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was established by the outcome of the things prophesied. And for how was glory not about to dwell in our land, when also his salvation, he himself, his Christ, and the righteousness from heaven, deigned to set foot on it? And having heard all these things that God had foreordained and foretold for his people, he prophesies after the prayer, saying: I will hear what the Lord God will speak; wherefore he added next: For he will speak peace upon his people. And this peace came to the people, when mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other. With these things being so, both the things of the Prophet's prayer have been fulfilled, and the things spoken before the prayer. For the Lord has been well pleased with his land, having deemed it worthy of mercy and truth and the rest; but he also turned back the captivity of human souls, having loosed every war, and having bestowed peace, and having broken the bonds, and the collars which came from sin. Wherefore also is joined to, Thou hast turned back the captivity of Jacob, the phrase, Thou hast forgiven the iniquities of thy people, and, Thou hast covered all their sins. For the return from captivity was not accomplished otherwise than through the forgiveness of sins. And that these things also reached their end through the epiphany of our Savior, he himself taught in the Gospels, when, taking the book of Isaiah, and reading, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me, he has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, and what follows, he added, saying: Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. But if one should consider that the race of men, long ago, was dragged down into captivity by invisible enemies, who are truly the enemies of God, into idolatries and all shameful and unlawful acts, he would not hesitate to call this a terrible captivity of souls, from which our Savior and Lord, having delivered and made us free, and having granted both forgiveness of old offenses through the washing of regeneration and release from former impieties, became for us the cause of the thanksgiving in the psalm, so that we too are able to say: Thou wast well pleased, O Lord, with thy land, thou didst turn back the captivity of Jacob. Thou didst forgive the iniquities of thy people, thou didst cover all their sins. For the Lord will give goodness, and our land will give its fruit. For long ago, when the earth was under a curse, it brought forth thorns and thistles, according to what was said: Cursed is the ground in thy works, thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for thee; but now that such good things have come to it, consequently it too is said to yield its proper fruit, since it has obtained the goodness from the Lord. But a fruit worthy of God is not thorns and thistles, but surely those things through which one is deemed worthy of the blessing from God. But the earth which has drunk the rain that often comes upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whom it is also cultivated, receives a blessing from God. Therefore, reasonably, 23.1028 the earth is commanded to sing new songs, as having been deemed worthy 23.1028 of such things as have now been declared, with the Holy Spirit crying out to it and saying: Sing to the Lord, all the earth, sing to the Lord a new song; and, The Lord has reigned, let the earth rejoice, and whatever happens to be similar to these. Righteousness will go before him, and will set his steps in the way. The other interpreters have rendered the meaning of this more clearly, and especially Symmachus, saying: The righteousness of each one will go before him, and will set his feet in the way. For after the good things graciously given to the earth, each of those inhabiting the earth, as having partaken of the righteousness that looked down from heaven, and having himself acquired his own righteousness, will have it leading him to the way that leads upward, and ordering its steps; so that having traveled the way to

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προφητευομένων ἐκβάσεως συνέστη. Καὶ πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἤμελλε κατασκηνοῦν δόξα ἐν τῇ γῇ ἡμῶν, ὅτε καὶ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ δικαιοσύνη, ταύτης ἐπιβῆναι κατηξίωσε; Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐπακούσας τοῦ Θεοῦ προορίσαντος καὶ προλαλήσαντος ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, θεσπίζει μετὰ τὴν εὐχὴν, εἰπών· Ἀκούσομαι τί λαλήσει Κύριος ὁ Θεός· διὸ ἐπήγαγεν ἑξῆς· Ὅτι λαλήσει εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. Αὕτη δὲ ἡ εἰρήνη γέγονε τῷ λαῷ, ὅτε τὸ ἔλεος καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια συνήντησαν, ἥ τε δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἡ εἰρήνη κατεφίλησαν. Ὧν οὕτως ἐχόντων, καὶ τὰ τῆς εὐχῆς ἀποδέδοται τοῦ Προφήτου, καὶ τὰ πρὸ τῆς εὐχῆς εἰρημένα. Καὶ γὰρ εὐδόκησε Κύριος τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ, καταξιώσας αὐτὴν ἐλέους καὶ ἀληθείας καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπέστρεψε τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν, λύσας μὲν πάντα πόλεμον, χαρισάμενος δὲ τὴν εἰρήνην, καὶ διαῤῥήξας τοὺς δεσμοὺς, καὶ τοὺς κλοιοὺς τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐγγενομένους. ∆ιὸ καὶ συνῆπται τῷ, Ἀπέστρεψας τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Ἰακὼβ, τὸ, Ἀφῆκας τὰς ἀνομίας τῷ λαῷ σου, καὶ τὸ, Ἐκάλυψας πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Ἡ γὰρ ἐπιστροφὴ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας οὐκ ἄλλως ἀπετελέσθη ἢ δι' ἀφέσεως τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ ταῦτα διὰ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφανείας τέλους ἔτυχεν, αὐτὸς ἐδίδαξεν ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις, ὅτε, λαβὼν τὴν βίβλον τοῦ Ἡσαΐου, καὶ ἀναγνοὺς τὸ, Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέ με, εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με, κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ἐπήνεγκεν εἰπών· Σήμερον πεπλήρωται ἡ Γραφὴ αὕτη ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ὑμῶν. Εἰ δ' οὖν ἐννοήσειέ τις, εἴποι ἂν τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων πάλαι πρότερον αἰχμαλωσίαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀοράτων πολεμίων, τῶν ἀληθῶς ἐχθρῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καθελκυσθὲν εἰς εἰδωλολατρείας, καὶ πάσας πράξεις αἰσχρὰς καὶ ἀθεμίτους, οὐκ ἂν ὀκνήσει δεινὴν ταύτην φάναι ψυχῶν αἰχμαλωσίαν, ἧς ἀπαλλάξας καὶ ἐλευθέρους καταστησάμενος ἡμᾶς ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ἄφεσίν τε διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας παλαιῶν πλημμελημάτων καὶ λύσιν προτέρων ἀσεβημάτων παρασχὼν, αἴτιος ἡμῖν κατέστη τῆς ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ εὐχαριστίας, ὡς δύνασθαι καὶ ἡμᾶς λέγειν· Εὐδόκησας, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν σου, ἀπέστρεψας τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Ἰακώβ. Ἀφῆκας τὰς ἀνομίας τοῦ λαοῦ σου, ἐκάλυψας πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος δώσει χρηστότητα, καὶ ἡ γῆ ἡμῶν δώσει τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς. Πάλαι μὲν, ὅτε ὑπὸ κατάραν ἦν ἡ γῆ, ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἔφυε, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· Ἐπικατάρατος ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου, ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀνατελεῖ σοι· νῦν δ' ὅτε τοιαῦτα ἀγαθὰ εἰς αὐτὴν ἐλήλυθεν, ἀκολούθως καὶ αὐτὴ τὸν προσήκοντα καρπὸν ἀποδιδόναι λέγεται, ἅτε δὴ τυχοῦσα τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου χρηστότητος. Καρπὸς δὲ ἐπάξιος Θεοῦ οὐκ ἄκανθαι καὶ τρίβολοι, ἀλλὰ πάντως που ταῦτα δι' ὧν καταξιοῦται εὐλογίας τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Γῆ δὲ ἡ πιοῦσα τὸν ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἐρχόμενον πολλάκις ὑετὸν, φέρουσά τε βοτάνην εὔθετον ἐκείνοις, δι' οὓς καὶ γεωργεῖται, μεταλαμβάνει εὐλογίας τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰκότως οὖν 23.1028 τὰ καινὰ ᾄσματα ᾄδειν προστάττεται ἡ γῆ, ὡς ἂν 23.1028 τοιούτων ἀρτίως δεδηλωμένων κατηξιωμένη, τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐπιφωνοῦντος αὐτῇ καὶ λέγοντος· Ἄσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ, ᾄσατε τῷ Κυρίῳ ᾆσμα καινόν· καὶ, Κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν, ἀγαλλιάσεται ἡ γῆ, καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ὅμοια τυγχάνει. ∆ικαιοσύνη ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ προπορεύσεται, καὶ θήσει εἰς ὁδὸν τὰ διαβήματα αὐτοῦ. Τούτου τὴν διάνοιαν σαφέστερον ἐκδεδώκασιν οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ, καὶ μάλιστα ὁ Σύμμαχος εἰπών· ∆ικαιοσύνη ἑκάστου προελεύσεται αὐτὸν, καὶ θήσει εἰς ὁδὸν τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. Μετὰ γὰρ τὰ τῇ γῇ κεχαρισμένα ἀγαθὰ ἕκαστος τῶν τὴν γῆν κατοικούντων, ὡς ἂν τῆς ἐξ οὐρανῶν διακυψάσης δικαιοσύνης μετασχὼν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἰδίαν κτησάμενος δικαιοσύνην, ἕξει αὐτὴν προάγουσαν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἄνω φέρουσαν ὁδὸν, καὶ τὰ διαβήματα αὐτῆς κατατάττουσαν· ὅπως ὁδεύσας τὴν εἰς