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mourning. If, therefore, you wish to ascend these steps, cut off the dissolute and loose part of life, tighten yourself with the laboriousness of the way of life, withdraw from earthly things. This is the first ascent. For it is not possible, it is not possible, both to climb a ladder and to cling to the earth at the same time. 2. You see how great the height of heaven is; you know the shortness of time; you know the uncertainty of death. Therefore, do not delay, nor put it off, but with much vehemence take hold of this departure, so that in one day you may ascend two and three and ten and twenty steps. Lord, deliver my soul from unjust lips, and from a deceitful tongue. See here that evangelical precept shining forth: Pray that you may not enter into temptation. For nothing is equal to this temptation, beloved, of falling in with a deceitful man; such a one is more grievous than a wild beast. For the beast appears as what it is; but this one has often hidden the venom with a screen of fairness, so that the ambush becomes difficult to detect, and the one who falls into it falls unguardedly into a pit. For this reason he continually, up and down, beseeches God to be delivered from such treacherous people. But if one must flee the deceitful and treacherous, much more the deceivers, and those who inject evil doctrines. And one might especially call those lips unjust, which harm virtue, which lead away to vice. For these reasons, indeed, this Prophet also asks that his soul be delivered; for there it injects its arrows. What shall be given to you, and what shall be added to you for a deceitful tongue? Another interpreter says: What will a deceitful tongue give you, or what will it add? And another: What might a tongue of attack give you, or what might it add to you? Therefore what has been said represents nothing other than that this wickedness is great, and the form of evil is grievous. For this reason, indeed, you see the Prophet also angered, enraged, and saying: What shall be given to you, and what shall be added to you for a deceitful tongue? And what he says is this: What punishment could be found 55.341 worthy of this wickedness? Which Isaiah also said to the Jews: Why should you be struck any more, adding lawlessness? this indeed he also says: What shall be given to you, and what shall be added to you for a deceitful tongue? Either, therefore, he says this, or that this very thing is punishment, and before the judgment you exact judgment from yourself, begetting wickedness from within. For the greatest punishment of the soul is wickedness, even before the judgment. What then would be a worthy judgment for such a person? Here indeed none, but the blow from God. For a man could not retaliate worthily; for wickedness surpasses all punishment; but God will bring the blow. Therefore, indicating this, he quickly added, saying: The sharp arrows of the mighty one, with desolate coals. Again, he here calls the punishments arrows. And another interpreter said, The arrows of the mighty one are sharpened, with piled-up coals. And another, With juniper coals, increasing the fear of the punishment by the metaphor of the names. For both "piled-up" and "of juniper" have the same meaning. The one represents the multitude; but this one the quality and the vehemence of the punishment. Which, therefore, the Seventy also, indicating, have rendered, With desolate coals, that is, with coals that make desolate, that consume, that destroy. For from the fearful materials among us the Scriptures also fashion the punishments of God, calling them arrows and fire. And here it seems to me to allude to the barbarians. Wherefore also another interpreter, declaring this, said: Deliver my soul from a lying lip. For such are their words, such are their deceits and plots, all full of error and much wickedness. Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged; I have dwelt with the tents of Kedar. Another interpreter says:

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πενθοῦντες. Εἰ τοίνυν βούλει τοὺς ἀναβαθμοὺς ἀναβαίνειν τούτους, περίκοψον τὸ διαλελυμένον καὶ χαῦνον τοῦ βίου, σύσφιγξον σεαυτὸν τῷ ἐπιπόνῳ τῆς πολιτείας, ἀπόστησον τῶν γηΐνων πραγμάτων. Αὕτη πρώτη ἀνάβασις. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν, ὁμοῦ καὶ κλίμακα ἀναβαίνειν, καὶ τῆς γῆς ἔχεσθαι. βʹ. Ὁρᾷς πόσον τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· οἶσθα τοῦ χρόνου τὴν βραχύτητα· οἶσθα τὸ ἄδηλον τοῦ θανάτου. Μὴ τοίνυν μέλλε, μηδὲ ἀναβάλλου, ἀλλὰ πολλῇ τῇ σφοδρότητι ταύτης ἅψαι τῆς ἀποδημίας, ἵνα ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ δύο καὶ τρεῖς καὶ δέκα καὶ εἴκοσι ἀναβαίνῃς ἀναβαθμούς. Κύριε, ῥῦσαι τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ χειλέων ἀδίκων, καὶ ἀπὸ γλώσσης δολίας. Ὅρα ἐνταῦθα τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν ἐκεῖνο παράγγελμα διαλάμπον· Εὔχεσθε μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς πειρασμόν. Τούτου γὰρ τοῦ πειρασμοῦ οὐδὲν ἴσον, ἀγαπητὲ, τοῦ δολερῷ περιπεσεῖν ἀνθρώπῳ· ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ θηρίου χαλεπώτερος. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὅπερ ἐστὶ φαίνεται· οὗτος δὲ παραπετάσματι πολλάκις ἐπιεικείας τὸν ἰὸν ἀπέκρυψεν, ὡς καὶ δυσφώρατον γενέσθαι τὴν ἐνέδραν, καὶ βαράθρῳ περιπεσεῖν ἀφυλάκτως τὸν ἐμπίπτοντα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο συνεχῶς ἄνω καὶ κάτω τοῦτο παρακαλεῖ τὸν Θεὸν, τῶν τοιούτων ἐπιβούλων ἀπαλλάττεσθαι. Εἰ δὲ τοὺς δολεροὺς δεῖ φεύγειν καὶ ὑπούλους, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἀπατεῶνας, καὶ πονηρὰ δόγματα ἐνιέντας. Μάλιστα δὲ ἄδικα εἴποι τις ἂν χείλη ἐκεῖνα, τὰ περὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν βλάπτοντα, τὰ πρὸς κακίαν ἀπάγοντα. ∆ιὰ δὴ ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Προφήτης οὗτος τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀξιοῖ ῥυσθῆναι· ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἐνίησι τὰ βέλη. Τί δοθείη σοι, καὶ τί προστεθείη σοι πρὸς γλῶσσαν δολίαν; Ἕτερος ἑρμηνευτής φησι· Τί παρέξει σοι, ἢ τί προσθήσει γλῶσσα δολία; Ὁ δὲ ἕτερος· Τί δῴη σοι, ἢ τί προσθείη σοι γλῶσσα κατ' ἐπιθέσεως; Οὐδὲν οὖν ἕτερον παρίστησι τὸ εἰρημένον, ἢ ὅτι μεγάλη αὕτη ἡ πονηρία, καὶ χαλεπὸν τῆς κακίας τὸ εἶδος. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ὁρᾷς καὶ τὸν Προφήτην θυμούμενον, ὀργιζόμενον, καὶ λέγοντα· Τί δοθείη σοι, καὶ τί προστεθείη σοι πρὸς γλῶσσαν δολίαν; Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστι· Ποία ἂν εὑρεθείη 55.341 τῆς κακίας ταύτης ἀξία τιμωρία, Ὅπερ καὶ Ἰουδαίοις Ἡσαΐας ἔλεγε· Τί ἔτι πληγῆτε προστιθέντες ἀνομίαν; τοῦτο δὴ καὶ αὐτός· Τί δοθείη σοι, καὶ τί προστεθείη σοι πρὸς γλῶσσαν δολίαν; Ἢ τοῦτο τοίνυν φησὶν, ἢ ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τιμωρία, καὶ πρὸ τῆς δίκης σαυτὸν ἀπαιτεῖς δίκην, οἴκοθεν τὴν κακίαν τίκτων. Μεγίστη γὰρ ψυχῆς τιμωρία κακία, καὶ πρὸ τῆς δίκης. Τίς οὖν ἂν γένοιτο ἀξία τῷ τοιούτῳ δίκη; Ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὐδεμία, ἡ δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πληγή. Ἄνθρωπος μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἂν κατ' ἀξίαν ἀμύναιτο· ὑπερβαίνει γὰρ πᾶσαν τιμωρίαν ἡ πονηρία· ὁ Θεὸς δὲ ἐπάξει τὴν πληγήν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐμφαίνων τοῦτο, ταχέως ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Τὰ βέλη τοῦ δυνατοῦ ἠκονημένα σὺν τοῖς ἄνθραξι τοῖς ἐρημικοῖς. Πάλιν βέλη ἐνταῦθα τὰς τιμωρίας καλεῖ. Ὁ δὲ ἕτερος ἑρμηνευτὴς, Τὰ βέλη τοῦ δυνατοῦ ἠκόνηται, εἶπε, μετὰ ἀνθράκων ἐστοιβασμένων. Καὶ ἕτερος δὲ, Σὺν ἀνθρακίαις ἀρκευθίναις, τῇ μεταφορᾷ τῶν ὀνομάτων αὔξων τῆς τιμωρίας τὸν φόβον. Τό τε γὰρ, Ἐστοιβασμένων, τό τε, Ἀρκευθίναις, τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει ἔννοιαν. Ἐκεῖ μὲν τὸ πλῆθος παρίστησιν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὴν ποιότητα καὶ τὴν σφοδρότητα τῆς τιμωρίας. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ οἱ Ἑβδομήκοντα δηλοῦντες, Σὺν τοῖς ἄνθραξι τοῖς ἐρημικοῖς, ἐξέδωκαν, τουτέστιν ἐρημοποιοῖς, δαπανῶσι, καταναλίσκουσιν. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν φοβερῶν ὑλῶν καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς τιμωρίας σχηματίζουσιν αἱ Γραφαὶ, βέλη καὶ πῦρ αὐτὰς καλοῦσαι. Ἐνταῦθα δέ μοι τοὺς βαρβάρους αἰνίττεσθαι δοκεῖ. ∆ιὸ καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ἕτερος ἑρμηνευτὴς ἔλεγε· Ῥῦσαι τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ χείλους ψευδοῦς. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ αὐτῶν τὰ ῥήματα, τοιοῦτοι οἱ δόλοι καὶ αἱ ἐπιβουλαὶ, πλάνης γέμοντα ἅπαντα καὶ πολλῆς τῆς κακίας. Οἴμοι ὅτι ἡ παροικία μου ἐμακρύνθη, κατεσκήνωσα μετὰ τῶν σκηνωμάτων Κηδάρ. Ἕτερος ἑρμηνευτής φησιν·