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with which each one brings forth fruits. Therefore, while there is still time, from this point he now exhorts to pray and to render; so that, having stored up our own treasures, we might bring them to him at the proper time, having become worthy of those who surround his throne. For all round about him will bring him gifts, being terrible to those who do not approach him, nor bring gifts. Wherefore it is added: To him that is terrible and taketh away the spirits of princes, to the terrible with the kings of the earth. For the saying, My spirit shall not remain upon the sons of men, will also be said of those who were once called rulers and leaders, and were counted worthy of the Holy Spirit, but did not live worthy of the grace; from whom the spirit is taken away, so that, being deprived of it, they may be delivered to the fitting punishment. But according to Symmachus, To the lawgiver, who takes away the spirit of rulers, and is terrible to the kings of the earth. FOR THE END, FOR IDITHUM, A PSALM OF ASAPH. 76. With my voice I cried to the Lord, with my voice to God, and he gave heed to me. The psalm is said to be by Asaph, but it is brought forward in the person of Idithum, for whom the things contained in the psalm were composed. Hence Symmachus translated, Through Idithum, and Aquila, Upon Idithum. And now Asaph, having composed the words at hand, has delivered them to Idithum to practice, as a teacher to a student; or as a physician to one in need of healing, a saving 23.888 medicine for the patient to use and be benefited; and previously, for the same man, David at one time wrote a song, and at another a psalm. Therefore in the 38th psalm it was inscribed, For the end, for Idithum, a song of David. That this man is said to be contemporary with David and Asaph, the Scripture of Chronicles shows, as we have demonstrated before. And it seems to me that Idithum was in need of teaching concerning the doctrine of Providence, because he observed in the life of men many atheists and impious men being exalted and boasting, reveling in wealth and abundance; while the just, on the contrary, were humbled and oppressed by the impious. It is likely, then, that he despaired at these things, and had raised certain questions both to David himself and to Asaph, such as others of the ancients also raised, like the one who said: Why do the wicked prosper, and grow old in wealth? Their seed is according to their soul; and their children play, taking up the psaltery and harp. And he says to the Lord, Depart from me; I do not desire to know your ways. To Idithum, who was likely perplexed by such things, David at one time, and Asaph at another, like teachers and physicians, provided teachings therapeutic for such an opinion. Therefore in the 38th psalm he taught him to say these things: I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue. I set a guard for my mouth, when the sinner stood up against me. I was deaf and was humbled and kept silent, and the things that follow these, which indeed we have explained by citing them in their proper places. And in the 61st psalm, again the same one, speaking, taught the same man: Shall not my soul be subject to God? for from him is my salvation. For he is my God and my Savior, my helper; I shall not be moved any more. How long do you set upon a man, all of you killing? And these things have also been interpreted as to what meaning they have, according to the grace that was given. Following these things, Asaph also, through the words at hand, delivers to the same man teaching not to be troubled in the trials of life, nor in what he knew from his previous prophecies about the rebellion of the wicked and the humiliation of the people of God; but to flee as to a saving harbor in the

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μεθ' ὧν ἐπιφέρεται ἕκαστος καρπῶν. ∆ιόπερ ὡς ἔτι καιρός ἐστιν, ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη παραινεῖ εὔξασθαι καὶ ἀποδιδόναι· ὡς ἂν, τοὺς ἑαυτῶν θησαυροὺς ταμιευσάμενοι, κατὰ καιρὸν αὐτῷ προσκομίσωμεν, ἄξιοι γενόμενοι τῶν κυκλούντων αὐτοῦ τὸν θρόνον. Πάντες γὰρ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ προσοίσουσιν αὐτῷ δῶρα, φοβερῷ ὄντι τοῖς μὴ πλησιάζουσιν αὐτῷ, μηδὲ τὰ δῶρα προσφέρουσι. ∆ιὸ ἐπιλέγεται· Τῷ φοβερῷ καὶ ἀφαιρουμένῳ πνεύματα ἀρχόντων, φοβερῷ παρὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τῆς γῆς. Τὸ γὰρ, Οὐ μὴ καταμείνῃ τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων, λεχθήσεται καὶ ἐπ' ἐκείνων τῶν ποτε μὲν ἀρχόντων καὶ ἡγουμένων χρηματισάντων, καὶ Πνεύματος ἁγίου καταξιωθέντων, οὐ μὴν ἀξίως βιωσάντων τῆς χάριτος· ἀφ' ὧν ἀφαιρεῖται τὸ πνεῦμα, ὅπως, στερηθέντες αὐτοῦ, τῇ προσηκούσῃ παραδοθῶσι τιμωρίᾳ. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Τῷ νομοδότῃ, ἀφαιροῦντι μὲν πνεῦμα ἡγεμόνων, φοβερῷ δὲ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι τῆς γῆς ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ ΥΠΕΡ Ι∆ΙΘΟΥΜ, ΨΑΛΜΟΣ ΤΩ ΑΣΑΦ. Οʹ. Φωνῇ μου πρὸς Κύριον ἐκέκραξα, φωνῇ μου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ προσέσχε μοι. Τῷ μὲν Ἀσὰφ εἴρηται ὁ ψαλμὸς, ἀνήνεκται δὲ εἰς πρόσωπον τοῦ Ἰδιθοὺμ, ὑπὲρ οὗ τὰ ἐμφερόμενα τῷ ψαλμῷ συνετάττετο. Ὅθεν ὁ Σύμμαχος, ∆ιὰ Ἰδιθοὺμ, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, Ἐπὶ Ἰδιθοὺμ, ἡρμήνευσαν. Καὶ νῦν μὲν ὁ Ἀσὰφ, τοὺς μετὰ χεῖρας λόγους συντάξας, ὥσπερ διδάσκαλος μαθητῇ ἐμμελετᾷν τῷ Ἰδιθοὺμ παραδέδωκεν· ἢ ὥσπερ ἰατρὸς τῷ θεραπείας δεομένῳ σωτή 23.888 ριον φάρμακον ἐπὶ τὸ χρήσασθαι αὐτῷ καὶ ὠφελεῖσθαι τὸν θεραπευόμενον· ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὁ ∆αυῒδ ποτὲ μὲν ᾠδὴν, ποτὲ δὲ ψαλμὸν ἔγραφε. ∆ιὸ ἐν μὲν τῷ ληʹ ψαλμῷ ἐπεγέγραπτο, Εἰς τὸ τέλος ὑπὲρ Ἰδιθοὺμ, ᾠδὴ τῷ ∆αυΐδ. Ὅτι δὲ ὁ ἀνὴρ οὗτος συγχρονίσαι λέγεται τῷ ∆αυῒδ καὶ τῷ Ἀσὰφ, ἡ τῶν Παραλειπομένων παρίστησι Γραφὴ, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἀπεδείξαμεν. Καί μοι δοκεῖ ὁ Ἰδιθοὺμ διδασκαλίας δεδεῆσθαι τοῦ περὶ Προνοίας λόγου, διὰ τὸ συνορᾷν ἐν τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίῳ πολλοὺς ἀθέους καὶ ἀσεβεῖς ἐπαιρομένους καὶ μεγαλαυχουμένους, πλούτῳ τε καὶ περιουσίᾳ ἐντρυφῶντας· δικαίους δὲ ἔμπαλιν ταπεινουμένους καὶ πρὸς τῶν ἀσεβῶν καταπονουμένους. Εἰκὸς γοῦν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀποδυσπετεῖν, καὶ λόγους τινὰς κεκινηκέναι πρός τε αὐτὸν τὸν ∆αυῒδ καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἀσὰφ, ὁποίους ἐκίνουν καὶ ἕτεροι τῶν παλαιῶν, ὡς ὁ εἰπών· Ἱνατί ἀσεβεῖς εὐθηνοῦσι, πεπαλαίωνται δὲ καὶ ἐν πλούτῳ, Ὁ σπόρος αὐτῶν κατὰ ψυχήν· τὰ δὲ παιδία αὐτῶν παίζοντα, ἀναλαμβάνοντα ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάραν. Λέγει δὲ Κυρίῳ· Ἀπόστα ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· ὁδούς σου εἰδέναι οὐ βούλομαι. Τοιαῦτά τινα, ὡς εἰκὸς, ἐπαποροῦντι τῷ Ἰδιθοὺμ, οἷα διδάσκαλοι καὶ ἰατροὶ ποτὲ μὲν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ποτὲ δὲ ὁ Ἀσὰφ, διδασκαλίας παρεῖχον τῆς τοιᾶσδε δόξης θεραπευτικάς. Ὅθεν ἐν μὲν τῷ ληʹ τοιάδε λέγειν αὐτὸν ἐδίδασκεν· Εἶπα· Φυλάξω τὰς ὁδούς μου τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐν γλώσσῃ μου. Ἐθέμην τῷ στόματί μου φυλακὴν ἐν τῷ συστῆναι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐναντίον μου· ἐκωφώθην καὶ ἐταπεινώθην καὶ ἐσίγησα, καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἑξῆς· ἃ δὴ κατὰ τοὺς οἰκείους τόπους παραθέμενοι διεσαφήσαμεν. Ἐν δὲ τῷ ξαʹ πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς λέγων τὸν αὐτὸν ἐδίδασκεν· Οὐχὶ τῷ Θεῷ ὑποταγήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου; παρ' αὐτοῦ γὰρ τὸ σωτήριόν μου. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς Θεός μου καὶ Σωτήρ μου, ἀντιλήπτωρ μου, οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ ἐπιπλεῖον. Ἕως πότε ἐπιτίθεσθε ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον, φονεύετε πάντες ὑμεῖς; Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ ὁποῖον ἔχει νοῦν κατὰ τὴν δοθεῖσαν χάριν ἡρμήνευται. Οἷς ἀκολούθως καὶ ὁ Ἀσὰφ διὰ τῶν μετὰ χεῖρας τῷ αὐτῷ ἀνδρὶ παραδίδωσι διδασκαλίαν τοῦ μὴ ταράττεσθαι ἐν τοῖς τοῦ βίου πειρατηρίοις, μηδὲ ἐν οἷς ἔγνω ἐκ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ προφητειῶν περὶ τῆς τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἐπαναστάσεως, τῆς τε τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ταπεινώσεως· καταφεύγειν δὲ ὡς ἐπὶ λιμένα σωτήριον ἐν ταῖς