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will you turn away forever, will your wrath burn like fire? Remember what my substance is; for have you not created all the sons of men in vain? What man is there who shall live, and not see death, who will deliver his soul from the hand of Hades? Diapsalma. Instead of, you will turn away, Aquila says, How long, Lord, will you hide yourself in strife? but Symmachus, How long, Lord, will you hide yourself forever? And it seems to me that the word hints at the unspeakable wrath that came upon the more physical kingdom of David, and upon the whole nation of the Jews. At any rate, with events having turned out contrary to the promises, so far as immediate expectation goes, God, who had made the good promises to David, was being proclaimed. Therefore the word beseeches not to extend for long the wrath that has come upon them, but for the gloomy things to pass away quickly, and for the promises of God to come to pass. Then from the person of human weakness he says, Remember what my substance is, and the rest. And the prophetic word teaches the people to say these things, in order to entreat God and implore him to cause his wrath against the nation to cease, and for him to cease hiding himself; and to deem it worthy at last to grant to men the things promised to David. For, he says, human nature is weak and poor, yet it has been deemed worthy of the greatest honor by you; for you did not create the sons of men in vain, whom you made according to your own image; wherefore, so that your creation and your image may not perish through the wrath that has come, and the postponement of the promises, hasten to remedy the sad state of affairs, and to heal what is diseased through the fulfillment of the good promises. For if men had been created in vain like the irrational animals upon the earth, it would not have been necessary to promise them anything great; but when the sworn promises to David reach men, proclaiming such good news, they make it clear to everyone, that you have not created the sons of men in vain. Since, therefore, human nature has been deemed worthy of such honor by you, I rightly say, Remember what my substance is; and remember that you have not created the sons of men in vain. But I also ask you to remember this, that there is no man who is without a taste of death, nor is anyone able to rescue his own soul from death, nor is he granted even this benefit. So that even if the people of the Jewish nation sinned in such a way that the rebellions against David were turned against them, and the succession from his seed along with the throne of the kingdom were destroyed; nevertheless also that your Christ himself should suffer such things from them, as your words, having come beforehand, prophesied would happen concerning him; but we ask that you not turn away forever, nor that your wrath be kindled 23.1120 like fire, but to remember what my substance is, I who intercede these things on their behalf, and what the weakness of men is, who have received a mortal nature enslaved to death; and to remember yourself, that you did not create the sons of men in vain, but for great hopes that are from you. And with these things coming to remembrance we beseech you at last to send down to us the one who rescues from death and calls up from Hades, and to cease turning yourself away from us, and to cause the wrath that came upon your people like fire to cease, and to fulfill in deeds the promises which you swore to David. Where are your ancient mercies, Lord, which you swore to David in your truth? Because you did not create all the sons of men in vain, he says, but they have been honored by you, yet they are not able to rescue themselves from death; for this reason I beg and beseech you to hasten and show us the results of your good promises, which came to pass regarding your Christ even after the destruction of the kingdom of David.

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ἀποστρέψεις εἰς τέλος, ἐκκαυθήσεται ὡς πῦρ ἡ ὀργή σου; Μνήσθητι τίς μου ἡ ὑπόστασις· μὴ γὰρ ματαίως ἔκτισας πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων; Τίς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὃς ζήσεται, καὶ οὐκ ὄψεται θάνατον, ῥύσεται τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου; ∆ιάψαλμα. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀποστρέψεις, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας φησὶν, Ἕωςπότε, Κύριε, ἀποκρυβήσῃ εἰς νεῖκος; ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Ἕως τίνος, Κύριε, ἀποκρυβήσῃ εἰς τέλος; Καί μοι δοκεῖ ὁ λόγος τὸ ἀπόῤῥητον τῆς ἐπελθούσης ὀργῆς τῇ σωματικωτέρᾳ βασιλείᾳ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ παντὶ τῷ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνει αἰνίττεσθαι. Ἐναντίων γοῦν ἀποβάντων ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις, ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ προχείρῳ προσδοκίᾳ, ὁ τὰς ἀγαθὰς ἐπαγγελίας πρὸς τὸν ∆αυῒδ πεποιημένος Θεὸς ἀνεκηρύττετο. ∆ιὸ ἱκετεύει ὁ λόγος μὴ εἰς μακρὸν παρεκτεῖναι τὴν γενομένην κατ' αὐτῶν ὀργὴν, ταχὺ δὲ παρελθεῖν μὲν τὰ σκυθρωπὰ, ἐπιστῆναι δὲ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἶτα ἐκ προσώπου τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀσθενείας λέγει, Μνήσθητι τίς μου ἡ ὑπόστασις, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ τὸν λαὸν ταῦτα λέγειν ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος, εἰς τὸ παρακαλεῖν τὸν Θεὸν καὶ δυσωπεῖν καταπαῦσαι μὲν τὴν ὀργὴν τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ἔθνους, παύσασθαι δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν ἀποκρυπτόμενον· καταξιῶσαι δὲ ἤδη ποτὲ παρασχεῖν ἀνθρώποις τὰ τῷ ∆αυῒδ ἐπηγγελμένα. Ἐπειδήπερ, φησὶν, ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις ἀσθενὴς μέν ἐστι καὶ πτωχὴ, πλὴν ἀλλὰ πλείστης ἠξίωται παρὰ σοὶ τιμῆς· οὐ γὰρ ματαίως ἔκτισας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὓς κατ' εἰκόνα τὴν σὴν ἐδημιούργησας· δι' ὃ ἵνα μὴ τὸ σὸν κτίσμα καὶ ἡ σὴ εἰκὼν παραπόληται διὰ τῆς ἐπελθούσης ὀργῆς, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ὑπερθέσεως, τάχυνον ἀνακτήσασθαι τὰ σκυθρωπὰ, καὶ θεραπεῦσαι τὰ νοσήσαντα διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν ἐκβάσεως. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦσαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἰς μάταιον ἐκτισμένοι ὁμοίως τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλόγοις ζώοις, οὐκ ἂν οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἐχρῆν μέγα ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι· ὅτε δὲ τοιαῦτα φθάνουσιν ἀνθρώποις εὐαγγελιζόμεναι αἱ πρὸς τὸν ∆αυῒδ ὁρκωμοσίαι, παντί που δῆλον ποιοῦσιν, ὅτι μὴ ἐπὶ ματαίῳ ἔκτισας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τοιαύτης ἠξίωται παρὰ σοὶ τιμῆς ἡ ἀνθρωπεία φύσις, εἰκότως φημὶ, Μνήσθητι τίς μου ὑπόστασις· καὶ μνήσθητι, ὅτι μὴ ματαίως ἔκτισας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο μνησθῆναι ἀξιῶ, ὅτι οὐδείς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἄγευστος τυγχάνει θανάτου, οὐδ' οἷός τέ τίς ἐστιν αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου ῥύσασθαι, οὐδὲ καὶ τοῦτο τυγχάνει τῆς εὐεργεσίας. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ τοιαῦτα ἡμάρτανον οἱ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, ὡς τὰς ἐπαναστάσεις τὰς πρὸς τὸν ∆αυῒδ εἰς τοὐναντίον αὐτοῖς περιτραπῆναι, καὶ τὴν ἐκ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ διαδοχὴν σὺν τῷ τῆς βασιλείας θρόνῳ καταλυθῆναι· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστόν σου τοιαῦτα παθεῖν ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτῶν, ὁποῖα προλαβόντες οἱ σοὶ λόγοι περὶ αὐτὸν γενήσεσθαι προεφήτευσαν· ἀλλὰ μὴ εἰς τέλος ἀποστραφῆναι ἀξιοῦμεν, μηδὲ ὡς πῦρ ἐκκαυ 23.1120 θῆναι τὴν ὀργήν σου, μνησθῆναι δὲ τίς μου ἐστὶν ἡ ὑπόστασις, τοῦ ταῦτα ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν πρεσβεύοντος, καὶ τίς ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀσθένεια, τῶν θνητὴν φύσιν καὶ θανάτῳ δεδουλωμένην εἰληχότων· μνησθῆναι δὲ καὶ σαυτοῦ μὴ ἐπὶ ματαίῳ κτίσαντος τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μεγάλαις ἐλπίσι ταῖς παρὰ σοί. Καὶ τούτων εἰς μνήμην ἐλθόντων ἱκετεύομεν ἤδη ποτὲ τὸν καὶ ἐκ θανάτου ῥυόμενον, καὶ ἐξ ᾅδου ἀνακαλούμενον καταπέμψαι ἡμῖν, καὶ παύσασθαι μὲν ἀποστρέφοντα ἑαυτὸν ἐξ ἡμῶν, καταπαῦσαι δὲ καὶ τὴν πυρὸς δίκην ἐπελθοῦσαν ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου ὀργὴν, ἔργοις δὲ ἐπιτελέσαι ἃς ὤμοσας πρὸς ∆αυῒδ ἐπαγγελίας. Ποῦ ἐστι τὰ ἐλέη σου τὰ ἀρχαῖα, Κύριε, ἃ ὤμοσας τῷ ∆αυῒδ ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ σου; Ὅτι μὴ ματαίως, φησὶν, ἔκτισας πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τετίμηνται δὲ παρὰ σοὶ, οὐχ οἷοί τε δέ εἰσιν ἑαυτοὺς ῥύσασθαι ἐκ θανάτου· τούτου χάριν δέομαι καὶ ἀντιβολῶ σπεῦσαι καὶ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν σου τῶν ἀγαθῶν δεῖξαι ἡμῖν τὰ ἀποτελέσματα, συνενεχθέντα κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου καὶ μετὰ τὴν τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ ∆αυῒδ καθαίρεσιν.