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are the things that will happen concerning him, he enumerates through the following: For he will deliver me from the snare of hunters, from a tumultuous word. He will overshadow you with his shoulders, and under his 23.1144 wings you will hope. His truth will surround you as a shield, you will not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the thing that walks in darkness, nor of the mishap and the noonday demon. A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you behold, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you are my hope, you have made the Most High your refuge. The word foretells that many uprisings will happen to the one prophesied about. But this one was someone rare and wonderful, sitting in the secret place of the Most High, dwelling under the shadow of the Sufficient One, and saying to the Lord: My helper and my refuge, my God, and I will hope in him; or according to Aquila, My God, I will trust in him; or, My God, and I will be of good courage in him, according to Symmachus. To this one, therefore, who was dedicated to the help of God in the manner described, certain plots and conspiracies of myriads warring against him arose; indeed, they were named snares of hunters, and tumultuous words, and terror by night, and an arrow that flies by day, and a thing that walks in darkness, and a mishap of the noonday demon; and in addition to all these, thousands and ten thousands; the thousands taking his left side, and the ten thousands his right. For they plotted against the right parts as being mightier and stronger. But none of all these things touch the one about whom the word prophesies. And in addition to these, it is said that he will tread even upon serpents and scorpions; for these were small things; but upon the asp and the basilisk, and he will trample the lion and the dragon; which happen to be the most royal and ruling among beasts and serpents. I think, indeed, that by these are signified the rulers of this age, and the invisible and ruling powers. Nevertheless, the one prophesied about is said to trample them all at once. For you shall tread, it says, upon the asp and the basilisk, and you shall trample the lion and the dragon. Who then could be such a one, that such things could be applied to him, one against whose right side myriads of enemies campaign, and thousands against his other side, yet they dare not touch him but fall before him; let us consider. I say, in one way, that these things refer to the man perfected in Christ; such as was Paul, saying: I know a man in Christ; and to everyone who is able to say likewise with him: Who shall separate us from the love of God? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? and again: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus; and the one who, in addition to these things, is able to say: But in all these things we are more than conquerors, would be worthy of having the preceding 23.1145 words spoken about him. For such a one, dwelling in the help of the Most High, and abiding in the shelter of God, will say to the Lord: You are my helper and my refuge, my God, and I will hope in him. And when he has said these things with a perfect disposition, the divine Spirit prophesies to him that he has indeed chosen a safe guardian, and has acquired a good refuge in the Lord. For having such a helper and champion and defender, he will fear none of his enemies, since the Lord himself delivers him from all things. For He will deliver him from the snare of hunters, and from a tumultuous word He will overshadow him with his shoulders; and all the things enumerated next, to every one perfected in Christ

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ἐστι τὰ περὶ αὐτὸν γενησόμενα, καταλέγει διὰ τῶν ἑπομένων· Ὅτι αὐτὸς ῥύσεταί με ἐκ παγίδος θηρευτῶν, ἀπὸ λόγου ταραχώδους. Ἐν τοῖς μεταφρένοις αὐτοῦ ἐπισκιάσει σοι, καὶ ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας 23.1144 αὐτοῦ ἐλπιεῖς. Ὅπλῳ κυκλώσει σε ἡ ἀλήθεια αὐτοῦ, οὐ φοβηθήσῃ ἀπὸ φόβου νυκτερινοῦ, ἀπὸ βέλους πετομένου ἡμέρας, ἀπὸ πράγματος ἐν σκότει διαπορευομένου, ἀπὸ συμπτώματος καὶ δαιμονίου μεσημβρινοῦ. Πεσεῖται ἐκ τοῦ κλίτους σου χιλιὰς, καὶ μυριὰς ἐκ δεξιῶν σου, πρὸς σὲ δὲ οὐκ ἐγγιεῖ. Πλὴν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς σου κατανοήσεις, καὶ ἀνταπόδοσιν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὄψει. Ὅτι σὺ ἡ ἐλπίς μου, τὸν Ὕψιστον ἔθου καταφυγήν σου. Πολλὰς ἐπαναστάσεις ὁ λόγος προαγορεύει γενήσεσθαι τῷ προφητευομένῳ. Οὗτος δὲ ἦν σπάνιός τις καὶ θαυμαστὸς, ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ τοῦ Ὑψίστου καθήμενος, ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν τοῦ ἱκανοῦ αὐλιζόμενος, καὶ λέγων τῷ Κυρίῳ· Ἀντιλήπτωρ μου καὶ καταφυγή μου, ὁ Θεός μου, καὶ ἐλπιῶ ἐπ' αὐτόν· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, Ὁ Θεός μου, πεποιθήσω ἐν αὐτῷ· ἢ, Ὁ Θεός μου, καὶ εὐθαρσήσω ἐν αὐτῷ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον. Τούτῳ δὴ οὖν τῷ τῶν εἰρημένων τρόπῳ ἀνακειμένῳ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθείᾳ ἐπιβουλαί τινες καὶ συσκευαὶ μυρίων κατ' αὐτοῦ στρατευομένων ἐπανέστησαν· παγίδες γοῦν θηρευτῶν ὠνομάσθησαν, καὶ λόγοι ταραχώδεις, καὶ φόβος νυκτερινὸς, καὶ βέλος πετόμενον ἡμέρας, καὶ πρᾶγμα ἐν σκότει διαπορευόμενον, καὶ σύμπτωμα δαιμονίου μεσημβρινοῦ· καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἅπασι χιλιάδες καὶ μυριάδες· αἱ μὲν χιλιάδες τὰ ἀριστερὰ αὐτοῦ ἀπολαμβάνουσαι, αἱ δὲ τὰ δεξιὰ μυριάδες. Αὐταὶ γὰρ τοῖς δεξιοῖς ὡς ἂν κραταιοτέροις καὶ ἰσχυροτέροις μέρεσιν ἐπεβούλευον. Τούτων δὲ πάντων οὐδὲν προσψαύειν τῷ περὶ οὗ ὁ λόγος προφητεύει. Ἔτι δὲ πρὸς τούτοις ἐπιβήσεσθαι λέγεται, ὅτι καὶ ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων· μικρὰ γὰρ ἦν ταῦτα· ἀλλ' ἐπ' ἀσπίδα καὶ βασιλίσκον, καταπατήσειν τε λέοντα καὶ δράκοντα· ἃ δὴ βασιλικώτατα καὶ ἀρχικώτατα τῶν ἐν θηρίοις καὶ ἑρπετοῖς τυγχάνει. Οἶμαι γοῦν διὰ τούτων τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου σημαίνεσθαι, καὶ τὰς ἀοράτους καὶ ἀρχοντικὰς δυνάμεις. Πλὴν ὅμως ὁ προφητευόμενος καταπατήσειν ἀθρόως λέγεται τὰς πάσας. Ἐπιβήσῃ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπὶ ἀσπίδα καὶ βασιλίσκον, καὶ καταπατήσεις λέοντα καὶ δράκοντα. Τίς οὖν γένοιτ' ἂν τοιοῦτος, ὡς ἐφαρμόζειν αὐτῷ δύνασθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα, καὶ ὃς ὁ λαὸς μὲν ἐχθρῶν μὲν μυριάδας ἐπιστρατεύεται αὐτοῦ τοῖς δεξιοῖς, τοῖς δὲ κατὰ θάτερον μέρος χιλιάδας, μὴ τολμᾷν δὲ αὐτοῦ προσψαύειν, καταπίπτειν δὲ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ, φέρε κατανοήσωμεν. Φημὶ δὲ καθ' ἕνα τρόπον ἀναφέρεσθαι ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὸν ἐν Χριστῷ τετελειωμένον ἄνθρωπον· οἷος ἦν ὁ Παῦλος λέγων· Οἶδα ἄνθρωπον ἐν Χριστῷ· ἐπὶ πάντα τε τὸν ὁμοίως ἐκείνῳ λέγειν δυνάμενον· Τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ; θλίψις, ἢ στενοχωρία, ἢ διωγμὸς, ἢ λιμὸς, ἢ γυμνότης, ἢ κίνδυνος, ἢ μάχαιρα; καὶ πάλιν· Πέπεισμαι γὰρ, ὅτι οὔτε θάνατος, οὔτε ζωὴ, οὔτε ἐνεστῶτα, οὔτε μέλλοντα, οὔτε δυνάμεις, οὔτε ὕψωμα, οὔτε βάθος, οὔτε τις κτίσις ἑτέρα δυνήσεται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· ὁ δὲ πρὸς τούτοις οἷός τε ὢν λέγειν· Ἀλλ' ἐν τούτοις πᾶσιν ὑπερνικῶμεν, ἄξιος ἂν γένοιτο τοῦ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ λεχθῆναι τὰς προ 23.1145 κειμένας φωνάς. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος, κατοικῶν ἐν βοηθείᾳ τοῦ Ὑψίστου, καὶ ἐν σκέπῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐλιζόμενος, ἐρεῖ τῷ Κυρίῳ· Ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ καὶ καταφυγή μου, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἐλπιῶ ἐπ' αὐτόν. Ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ διαθέσει τελείᾳ εἰρηκότος, θεσπίζει αὐτῷ τὸ θεῖον Πνεῦμα, ὅτι δὴ ἀσφαλῆ εἵλατο φύλακα, καὶ καλὴν ἐκτήσατο καταφυγὴν τὸν Κύριον. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἔχων βοηθὸν καὶ πρόμαχον καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴν, οὐδένα τῶν ἐχθρῶν φοβηθήσεται, ἅτε αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ῥυομένου αὐτὸν ἐξ ἁπάντων. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκ παγίδος θηρευτῶν ἐξελεῖται αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀπὸ λόγου ταραχώδους τοῖς μεταφρένοις αὐτοῦ ἐπισκιάσει αὐτῷ· καὶ πάντα δὲ τὰ ἑξῆς κατηριθμημένα ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν ἐν Χριστῷ τέλειον