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to deliver to the cruel beasts the souls of those who confess to you, nor to utterly forget them, lest we become prey for beasts accustomed to devouring souls; such as are the opposing powers, the plotters and enemies of human souls; but look upon your covenant, and remember your agreement, by which you were pleased to save the human race, having gifted them a new covenant through your Christ. For even if some have become darkened in their understanding and filled with a house of iniquities, not accepting your Christ, still you, as a man-loving God, do not turn away from the supplications of your poor. And who would be the poor who pray these things on behalf of all the people, but the disciples and apostles of our Savior, to whom it was said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for yours is the kingdom of heaven? For to these Isaiah also testified, speaking in the person of Christ: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach good news to the poor. These, therefore, prayed for all the people, as if all of them were saying, just like Paul: I could wish that I myself were accursed for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites. And the prophets of God themselves, being poor for his sake, supplicated these things on behalf of the whole nation. Arise, O God, judge your own cause; remember your reproaches, from a fool all the day. Do not forget the voice of your enemies; the pride of those who hate you has ascended continually. Since it is not we who have been wronged, but you; for the enemy has reproached you, and a foolish people has provoked your name; for this reason, arise, O God, and judge your own cause. And according to Symmachus: Stand, O God, fight for your battle, and remember your reproach from a fool throughout the whole day. Do not forget the voice of your enemies, that is, of those who oppose you, as it ascends unceasingly? And up to this point the discourse stands, exhorting God to arise and judge his cause, to remember the reproach of the foolish, and not to consign to oblivion the voices of the enemies and the pride of those who are continually exalted. However, no better response is attached following these things, nor a promise of good things to those who have prayed, which can be found in other cases. Therefore, at the beginning, the discourse prophesied a rejection to the end for those indicated, and throughout it added "to the end" to the grim prophecy. From this, the divine Apostle, writing about them, said, But wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

TO THE END, DESTROY NOT, A PSALM OF ASAPH. 74. We will confess to you, O God, we will confess to you, and we will call upon your name.

Instead of, To the end, destroy not, Symmachus translated, A song of victory concerning incorruption, a psalm of Asaph. Therefore the discourse is about the incorruption that is laid up for the righteous, for whom the prizes of victory have also been stored up. For this reason it is also called a song of victory; and it directs us to the end, about which the Apostle says: Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when he has abolished every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be abolished is death. For at that end, those who have conquered in the good contest in the present age will attain incorruptible life; which indeed the present discourse also shows toward the end, saying: And I will break all the horns of the sinners, and the horns of the righteous will be exalted. For in harmony with the Apostle, the present discourse, having said that the horns will be broken, added,

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παραδοῦναι τοῖς ἀπηνέσι θηρσὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἐξομολογουμένων σοι, μηδὲ λήθην ποιήσασθαι εἰς τὸ παντελὲς, μὴ βορὰ γενώμεθα θηρίων ψυχὰς ἐσθίειν πεφυκότων· ὁποῖαί εἰσιν αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις, αἱ τῶν ψυχῶν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἐπίβουλοί τε καὶ πολέμιοι· ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐπίβλεψον εἰς τὴν διαθήκην σου, καὶ μνήσθητι τῆς συνθήκης σου, δι' ἧς ηὐδόκησας σῶσαι τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος, καινὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῖς διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου δεδωρημένος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα γεγόνασί τινες ἐσκοτισμένοι τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ οἴκῳ ἀνομιῶν πεπληρωμένοι, μὴ παραδεξάμενοι τὸν Χριστόν σου, ἀλλὰ σὺ ὡς φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς τῶν σῶν πτωχῶν μὴ ἀποστραφῇς τὰς ἱκετηρίας. Τίνες δ' ἂν εἶεν οἱ πτωχοὶ οἱ ταῦτα ὑπὲρ παντὸς εὐχόμενοι τοῦ λαοῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μαθηταὶ καὶ ἀπόστολοι πρὸς οὓς ἐλέγετο· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν; Τούτοις γὰρ καὶ Ἡσαΐας ἐμαρτύρει ἐκ προσώπου λέγων τοῦ Χριστοῦ· Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέ με, εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με. Οὗτοι γοῦν ὑπερηύχοντο τοῦ παντὸς λαοῦ, μονονουχὶ φήσαντες ἂν οἱ πάντες αὐτοὶ ὁμοίως Παύλῳ τό· Ηὐχόμην ἀνάθεμα εἶναι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου, τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα, οἵτινές εἰσιν Ἰσραηλῖται. Καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ οἱ προφῆται τοῦ Θεοῦ, δι' αὐτὸν πτωχεύοντες, ταῦθ' ὑπὲρ τοῦ παντὸς καθικέτευον ἔθνους. Ἀνάστα, ὁ Θεὸς, δίκασον τὴν δίκην σου, μνήσθητι τῶν ὀνειδισμῶν σου, τῶν ὑπὸ ἄφρονος ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν. Μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ τῆς φωνῆς τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου, ἡ ὑπερηφανία τῶν μισούντων σε ἀνέβη διαπαντός. Ἐπειδὴ οὐχ ἡμεῖς ἠδικήμεθα ἀλλὰ σύ· σὲ γὰρ ὠνείδισεν ὁ ἐχθρὸς, καὶ λαὸς ἄφρων τὸ σὸν ὄνομα παρώξυνε· τούτου χάριν ἀνάστηθι, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ δίκασον τὴν δίκην σου. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Στῆθι, ὁ Θεὸς, προμάχησον τῆς μάχης σου, καὶ μνημόνευσον τοῦ ὀνείδους σου παρὰ ἄφρονος τοῦ διὰ πάσης ἡμέρας. Μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ τῆς φωνῆς τῶν πολεμίων σου, ἤγουν τῶν ἀνθεστηκότων σοι, μέχρις οὗ ἀναβαίνοντος ἀδιαλείπτως; Καὶ μέχρι τούτων ἵσταται ὁ λόγος παρακαλῶν τὸν Θεὸν διαναστῆναι καὶ δικάσαι τὴν δίκην αὐτοῦ, μνησθῆναί τε τοῦ ὀνειδισμοῦ τῶν ἀφρόνων, μηδὲ λήθῃ παραδοῦναι τὰς φωνὰς τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ τὰς ὑπερηφανίας τῶν διαπαντὸς ἐπαιρομένων. Οὐ μὴν ἐπισυνῆπται τούτοις ἑξῆς χρηστοτέρα τις ἀπόκρισις, οὐδὲ ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελία τοῖς δεηθεῖσιν, ὅπερ ἔστιν ἐφ' ἑτέρων εὑρεῖν. ∆ιόπερ ἀρχόμενος ὁ λόγος ἀπωσμὸν εἰς τέλος ἐθέσπισε τοῖς δηλουμένοις, καὶ δι' ὅλου τὸ, εἰς τέλος, ἐπῆγε τῇ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν προῤῥήσει. Ἔνθεν ὁρμώμενος καὶ ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, γράφων περὶ αὐτῶν ἔλεγε τὸ, Ἔφθασε δὲ εἰς αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ, ΜΗ ∆ΙΑΦΘΕΙΡΗΣ, ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΤΩ ΑΣΑΦ. Ο∆ʹ. Ἐξομολογησόμεθά σοι, ὁ Θεὸς, ἐξομολογησόμεθά σοι, καὶ ἐπικαλεσόμεθα τὸ

ὄνομά σου. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Εἰς τὸ τέλος, μὴ διαφθείρῃς, ὁ Σύμμαχος, Ἐπινίκιος περὶ ἀφθαρσίας ψαλμὸς τοῦ Ἀσὰφ, ἡρμήνευσεν. Οὐκοῦν περὶ ἀφθαρσίας ὁ λόγος τῆς τοῖς δικαίοις ἀποκειμένης, οἷς καὶ τὰ τῆς νίκης ἀποτεθησαύρισται βραβεῖα. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπινίκιος εἴρηται· ἀναπέμπει δὲ ἡμᾶς καὶ εἰς τὸ τέλος, περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Εἶτα τὸ τέλος, ὅταν παραδῷ τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ, ὅταν καταργήσῃ πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν καὶ πᾶσαν ἐξουσίαν καὶ δύναμιν. ∆εῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν, ἄχρις οὗ θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. Ἔσχατος ἐχθρὸς καταργεῖται ὁ θάνατος. Εἰς ἐκεῖνο γὰρ τὸ τέλος οἱ κατὰ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα αἰῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα νενικηκότες τῆς ἀφθάρτου ζωῆς τεύξονται· ὃ δὴ πρὸς τοῖς τελευταίοις καὶ ὁ μετὰ χεῖρας λόγος παρίστησι λέγων· Καὶ πάντα τὰ κέρατα τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν συνθλάσω, καὶ ὑψωθήσεται τὰ κέρατα τοῦ δικαίου. Συμφώνως γὰρ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ ὁ παρὼν λόγος κλασθήσεσθαι τὰ κέρατα εἰπὼν, ἐπήγαγε τὸ,