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At the right time, who will stand up for me against the wicked? or who as an avenger will stand with me against the workers of iniquity? But I would say, 23.1205 confessing the truth, that I would find no helper for myself among men, but that I have possessed one single defender, the Lord, who, if He had not helped me, I would long ago, having been conquered by the wicked and the workers of iniquity, have dwelt in Hades, my very soul, both the rational and the substance made in the image of God, having been allotted death and Hades to have as a dwelling place. And so I would have suffered these things, if the Lord Himself had not stood by and helped me. If ever, then, being tempted in the struggles, I became aware of my own weakness, so that the feet of my soul were in danger of being shaken, I confess that I immediately received a sense of your mercy, O Lord, and was helped by you; so that if this had not been present to support my feet, I would long ago have slipped and fallen from the standing I have with you. But now your mercy, O Lord, gives me boldness to say: You have set my feet upon a rock, and have directed my steps. According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, your consolations have gladdened my soul. Not only did your mercy give power to my feet so as not to be shaken, nor only did the help from you strengthen my soul so as not to dwell in Hades; but the consolations from you also healed the sorrows which I bore in my heart, by the ineffable power of your goodness consoling my soul and filling it with gladness. For there was not just one consolation, nor a second, but more, and as many as was the number of the sorrows in my heart. In proportion then to my sorrows you provided me with your consolations for each sorrow, offering your consolation like some saving medicine, and as for more wounds, bringing more cures. And the divine Apostle, receiving such consolations, said: Blessed be God, the Father of mercies, and God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. Because as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds. And one might say in response to these things, changing the phrase: "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us," to this: "The multitude of the sorrows in my heart are not worthy to be compared with your consolations, O Lord, with which you gladdened my soul." But if for each sorrow one is consoled by God, and one is deemed worthy of the gladness from God; would one not pray to endure more sorrows for God's sake, so that one might obtain more consolations, and more of the gladness that comes with them? Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with you, which fashions toil by ordinance? Reasonably, he says, "According to the multitude of the sorrows in my heart, your consolations have gladdened my soul;" since indeed 23.1208 the throne of iniquity is not with you, being a just and good God; for you govern all things by just judgment and right law; therefore "you fashion labor upon a command," that is, your command is a producer of labors and toils for the sake of the rewards that will succeed the labors for those who have striven well and have endured the labor readily and vigorously. They will hunt for the soul of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood. And the Lord became my refuge, and my God the helper of my hope. And He will repay them their iniquity, and according to their wickedness the Lord our God will destroy them. The impious, he says, will hunt the soul of the righteous to such an extent, surrounding it with snares and nets, until also

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καιρὸν τίς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ στήσεται κατὰ τῶν πονηρευομένων; ἢ τίς ἔκδικος συμπαραστήσεταί μοι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὴν ἀνομίαν; Ἀλλὰ γὰρ εἴποιμ' ἂν 23.1205 ὁμολογῶν τἀληθῆ, μηδένα βοηθὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὑρήσειν ἐμαυτῷ, ἕνα δὲ μόνον ἐπίκουρον κεκτῆσθαι, τὸν Κύριον, ὃς εἰ μὴ βεβοηθήκει μοι, πάλαι ἂν ὑπὸ τῶν πονηρευομένων καὶ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν νενικημένος τῷ ᾅδῃ παρῴκουν, αὐτῆς μου τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τῆς λογικῆς, καὶ τῆς κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ γενομένης οὐσίας, τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὸν ᾅδην οἰκητήριον λαχούσης ἔχειν. Ταῦτα δ' οὖν ἔπαθον ἂν, εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος παραστὰς βεβοηθήκει μοι. Εἴ ποτε γοῦν πειραζόμενος ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσιν ἀντελαβόμην ἀσθενείας ἐμαυτοῦ, ὡς κινδυνεύειν σαλευθῆναι τοὺς πόδας τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς, ὁμολογῶ παραχρῆμα τοῦ ἐλέους σου, Κύριε, αἴσθησιν εἰληφέναι, καὶ ὑπὸ σοῦ βεβοηθῆσθαι· ὡς εἰ μὴ τοῦτό μοι παρῆν ὑποστηρίζον μου τοὺς πόδας, πάλαι ἂν ὀλισθήσας ἐπεπτώκειν ἀπὸ τῆς παρὰ σοὶ στάσεως. Νῦν δὲ τὸ ἔλεός σου, Κύριε, δίδωσί μοι παῤῥησίαν τοῦ λέγειν· Ἔστησας ἐπὶ πέτραν τοὺς πόδας μου, καὶ κατηύθυνας τὰ διαβήματά μου. Κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ὀδυνῶν μου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου αἱ παρακλήσεις σου ηὔφραναν τὴν ψυχήν μου. Οὐ μόνον τοῖς ποσί μου τὸ ἔλεός σου δύναμιν παρεῖχε πρὸς τὸ μὴ σαλευθῆναι, οὐδὲ μόνον ἡ παρὰ σοῦ βοήθεια τὴν ἐμὴν κατεκράτει ψυχὴν πρὸς τὸ μὴ παροικῆσαι τῷ ᾅδῃ· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἃς ἔφερον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου ὀδύνας, αἱ παρὰ σοῦ παρακλήσεις ἐθεράπευον, ἀποῤῥήτῳ δυνάμει τῆς σῆς χρηστότητος παρακαλούσης μου τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ εὐφροσύνης αὐτὴν πληρούσης. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μία τις ἦν παράκλησις, οὐδὲ δευτέρα, ἀλλὰ πλείους καὶ τοσαῦται, ὅσαι ἦν ἀριθμὸς τῶν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου ὀδυνῶν. Ἐφαμίλλως γοῦν ταῖς ἐμαῖς ὀδύναις τὰς παρὰ σοῦ μοι παρεῖχες παρακλήσεις πρὸς ἑκάστην ὀδύνην, ὥσπερ τι φάρμακον σωτήριον τὴν σὴν παράκλησιν προσφέρων, καὶ ὥσπερ πλείοσι τραύμασι, πλείους καὶ τὰς θεραπείας προσάγων. Τοιούτων δὲ παρακλήσεων ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος ἀντιλαμβανόμενος, ἔφασκεν· Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Πατὴρ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν, καὶ Θεὸς πάσης παρακλήσεως, ὁ παρακαλῶν ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ θλίψει ἡμῶν, εἰς τὸ δύνασθαι ἡμᾶς παρακαλεῖν τοὺς ἐν πάσῃ θλίψει διὰ τῆς παρακλήσεως, ἧς παρακαλούμεθα αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅτι καθὼς περισσεύει τὰ παθήματα τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν, οὕτω περισσεύει καὶ ἡ παράκλησις ἡμῶν. Καὶ ἦν ἂν εἰπεῖν πρὸς ταῦτα, μεταβαλόντα τό· Οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι εἰς ἡμᾶς, τό· Οὐκ ἄξιον τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ὀδυνῶν τῶν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου πρὸς τὰς παρακλήσεις σου, ὦ Κύριε, ἐφ' αἷς ηὔφρανας τὴν ψυχήν μου. Εἰ δὲ ἐφ' ἑκάστῃ ὀδύνῃ παρακαλεῖταί τις ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐφροσύνης καταξιοῦταί τις· οὐκ ἂν εὔξαιτο διὰ Θεὸν πλείους ὑπομένειν ὀδύνας, ὡς ἂν πλειόνων τυγχάνοι παρακλήσεων, καὶ πλειόνων τῶν ἐπὶ ταῦτα εὐφροσυνῶν; Μὴ συμπροσέσται σοι θρόνος ἀνομίας, ὁ πλάσσων κόπον ἐπὶ πρόσταγμα; Εἰκότως, φησὶ, κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ὀδυνῶν τῶν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου αἱ παρακλήσεις σου ηὔφραναν τὴν ψυχήν μου· ἐπειδήπερ 23.1208 οὐ πρόσεστί σοι Θεῷ ὄντι δικαίῳ καὶ ἀγαθῷ θρόνος ἀνομίας· πάντα γὰρ κρίσει δικαίᾳ καὶ ὀρθῷ νόμῳ διοικεῖς· διὸ πλάσσεις κόπον ἐπὶ πρόσταγμα, τουτέστι, τὸ πρόσταγμά σου κόπων καὶ καμάτων ἐστὶ ποιητικὸν διὰ τὰς μετὰ τοὺς πόνους διαδεξομένας ἀμοιβὰς τοὺς καλῶς ἀγωνισαμένους καὶ τὸν κόπον προθύμως καὶ εὐτόνως ὑπομείναντας. Θηρεύσουσιν ἐπὶ ψυχὴν δικαίου, καὶ αἷμα ἀθῶον καταδικάσονται. Καὶ ἐγένετό μοι Κύριος εἰς καταφυγὴν, καὶ ὁ Θεός μου εἰς βοηθὸν ἐλπίδος μου. Καὶ ἀποδώσει αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀνομίαν αὐτῶν, καὶ κατὰ τὴν πονηρίαν αὐτῶν ἀφανιεῖ αὐτοὺς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν. Οἱ μὲν ἀσεβεῖς, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τὴν τοῦ δικαίου ψυχὴν θηρεύσουσι παγίσιν αὐτὴν καὶ δικτύοις περιβάλλοντες, ἕως ὅτε καὶ