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to grasp it from the context and from the other interpreter. For what he says is of such a kind, agreeing with the former. And what was the former? Your eyes saw me unformed; that is, not yet having received a form, still being molded, still being woven, and so they saw me clearly, as that one who has been formed, as that one who has been shaped, as that one who has been completed, and no longer needing any day for its completion. And that you may learn that this is so, hear the interpretation of the other: Your eyes foresaw me unformed, along with all those written in your book, being fashioned in their days, with not one lacking. You saw me with those, he says, you saw me like those, who were being formed in their days, days in which no day was lacking. And he says these things, not as if there were a book above, nor as if some were being written down, but signifying precise knowledge through the book, just as when he says: The Lord heard, and he wrote in a book. And again, The books were opened. But to me your friends were greatly honored, O God. Another, Your companions have become precious. This too is no small virtue, to hold the friends of God in great honor. You foresaw me, he says, you brought me forth from non-existence, you hold me fast, and I give this reward, honoring your friends. Their leaderships were greatly strengthened. That is, they themselves were strengthened. Another says: Why are their heads so numerous? Which is also clearer; for he adds: I will count them, and they will be more numerous than the sand. I for my part honor them, but you make them many, and more than the sand; and not only many, but also strong. For, They were strengthened, means this. And he speaks of a twofold prosperity, both in number, and in increase of strength. I was roused, and I am still with you. Another, I will awaken, and I will be with you forever. 5. This is no small sign of virtue, to remain in prosperity while preserving one's virtue. For many, having enjoyed good fortune, became forgetful. But not I, 55.418 he says, but even when I rise, that is, when I am delivered from terrors, I will always be with you. If you kill sinners, O God. He does not say this, that If you kill, then I will be; but that indeed is promised even without this; but he asks for this to happen, not to destroy the substance of men, but to change them from sin to righteousness. For he did not say, if you kill men, but, Sinners. But another, instead of Sinners, said Transgressor, speaking of the enemies who worship idols. Men of blood, turn away from me. He calls men of blood the murderous, those who rejoice in slaughter. And this too is no small path to the increase of virtue, to flee and shun the company of such men. Then also the reason: Because you are contentious in your reasonings. Another, Who spoke against you in their reasoning. Another, Because they have provoked you with evil counsel. See one not seeking his own interests, but because of the insolence toward God, shunning and fleeing their company. For this too became a cause of destruction for the Jews, mixing with the wicked. For this reason they also received the law, and were walled off from them by the law, and were commanded to avoid intermarriage with them, and when they then came out of Egypt, they were formed by themselves in the desert for forty years. For this reason the law was also called a hedge, as it surrounded them on all sides, and restrained their association with the wicked; for their character was easily deceived, easily captured, and easily turned aside. They will take your cities in vain. Another, Your rivals have been lifted up in vain. Another, Your enemies. For this reason he flees and shuns them, because they were lifted up against the glory of God, because they transgressed the law, because they uttered blasphemous words. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord,

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ἀκολουθίας καὶ τοῦ ἑτέρου ἑρμηνέως αὐτὸ θηρεῦσαι. Ὃ γὰρ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι, συμφωνοῦν τῷ προτέρῳ. Τί δὲ ἦν τὸ πρότερον; Ἀμόρφωτόν με εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου· τουτέστι, μηδέπω λαβόντα τύπον, ἔτι πλαττόμενον, ἔτι ὑφαινόμενον, καὶ οὕτω με εἶδον σαφῶς, ὡς ἐκεῖνον τὸν μεμορφωμένον, ὡς ἐκεῖνον τὸν τετυπωμένον, ὡς ἐκεῖνον τὸν πεπληρωμένον, καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς ἡμέρας ἔτι δεόμενον πρὸς τὴν ἀπάρτισιν. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστι, ἄκουσον τῆς ἑρμηνείας τοῦ ἑτέρου· Ἀμόρφωτόν με προεῖδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου, σὺν τοῖς ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ σου πᾶσι γεγραμμένοις, ἡμέρας πλασσομένοις, οὐκ ἐνδεούσης οὐδεμιᾶς. Σὺν ἐκείνοις με εἶδες, φησὶν, ὁμοίως ἐκείνοις με εἶδες, τοῖς πλασσομένοις ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῶν, ἡμέραις, αἷς οὐκ ἐνέδει οὐδεμία ἡμέρα. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει, οὐχ ὡς βιβλίου ὄντος ἄνω, οὐδὲ ὡς ἐγγραφομένων τινῶν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀκριβῆ γνῶσιν διὰ τοῦ βιβλίου σημαίνων, ὥσπερ ὅταν φησίν· Ἤκουσε Κύριος, καὶ ἔγραψεν ἐν βίβλῳ. Καὶ πάλιν, Βίβλοι ἀνεῴχθησαν. Ἐμοὶ δὲ λίαν ἐτιμήθησαν οἱ φίλοι σου, ὁ Θεός. Ἄλλος, Τίμιοι ἐγένοντο οἱ ἑταῖροί σου. Οὐ μικρὰ καὶ τοῦτο ἀρετὴ, τὸ τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ φίλους διὰ πολλῆς ἄγειν τιμῆς. Προενόησάς μου, φησὶν, οὐκ ὄντα παρήγαγες, διακρατεῖς, καὶ ἐγὼ ταύτην δίδωμι τὴν ἀμοιβὴν τοὺς φίλους σου τιμῶν. Λίαν ἐκραταιώθησαν αἱ ἀρχαὶ αὐτῶν. Τουτέστιν, αὐτοὶ ἐκραταιώθησαν. Ἄλλος φησί· Τί παμπληθεῖς αἱ κεφαλαὶ αὐτῶν; Ὅπερ καὶ σαφέστερον· ἐπάγει γάρ· Ἐξαριθμήσομαι αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἄμμον πληθυνθήσονται. Ἐγὼ μὲν αὐτοὺς τιμῶ, σὺ δὲ πολλοὺς ποιεῖς, καὶ ψάμμου πλείους· οὐ μόνον δὲ πολλοὺς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἰσχυρούς. Τὸ γὰρ, Ἐκραταιώθησαν, τοῦτό ἐστι. Καὶ διπλῆν λέγει τὴν εὐημερίαν, τήν τε εἰς πλῆθος, τήν τε εἰς ἰσχύος ἐπίδοσιν. Ἐξηγέρθην, καὶ ἔτι εἰμὶ μετὰ σοῦ. Ἄλλος, Ἐξυπνώσω, καὶ εἰς ἀεὶ ἔσομαι παρὰ σοί. εʹ. Οὐ μικρὸν τοῦτο ἀρετῆς σημεῖον, τὸ ἐν εὐημερίᾳ μένειν τὴν ἀρετὴν διατηροῦντα. Πολλοὶ γοῦν ἀπολαύσαντες εὐπραγίας, ἐπελάθοντο. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγὼ, 55.418 φησὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀναστὰς, τουτέστιν, ἀπαλλαγεὶς τῶν δεινῶν, ἀεὶ μετὰ σοῦ ἔσομαι. Ἐὰν ἀποκτείνῃς ἁμαρτωλοὺς, ὁ Θεός. Οὐ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι Ἐὰν ἀποκτείνῃς, τότε ἔσομαι· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο μὲν καὶ χωρὶς τούτου ἐπήγγελται· αἰτεῖ δὲ τοῦτο γενέσθαι, οὐχ ἵνα ἀφανίσῃ τὴν οὐσίαν τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ἵνα μεταβάλῃ αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνην. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ἐὰν ἀποκτείνῃς ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ, Ἁμαρτωλούς. Ἕτερος δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ Ἁμαρτωλοὺς, Παραβάτην εἶπε, περὶ τῶν πολεμίων λέγων τῶν εἴδωλα προσκυνούντων. Ἄνδρες αἱμάτων, ἐκκλίνατε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Αἱμάτων ἄνδρας τοὺς φονικούς φησι, τοὺς σφαγαῖς χαίροντας. Οὐ μικρὰ δὲ καὶ αὕτη πρὸς ἐπίδοσιν ἀρετῆς ἡ ὁδὸς, τὸ φεύγειν καὶ ἀποπηδᾷν τὰς τῶν τοιούτων συνουσίας. Εἶτα καὶ ἡ αἰτία· Ὅτι ἐρισταί ἐστε εἰς διαλογισμούς. Ἄλλος, Οἵτινες ἀντελάλησάν σοι διαλογισμόν. Ἄλλος, Ὅτι παρεπίκρανάν σε ἐν κακοβουλίᾳ. Ὅρα μὴ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ζητοῦντα, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ὕβριν ἀποπηδῶντα, καὶ φεύγοντα τὴν πρὸς ἐκείνους συνουσίαν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο τῆς ἀπωλείας τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις αἴτιον γέγονε, τὸ τοῖς πονηροῖς ἀναμίγνυσθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ νόμον ἐλάμβανον, καὶ νόμῳ διετειχίζοντο ἀπ' αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπιγαμίας φεύγειν ἐκελεύοντο, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου τότε ἐξελθόντες, ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐπλάττοντο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ φραγμὸς ὁ νόμος ἐλέγετο, ἅτε πανταχόθεν αὐτοῖς περικείμενος, καὶ τὰς πρὸς τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀναστέλλων συνουσίας· εὐεξαπάτητον γὰρ αὐτῶν τὸ ἦθος, εὐάλωτον καὶ εὐπερίτρεπτον. Λήψονται εἰς ματαιότητας τὰς πόλεις σου. Ἕτερος, Ἐπήρθησαν ματαίως ἀντίζηλοί σου. Ἄλλος, Οἱ ἐχθροί σου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο φεύγει καὶ ἀποπηδᾷ, ὅτι ἐπήρθησαν κατὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξης, ὅτι παρηνόμουν, ὅτι βλάσφημα ἐφθέγγοντο ῥήματα. Οὐχὶ τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε, Κύριε,