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having preferred death over her own life for the sake of piety toward God. But also a certain wonderful mother of seven children, who contended in martyrdom beyond all description; and her seven children, having endured various trials, showed an extraordinary virtue of endurance. And many other holy ones besides these, of whose end and the shedding of whose blood the word, remembering through the prayer, says: And let the vengeance for the shed blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes. Some have poured out their own blood like libations for the whole nation; while others, not having suffered the same things as these, endured the contest for piety in another way, being fettered by imprisonment and bonds. Of these also he opportunely calls to mind through the prayer their groans and pains and labors, saying: Let the groaning of the fettered enter before you. And you would not be wrong to call "fettered" also those who are worn out in their mortal bodies for their whole life's course. Such was Paul, saying: We who are in this tent groan, being burdened; and again: Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from 23.949 this body of death? And such were also the prophets of God, and all who do not live luxuriously in their own bodies, nor are they given to luxury and pleasure; but on the contrary afflicting their own life with fastings and labors and with the other ascetic hardships; who also groaned to God from the depth of their heart, not only for themselves, but also for the whole people. Therefore it has been said: Let the groaning of the fettered enter before you. And who are those who are taught to say these things, he next shows, stating: Preserve the sons of the slain. For we, on the one hand, have not been deemed worthy to struggle unto death, nor to pour out our own blood for God; but since we are sons of those who have suffered these things, glorying in the virtue of our fathers, we pray to be shown mercy on account of them. Therefore we say: Preserve the sons of the slain. Repay our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom, their reproach, with which they have reproached you, O Lord. But we are your people and the sheep of your pasture, we will give thanks to you forever. From generation to generation we will declare your praise. Preserve us, if not for our own sake, then for the fathers' sake. But to our neighbors, that is, to those who rise up against us and stir up war against us, repay in kind, multiplying many times over the punishment owed to them for what they have done, since they were not satisfied with evils against us, but now also assail you, the Lord over all, with blasphemous and reproachful words. But to them, he says, repay the worthy punishment which will be for their benefit, so that they may be converted and chastened through it; but save us, the sons of the slain; who, even if we have not become like our fathers, are nevertheless your people and the sheep of your pasture; therefore we will give thanks to you forever, that is, giving thanks and sending up fitting hymns and doxologies for the good things we have received to you, God, the giver of all good things. And thereafter from generation to generation we will declare your praise to our children and our children's children, and to their successors who will come after them, as if handing down a good inheritance the saving lessons of praise. TO THE END, FOR THOSE WHO WILL BE CHANGED, A TESTIMONY FOR ASAPH. 79. O Shepherd of Israel, give heed, you who lead Joseph like a sheep. There are four inscribed, "For those who will be changed": two of David, the 59th and the 68th, and one of the sons of Korah, the 44th, and likewise of Asaph the one at hand. The one

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θάνατον τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῆς προτιμήσας ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς τὸν Θεὸν εὐσεβείας. Ἀλλὰ καὶ μήτηρ ἑπτὰ παίδων θαυμασία τις καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντα λόγον ἐναθλήσασα τῷ μαρτυρίῳ· παῖδές τε ταύτης ἑπτὰ διαφόροις ὑποστάντες ἄθλοις, ἐξαίσιον ἀρετὴν καρτερίας ἐνεδείξαντο. Ἄλλοι τε παρὰ τούτοις πλεῖστοι ὅσιοι, ὧν τῆς τελευτῆς καὶ τῶν αἱμάτων τῆς ἐκχύσεως διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς μνημονεύων ὁ λόγος φησί· Καὶ γνωσθήτω ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐνώπιον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἡμῶν ἡ ἐκδίκησις τοῦ αἵματος τῶν δούλων σου τοῦ ἐκκεχυμένου. Οἱ μὲν τὰ αἵματα ἑαυτῶν ὥσπερ σπονδὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ παντὸς ἔθνους ἐκδεδώκασιν· οἱ δὲ, μὴ τὰ ὅμοια τούτοις πεπονθότες, ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ τὸν ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ὑπέμειναν ἀγῶνα, ἔργοις καὶ δεσμοῖς πεδούμενοι. Ὧν καὶ αὐτῶν τοὺς στεναγμοὺς καὶ τὰς ὀδύνας καὶ τοὺς πόνους εὐκαίρως διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς ἀναμιμνήσκει λέγων· Εἰσελθέτω ἐνώπιόν σου ὁ στεναγμὸς τῶν πεπεδημένων. Πεπεδημένους δὲ οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις εἰπὼν καὶ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς θνητοῖς σώμασι πάντα τὸν τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῶν βίον κατατρυχομένους. Ὁποῖος ἦν Παῦλος λέγων· Ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες ἐν τῷ σκήνει στενάζομεν βαρούμενοι· καὶ πάλιν· Ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος, τίς με ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ 23.949 σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου; Τοιοῦτοι δὲ ἦσαν καὶ οἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ προφῆται, καὶ πάντες οἱ μὴ καθηδυπαθοῦντες ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτῶν σώμασι, μηδὲ τρυφῇ καὶ ἡδονῇ σχολάζοντες· τοὔμπαλιν δὲ πιέζοντες ἑαυτῶν τὴν ζωὴν ἀσιτίαις καὶ πόνοις καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἀσκητικαῖς κακοπαθείαις· οἳ καὶ οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ παντὸς λαοῦ ἐκ βάθους καρδίας πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἔστενον. ∆ιὸ λέλεκται· Εἰσελθέτω ἐνώπιόν σου ὁ στεναγμὸς τῶν πεπεδημένων. Τίνες δέ εἰσι οἱ ταῦτα διδασκόμενοι λέγειν, ἑξῆς παρίστησι φάσκων· Περιποίησαι τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν τεθανατωμένων. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ οὐ κατηξιώμεθα μέχρι θανάτου ἀγωνίσασθαι, οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ Θεοῦ κενῶσαι τὰ ἑαυτῶν αἵματα· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῶν ταῦτα πεπονθότων ἐσμὲν υἱοὶ, σεμνυνόμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν πατέρων ἀρετῇ, δεόμεθα δι' ἐκείνους ἐλεηθῆναι. ∆ιό φαμεν· Περιποίησαι τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν τεθανατωμένων. Ἀπόδος τοῖς γείτοσιν ἡμῶν ἑπταπλασίονα εἰς τὸν κόλπον αὐτῶν, τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτῶν, ὃν ὠνείδισάν σε, Κύριε. Ἡμεῖς δὲ λαός σου καὶ πρόβατα νομῆς σου, ἀνθομολογησόμεθά σοι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν ἐξαγγελοῦμεν τὴν αἴνεσίν σου. Ἡμᾶς μὲν περιποίησαι, εἰ καὶ μὴ δι' ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοὺς πατέρας. Τοῖς δὲ γείτοσιν ἡμῶν, τουτέστι τοῖς ἐπανισταμένοις ἡμῖν καὶ τὸν καθ' ἡμῶν πόλεμον διεγείρουσιν, ἀπόδος τὰ ἀμοιβαῖα, πολυπλασιάζων τὴν ὀφειλομένην αὐτοῖς ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔδρασαν τιμωρίαν, μὴ τοῖς καθ' ἡμῶν ἀρκεσθέντες κακοῖς, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ σὲ τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων Κύριον βλασφήμοις καὶ ὀνειδιστικοῖς περιβάλλοντες λόγοις. Ἀλλ' ἐκείνοις μὲν, φησὶν, ἀπόδος τὴν ἀξίαν τιμωρίαν πρὸς ὠφελείας αὐτῶν γενησομένην, ἐπιστρεφομένων καὶ σωφρονιζομένων δι' αὐτῆς· ἡμᾶς δὲ σῶζε, τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν τεθανατωμένων· οἳ, εἰ καὶ μὴ τοῖς πατράσι γεγόναμεν ὅμοιοι, ἀλλ' ὅμως σου τυγχάνομεν λαὸς καὶ τῆς σῆς νομῆς πρόβατα· διὸ ἀνθομολογησόμεθά σοι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, εὐχαριστοῦντες δηλαδὴ καὶ τοὺς πρέποντας ὕμνους καὶ δοξολογίας ὑπὲρ ὧν εὖ πεπόνθαμεν σοὶ τῷ πάντων ἀγαθῶν δοτῆρι Θεῷ ἀναπέμποντες. Ἐφεξῆς τε κατὰ γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν ἐξαγγελοῦμεν τὴν αἴνεσίν σου παισὶν ἡμετέροις καὶ παίδων παισὶ, διαδόχοις τε αὐτῶν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα γενησομένοις, ὥσπερ ἀγαθὸν κλῆρον παραδώσοντες τῆς αἰνέσεως τὰ σωτήρια μαθήματα. ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ, ΥΠΕΡ ΤΩΝ ΑΛΛΟΙΩΘΗΣΟΜΕΝΩΝ, ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΟΝ ΤΩ ΑΣΑΦ. ΟΘʹ. Ὁ ποιμαίνων τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, πρόσχες, ὁ ὁδηγῶν ὡσεὶ πρόβατον τὸν Ἰωσήφ. Τέσσαρές εἰσιν οἱ ἐπιγεγραμμένοι, Ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων· δύο μὲν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, ὁ νθʹ καὶ ὁ ξηʹ, τῶν δὲ υἱῶν Κορὲ εἷς, ὁ μδʹ, καὶ τοῦ Ἀσὰφ ὡσαύτως ὁ μετὰ χεῖρας. Ὁ μὲν