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those who truly and rightly think the things of piety are benefited and upright in heart. But these differ not in hypostasis but in conception. For those who dwell unshakably forever in Jerusalem, being at the same time practical and gnostic, are good and upright in heart. And God does good to them, giving good things to those who ask him for an increase of faith and of the rest of virtue, along with a participation in divine gifts granted for the purpose of bringing them into the heavenly promises and the kingdom of heaven. 1165 Ps 124,5a.β "He will lead away" means "he will hand over," to the desires they chose to have for uncleanness and for dishonorable passions and for a debased mind to do what is not fitting. And he said also in the Psalms, "And I sent them away according to the desires of their hearts; they will walk in their own desires." He will therefore lead away those who turn aside to crooked ways with those who work iniquity, so that it may be shown openly who they were who were hidden, so as to seem not to do iniquity, although disposed to it. The blameworthiness of crooked ways is also made clear in the prophet, when God says to the one coming to fast, "Loose the bonds of violent dealings," so that he may perform it rightly and with the required disposition. 1166 Ps 124,5c But the peace that surpasses all understanding, which is given with divine grace by God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, will belong to everyone and only to the one who has understanding, who is called Israel, as the psalmist prays.

1167 Ps 126 αργ The eighth song of the ascents; hinting at the mysteries of

the resurrection of the Lord on the eighth day * It is inscribed "To Solomon," to the one who was born from the seed of David according to the flesh, being truly peaceful. * For he himself is our peace, of those who are being saved, saying, "My peace I give to you." * the destruction of every enemy and adversary in peace * and to the one who founds and builds the house of God, whose symbol Solomon, born of David, bore, when, great peace having come in his days, he built the temple of God in Judea. 1168 Ps 126,1 No less than the other scriptures, the present verses also have posited the Lord as the provider for all things, since human efforts become vain, unless they happen to receive their fitting end from God; whence, when doing anything, let us not give the whole credit to ourselves, but to God who perfects it, nor, leaving everything to him, should we remain idle. For the present words indicate both, that is, from us and from God, saying that the one who builds without God does so in vain, not the one who does not work at all. 1169 Ps 126,2 You will also understand it thus: those who are worn out by the cares of life, because they give themselves to these endeavors, continually eat the bread of sorrow. Therefore they are also deprived of the beloved of God who exhort and advise them to pursue these things moderately, because the end and the providence belong to the Lord. Therefore, when they have despised the beloved of God who rouse them to piety, sleep comes to those beloved of God, who have turned to their own rest or have even been translated from this life and its watchfulness which consists in the common life, at that point the aforementioned eat the bread of sorrow; they accomplish imperfectly all their endeavors, rising early in vain and getting up after sitting down, since their sitting, standing, and external rising have become fruitless for them. For they could have not done these things in vain nor eaten the bread of sorrow, if they had paid attention to God's beloved before they received sleep from God. And those who seem to proceed toward piety, if they should think to be enlightened by themselves, rise early in vain; for to those who do not say, "From the night my spirit rises early to you, O God," this would rightly be said. But also in vain they rouse themselves to the activity, so to speak, of good things, after which, sitting down again and resting not from God but

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ὠφελημένοι καὶ εὐθεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ οἱ ἀληθῶς καὶ ὀρθῶς τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας φρονοῦντες. διαφέρουσι δὲ ουτοι οὐ τῇ ὑποστάσει ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ. οἱ γὰρ κατοικοῦντες εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ἀκλονήτως πρακτικοὶ καὶ γνωστικοὶ αμα οντες ἀγαθοὶ καὶ εὐθεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ εἰσίν. ἀγαθύνει δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ θεός, διδοὺς ἀγαθὰ αἰτοῦσιν αὐτὸν προσθήκην πίστεως καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς ἀρετῆς σὺν μετουσίᾳ θείων χαρισμάτων παρεχομένοις ἐπὶ τῷ καὶ εἰς τὰς ἐπουρανίους ἐπαγγελίας καὶ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν εἰσαγαγεῖν αὐτούς. 1165 Ps 124,5a.β Τὸ ̓Απάξει τὸ παραδώσει φησίν, αις ειλαντο εχειν ἐπιθυμίας εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν καὶ εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας καὶ εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα. εφη δὲ καὶ ἐν ψαλμοῖς Καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν, πορεύσονται ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὐτῶν. ἀπάξει τοίνυν τοὺς ἐκκλίνοντας εἰς τὰς στραγγαλιὰς μετὰ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐπὶ τῷ δειχθῆναι φανερῶς τίνες οντες ἐλάνθανον, ὡς δοκεῖν τὴν ἀνομίαν μὴ ποιεῖν, καίτοι κατ' αὐτὴν διακείμενοι. δηλοῦται τὸ ψεκτὸν τῶν στραγγαλιῶν καὶ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ, τοῦ θεοῦ λέγοντος τῷ εἰς νηστείαν ἐρχομένῳ ∆ιάλυε στραγγαλιὰς βιαίων συναλλαγμάτων, οπως ὀρθῶς ἐπιτελῇ αὐτὴν καὶ μετὰ τῆς ὀφειλούσης εξεως. 1166 Ps 124,5c ̔Η δὲ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν εἰρήνη ἡ μετὰ θείας χάριτος διδομένη ὑπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπάρξεται παντὶ καὶ μόνῳ νοῦν εχοντι χρηματίζοντι ̓Ισραήλ, ἐπευχομένου τοῦ ὑμνοῦντος.

1167 Ps 126 αργ ̓Ογδόη τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν ᾠδή· αἰνιττόμενος τὰ μυστήρια τῆς

ἐν ὀγδοάδι ἀναστάσεως τοῦ κυρίου * τῷ Σολομῶν ἀναγέγραπται, τῷ ἐκ σπέρματος ∆αυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα γεγενημένῳ εἰρηνικῷ ἀληθῶς * οντι. αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν τῶν σῳζομένων, φάσκων Εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν. * τὰ κατάλυσιν παντὸς ἐχθροῦ καὶ πολεμίου εἰρηνι * ειν καὶ τὸν οικον τοῦ θεοῦ θεμελιοῦντι καὶ οἰκοδομοῦντι, ου τὸ σύμβολον φέρων ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ γεννηθεὶς Σολομῶν, πολλῆς εἰρήνης γενομένης ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ, τὸν ἐν τῇ ̓Ιουδαίᾳ ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ᾠκοδόμησεν. 1168 Ps 126,1 Οὐχ ηττον δὲ τῶν αλλων γραφῶν καὶ οἱ προκείμενοι στίχοι προνοητὴν ἁπάντων τὸν κύριον τέθεινται, τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σπουδῶν ματαίων γινομένων, εἰ μὴ τύχοιεν τὸ κατάλληλον τέλος ἐκ θεοῦ ἀπολαβοῦσαι· οθεν τι ποιοῦντες μὴ τὸ ολον ἑαυτοῖς δῶμεν, ἀλλὰ τῷ τελειοῦντι θεῷ, μηδ' αὐτῷ τὸ πᾶν ἐάσαντες απρακτοι διατελῶμεν. ἑκάτερα γὰρ αἱ προκείμεναι δηλοῦσι λέξεις, τότε ἐξ ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, ματαίως λέγουσαι τὸν οἰκοδομοῦντα ανευ θεοῦ, οὐ τὸν μηδ' ολως ἐνεργοῦντα. 1169 Ps 126,2 Νοήσεις δὲ καὶ ουτως· οἱ καταξαινόμενοι ταῖς φροντίσι τοῦ βίου τῷ τοῖς αὐτοῖς διδόναι τῶν σπουδαζομένων αρτον ὀδύνης ἐσθίουσι συνεχῶς. διὸ καὶ στεροῦνται τῶν ἀγαπητῶν τοῦ θεοῦ παραινούντων καὶ συμβουλευόντων μετρίως τούτων ἐφικέσθαι τῷ κυρίῳ ειναι τὸ τέλος καὶ ἡ πρόνοια. ἐπὰν ουν καταφρονησάντων τῶν εἰς εὐσέβειαν ἐγειρόντων ἀγαπητῶν τοῦ θεοῦ υπνος γένηται αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς ἰδίαν ἀνάπαυσιν τραπέντων η καὶ μετατεθέντων ἀπὸ τοῦδε τοῦ βίου καὶ τῆς γρηγόρσεως αὐτοῦ συνισταμένης κατὰ τὸ ζῆν τὸ κοινόν, τὸ τηνικαῦτα οἱ προειρημένοι τὸν αρτον τῆς ὀδύνης ἐσθίουσιν· ἀτελῶς πάντα τὰ σπουδαζόμενα ποιοῦσι μάτην ὀρθρίζοντες καὶ ἐγειρόμενοι μετὰ τὸ καθῆσθαι, ἀνηνύτων καὶ τῆς καθέδρας καὶ τῆς στάσεως καὶ τῆς εξω ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῖς γενομένων. ἠδύναντο γὰρ μὴ ματαίως ταῦτα ποιεῖν μηδ' αρτον ὀδύνης ἐσθίειν, εἰ προσεῖχον τοῖς θεοῦ ἀγαπητοῖς πρὶν λαβεῖν ἐκ θεοῦ τὸν υπνον. καὶ οἱ εἰς θεοσέβειαν δὲ ἰέναι δοκοῦντες, εἰ φωτίζεσθαι παρ' ἑαυτοὺς οἰηθεῖεν, εἰς μάτην ὀρθρίζουσι· τοῖς γὰρ μὴ λέγουσιν ̓Εκ νυκτὸς ὀρθρίζει τὸ πνεῦμά μου πρὸς σέ, ὁ θεός, εἰκότως τοῦτο λεχθείη. ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς μάτην διεγείρουσιν ἑαυτοὺς εἰς ἐνέργειαν δῆθεν τῶν καλῶν, μεθ' ην πάλιν καθήμενοι καὶ διαναπαυόμενοι οὐκ ἐκ θεοῦ ἀλλ'