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in the valley of weeping, having been deemed worthy of help from God, who also has had ascents of God in his heart? For he again calls this man blessed; but not the one who is a keeper of the bodily commandments from Moses. Such is every man who mourns himself in this mortal and human life, and is burdened by this earthly life, which the word calls the valley of weeping, because the things here are worthy of weeping, and because the men on earth do things worthy of weeping, and because the saints of God mourn throughout the present life, groaning and being burdened according to the Apostle. Therefore, everyone who is in the valley of weeping, that is, in this mortal life, who obtains help from God, would be truly blessed, especially when ascents of God occur in his heart. For while other men are dragged down by mortal reasonings into every form of sin, and also tripped up by the attacks of demons and the suggestions of evil spirits, he who is not captured by these, but by the grace of God acquires good ascents and reasonings sent from God in his heart, this one is truly blessed, who also dwells always in the house of God, and like a certain priest devotes himself only to the worship of God, and this one is blessed; since, first, he has God as his helper, assisting him and supporting him in all his actions; then, he has acquired ascents of God in his heart; and the ascents signify good reasonings and good thoughts that rise up according to God's will and run up to the memory of the one who is called blessed. You will understand this by comparing the verse: When they persecute you and bring you into councils, do not worry how or what you will speak; for the word will be given to you in the opening of your mouth. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father in heaven who speaks in you. For in whom the Spirit of God speaks, in him the ascents of God occur in his heart. Therefore, he is rightly called blessed. This one himself, in the place of weeping, that is, in the earthly region, holding in honor the Covenant of God and his oracles, has disposed. 23.1012 Instead of, He has appointed in the valley of weeping, Symmachus says, Proceeding through the valley he wept. In these things we said that the valley of weeping signifies human life, which the one who is called blessed, passing by and running past, like some sojourner and stranger, longing for his heavenly homeland, weeps the weeping that makes one blessed according to the verse: Blessed are those who weep. Such was Paul, saying: We who are in this tent groan, being burdened. Instead of, In the place which he appointed, Aquila says, They will make it a spring; but Symmachus, It will be appointed a spring. What, he says, will they make a spring, if not clearly the valley of weeping? At any rate, Aquila translated the whole thus, saying: Passing through the valley of weeping, they will make it a spring. And through these he shows that sojourners and strangers in this life will make the valley of men a spring, or will appoint it a spring according to Symmachus, having named the divinely inspired teaching in this manner. For a spring of life and a drink of immortality has been laid down in the valley of weeping, in the life of men, by the men of God through the life-giving and pious teaching, which they themselves pursued, and have left behind for others in their own writings. To these same ones, he says, the lawgiver will give blessings as a reward for their weeping and a worthy fruit. To which ones will he give the blessings, if not clearly to those who weep in this valley and have established a spring in it? Instead of, the lawgiver, Aquila named him, the early rain, but Symmachus, the instructor; and the fifth edition, the one who gives light; and a certain other sixth edition besides these, the teacher; so that from all of them we are to understand the word of salvation.

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κοιλάδι τοῦ κλαυθμῶνος ἀντιλήψεως τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἠξιωμένον, τὸν καὶ ἀναβάσεις ἐσχηκότα Θεοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ; Τοῦτον γὰρ τὸν ἄνδρα πάλιν μακαρίζει· ἀλλ' οὐ τὸν τῶν παρὰ Μωϋσεῖ σωματικῶν ἐντολῶν φύλακα. Τοιοῦτος δέ ἐστι πᾶς ὁ ἀποκλᾳόμενος ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῷ θνητῷ καὶ ἀνθρωπίνῳ βίῳ, καὶ τὴν ἐπίγειον ταύτην ζωὴν βαρούμενος, ἢν κοιλάδα κλαυθμῶνος ὁ λόγος ὀνομάζει, διὰ τὸ κλαυθμοῦ ἄξια εἶναι τὰ ἐνταῦθα, κλαυθμοῦ τε ἄξια πράττειν τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἁγίους τοῦ Θεοῦ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον ἀποκλᾴεσθαι, στενάζοντας καὶ βαρουμένους κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον. Πᾶς οὖν ὁ ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τοῦ κλαυθμῶνος, τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ θνητῷ βίῳ τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀντιλήψεως τυγχάνων, μακάριος ἀληθῶς ἂν εἴη, ὅτε μάλιστα ἀναβάσεις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ γίνονται. Τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων θνητοῖς λογισμοῖς καθελκομένων εἰς πᾶν εἶδος ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ δαιμόνων ἐπιβολαῖς, καὶ πονηρῶν πνευμάτων ἐνθυμήσεσι ὑποσκελιζομένων, ὁ μὴ τούτοις ἁλισκόμενος, κατὰ δὲ Θεοῦ χάριν ἀναβάσεις ἀγαθὰς καὶ λογισμοὺς ἐκ Θεοῦ πεμπομένους ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ κτώμενος, οὗτος ἀληθῶς μακάριος, ὁ καὶ διὰ παντὸς κατοικῶν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ὥσπερ ἱερεύς τις μόνῃ τῇ λατρείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ σχολάζων, καὶ μακάριος οὗτος· ἅτε πρῶτον μὲν ἀντιλήπτορα ἔχων τὸν Θεὸν βοηθοῦντα αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀντιλαμβανόμενον ἐν πάσαις αὐτοῦ ταῖς πράξεσιν· ἔπειτα κεκτημένος ἀναβάσεις Θεοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· ἀγαθοὺς δὲ λογισμοὺς σημαίνουσιν αἱ ἀναβάσεις καὶ ἀγαθὰς ἐνθυμήσεις τὰς κατὰ Θεοῦ βουλὴν ἀνιούσας καὶ ἀνατρεχούσας ἐπὶ τὴν μνήμην τοῦ μακαριζομένου. Νοήσεις δὲ τοῦτο παραθεὶς τό· Ὅταν διώκωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ ἄγωσιν εἰς συνέδρια, μὴ μεριμνήσητε πως ἢ τί λαλήσητε· δοθήσεται γὰρ ὑμῖν ὁ λόγος ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ λαλοῦντες, ἀλλὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς τὸ λαλοῦν ἐν ὑμῖν. Ἐν ᾧ γὰρ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ λαλεῖ, τούτου ἀναβάσεις Θεοῦ ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ γίγνονται. ∆ιὸ εἰκότως μακαρίζεται. Οὗτος δὲ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ τοῦ κλαυθμῶνος, τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ περιγείῳ τόπῳ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ∆ιαθήκην καὶ τὰ λόγια αὐτοῦ πρεσβεύων διέθετο. 23.1012 Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ∆ιέθετο εἰς τὴν κοιλάδα τοῦ κλαυθμῶνος, ὁ Σύμμαχός φησι, Προοδεύων κοιλάδα ἔκλαιεν. Κοιλάδα δὲ κλαυθμῶνος ἐν τούτοις τὸν ἀνθρώπινον ἔφαμεν δηλοῦσθαι βίον, ὃν ὁ μακαριζόμενος παροδεύων καὶ παρατρέχων, ὥσπερ τις πάροικος καὶ παρεπίδημος, τὴν ἐπουράνιον ἑαυτοῦ πατρίδα ποθῶν, ἀποκλᾴεται κλαυθμὸν τὸν μακαριοποιὸν κατὰ τό· Μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες. Οἷος ἦν ὁ Παῦλος λέγων· Ἡμεῖς οἱ ὄντες ἐν τῷ σκήνει στενάζομεν βαρούμενοι. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Εἰς τόπον ὃν ἔθετο, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας φησὶ, Πηγὴν θήσονται αὐτήν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Πηγὴ τάξεται. Τίνα δὲ αὐτὴν, φησὶ, πηγὴν θήσονται, ἢ δηλονότι τὴν κοιλάδα τοῦ κλαυθμῶνος; Ὅλον γοῦν οὕτως ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Ἀκύλας εἰπών· Παρερχόμενοι ἐν κοιλάδι τοῦ κλαυθμοῦ, πηγὴν θήσονται αὐτήν. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τούτων, ὡς ἄρα οἱ πάροικοι καὶ παρεπίδημοι ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων κοιλάδα πηγὴν θήσουσι, ἢ τάξουσι πηγὴν κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, τὴν ἔνθεον διδασκαλίαν τοῦτον ὀνομάσαντες τὸν τρόπον. Πηγὴ γὰρ ζωῆς καὶ ποτὸν ἀθανασίας ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τοῦ κλαυθμῶνος τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίῳ καταβέβληται ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνθρώπων διὰ τῆς ζωοποιοῦ καὶ θεοσεβοῦς διδασκαλίας, ἣν αὐτοὶ μετῆλθον, καὶ ἑτέροις καταλελοίπασιν ἐν ταῖς ἑαυτῶν γραφαῖς. Τούτοις δὲ αὐτοῖς, φησὶν, εὐλογίας μισθὸν τοῦ κλαυθμοῦ καὶ καρπὸν ἐπάξιον δώσει ὁ νομοθέτης αὐτῶν. Τίσι δὲ τούτοις δώσει τὰς εὐλογίας, ἢ δηλονότι τοῖς ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι ταύτῃ ἀποκλᾳομένοις καὶ πηγὴν ἐν αὐτῇ θεμένοις; Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ὁ νομοθετῶν, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, πρώϊμος, ὠνόμασεν, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ὁ ὑποδείκτης· ἡ δὲ πέμπτη ἔκδοσις, ὁ φωτίζων· ἄλλη δέ τις παρὰ ταῦτα ἔκδοσις ἕκτη, ὁ διδάσκων· ὥστε ἐξ ἁπάντων τὸν σωτήριον λόγον ὑπονοεῖν.