰ παντὸς ὀργισθήσομαι ὑμῖν· μέλει γάρ μοι τοῦ ἐμοῦ πνεύματος, ὅπερ ἐξ ἐμοῦ προελθὸν εἰς ὑμᾶς κατῴκησεν· ἐπειδὴ καὶ ποιητὴς τυγχάνω πάσης πνοῆς τῆς δυναμένης με «αἰνεῖν» κατὰ τό· «πᾶσα πνοὴ αἰνεσάτω τὸν κύριον». καὶ ἐν τῇ κοσμοποιΐᾳ δὲ «ἐμφυσήσαντος» τοῦ θεοῦ «πνοὴν ζωῆς, ἐγένετο ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς ψυχὴν ζῶσαν». ἀκολούθως καὶ νῦν εἴρηται· πᾶσαν πνοὴν ἐγὼ ἐποίησα. τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ διδάσκει λέγων· «πνεῦμα κυρίου τὸ ποιῆσάν με, πνοὴ δὲ παντοκράτορος ἡ διδάσκουσά με». εἰκότως τοίνυν τοῖς τοῦτο φυλάξασι τὸ παρ' ἐμοῦ