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the prophet again takes up the accusation, saying that truth has been consumed and has completely vanished from their ways.

Walking in falsehood (which is to say, darkness), how could they have straight paths, having turned away from Christ the light, and the truth?

And the Lord saw, and it did not please him, that there was no judgment; that is, righteous judgment.

And he saw, and there was no man; for he had already said: "Because I came, and there was no man; I called, and there was none who would listen."

For being a lover of mankind, he forgives the whole city for the sake of one man alone.

For through Jeremiah he says: "Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and seek in its squares, and see if you can find a man; if there is one who practices faithfulness and loves mercy, and I will be merciful to her, says the Lord."

And he promised to spare Sodom if they should have five righteous men.

For since it was a Pentapolis, he seeks one in each.

Therefore, he now called upon the one who could save others by righteous action to intercede.

But finding no one of this kind, he took vengeance, it says, on them with his power.

For this is the meaning of 'with his arm.'

And he was supported by his mercy; or according to others, he relied upon it.

For he did not destroy all.

For he saved the remnant, keeping his promise to their fathers true.

Whereupon, signifying their final capture, he represents God as arming himself against them, of whom it is said: "You are terrible, and who shall stand against you from the time of your anger?"

And when they have suffered such things, the rest of the world, he says, will fear the violent wrath against the disobedient; but instead of, 'And he took vengeance on them with his arm,' some, having set forth, 'And his arm saved him,' added: since they had no strength against their enemies on account of their sins, in the strength of God the victory and salvation will be present through Christ.

And again: Instead of, 'And he was supported by his mercy,' and 'he relied upon his righteousness,' having said the verse, they added: For the righteousness in the Lord becomes a support for the just judgment against the impious.

Concerning the warlike preparation of God they said, that the Apostle exhorts us to put on this armor.

In the Lord therefore is the truth of righteousness, which is the breastplate of hope.

Which is the helmet, but in us it is an imitation.

There follows, they say, also the judicial arming, as it were, against those who afflict Christ both in the rebellion against him and against the saints.

These same things are also shown in the second psalm.

But some have thus expounded the whole passage from the beginning: Since God often promised to help the people, and on the contrary gave them over to captivity, they cried out against God as if he were weak.

Therefore 2612 refuting them, he says their own sins are the causes, on account of which he was thought to be deaf and powerless.

For slaughtering their children they practiced divination, so that their hands were defiled with blood, and they acted impiously with their lips, from which things they produced toils for themselves, as from seeds, laboring in vain in them.

For the desires which they gathered, like the unhatched eggs of asps, and a spider's web, are more harmful than able to benefit.

And even if they should be brought to fruition, it is not unlike a basilisk.

By which, according to the spiritual sense, we shall understand the devil, the purveyor of evils.

And from all evils they wove a garment, which after the common death will not be a covering for their evils, which are strong until the grave, according to that in Job, "I have kept watch until the tomb."

And from their wicked reasonings they are distressed, having no peace.

For as having lost the faculty of judgment, they did not walk the royal road, wandering up and down.

For they pursued wickedness in this way, as if they would enjoy light from it, which became darkness to them, signifying indeed the punishment that would overtake them in the present and in the future.

So that even the brightest day became darkness to them, so that they groaned loudly like a bear for its cubs, and frequently like a dove.

Then he says, We awaited judgment, and there is none; showing those who persisted in their own sins, and failed to obtain the divine help.

And he calls that judgment, according to which all choose the better things for themselves.

Or having forsaken it they perished, when there came upon them

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προφήτης πάλιν ἀναλαβὼν κατηγορεῖ, δεδαπανῆσθαι λέγων, καὶ παντελῶς ἐκλιπεῖν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ἐν δὲ ψεύδει (ταυτὸν δὲ εἰπεῖν, σκότῳ) περιπατοῦντες, πῶς ἂν εὐθείας ἔσχον ὁδοὺς, Χριστὸν τὸ φῶς ἀποστραφέντες, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν; Καὶ εἶδεν Κύριος, καὶ οὐκ ἤρεσεν αὐτῷ, ὅτι οὐκ ἦν κρίσις· τοῦτ' ἔστι δικαιοκρισία. Καὶ εἶδεν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀνήρ· καὶ ἤδη γὰρ εἶπεν· "Ὅτι ἦλθον, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος· ἐκάλεσα καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ὑπακούων." Φιλάνθρωπος γὰρ ὢν ὅλῃ πόλει δι' ἕνα καὶ μόνον ἀνίησι τὰ ἐγκλήματα. ∆ιὰ γὰρ Ἱερεμίου φησί· "Περιδράμετε ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ζητήσατε ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις αὐτῆς, καὶ ἴδετε ἂν εὕρητε ἄνδρα· εἰ ἔστι ποιῶν πίστιν, καὶ ἀγαπῶν ἔλεος, καὶ ἵλεως ἔσομαι αὐτῇ, λέγει Κύριος." Ὑπέσχετο δὲ καὶ Σοδόμοις ἀνεῖναι εἰ σχοῖεν πέντε δικαίους. Πενταπόλεως γὰρ οὔσης, καθ' ἑκάστην ἕνα ζητεῖ. Τὸν οὖν τοὺς ἄλλους σῶσαι δυνάμενον ἐκ δικαιοπραγίας, καὶ νῦν ἐκάλεσεν ἀντιλαμβανόμενον. Μηδένα δὲ τοιοῦτον εὑρὼν, ἠμύνατο, φησὶν, αὐτοὺς τῇ δυνάμει. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ, βραχίονι. Ἐστηρίσατο δὲ καὶ τῇ ἐλεημοσύνῃ· ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς, ἐπεστηρίσατο. Οὐ γὰρ πάντας ἀπώλεσεν. Ἔσωσε γὰρ τὸ κατάλειμμα τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν ἀψευδῆ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τηρῶν. Ἐφ' οἷς αὐτῶν ἅλωσιν τὴν ἐσχάτην σημαίνων, ὥσπερ ὁπλιζόμενον τὸν Θεὸν κατ' αὐτῶν ὑποτίθεται, πρὸς ὃν εἴρηται· "Σὺ φοβερὸς εἶ, καὶ τίς ἀντιστήσεταί σοι ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς σου;" Τοιαῦτα δὲ παθόντων, οἱ λοιποὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης, φησὶ, φοβηθήσονται τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀπειθησάντων βιαίαν ὀργὴν, ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Καὶ ἠμύνατο αὐτοὺς τῷ βραχίονι αὐτοῦ, τινὲς ἐκθέμενοι, Καὶ ἔσωσεν αὐτῷ βραχίων αὐτοῦ, ἐπήγαγον· μηδεμίαν ἰσχὺν ἐχόντων αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἐν ἰσχύϊ Θεοῦ ἡ νίκη καὶ ἡ σωτηρία παρέσται διὰ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Καὶ τῇ ἐλεημοσύνῃ αὐτοῦ ἐστηρίσατο, καὶ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ αὐτοῦ ἐπεστηρίσατο, τὸ ῥητὸν εἰπόντες, ἐπήγαγον· Ἡ γὰρ ἐν Κυρίῳ δικαιοσύνη στήριγμα γίνεται τῆς κατὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν δικαίας κρίσεως. Πρὸς τὴν πολεμικὴν δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ παρασκευὴν ἔφασαν, ὡς ταύτην ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἡμᾶς τὴν ὅπλισιν ἐνδύσασθαι παραινεῖ. Ἐν Κυρίῳ οὖν τὸ ἀληθὲς τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἧ ἐστι θώραξ τῆς ἐλπίδος. Ἥ ἐστι περικεφαλαία, ἐν ἡμῖν δὲ μίμησις. Ἕπεται δὲ, φασὶ, καὶ ἡ κριτικὴ οἷον ὅπλισις, κατὰ τῶν θλιβόντων Χριστὸν ἔν τε τῇ κατ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῇ κατὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἐπαναστάσει. Ταυτὰ δηλοῦται κἀν τῷ δευτέρῳ ψαλμῷ. Τινὲς δὲ τὴν ὅλην ἄνωθεν οὕτως ἐξηγήσαντο ῥῆσιν· Θεοῦ πολλάκις ἐπαγγειλαμένου βοηθεῖν τῷ λαῷ, καὶ τοὐναντίον αὐτοὺς αἰχμαλωσίᾳ παραδιδόντος, ὡς ἀσθενοῦντος κατεβόων Θεοῦ. ∆ι 2612 ελέγχων οὖν αὐτοὺς, αἰτίας τὰς αὐτῶν ἁμαρτίας φησὶ, δι' ἃς καὶ ἀνήκοος καὶ ἀδύναμος ἐνομίσθη. Σφάξοντες γὰρ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν ἡπατοσκοποῦντο, ὡς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν μεμολύνθαι τῷ αἵματι, καὶ διὰ τῶν χειλῶν ἀσεβεῖν, ἀφ' ὦν ἑαυτοῖς, ὡς ἀπὸ σπερμάτων, πόνους ἐγέννησαν, ματαιοπονοῦντες ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ἃ γὰρ ἐπιθυμήματα συνελέξαντο, ὡς ὠὰ ἀσπίδων ἀτελεσφόρητα, καὶ ἀράχνης ἱστὸς, βλάπτοντα μᾶλλόν ἐστιν, ἤπερ ὠφελῆσαι δυνάμενα. Κἂν εἰς ἔργον δὲ προαχθεῖεν, οὐδὲν ἀπέοικε βασιλίσκου. ∆ι' οὗ, κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν, ληψόμεθα τὸν διάβολον τὸν τῶν κακῶν χορηγόν. Ἐκ δὲ τῶν κακῶν ἁπάντων ἱμάτιον ἐξύφηναν, ὃ μετὰ τὸν κοινὸν θάνατον οὐκ ἔσται σκέπη τῶν κακῶν αὐτῶν, μέχρι ταφῆς ἰσχυόντων κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ἰὼβ, τὸ, "Ἕως σοροῦ ἠγρύπνησα." Ἐκ δὲτῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν ταλαιπωροῦσιν, εἰρήνην οὐκ ἔχοντες. Ὡς γὰρ τὸ κριτικὸν ἀπολέσαντες, βασιλικὴν οὐκ ἦλθον ὁδὸν ἄνω κάτω πλανώμενοι. Οὕτω γὰρ τὴν πονηρίαν μετῄεσαν, ὡς φωτὸς ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀπολαύσοντες, ὃ γέγονε σκότος αὐτοῖς, δηλῶν δὴ τὴν ἐν τῷ παρόντι καὶ μέλλοντι καταληψομένην αὐτοὺς τιμωρίαν. Ὡς καὶ τὴν φωτεινοτάτην αὐτοῖς ἡμέραν σκότος γενέσθαι, ὡς στενάζειν αὐτοὺς μεγάλα ὡς ἄρκτον ἐπὶ τέκνοις, καὶ πυκνὰ ὡς περιστεράν. Εἶτά φησιν, Ἀνεμείναμεν κρίσιν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι· δηλῶν τοὺς τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτήμασιν ἐγχρονίσαντας, καὶ τῆς ἀντιλήψεως ἀποτυχόντας τῆς θείας. Κρίσιν δὲ λέγει, καθ' ἣν τὰ κρείττω πάντες ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιλέγονται. Ἢ ἀπολιπόντες ἀπώλοντο, ἐπελθόντων